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Controls design engineer salary
Average controls design engineer salary
$90,850
Average Controls Design Engineer Salary
The salary for a Controls Design Engineer varies based on multiple factors, including experience, location, and the specific industry. Currently, the average annual salary stands at $90,850, translating to around $44 per hour. Entry-level positions might earn less, while those with extensive experience can command significantly higher salaries. For instance, professionals in management or specialized roles often see a substantial increase in compensation.
Salary by State
Salaries also differ by state. States with a higher cost of living, such as California and New York, tend to offer more competitive salaries to attract talented engineers. Additionally, industries such as aerospace and defense frequently provide higher compensation compared to other sectors.
Career Opportunities
As the demand for automation and control systems continues to rise, opportunities for controls design engineers are expanding. By focusing on skills development and networking within your industry, you can enhance your prospects and potentially increase your earning potential.
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Where can a Controls Design Engineer earn more?
Controls design engineer salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level controls design engineer | $81,300 | $39.09 |
| Mid-level controls design engineer | $101,000 | $48.64 |
| Senior-level controls design engineer | $128,000 | $61.41 |
Controls design engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average controls design engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for controls design engineers are California, Nevada, and Washington. The lowest average controls design engineer salary states are Florida, Indiana, and Montana.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for controls design engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $116,861 | $56.18 |
| 2 | Arizona | $100,940 | $48.53 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $111,981 | $53.84 |
| 4 | Washington | $101,220 | $48.66 |
| 5 | Nevada | $106,074 | $51.00 |
| 6 | Texas | $91,464 | $43.97 |
| 7 | Idaho | $95,877 | $46.09 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $95,078 | $45.71 |
| 9 | Colorado | $90,064 | $43.30 |
| 10 | Michigan | $89,448 | $43.00 |
| 11 | Alaska | $90,349 | $43.44 |
| 12 | Wyoming | $81,912 | $39.38 |
| 13 | New Mexico | $88,519 | $42.56 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $91,309 | $43.90 |
| 15 | Delaware | $85,144 | $40.93 |
| 16 | Maine | $86,293 | $41.49 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $86,607 | $41.64 |
| 18 | Oklahoma | $84,190 | $40.48 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $89,183 | $42.88 |
| 20 | Alabama | $79,265 | $38.11 |
| 21 | Hawaii | $91,437 | $43.96 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $85,769 | $41.24 |
| 23 | Maryland | $88,930 | $42.75 |
| 24 | Virginia | $81,706 | $39.28 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $78,158 | $37.58 |
| 26 | North Dakota | $77,687 | $37.35 |
| 27 | Missouri | $82,110 | $39.48 |
| 28 | Connecticut | $80,504 | $38.70 |
| 29 | Georgia | $77,249 | $37.14 |
| 30 | Oregon | $76,547 | $36.80 |
| 31 | Kansas | $78,263 | $37.63 |
| 32 | Pennsylvania | $76,267 | $36.67 |
| 33 | Arkansas | $75,326 | $36.21 |
| 34 | Mississippi | $75,447 | $36.27 |
| 35 | Louisiana | $75,824 | $36.45 |
| 36 | Vermont | $74,928 | $36.02 |
| 37 | Utah | $70,411 | $33.85 |
| 38 | Illinois | $76,103 | $36.59 |
| 39 | Iowa | $70,518 | $33.90 |
| 40 | Ohio | $72,400 | $34.81 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $69,310 | $33.32 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $71,545 | $34.40 |
| 43 | New York | $76,112 | $36.59 |
| 44 | North Carolina | $72,101 | $34.66 |
| 45 | Indiana | $68,407 | $32.89 |
| 46 | Florida | $69,081 | $33.21 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $70,074 | $33.69 |
| 48 | Montana | $67,001 | $32.21 |
| 49 | West Virginia | $62,003 | $29.81 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $61,397 | $29.52 |
| 51 | Kentucky | $57,508 | $27.65 |
Highest paying cities for controls design engineers
The highest-paying cities for controls design engineers are Cupertino, CA, Washington, DC, and Seattle, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cupertino, CA | $125,294 | $60.24 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $111,995 | $53.84 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | $101,633 | $48.86 |
| 4 | Phoenix, AZ | $101,142 | $48.63 |
| 5 | Austin, TX | $92,158 | $44.31 |
| 6 | Boston, MA | $91,388 | $43.94 |
| 7 | Denver, CO | $90,061 | $43.30 |
| 8 | Warren, MI | $89,662 | $43.11 |
| 9 | Hillsborough, NJ | $88,943 | $42.76 |
| 10 | Montgomery, AL | $79,065 | $38.01 |
| 11 | Lenexa, KS | $77,896 | $37.45 |
| 12 | Savannah, GA | $77,290 | $37.16 |
| 13 | Rockford, IL | $76,335 | $36.70 |
| 14 | Mount Vernon, NY | $76,209 | $36.64 |
| 15 | Erie, PA | $75,141 | $36.13 |
| 16 | Greenville, NC | $72,659 | $34.93 |
| 17 | Dayton, OH | $71,781 | $34.51 |
| 18 | Greenville, SC | $71,462 | $34.36 |
| 19 | Madison, WI | $69,103 | $33.22 |
Controls design engineer salary details
A controls design engineer's salary ranges from $69,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $119,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a controls design engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $119,000 | $9,917 | $57 |
| 75th Percentile | $104,000 | $8,667 | $50 |
| Average | $90,850 | $7,571 | $44 |
| 25th Percentile | $78,000 | $6,500 | $38 |
| 10th Percentile | $69,000 | $5,750 | $33 |
Highest paying controls design engineer jobs
The highest paying types of controls design engineers are senior electrical engineer, lead design engineer, and system design engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radio Frequency Engineer | $88,301 | $7,358 | $42.45 | 35,158 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Mechanical Engineer | $75,352 | $6,279 | $36.23 | 105,618 |
| Customer Engineer | $101,212 | $8,434 | $48.66 | 44,709 |
| Electronics Engineer | $93,985 | $7,832 | $45.19 | 83,870 |
| Project Engineer | $75,050 | $6,254 | $36.08 | 176,689 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for controls design engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Michael Rudisill
Department Head and Professor of Engineering Technology, Northern Michigan University
Top companies hiring controls design engineers now:
Which companies pay controls design engineers the most?
