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Camera engineer salary
Average camera engineer salary
$80,765
Average Camera Engineer Salary
The average salary for a Camera Engineer in the United States is $80,765 per year, translating to approximately $39 per hour. This figure reflects the demand for professionals skilled in designing and implementing camera systems for diverse applications, from entertainment to security. Factors such as experience, education, and location significantly influence earning potential.
How Much Does a Camera Engineer Make?
Entry-level Camera Engineers can expect to earn lower salaries, typically around $60,000, which can increase with experience. Senior positions may offer salaries exceeding $100,000, particularly in technology hubs.
Where Can a Camera Engineer Earn More?
States like California and New York often provide higher salaries due to the concentration of tech companies and film studios. Cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City rank among the highest-paying locations for Camera Engineers. Additionally, specialized roles in research and development can offer premium compensation.
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Where can a Camera Engineer earn more?
Average camera engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for camera engineers are New York, New Mexico, and Texas. The lowest average camera engineer salary states are Michigan, Alabama, and Hawaii.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for camera engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $117,519 | $56.50 |
| 2 | Texas | $94,187 | $45.28 |
| 3 | California | $90,235 | $43.38 |
| 4 | Alaska | $91,491 | $43.99 |
| 5 | New Mexico | $98,189 | $47.21 |
| 6 | Arkansas | $86,971 | $41.81 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $81,854 | $39.35 |
| 8 | Utah | $76,059 | $36.57 |
| 9 | Maryland | $81,644 | $39.25 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $80,340 | $38.63 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $83,411 | $40.10 |
| 12 | Arizona | $76,286 | $36.68 |
| 13 | Vermont | $78,593 | $37.79 |
| 14 | Ohio | $76,358 | $36.71 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $81,520 | $39.19 |
| 16 | Oregon | $75,375 | $36.24 |
| 17 | Montana | $77,617 | $37.32 |
| 18 | Washington | $74,948 | $36.03 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $75,665 | $36.38 |
| 20 | Nebraska | $71,144 | $34.20 |
| 21 | Illinois | $73,776 | $35.47 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $73,257 | $35.22 |
| 23 | North Dakota | $75,577 | $36.34 |
| 24 | South Dakota | $74,146 | $35.65 |
| 25 | Louisiana | $73,887 | $35.52 |
| 26 | Colorado | $72,263 | $34.74 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $72,009 | $34.62 |
| 28 | Iowa | $72,264 | $34.74 |
| 29 | Nevada | $72,539 | $34.87 |
| 30 | Virginia | $69,534 | $33.43 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $69,632 | $33.48 |
| 32 | Delaware | $67,459 | $32.43 |
| 33 | Missouri | $70,947 | $34.11 |
| 34 | Mississippi | $70,230 | $33.76 |
| 35 | Idaho | $69,809 | $33.56 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $68,306 | $32.84 |
| 37 | Kansas | $70,234 | $33.77 |
| 38 | District of Columbia | $66,016 | $31.74 |
| 39 | Indiana | $66,251 | $31.85 |
| 40 | Minnesota | $68,142 | $32.76 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $68,739 | $33.05 |
| 42 | Wyoming | $64,724 | $31.12 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $64,523 | $31.02 |
| 44 | Michigan | $63,860 | $30.70 |
| 45 | Alabama | $62,304 | $29.95 |
| 46 | Maine | $68,172 | $32.77 |
| 47 | Rhode Island | $67,426 | $32.42 |
| 48 | Florida | $60,585 | $29.13 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $61,243 | $29.44 |
| 50 | Georgia | $56,378 | $27.10 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $57,182 | $27.49 |
Highest paying cities for camera engineers
The highest-paying cities for camera engineers are Austin, TX, San Francisco, CA, and Foster City, CA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin, TX | $95,380 | $45.86 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $93,649 | $45.02 |
| 3 | Foster City, CA | $93,523 | $44.96 |
