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The salary for an Engineer Technical Staff averages around $102,286 annually, translating to approximately $49 per hour. However, salaries can vary significantly based on several factors including geographic location, years of experience, and specific industry.
Engineers in metropolitan areas often receive higher salaries due to demand and cost of living adjustments. For instance, cities like San Francisco and New York consistently rank among the highest paying locations for technical staff. Additionally, industries such as technology and healthcare tend to offer higher compensation compared to others.
Understanding state-specific salaries can provide valuable insights for job seekers. States like California and Texas typically offer competitive salaries for engineering roles, while others may present different opportunities based on local market conditions. By utilizing Zippia’s resources, you can compare salaries by state and identify the best opportunities for your career.
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The average engineer technical staff salary in California, Washington, and Louisiana are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average engineer technical staff salary states are South Dakota, Iowa, and Pennsylvania.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $128,918 | $61.98 |
| 2 | California | $133,375 | $64.12 |
| 3 | Nevada | $118,863 | $57.15 |
| 4 | Texas | $109,828 | $52.80 |
| 5 | Wyoming | $103,887 | $49.95 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $109,867 | $52.82 |
| 7 | New Mexico | $111,511 | $53.61 |
| 8 | Minnesota | $106,252 | $51.08 |
| 9 | Louisiana | $123,022 | $59.15 |
| 10 | Arizona | $106,330 | $51.12 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $106,231 | $51.07 |
| 12 | Illinois | $103,572 | $49.79 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $109,134 | $52.47 |
| 14 | Michigan | $100,749 | $48.44 |
| 15 | Florida | $105,218 | $50.59 |
| 16 | Montana | $99,609 | $47.89 |
| 17 | Colorado | $99,085 | $47.64 |
| 18 | Idaho | $99,148 | $47.67 |
| 19 | Oklahoma | $105,148 | $50.55 |
| 20 | North Dakota | $99,513 | $47.84 |
| 21 | District of Columbia | $99,966 | $48.06 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $94,533 | $45.45 |
| 23 | Hawaii | $111,618 | $53.66 |
| 24 | Delaware | $95,391 | $45.86 |
| 25 | Maine | $96,546 | $46.42 |
| 26 | Alabama | $92,850 | $44.64 |
| 27 | Maryland | $94,291 | $45.33 |
| 28 | Utah | $96,179 | $46.24 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $95,360 | $45.85 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $93,355 | $44.88 |
| 31 | Mississippi | $97,388 | $46.82 |
| 32 | Alaska | $96,132 | $46.22 |
| 33 | Virginia | $96,157 | $46.23 |
| 34 | Ohio | $91,381 | $43.93 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $95,261 | $45.80 |
| 36 | Missouri | $96,252 | $46.27 |
| 37 | Rhode Island | $93,758 | $45.08 |
| 38 | Vermont | $84,338 | $40.55 |
| 39 | West Virginia | $89,535 | $43.05 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $87,875 | $42.25 |
| 41 | Georgia | $89,625 | $43.09 |
| 42 | Indiana | $87,783 | $42.20 |
| 43 | New York | $85,477 | $41.09 |
| 44 | Oregon | $85,039 | $40.88 |
| 45 | Pennsylvania | $81,826 | $39.34 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $80,831 | $38.86 |
| 47 | Kentucky | $86,202 | $41.44 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $83,690 | $40.24 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $80,495 | $38.70 |
| 50 | Iowa | $82,368 | $39.60 |
| 51 | Kansas | $79,808 | $38.37 |
The highest-paying cities for engineers technical staff are San Francisco, CA, Austin, TX, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $144,104 | $69.28 |
| 2 | Austin, TX | $110,272 | $53.02 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $109,952 | $52.86 |
| 4 | Piscataway, NJ | $109,099 | $52.45 |
| 5 | Phoenix, AZ | $106,423 | $51.16 |
| 6 | Temple Terrace, FL | $105,709 | $50.82 |
| 7 | Chicago, IL | $103,982 | $49.99 |
| 8 | Detroit, MI | $100,946 | $48.53 |
| 9 | Washington, DC | $100,014 | $48.08 |
| 10 | Littleton, CO | $99,171 | $47.68 |
| 11 | Ashburn, VA | $96,922 | $46.60 |
| 12 | Cleveland, OH | $92,960 | $44.69 |
| 13 | Charlotte, NC | $92,512 | $44.48 |
| 14 | Atlanta, GA | $89,199 | $42.88 |
| 15 | Indianapolis, IN | $87,501 | $42.07 |
| 16 | New York, NY | $85,568 | $41.14 |
| 17 | Hillsboro, OR | $84,354 | $40.55 |
| 18 | Cedar Rapids, IA | $83,405 | $40.10 |
| 19 | Philadelphia, PA | $82,263 | $39.55 |