Controls design engineer salaries at Apple and Amazon are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average controls design engineer salary at companies like Broadcom and Amd are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $141,840 | $68.19 |
| 2 | Amazon | $123,369 | $59.31 |
| 3 | Broadcom | $113,962 | $54.79 |
| 4 | Amd | $112,636 | $54.15 |
| 5 | Forever 21 | $108,107 | $51.97 |
| 6 | Tesla | $107,138 | $51.51 |
| 7 | Koch Industries | $105,920 | $50.92 |
| 8 | General Motors | $104,675 | $50.32 |
| 9 | Air Products | $104,145 | $50.07 |
| 10 | Evonik | $103,957 | $49.98 |
| 11 | Caterpillar | $101,987 | $49.03 |
| 12 | Kiewit | $99,677 | $47.92 |
| 13 | Primus Power | $97,222 | $46.74 |
| 14 | ASML Holding | $96,117 | $46.21 |
| 15 | Spectrum Engineering Inc | $93,100 | $44.76 |
| 16 | Los Alamos National Laboratory | $92,471 | $44.46 |
| 17 | Pfizer | $92,455 | $44.45 |
| 18 | General Electric | $92,082 | $44.27 |
| 19 | Weston & Sampson | $91,590 | $44.03 |
| 20 | Tetra Tech | $90,689 | $43.60 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Controls Design Engineer salary by industry
The average controls design engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average controls design engineer salary in the automotive industry is $102,490, the highest of any industry.
- The average controls design engineer salary in the finance industry is $95,754.
- Controls design engineers in the transportation industry earn an average salary of $81,609, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for controls design engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Automotive | $102,490 | $49.27 |
| 2 | Energy | $95,754 | $46.04 |
| 3 | Construction | $90,389 | $43.46 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $86,993 | $41.82 |
| 5 | Transportation | $81,609 | $39.24 |
High paying controls design engineer jobs
Controls design engineer salary trends
The average controls design engineer salary has risen by $13,550 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average controls design engineer earned $77,300 annually, but today, they earn $90,850 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for controls design engineers over the last decade.
Compare controls design engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average controls design engineer salary over time
Compare controls design engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Controls design engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $90,900 | $43.68 | +1.8% |
| 2024 | $89,200 | $42.88 | +2.7% |
| 2023 | $86,800 | $41.71 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | $86,300 | $41.50 | +2.9% |
| 2021 | $83,800 | $40.29 | +0.9% |
Recently added controls design engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kion Group | Solution Design Controls Engineer | Grand Rapids, MI | 06/30/2025 | $65,000 |
| Westar Energy | Protection and Control Design Engineer | Wichita, KS | 06/26/2025 | $107,900 |
| Actalent | Controls Design Engineer | Pleasanton, CA | 06/25/2025 | $86,000 |
| Rolls Royce | Mechanical Control Units Design Engineer | Indianapolis, IN | 06/24/2025 | $70,629 |
| Axiom Staffing Group | Controls Design Engineer-Experience Required | Jacksonville, FL | 06/24/2025 | $70,228 |
| Caldwell Electrical Contractors | Control Panel Design Engineer | Gainesville, GA | 06/17/2025 | $70,000 |
| Crestron | Sales Design Engineer-Lighting Controls (Hybrid | Rockleigh, NJ | 06/14/2025 | $77,500 |
| KION Group | Solution Design Controls Engineer | Henrietta, NY | 06/13/2025 | $65,000 |
| KION Group | Solution Design Controls Engineer | Wauwatosa, WI | 06/13/2025 | $65,000 |
| KION Group | Solution Design Controls Engineer | Atlanta, GA | 06/13/2025 | $65,000 |
Controls design engineer salary FAQs
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