| 4 | Menlo Park, CA | $93,449 | $44.93 |
| 5 | Palo Alto, CA | $93,418 | $44.91 |
| 6 | Mountain View, CA | $93,368 | $44.89 |
| 7 | Newark, CA | $93,342 | $44.88 |
| 8 | Sunnyvale, CA | $93,325 | $44.87 |
| 9 | Cupertino, CA | $93,322 | $44.87 |
| 10 | Santa Clara, CA | $93,278 | $44.85 |
| 11 | San Jose, CA | $93,158 | $44.79 |
| 12 | Irvine, CA | $88,786 | $42.69 |
| 13 | San Diego, CA | $87,980 | $42.30 |
| 14 | Chicago, IL | $74,015 | $35.58 |
| 15 | Warren, MI | $64,189 | $30.86 |
| 16 | Dearborn, MI | $63,910 | $30.73 |
Camera engineer salary details
A camera engineer's salary ranges from $52,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $124,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a camera engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $124,000 | $10,333 | $60 |
| 75th Percentile | $101,000 | $8,417 | $49 |
| Average | $80,765 | $6,730 | $39 |
| 25th Percentile | $64,000 | $5,333 | $31 |
| 10th Percentile | $52,000 | $4,333 | $25 |
Highest paying camera engineer jobs
The highest paying types of camera engineers are director of photography, engineer, and microfilm camera operator.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camera Operator | $43,609 | $3,634 | $20.97 | 26,006 |
| Engineer | $92,077 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for camera engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Michael Rudisill
Department Head and Professor of Engineering Technology, Northern Michigan University
Top companies hiring camera engineers now:
Which companies pay camera engineers the most?
Camera engineer salaries at Apple and Zoox are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average camera engineer salary at companies like Google and Amazon are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $139,691 | $67.16 |
| 2 | Zoox | $134,213 | $64.53 |
| 3 | $129,711 | $62.36 | |
| 4 | Amazon | $108,125 | $51.98 |
| 5 | General Motors | $100,532 | $48.33 |
| 6 | Qualcomm | $99,311 | $47.75 |
| 7 | Tesla | $95,343 | $45.84 |
| 8 | Lucid Motors | $93,902 | $45.15 |
| 9 | Ford Motor | $92,200 | $44.33 |
| 10 | Planet Labs | $75,718 | $36.40 |
| 11 | Nuro | $75,545 | $36.32 |
| 12 | Kodiak Robotics | $72,725 | $34.96 |
| 13 | Nexstar Media Group | $61,846 | $29.73 |
| 14 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $53,695 | $25.81 |
| 15 | Kodiak | $48,729 | $23.43 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Camera engineer salary trends
The average camera engineer salary has risen by $24,046 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average camera engineer earned $56,719 annually, but today, they earn $80,765 a year. That works out to a 4% change in pay for camera engineers over the last decade.
Compare camera engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average camera engineer salary over time
Compare camera engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Camera engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $80,800 | $38.83 | +3.6% |
| 2025 | $77,900 | $37.44 | +1.1% |
| 2024 | $77,100 | $37.04 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | $75,600 | $36.35 | -2.9% |
| 2022 | $77,800 | $37.39 | +10.9% |
Recently added camera engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualcomm | Senior Camera Engineer | Austin, TX | 06/28/2025 | $122,500 |
| Qualcomm | Senior Camera Engineer | Santa Clara, CA | 06/17/2025 | $159,568 |
| Hcltech | Camera Perception Engineer | Sunnyvale, CA | 06/13/2025 | $123,000 |
| Relativity | Staff Thermal Camera/Perception Engineer | Long Beach, CA | 04/28/2025 | $183,000 |
| Meta | Algorithm Engineer, Machine Learning for Cameras (PHD) | Sunnyvale, CA | 04/02/2025 | $173,000 |
| Apple | Camera Sipi Engineer | San Diego, CA | 03/20/2025 | $135,400 |
| Qualcomm | Camera Modelling Engineer | San Diego, CA | 03/17/2025 | $122,500 |
| Meta | Camera Perception Engineer | Sunnyvale, CA | 03/15/2025 | $111,000 |
| Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. | Camera Engineer | San Diego, CA | 03/08/2025 | $119,434 |
| Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. | Staff Camera Engineer | San Diego, CA | 03/05/2025 | $148,300 |
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