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Lead mechanical engineer salary
Average lead mechanical engineer salary
$94,184
Understanding the Salary of Lead Mechanical Engineers
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Lead Mechanical Engineer is $94,184 annually. This figure reflects a range of factors including experience, geographic location, and the specific industry in which one is employed. For instance, engineers working in aerospace or automotive manufacturing often see higher compensation compared to those in other fields.
Experience plays a crucial role in salary levels. Entry-level positions may offer lower wages, while seasoned professionals with significant expertise can command much higher salaries. Typically, salaries increase substantially with years of experience. For instance, engineers with over a decade in the field can expect to earn significantly more than their less experienced counterparts.
Salary by State
Location also greatly influences salaries. States such as California and Texas often provide higher salaries due to the demand for engineering roles in major industries. In contrast, regions with fewer engineering opportunities may offer lower salaries. It’s essential to research specific regions to understand local salary trends.
For those considering a career in this field, staying informed about salary expectations and job opportunities is essential. This knowledge aids in negotiating salaries and identifying potential career advancements.
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Where can a Lead Mechanical Engineer earn more?
Lead mechanical engineer salaries by experience level
Lead mechanical engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average lead mechanical engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for lead mechanical engineers are California, Oregon, and Idaho. The lowest average lead mechanical engineer salary states are Indiana, Iowa, and South Dakota.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for lead mechanical engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $127,748 | $61.42 |
| 2 | Idaho | $112,591 | $54.13 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $129,907 | $62.46 |
| 4 | Oregon | $114,423 | $55.01 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | $105,212 | $50.58 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $109,226 | $52.51 |
| 7 | Delaware | $106,215 | $51.06 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $101,289 | $48.70 |
| 9 | Nevada | $97,148 | $46.71 |
| 10 | Texas | $102,566 | $49.31 |
| 11 | Arizona | $99,162 | $47.67 |
| 12 | Alaska | $97,781 | $47.01 |
| 13 | Michigan | $98,167 | $47.20 |
| 14 | Washington | $97,369 | $46.81 |
| 15 | Oklahoma | $96,330 | $46.31 |
| 16 | New Mexico | $93,802 | $45.10 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $99,218 | $47.70 |
| 18 | Colorado | $97,463 | $46.86 |
| 19 | Utah | $94,026 | $45.20 |
| 20 | Virginia | $97,046 | $46.66 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $97,767 | $47.00 |
| 22 | New York | $98,734 | $47.47 |
| 23 | New Jersey | $100,388 | $48.26 |
| 24 | Tennessee | $97,402 | $46.83 |
| 25 | Maryland | $97,859 | $47.05 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $92,284 | $44.37 |
| 27 | Illinois | $92,754 | $44.59 |
| 28 | Ohio | $86,273 | $41.48 |
| 29 | South Carolina | $89,133 | $42.85 |
| 30 | Louisiana | $91,094 | $43.80 |
| 31 | Vermont | $87,929 | $42.27 |
| 32 | Montana | $81,885 | $39.37 |
| 33 | Alabama | $84,182 | $40.47 |
| 34 | Pennsylvania | $84,798 | $40.77 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $84,689 | $40.72 |
| 36 | Georgia | $85,191 | $40.96 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $83,114 | $39.96 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $83,470 | $40.13 |
| 39 | Maine | $85,687 | $41.20 |
| 40 | Kansas | $73,527 | $35.35 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $71,364 | $34.31 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $73,604 | $35.39 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $80,908 | $38.90 |
| 44 | North Dakota | $78,667 | $37.82 |
| 45 | Indiana | $77,554 | $37.29 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $69,915 | $33.61 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $80,803 | $38.85 |
| 48 | Florida | $79,440 | $38.19 |
| 49 | Missouri | $78,976 | $37.97 |
| 50 | Iowa | $76,377 | $36.72 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $77,696 | $37.35 |
Highest paying cities for lead mechanical engineers
The highest-paying cities for lead mechanical engineers are San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, and Tualatin, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $139,494 | $67.06 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $130,010 | $62.50 |
| 3 | Tualatin, OR | $114,408 | $55.00 |
| 4 | El Paso, TX | $106,396 | $51.15 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $101,228 | $48.67 |
| 6 | Chandler, AZ | $99,130 | $47.66 |
| 7 | Troy, MI | $98,491 | $47.35 |
| 8 | Annapolis, MD | $98,027 | $47.13 |
| 9 | Seattle, WA | $97,976 | $47.10 |
| 10 | Boulder, CO | $97,669 | $46.96 |
| 11 | Schenectady, NY | $97,407 | $46.83 |
| 12 | Richmond, VA | $96,803 | $46.54 |
| 13 | Tulsa, OK | $95,613 | $45.97 |
| 14 | Chicago, IL | $92,942 | $44.68 |
| 15 | Rochester, MN | $91,925 | $44.19 |
| 16 | Florence, SC | $90,116 | $43.33 |
| 17 | Cleveland, OH | $87,596 | $42.11 |
| 18 | Greenville, NC | $86,372 | $41.52 |
| 19 | Atlanta, GA | $85,144 | $40.93 |
| 20 | Appleton, WI | $84,018 | $40.39 |
Lead mechanical engineer salary details
A lead mechanical engineer's salary ranges from $72,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $122,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a lead mechanical engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $122,000 | $10,167 | $59 |
| 75th Percentile | $108,000 | $9,000 | $52 |
| Average | $94,184 | $7,849 | $45 |
| 25th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
| 10th Percentile | $72,000 | $6,000 | $35 |
Highest paying lead mechanical engineer jobs
The highest paying types of lead mechanical engineers are principal engineer, team lead engineer, and senior engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Staff Engineer | $107,530 | $8,961 | $51.70 | 277,011 |
| Tool Engineer | $101,135 | $8,428 | $48.62 | 98,936 |
| Project Engineer | $75,050 | $6,254 | $36.08 | 176,689 |
| Product Engineer | $89,645 | $7,470 | $43.10 | 157,888 |
| Design Engineer | $77,134 | $6,428 | $37.08 | 138,173 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for lead mechanical 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 lead mechanical engineers now:
Which companies pay lead mechanical engineers the most?
