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Engineering director salary
Average engineering director salary
$162,252
Average Engineering Director Salary
The role of an Engineering Director is pivotal in many organizations, responsible for guiding engineering teams and ensuring project success. As of October 2025, the average salary stands at $162,252 annually, or about $78 per hour. This salary reflects the high level of expertise and leadership required in this position.
Salary by Experience Level
Experience significantly influences salary levels. Directors with over ten years in engineering leadership roles typically earn more, often exceeding the average. Additionally, specific industries such as technology and aerospace tend to offer higher compensation.
Highest Paying States
Geographical location plays a crucial role in salary variations. States like California, Texas, and New York frequently report the highest salaries for Engineering Directors, providing opportunities in a variety of sectors. For instance, California's strong tech sector attracts top talent, resulting in competitive salaries.
Job Opportunities
For those seeking a position as an Engineering Director, consider the diverse opportunities available across various industries. Organizations are actively looking for skilled professionals who can lead teams to innovate and solve complex engineering challenges.
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Where can an Engineering Director earn more?
Engineering director salaries by experience level
Engineering director salary estimates from across the web
Average engineering director salary by state
The highest-paying states for engineering directors are California, Washington, and Alaska. The lowest average engineering director salary states are Missouri, Florida, and Oklahoma.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for engineering directors
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $175,580 | $84.41 |
| 2 | Louisiana | $155,643 | $74.83 |
| 3 | Oregon | $161,200 | $77.50 |
| 4 | Alaska | $174,140 | $83.72 |
| 5 | Idaho | $157,688 | $75.81 |
| 6 | California | $179,437 | $86.27 |
| 7 | Arizona | $154,763 | $74.41 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $143,982 | $69.22 |
| 9 | Montana | $145,902 | $70.15 |
| 10 | Maine | $145,308 | $69.86 |
| 11 | New York | $148,649 | $71.47 |
| 12 | Utah | $135,870 | $65.32 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $143,776 | $69.12 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $142,569 | $68.54 |
| 15 | Nevada | $145,647 | $70.02 |
| 16 | Texas | $138,724 | $66.69 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $145,739 | $70.07 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $138,760 | $66.71 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $132,695 | $63.80 |
| 20 | Hawaii | $143,667 | $69.07 |
| 21 | Michigan | $131,364 | $63.16 |
| 22 | North Dakota | $126,200 | $60.67 |
| 23 | Delaware | $130,258 | $62.62 |
| 24 | Pennsylvania | $131,160 | $63.06 |
| 25 | New Mexico | $128,349 | $61.71 |
| 26 | Iowa | $122,370 | $58.83 |
| 27 | Colorado | $131,139 | $63.05 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $127,166 | $61.14 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $128,408 | $61.73 |
| 30 | Ohio | $129,623 | $62.32 |
| 31 | Virginia | $130,502 | $62.74 |
| 32 | Vermont | $133,270 | $64.07 |
| 33 | Wyoming | $120,025 | $57.70 |
| 34 | Alabama | $116,652 | $56.08 |
| 35 | West Virginia | $123,000 | $59.13 |
| 36 | Minnesota | $126,343 | $60.74 |
| 37 | Illinois | $128,712 | $61.88 |
| 38 | Indiana | $123,881 | $59.56 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $123,920 | $59.58 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $114,728 | $55.16 |
| 41 | Maryland | $126,507 | $60.82 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $111,162 | $53.44 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $113,184 | $54.42 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $121,383 | $58.36 |
| 45 | Georgia | $123,641 | $59.44 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $119,815 | $57.60 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $116,570 | $56.04 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $114,572 | $55.08 |
| 49 | Kansas | $117,271 | $56.38 |
| 50 | Florida | $114,915 | $55.25 |
| 51 | Missouri | $115,700 | $55.63 |
Highest paying cities for engineering directors
The highest-paying cities for engineering directors are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Beaverton, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $197,849 | $95.12 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $184,245 | $88.58 |
| 3 | Beaverton, OR | $164,231 | $78.96 |
| 4 | Phoenix, AZ | $158,395 | $76.15 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $149,202 | $71.73 |
