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Communications engineer salary
Average communications engineer salary
$83,540
Average Communications Engineer Salary
As of October 2025, the average Communications Engineer salary stands at $83,540 per year. This amount can vary based on several factors, including geographical location, years of experience, and specific industry sectors. For instance, entry-level positions may start at lower salaries, while those with significant experience can command much higher rates.
Factors Influencing Salary
Communications Engineers who work in high-demand regions or specialized industries often see a salary increase. States like California and New York tend to offer some of the highest salaries in this field. Additionally, professionals with advanced degrees or certifications can often negotiate for higher pay.
Salary by Experience Level
Entry-level Communications Engineers earn less than those with several years of experience. For example, while newcomers may start around $60,000, seasoned experts can make upwards of $100,000. This salary progression underscores the importance of continuous skill development and staying current with industry trends.
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Where can a Communications Engineer earn more?
Communications engineer salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level communications engineer | $74,800 | $35.95 |
| Mid-level communications engineer | $93,000 | $44.73 |
| Senior-level communications engineer | $117,000 | $56.47 |
Communications engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average communications engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for communications engineers are California, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. The lowest average communications engineer salary states are Nebraska, Kentucky, and Wisconsin.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for communications engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $115,258 | $55.41 |
| 2 | Virginia | $97,533 | $46.89 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $108,484 | $52.16 |
| 4 | Maryland | $100,148 | $48.15 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $101,410 | $48.75 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $103,481 | $49.75 |
| 7 | Colorado | $92,634 | $44.54 |
| 8 | Arizona | $91,087 | $43.79 |
| 9 | Texas | $90,359 | $43.44 |
| 10 | Michigan | $89,379 | $42.97 |
| 11 | Delaware | $87,142 | $41.90 |
| 12 | Alabama | $83,650 | $40.22 |
| 13 | Washington | $87,512 | $42.07 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $87,167 | $41.91 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $93,127 | $44.77 |
| 16 | North Dakota | $81,328 | $39.10 |
| 17 | New Mexico | $83,162 | $39.98 |
| 18 | Connecticut | $88,732 | $42.66 |
| 19 | Maine | $82,584 | $39.70 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $81,671 | $39.26 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $82,890 | $39.85 |
| 22 | Vermont | $80,870 | $38.88 |
| 23 | Alaska | $82,972 | $39.89 |
| 24 | Hawaii | $84,099 | $40.43 |
| 25 | Idaho | $79,865 | $38.40 |
| 26 | Oregon | $79,270 | $38.11 |
| 27 | Indiana | $79,594 | $38.27 |
| 28 | Georgia | $80,095 | $38.51 |
| 29 | Minnesota | $80,408 | $38.66 |
| 30 | Oklahoma | $80,720 | $38.81 |
| 31 | Nevada | $77,603 | $37.31 |
| 32 | New York | $78,866 | $37.92 |
| 33 | Utah | $76,105 | $36.59 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $73,732 | $35.45 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $77,931 | $37.47 |
| 36 | Illinois | $77,056 | $37.05 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $74,431 | $35.78 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $73,502 | $35.34 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $75,647 | $36.37 |
| 40 | Nebraska | $66,315 | $31.88 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $73,470 | $35.32 |
| 42 | Missouri | $73,086 | $35.14 |
| 43 | Ohio | $69,827 | $33.57 |
| 44 | Florida | $70,452 | $33.87 |
| 45 | Iowa | $71,040 | $34.15 |
| 46 | Kansas | $69,697 | $33.51 |
| 47 | West Virginia | $63,765 | $30.66 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $58,145 | $27.95 |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $63,816 | $30.68 |
| 50 | Montana | $56,738 | $27.28 |
| 51 | Kentucky | $64,025 | $30.78 |
Highest paying cities for communications engineers
The highest-paying cities for communications engineers are Palo Alto, CA, Washington, DC, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palo Alto, CA | $123,897 | $59.57 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $103,557 | $49.79 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $101,402 | $48.75 |
| 4 | Baltimore, MD | $100,280 | $48.21 |
| 5 | Arlington, VA | $97,358 | $46.81 |
| 6 | Colorado Springs, CO | $92,819 | $44.62 |
| 7 | Phoenix, AZ | $91,393 | $43.94 |
| 8 | Houston, TX | $91,358 | $43.92 |
| 9 | Seattle, WA | $88,207 | $42.41 |
| 10 | Albuquerque, NM | $83,348 | $40.07 |
| 11 | Philadelphia, PA | $83,311 | $40.05 |
| 12 | Minneapolis, MN | $80,467 | $38.69 |
| 13 | Atlanta, GA | $79,948 | $38.44 |
| 14 | New York, NY | $79,088 | $38.02 |
| 15 | Las Vegas, NV | $77,737 | $37.37 |
| 16 | Des Plaines, IL | $77,318 | $37.17 |
| 17 | Baton Rouge, LA | $75,954 | $36.52 |
| 18 | Miami, FL | $70,297 | $33.80 |
| 19 | Cincinnati, OH | $68,733 | $33.04 |
Communications engineer salary details
A communications engineer's salary ranges from $62,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $111,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a communications engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $111,000 | $9,250 | $53 |
| 75th Percentile | $97,000 | $8,083 | $47 |
| Average | $83,540 | $6,962 | $40 |
| 25th Percentile | $71,000 | $5,917 | $34 |
| 10th Percentile | $62,000 | $5,167 | $30 |
Highest paying communications engineer jobs
The highest paying types of communications engineers are staff design engineer, senior engineer, and senior controls engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Trainee | $60,235 | $5,020 | $28.96 | 79,966 |
| Staff Design Engineer | $128,071 | $10,673 | $61.57 | 154,963 |
| Special Project Engineer | $70,934 | $5,911 | $34.10 | 90,999 |
| Network Engineer | $83,557 | $6,963 | $40.17 | 72,346 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Controls Designer | $91,944 | $7,662 | $44.20 | 79,729 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for communications engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Michael Rudisill
Department Head and Professor of Engineering Technology, Northern Michigan University
Top companies hiring communications engineers now:
Which companies pay communications engineers the most?
