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Design engineer salary
Average design engineer salary
$77,134
Understanding the Design Engineer Salary
The Design Engineer salary as of October 2025 averages $77,134 per year. This figure represents a standard income, but actual salaries can vary significantly based on several factors, including experience, education, and geographic location.
Entry-level Design Engineers typically start at lower salaries, while those with extensive experience or specialized skills can earn considerably more. For instance, a Design Engineer with over ten years of experience can see salaries upwards of $90,000 annually. Moreover, certain industries such as aerospace and technology tend to offer higher compensation compared to others.
Regions with the highest demand for Design Engineers, like California and Texas, often present better salary opportunities. In these states, the cost of living may also influence salary levels, making it essential for job seekers to consider both salary and living expenses when evaluating job offers. Overall, staying informed about salary trends can significantly impact career planning and job negotiations.
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Where can a Design Engineer earn more?
Design engineer salaries by experience level
Design engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average design engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for design engineers are California, Massachusetts, and New Mexico. The lowest average design engineer salary states are Wisconsin, Mississippi, and South Dakota.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for design engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $100,682 | $48.40 |
| 2 | Oregon | $85,262 | $40.99 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $86,990 | $41.82 |
| 4 | Arizona | $81,198 | $39.04 |
| 5 | Texas | $81,288 | $39.08 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $81,810 | $39.33 |
| 7 | New Mexico | $85,362 | $41.04 |
| 8 | Idaho | $81,144 | $39.01 |
| 9 | Washington | $79,959 | $38.44 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $77,858 | $37.43 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $83,443 | $40.12 |
| 12 | Virginia | $77,691 | $37.35 |
| 13 | Alaska | $78,713 | $37.84 |
| 14 | Colorado | $75,482 | $36.29 |
| 15 | Michigan | $70,216 | $33.76 |
| 16 | Alabama | $71,826 | $34.53 |
| 17 | Delaware | $73,406 | $35.29 |
| 18 | Utah | $70,582 | $33.93 |
| 19 | Nevada | $76,541 | $36.80 |
| 20 | Louisiana | $76,131 | $36.60 |
| 21 | Rhode Island | $72,530 | $34.87 |
| 22 | Maryland | $74,470 | $35.80 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $73,051 | $35.12 |
| 24 | Illinois | $71,786 | $34.51 |
| 25 | Wyoming | $67,365 | $32.39 |
| 26 | Maine | $71,971 | $34.60 |
| 27 | New York | $73,123 | $35.16 |
| 28 | Indiana | $66,630 | $32.03 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $70,090 | $33.70 |
| 30 | New Jersey | $74,743 | $35.93 |
| 31 | North Carolina | $67,358 | $32.38 |
| 32 | Pennsylvania | $67,744 | $32.57 |
| 33 | Georgia | $67,906 | $32.65 |
| 34 | North Dakota | $66,340 | $31.89 |
| 35 | Florida | $68,732 | $33.04 |
| 36 | Ohio | $65,175 | $31.33 |
| 37 | Vermont | $65,405 | $31.44 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $66,749 | $32.09 |
| 39 | Iowa | $64,555 | $31.04 |
| 40 | Minnesota | $64,223 | $30.88 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $65,675 | $31.57 |
| 42 | Kansas | $63,864 | $30.70 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $64,947 | $31.22 |
| 44 | Missouri | $65,409 | $31.45 |
| 45 | Wisconsin | $62,077 | $29.84 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $63,044 | $30.31 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $60,737 | $29.20 |
| 48 | Montana | $59,754 | $28.73 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $61,561 | $29.60 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $55,097 | $26.49 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $57,588 | $27.69 |
Highest paying cities for design engineers
The highest-paying cities for design engineers are San Francisco, CA, Plymouth, MA, and Hillsboro, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $107,737 | $51.80 |
| 2 | Plymouth, MA | $87,589 | $42.11 |
| 3 | Hillsboro, OR | $84,893 | $40.81 |
| 4 | Austin, TX | $82,565 | $39.69 |
| 5 | Peoria, AZ | $81,816 | $39.33 |
| 6 | Seattle, WA | $80,393 | $38.65 |
| 7 | East Hartford, CT | $78,064 | $37.53 |
| 8 | Reston, VA | $77,811 | $37.41 |
| 9 | Fort Collins, CO | $75,225 | $36.17 |
| 10 | New York, NY | $73,259 | $35.22 |
| 11 | Chicago, IL | $71,865 | $34.55 |
| 12 | Warren, MI | $70,265 | $33.78 |
| 13 | Orlando, FL | $69,223 | $33.28 |
| 14 | Atlanta, GA | $68,030 | $32.71 |
| 15 | Greensboro, NC | $67,497 | $32.45 |
| 16 | Columbus, IN | $66,584 | $32.01 |
| 17 | Columbus, OH | $65,193 | $31.34 |
| 18 | Plymouth, MN | $64,208 | $30.87 |
| 19 | Overland Park, KS | $64,085 | $30.81 |
| 20 | Columbus, MS | $61,047 | $29.35 |
Design Engineers are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Design engineer salary details
A design engineer's salary ranges from $57,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $102,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a design engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $102,000 | $8,500 | $49 |
| 75th Percentile | $89,000 | $7,417 | $43 |
| Average | $77,134 | $6,428 | $37 |
| 25th Percentile | $66,000 | $5,500 | $32 |
| 10th Percentile | $57,000 | $4,750 | $27 |
Highest paying design engineer jobs
The highest paying types of design engineers are lead design engineer, system design engineer, and staff engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research And Development Engineer | $100,169 | $8,347 | $48.16 | 187,910 |
| Product Development Engineer | $86,075 | $7,173 | $41.38 | 202,155 |
| Product Engineer | $89,645 | $7,470 | $43.10 | 157,888 |
| Manufacturing Engineer | $78,522 | $6,543 | $37.75 | 115,384 |
| Staff Engineer | $107,530 | $8,961 | $51.70 | 277,011 |
| Tool Engineer | $101,135 | $8,428 | $48.62 | 98,936 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for design engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Marco Schoen Ph.D.
Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Director of the Measurement and Control Engineering Research Center (MCERC), Idaho State University
Top companies hiring design engineers now:
Which companies pay design engineers the most?
Design engineer salaries at Meta and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average design engineer salary at companies like Google and PayPal are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $152,424 | $73.28 |
| 2 | Apple | $139,116 | $66.88 |
| 3 | $136,285 | $65.52 | |
| 4 | PayPal | $136,136 | $65.45 |
| 5 | Fungible | $135,130 | $64.97 |
| 6 | ByteDance | $132,825 | $63.86 |
| 7 | Microsoft | $131,936 | $63.43 |
| 8 | Waymo | $130,532 | $62.76 |
| 9 | eBay | $125,198 | $60.19 |
| 10 | Brocade Services Corporation | $123,055 | $59.16 |
| 11 | Magnum Semiconductor | $122,815 | $59.05 |
| 12 | NVIDIA | $122,600 | $58.94 |
| 13 | Bloomberg | $118,530 | $56.99 |
| 14 | Palo Alto Networks | $117,463 | $56.47 |
| 15 | Cornerstone Research | $117,215 | $56.35 |
| 16 | Applied Materials | $117,152 | $56.32 |
| 17 | RealSelf | $117,035 | $56.27 |
| 18 | Amazon | $116,889 | $56.20 |
| 19 | SiFive | $115,514 | $55.54 |
| 20 | Cisco | $114,419 | $55.01 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Design Engineer salary by industry
The average design engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average design engineer salary in the technology industry is $86,213, the highest of any industry.
- The average design engineer salary in the finance industry is $82,146.
- Design engineers in the professional industry earn an average salary of $79,386, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for design engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $86,213 | $41.45 |
| 2 | Automotive | $82,146 | $39.49 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $80,930 | $38.91 |
| 4 | Construction | $80,191 | $38.55 |
| 5 | Professional | $79,386 | $38.17 |
High paying design engineer jobs
Design engineer salary trends
The average design engineer salary has risen by $9,351 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average design engineer earned $67,783 annually, but today, they earn $77,134 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for design engineers over the last decade.
Compare design engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average design engineer salary over time
Compare design engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Design engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $77,100 | $37.08 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $75,700 | $36.37 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $74,700 | $35.94 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $73,500 | $35.32 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $72,000 | $34.63 | +0.7% |
Recently added design engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polaris Industries | Engineer, Design | Wyoming | 06/30/2025 | $73,000 |
| Jeppesen | Mid-Level Design and Analysis Engineer | Cole, OK | 06/30/2025 | $89,250 |
| Jeppesen | Experienced Design and Analysis Engineer (Interiors Electrical Systems) | Renton, WA | 06/30/2025 | $102,850 |
| Solectron Corp | Injection Mold Design Engineer | Buffalo Grove, IL | 06/30/2025 | $82,300 |
| Contact Government Services, LLC | Desktop/Workstation Design Engineer | Washington, DC | 06/30/2025 | $116,480 |
| Aecom | CAD Modeling Transit Engineer (BUS) III | Middleton, WI | 06/29/2025 | $110,000 |
| American Electric Power | Designer (SR.-Principal)-Transmission Protection & Control (P&C) Engineering | New Albany, OH | 06/29/2025 | $61,647 |
| Relativity | Combustion Devices-Propulsion Design Engineer II | Long Beach, CA | 06/29/2025 | $112,000 |
| Mark Thomas & Company | Roadway Design Engineer | Oakland, CA | 06/29/2025 | $70,228 |
| JFF | Graduate Design Engineers | Idaho Falls, ID | 06/29/2025 | $75,000 |
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