Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Machine design engineer salary
Average machine design engineer salary
$79,371
Understanding Machine Design Engineer Salaries
Machine Design Engineers play a vital role in the creation of innovative mechanical systems, from automotive components to aerospace structures. As of October 2025, the average salary for these professionals stands at $79,371 per year. This figure can vary based on factors such as experience level, geographic location, and industry specialization.
Entry-level machine design engineers typically start with salaries around $60,000, while those with several years of experience can earn upwards of $100,000. States like California, Texas, and New York offer some of the highest salaries in this field, often exceeding the national average due to demand and cost of living considerations.
Additionally, sectors such as aerospace, automotive, and robotics tend to offer higher compensation. Understanding the salary landscape can empower job seekers to negotiate better pay and seek opportunities in high-demand areas.
Salary by Experience Level
Experience plays a significant role in determining salary. Junior engineers may expect a starting salary around $60,000, while those with over ten years of experience can reach salaries above $100,000. This growth reflects increased responsibility and expertise in the field.
Let Zippia find your next machine design engineer job
Let Zippia find your next machine design engineer job
Where can a Machine Design Engineer earn more?
Machine design engineer salaries by experience level
Machine design engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average machine design engineer salary by state
The average machine design engineer salary in California, Massachusetts, and Washington are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average machine design engineer salary states are Mississippi, South Dakota, and North Dakota.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for machine design engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $104,000 | $50.00 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $98,563 | $47.39 |
| 3 | Washington | $97,230 | $46.75 |
| 4 | Virginia | $93,600 | $45.00 |
| 5 | Oregon | $88,573 | $42.58 |
| 6 | Arizona | $84,992 | $40.86 |
| 7 | Colorado | $85,965 | $41.33 |
| 8 | Nevada | $89,913 | $43.23 |
| 9 | Delaware | $86,160 | $41.42 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $94,232 | $45.30 |
| 11 | New York | $88,133 | $42.37 |
| 12 | Alabama | $81,340 | $39.11 |
| 13 | Maryland | $87,568 | $42.10 |
| 14 | Idaho | $87,158 | $41.90 |
| 15 | Alaska | $89,390 | $42.98 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $87,132 | $41.89 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $78,427 | $37.71 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $79,838 | $38.38 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $81,707 | $39.28 |
| 20 | Texas | $77,506 | $37.26 |
| 21 | Illinois | $80,366 | $38.64 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $75,220 | $36.16 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $73,237 | $35.21 |
| 24 | Ohio | $72,933 | $35.06 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $76,276 | $36.67 |
| 26 | Louisiana | $81,380 | $39.13 |
| 27 | Utah | $72,510 | $34.86 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $77,213 | $37.12 |
| 29 | New Jersey | $80,799 | $38.85 |
| 30 | Maine | $77,267 | $37.15 |
| 31 | Michigan | $70,745 | $34.01 |
| 32 | Pennsylvania | $70,525 | $33.91 |
| 33 | Vermont | $70,772 | $34.02 |
| 34 | Missouri | $72,177 | $34.70 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $71,915 | $34.57 |
| 36 | Iowa | $66,831 | $32.13 |
| 37 | Georgia | $67,098 | $32.26 |
| 38 | Wyoming | $66,357 | $31.90 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $66,838 | $32.13 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $66,981 | $32.20 |
| 41 | Indiana | $65,496 | $31.49 |
| 42 | Hawaii | $69,498 | $33.41 |
| 43 | Florida | $68,266 | $32.82 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $66,136 | $31.80 |
| 45 | Montana | $66,577 | $32.01 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $60,332 | $29.01 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $62,262 | $29.93 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $63,155 | $30.36 |
| 49 | Kansas | $58,486 | $28.12 |
| 50 | North Dakota | $60,742 | $29.20 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $59,686 | $28.70 |
Highest paying cities for machine design engineers
The highest-paying cities for machine design engineers are San Francisco, CA, Waltham, MA, and Mount Vernon, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $116,113 | $55.82 |
| 2 | Waltham, MA | $98,620 | $47.41 |
| 3 | Mount Vernon, NY | $88,319 | $42.46 |
| 4 | San Antonio, TX | $79,338 | $38.14 |
| 5 | Youngstown, OH | $74,631 | $35.88 |
| 6 | Charlotte, NC | $74,593 | $35.86 |
| 7 | Menomonee Falls, WI | $73,296 | $35.24 |
| 8 | Farmington Hills, MI | $70,848 | $34.06 |
| 9 | Dubuque, IA | $67,728 | $32.56 |
| 10 | Atlanta, GA | $67,103 | $32.26 |
| 11 | Cookeville, TN | $67,101 | $32.26 |
| 12 | Columbia, SC | $66,953 | $32.19 |
| 13 | Elkhart, IN | $66,076 | $31.77 |
| 14 | Lenexa, KS | $58,537 | $28.14 |
Machine design engineer salary details
A machine design engineer's salary ranges from $58,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $108,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a machine design engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $108,000 | $9,000 | $52 |
| 75th Percentile | $93,000 | $7,750 | $45 |
| Average | $79,371 | $6,614 | $38 |
| 25th Percentile | $67,000 | $5,583 | $32 |
| 10th Percentile | $58,000 | $4,833 | $28 |
Highest paying machine design engineer jobs
The highest paying types of machine design engineers are contracting engineer, senior engineer, and lead design engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tool Engineer | $101,135 | $8,428 | $48.62 | 98,936 |
| Product Engineer | $89,645 | $7,470 | $43.10 | 157,888 |
| Project Engineer | $75,050 | $6,254 | $36.08 | 176,689 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Staff Engineer | $107,530 | $8,961 | $51.70 | 277,011 |
| Lead Engineer | $84,927 | $7,077 | $40.83 | 301,777 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for machine 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 machine design engineers now:
Which companies pay machine design engineers the most?