Communications engineer salaries at Shearman & Sterling and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average communications engineer salary at companies like University of Maryland Medical System and Amazon are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shearman & Sterling | $156,564 | $75.27 |
| 2 | Apple | $135,092 | $64.95 |
| 3 | University of Maryland Medical System | $126,168 | $60.66 |
| 4 | Amazon | $113,299 | $54.47 |
| 5 | Enphase Energy | $108,533 | $52.18 |
| 6 | TechnipFMC | $107,564 | $51.71 |
| 7 | Two Sigma | $107,078 | $51.48 |
| 8 | Pattern Energy Group | $105,944 | $50.93 |
| 9 | $105,519 | $50.73 | |
| 10 | ServiceNow | $105,095 | $50.53 |
| 11 | Northwell Health | $103,381 | $49.70 |
| 12 | Edelman Financial Engines | $103,374 | $49.70 |
| 13 | Ascena Retail Group | $102,394 | $49.23 |
| 14 | Fairview Health Services | $102,365 | $49.21 |
| 15 | RailComm | $102,247 | $49.16 |
| 16 | Baptist Health Care | $101,562 | $48.83 |
| 17 | Ford Motor | $100,588 | $48.36 |
| 18 | GM Financial | $99,856 | $48.01 |
| 19 | CyberCoders | $99,805 | $47.98 |
| 20 | CHI Mercy Health | $99,053 | $47.62 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Communications Engineer salary by industry
The average communications engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average communications engineer salary in the finance industry is $100,702, the highest of any industry.
- The average communications engineer salary in the finance industry is $96,197.
- Communications engineers in the telecommunication industry earn an average salary of $83,500, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for communications engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $100,702 | $48.41 |
| 2 | Professional | $96,197 | $46.25 |
| 3 | Technology | $92,190 | $44.32 |
| 4 | Construction | $89,336 | $42.95 |
| 5 | Health Care | $88,361 | $42.48 |
| 6 | Manufacturing | $86,617 | $41.64 |
| 7 | Telecommunication | $83,500 | $40.14 |
High paying communications engineer jobs
Communications engineer salary trends
The average communications engineer salary has risen by $12,460 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average communications engineer earned $71,080 annually, but today, they earn $83,540 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for communications engineers over the last decade.
Compare communications engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average communications engineer salary over time
Compare communications engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Communications engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $83,500 | $40.16 | +1.8% |
| 2025 | $82,000 | $39.43 | +2.7% |
| 2024 | $79,800 | $38.36 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | $79,400 | $38.16 | +2.9% |
| 2022 | $77,100 | $37.05 | +0.9% |
Recently added communications engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perspecta | Satellite Communications (Satcom) Engineer | Fort Greely, AK | 06/29/2025 | $80,000 |
| Usfalcon, Inc. | Communications Engineer, Journeyman 3 | Colorado Springs, CO | 06/28/2025 | $130,000 |
| Leidos | Communications Engineer | Springfield, VA | 06/27/2025 | $57,850 |
| Actionet, Inc. | Actionet, INC. Careers-Unified Communications Engineer | San Diego, CA | 06/26/2025 | $120,000 |
| The Pennsylvania State University | Photonics Optical Communications Engineer | Freeport, PA | 06/25/2025 | $109,300 |
| Public School of North Carolina | Engineer-Communications | Greensboro, NC | 06/25/2025 | $50,148 |
| Tcwglobal | Unified Communications Engineer | Santa Clara, CA | 06/25/2025 | $125,220 |
| Penn State University | Photonics Optical Communications Engineer | Parkesburg, PA | 06/25/2025 | $109,300 |
| Exelon | General Engineer-Communications Engineering | Oakbrook Terrace, IL | 06/24/2025 | $90,400 |
| General Dynamics Information Technology | Unified Communications (UC) Engineer | Washington, DC | 06/24/2025 | $170,000 |
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