Lead mechanical engineer salaries at Meta and One Kings Lane are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average lead mechanical engineer salary at companies like Cisco and Nike are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $168,962 | $81.23 |
| 2 | One Kings Lane | $129,690 | $62.35 |
| 3 | Cisco | $125,407 | $60.29 |
| 4 | Nike | $122,121 | $58.71 |
| 5 | Fitbit | $119,926 | $57.66 |
| 6 | Hargrove Engineers + Constructors | $117,737 | $56.60 |
| 7 | Lam Research | $116,300 | $55.91 |
| 8 | Ambitech Engineering | $114,970 | $55.27 |
| 9 | Sargent & Lundy | $114,848 | $55.22 |
| 10 | Tesla | $114,235 | $54.92 |
| 11 | Professional Engineering Consultants | $113,581 | $54.61 |
| 12 | Schemmer | $111,367 | $53.54 |
| 13 | Gannett Fleming | $110,068 | $52.92 |
| 14 | Wrightspeed | $109,916 | $52.84 |
| 15 | Tetra Tech | $109,859 | $52.82 |
| 16 | The Foth Companies | $109,816 | $52.80 |
| 17 | Merrick & Co | $109,724 | $52.75 |
| 18 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $109,423 | $52.61 |
| 19 | AFGlobal | $108,381 | $52.11 |
| 20 | Bechtel Corporation | $108,307 | $52.07 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Lead Mechanical Engineer salary by industry
The average lead mechanical engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average lead mechanical engineer salary in the energy industry is $105,539, the highest of any industry.
- The average lead mechanical engineer salary in the finance industry is $99,912.
- Lead mechanical engineers in the construction industry earn an average salary of $92,952, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for lead mechanical engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Energy | $105,539 | $50.74 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $99,912 | $48.03 |
| 3 | Professional | $98,275 | $47.25 |
| 4 | Technology | $94,307 | $45.34 |
| 5 | Construction | $92,952 | $44.69 |
High paying lead mechanical engineer jobs
Lead mechanical engineer salary trends
The average lead mechanical engineer salary has risen by $11,418 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average lead mechanical engineer earned $82,766 annually, but today, they earn $94,184 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for lead mechanical engineers over the last decade.
Compare lead mechanical engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average lead mechanical engineer salary over time
Compare lead mechanical engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Lead mechanical engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $94,200 | $45.28 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $92,400 | $44.41 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $91,300 | $43.88 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $89,700 | $43.13 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $87,900 | $42.28 | +0.7% |
Recently added lead mechanical engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSOE Group | Lead Mechanical Engineer | Columbus, OH | 06/27/2025 | $90,000 |
| WSP | Power Generation Mechanical Engineering Leader | Newark, NJ | 06/26/2025 | $111,200 |
| Kairos Power | Lead Mechanical Engineer, Spent Fuel Storage | Alameda, CA | 06/24/2025 | $140,600 |
| American Standard Companies Inc. | Leader, Mechanical, Engineer, Builder | Dallas, TX | 06/23/2025 | $91,000 |
| The Mill | Lead Mechanical Engineer | San Bruno, CA | 06/21/2025 | $155,000 |
| X-Energy | Lead, Mechanical Engineering (Reactor Internals) | Rockville, MD | 06/21/2025 | $146,000 |
| WSP USA | Lead Professional, Mechanical Engineering | Washington, DC | 06/19/2025 | $95,100 |
| Redwire Space | Lead Mechanical Engineering (Mechanical Engineer, Staff) | San Jose, CA | 06/19/2025 | $140,000 |
| Actalent | Lead Mechanical Engineer-Vacuum Systems | Boston, MA | 06/19/2025 | $114,785 |
| Sargent & Lundy | Lead Mechanical Engineer 1-Nuclear | New Orleans, LA | 06/18/2025 | $116,620 |
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