Machine design engineer salaries at Apple and Amazon are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average machine design engineer salary at companies like Autodesk and Ford Motor are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $133,577 | $64.22 |
| 2 | Amazon | $103,450 | $49.74 |
| 3 | Autodesk | $96,362 | $46.33 |
| 4 | Ford Motor | $88,053 | $42.33 |
| 5 | John Deere | $83,759 | $40.27 |
| 6 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $80,102 | $38.51 |
| 7 | CTS Corporation | $79,922 | $38.42 |
| 8 | Zeus Industrial Products | $79,367 | $38.16 |
| 9 | Bosch USA | $79,182 | $38.07 |
| 10 | TASI Group | $77,100 | $37.07 |
| 11 | Schaeffler | $76,932 | $36.99 |
| 12 | Jacobs Enterprises | $75,802 | $36.44 |
| 13 | Jacobs Engineering Group | $75,587 | $36.34 |
| 14 | Freudenberg Medical | $75,474 | $36.29 |
| 15 | Bridgestone | $75,273 | $36.19 |
| 16 | NOV | $75,217 | $36.16 |
| 17 | Hunter Douglas | $75,054 | $36.08 |
| 18 | Cambro Manufacturing | $72,913 | $35.05 |
| 19 | Barry-Wehmiller | $72,597 | $34.90 |
| 20 | GPAC | $72,029 | $34.63 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Machine design engineer salary trends
The average machine design engineer salary has risen by $9,622 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average machine design engineer earned $69,749 annually, but today, they earn $79,371 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for machine design engineers over the last decade.
Compare machine design engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average machine design engineer salary over time
Compare machine design engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Machine design engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $79,400 | $38.16 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $77,800 | $37.43 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $76,900 | $36.98 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $75,600 | $36.35 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $74,100 | $35.63 | +0.7% |
Recently added machine design engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actalent | Machine Design Engineer | Waukesha, WI | 06/21/2025 | $93,915 |
| Apple | Physical Design Engineer, Machine Learning | Sunnyvale, CA | 06/05/2025 | $143,100 |
| Premier Group | Machine Design Engineer | Kent, OH | 05/28/2025 | $85,000 |
| Sterling Engineering, Inc. | Machine Design Engineer | Itasca, IL | 05/21/2025 | $73,045 |
| Apple | Physical Design Engineer, Machine Learning | Sunnyvale, CA | 05/15/2025 | $175,800 |
| Engineering Search Firm | Design Engineer-Machines & Automation (Autocad & Inventor) | Butte des Morts, WI | 05/08/2025 | $72,000 |
| Applied Medical Distribution Corporation | Senior Machine Design Engineer, Automation | Rancho Santa Margarita, CA | 05/03/2025 | $100,000 |
| Idaho National Lab | Machine Design Engineer | Idaho Falls, ID | 04/28/2025 | $65,064 |
| Ashford Connex | Design Engineer-Machines & Automation (Autocad & Inventor) | Butte des Morts, WI | 04/25/2025 | $72,000 |
| Corporate Strategic Resourcing | Design Engineer-Machines & Automation (Autocad & Inventor) | Butte des Morts, WI | 04/25/2025 | $72,000 |
Machine design engineer salary FAQs
Search for machine design engineer jobs