| 6 | Jersey City, NJ | $146,885 | $70.62 |
| 7 | Portland, ME | $145,559 | $69.98 |
| 8 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $145,241 | $69.83 |
| 9 | Boston, MA | $144,607 | $69.52 |
| 10 | Austin, TX | $140,437 | $67.52 |
| 11 | Washington, DC | $139,173 | $66.91 |
| 12 | Salt Lake City, UT | $135,821 | $65.30 |
| 13 | Hartford, CT | $133,607 | $64.23 |
| 14 | Philadelphia, PA | $131,777 | $63.35 |
| 15 | Detroit, MI | $131,770 | $63.35 |
| 16 | Englewood, CO | $131,470 | $63.21 |
| 17 | Richmond, VA | $130,461 | $62.72 |
| 18 | Raleigh, NC | $130,066 | $62.53 |
| 19 | Chicago, IL | $129,236 | $62.13 |
| 20 | Columbus, OH | $129,213 | $62.12 |
Engineering director salary details
An engineering director's salary ranges from $109,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $239,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an engineering director's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $239,000 | $19,917 | $115 |
| 75th Percentile | $199,000 | $16,583 | $96 |
| Average | $162,252 | $13,521 | $78 |
| 25th Percentile | $132,000 | $11,000 | $63 |
| 10th Percentile | $109,000 | $9,083 | $52 |
Highest paying engineering director jobs
The highest paying types of engineering directors are vice president product development, senior engineering manager, and vice president of engineering.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research And Development Manager | $117,507 | $9,792 | $56.49 | 125,447 |
| Vice President Product Development | $168,835 | $14,070 | $81.17 | 180,783 |
| Design Manager | $102,637 | $8,553 | $49.34 | 61,273 |
| Research And Development Director | $137,944 | $11,495 | $66.32 | 102,901 |
| Vice President Of Engineering | $150,651 | $12,554 | $72.43 | 92,133 |
| Manager, Systems Engineering | $130,127 | $10,844 | $62.56 | 174,962 |
Top companies hiring engineering directors now:
Which companies pay engineering directors the most?
Engineering director salaries at Brookfield Properties and Airbnb are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average engineering director salary at companies like Mixpanel and Apple are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brookfield Properties | $269,452 | $129.54 |
| 2 | Airbnb | $247,510 | $119.00 |
| 3 | Mixpanel | $244,972 | $117.78 |
| 4 | Apple | $242,663 | $116.66 |
| 5 | Roku | $238,685 | $114.75 |
| 6 | Yelp | $237,874 | $114.36 |
| 7 | Lyft | $237,660 | $114.26 |
| 8 | Meta | $236,005 | $113.46 |
| 9 | eBay | $235,665 | $113.30 |
| 10 | Chegg | $234,249 | $112.62 |
| 11 | $233,832 | $112.42 | |
| 12 | DoorDash | $233,522 | $112.27 |
| 13 | Pure Storage | $233,351 | $112.19 |
| 14 | Levi Strauss & Co. | $231,681 | $111.39 |
| 15 | $230,429 | $110.78 | |
| 16 | PayPal | $230,150 | $110.65 |
| 17 | $229,924 | $110.54 | |
| 18 | Instacart | $229,536 | $110.35 |
| 19 | Squarespace | $229,239 | $110.21 |
| 20 | Zenefits | $229,083 | $110.14 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Engineering director salary trends
The average engineering director salary has risen by $29,666 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average engineering director earned $132,586 annually, but today, they earn $162,252 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for engineering directors over the last decade.
Compare engineering director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average engineering director salary over time
Compare engineering director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Engineering director salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $162,000 | $78.01 | +3.1% |
| 2025 | $157,000 | $75.55 | +2.8% |
| 2024 | $153,000 | $73.43 | +2.2% |
| 2023 | $149,000 | $71.84 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $146,000 | $70.29 | +1.4% |
Recently added engineering director salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curtiss-Wright Corporation | Director, Engineering | Chanhassen, MN | 06/30/2025 | $170,000 |
| F5 Networks | Director, Ai/Ml Engineering | San Jose, CA | 06/30/2025 | $279,300 |
| Bloomenergy | Factory Engineering Director | Fremont, CA | 06/30/2025 | $203,000 |
| Solectron Corp | Director, Automation Engineering | Buffalo Grove, IL | 06/30/2025 | $169,500 |
| Solectron Corp | Director of Engineering | Fontana, CA | 06/30/2025 | $164,100 |
| Playstation Global | Director, Hrbp Engineering | Los Angeles, CA | 06/30/2025 | $228,600 |
| Blackrock | Rust, AI Platform Engineer, Director | Day, NY | 06/30/2025 | $215,000 |
| Particle Measuring Systems | Director of Engineering | Boulder, CO | 06/30/2025 | $130,000 |
| Nextracker | Director of Structural Engineering | Fremont, CA | 06/30/2025 | $200,000 |
| Ntrs | Director Cyber Security Engineering | Chicago, IL | 06/30/2025 | $164,600 |
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