| 20 | Wichita, KS | $80,833 | $38.86 |
An engineer technical staff's salary ranges from $76,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $136,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $136,000 | $11,333 | $65 |
| 75th Percentile | $118,000 | $9,833 | $57 |
| Average | $102,286 | $8,524 | $49 |
| 25th Percentile | $87,000 | $7,250 | $42 |
| 10th Percentile | $76,000 | $6,333 | $37 |
The highest paying types of engineers technical staff are senior staff engineer, senior principal engineer, and principal engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Lead Engineer | $106,946 | $8,912 | $51.42 | 98,018 |
| Electronics Engineer | $93,985 | $7,832 | $45.19 | 83,870 |
| Industrial Engineer | $76,501 | $6,375 | $36.78 | 46,756 |
| Consulting Engineer | $97,746 | $8,145 | $46.99 | 125,600 |
| Principal Engineer | $130,213 | $10,851 | $62.60 | 312,683 |
| Team Lead Engineer | $114,867 | $9,572 | $55.22 | 235,155 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for engineer technical staffs, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Michael Rudisill
Department Head and Professor of Engineering Technology, Northern Michigan University
Top companies hiring engineers technical staff now:
Engineer technical staff salaries at Cruise Automation and McKinsey & Company Inc are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average engineer technical staff salary at companies like NVIDIA and Dolby Laboratories are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cruise Automation | $141,160 | $67.87 |
| 2 | McKinsey & Company Inc | $138,364 | $66.52 |
| 3 | NVIDIA | $133,910 | $64.38 |
| 4 | Dolby Laboratories | $133,144 | $64.01 |
| 5 | VMware | $128,569 | $61.81 |
| 6 | MarkLogic | $118,023 | $56.74 |
| 7 | Verizon Data Services Inc | $116,871 | $56.19 |
| 8 | M.I.T. International, Inc. | $116,428 | $55.98 |
| 9 | Edwards Lifesciences | $115,896 | $55.72 |
| 10 | Imagine Communications | $114,506 | $55.05 |
| 11 | American Express | $113,057 | $54.35 |
| 12 | Seagate Technology | $112,553 | $54.11 |
| 13 | Lucid Motors | $111,669 | $53.69 |
| 14 | Intel | $110,223 | $52.99 |
| 15 | STMicroelectronics | $109,147 | $52.47 |
| 16 | General Electric | $108,960 | $52.38 |
| 17 | Coherent | $108,659 | $52.24 |
| 18 | PEAK Technical Staffing USA | $108,428 | $52.13 |
| 19 | Carrier | $106,834 | $51.36 |
| 20 | Verizon Wireless Puerto Rico, Inc | $105,397 | $50.67 |
The average engineer technical staff salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Telecommunication | $108,621 | $52.22 |
| 2 | Technology | $108,476 | $52.15 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $106,608 | $51.25 |
| 4 | Professional | $89,646 | $43.10 |
The average engineer technical staff salary has risen by $13,465 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average engineer technical staff earned $88,821 annually, but today, they earn $102,286 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for engineers technical staff over the last decade.
Compare engineer technical staff salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare engineer technical staff salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $102,000 | $49.18 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | $101,000 | $48.66 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | $100,000 | $48.12 | +1.3% |
| 2022 | $98,800 | $47.48 | +1.8% |
| 2021 | $97,000 | $46.61 | +1.0% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Okta | Staff Full-Stack Engineer (Federal), Business Technology | Chicago, IL | 06/22/2025 | $151,000 |
| Coupand | Staff Backend Engineer, Marketplace Tech | Seattle, WA | 06/22/2025 | $142,000 |
| Corning | Staff Engineer, Precision Engineering Technologies | Corning, NY | 06/21/2025 | $94,161 |
| Coupang | Staff Backend Engineer, Marketplace Tech | Seattle, WA | 06/21/2025 | $142,000 |
| Government Employees Insurance Company | Staff Engineer-Legal Technology (Remote) | Maryland | 06/19/2025 | $115,000 |
| Okta | Staff Full-Stack Engineer (Federal), Business Technology | Bellevue, WA | 06/17/2025 | $151,000 |
| Geico Insurance | Staff Engineer-Legal Technology (Remote) | Chicago, IL | 06/17/2025 | $115,000 |
| Geico Insurance | Staff Engineer-Legal Technology (Remote) | Seattle, WA | 06/17/2025 | $115,000 |
| Microchiphr | Technical Staff Engineer-Architecture (Fpga Security) | San Jose, CA | 06/16/2025 | $88,000 |
| Microchip | Technical Staff Engineer-Architecture (Fpga Security) | San Jose, CA | 06/12/2025 | $88,000 |
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