How much does a mechanical engineering director make?

The average mechanical engineering director salary in the United States is $130,415. Mechanical engineering director salaries typically range between $70,000 and $240,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for mechanical engineering directors is $62.7 per hour. Mechanical engineering director salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Mechanical engineering directors earn the highest average salary in Nevada.

Mechanical engineering director salary

Q: What state pays Mechanical Engineering Directors the most?

Nevada pays Mechanical Engineering Directors the most in the United States, with an average salary of $147,577 per year, or $70.95 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a mechanical engineering director?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a mechanical engineering director if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in California you should be paid close to $141,278 per year.

Quoted expert

Daisy Huang

Average mechanical engineering director salary

$130,415

$62.7 hourly rate

Entry-level mechanical engineering director salary

$70,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding Mechanical Engineering Director Salaries

The average salary for a mechanical engineering director is $130,415 per year, translating to approximately $63 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly based on factors such as geographic location, industry, and individual experience. For instance, states like California and Texas often offer higher compensation due to demand for skilled professionals.

Experience Matters

Entry-level positions typically start lower, but with experience, salaries can increase substantially. Directors with several years in the field can command salaries exceeding $150,000. Additionally, pursuing advanced degrees or certifications may further enhance earning potential.

Job Opportunities

Mechanical engineering directors are found across various industries, including aerospace, automotive, and manufacturing. Job postings often highlight the need for leadership skills, technical expertise, and project management experience. By targeting specific sectors, candidates can find lucrative opportunities and align their careers with high-demand fields.

Conclusion

For those considering a career as a mechanical engineering director, understanding salary dynamics and job prospects is crucial. Utilize this information to navigate your career path effectively and maximize your earning potential.

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Where can a Mechanical Engineering Director earn more?

Compare salary by location

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79k

59k

39k

Columbus, OH$156,328

San Juan, PR$68,507

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Desktop Metal$175,193

AMG Engineering$89,752

Mechanical engineering director salaries by experience level

Mechanical engineering director salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com and Comparably, the average salary for a mechanical engineering director typically falls between $130,415 and $211,101.

zippia

$130,415yearly

comparably[1]

$134,801yearly

Salary.com[2]

$211,101yearly

Average mechanical engineering director salary by state

The average mechanical engineering director salary in Nevada, California, and Massachusetts are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average mechanical engineering director salary states are Minnesota, Kentucky, and Iowa.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for mechanical engineering directors

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Massachusetts	$136,547	$65.65
2	Washington	$130,556	$62.77
3	Wisconsin	$130,497	$62.74
4	Arizona	$130,791	$62.88
5	Arkansas	$118,163	$56.81
6	New Hampshire	$126,315	$60.73
7	Nevada	$147,577	$70.95
8	Connecticut	$132,503	$63.70
9	Rhode Island	$126,345	$60.74
10	Oregon	$125,867	$60.51
11	Maine	$126,288	$60.72
12	Texas	$128,506	$61.78
13	Mississippi	$116,058	$55.80
14	Alabama	$115,758	$55.65
15	California	$141,278	$67.92
16	Alaska	$123,914	$59.57
17	New York	$130,773	$62.87
18	Oklahoma	$113,815	$54.72
19	Louisiana	$114,458	$55.03
20	Idaho	$116,821	$56.16
21	Pennsylvania	$120,297	$57.84
22	Hawaii	$129,154	$62.09
23	Illinois	$122,921	$59.10
24	Montana	$116,164	$55.85
25	New Jersey	$128,292	$61.68
26	Indiana	$116,675	$56.09
27	Delaware	$116,862	$56.18
28	North Carolina	$115,093	$55.33
29	Michigan	$111,912	$53.80
30	North Dakota	$107,501	$51.68
31	Ohio	$113,360	$54.50
32	New Mexico	$110,997	$53.36
33	Georgia	$115,012	$55.29
34	Colorado	$111,623	$53.66
35	South Dakota	$109,381	$52.59
36	Utah	$104,161	$50.08
37	Vermont	$116,400	$55.96
38	Iowa	$98,336	$47.28
39	Virginia	$107,659	$51.76
40	West Virginia	$105,442	$50.69
41	Kansas	$104,667	$50.32
42	District of Columbia	$104,181	$50.09
43	Wyoming	$96,935	$46.60
44	Maryland	$106,798	$51.35
45	Nebraska	$102,914	$49.48
46	Tennessee	$104,131	$50.06
47	Minnesota	$98,759	$47.48
48	South Carolina	$99,472	$47.82
49	Kentucky	$98,620	$47.41
50	Florida	$95,552	$45.94
51	Missouri	$95,206	$45.77

Top mechanical engineering director jobs near you

Highest paying cities for mechanical engineering directors

The highest-paying cities for mechanical engineering directors are San Francisco, CA, Burlington, MA, and Gilbert, AZ.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	San Francisco, CA	$156,328	$75.16
2	Burlington, MA	$141,077	$67.83
3	Gilbert, AZ	$135,662	$65.22
4	New Haven, CT	$135,598	$65.19
5	New York, NY	$133,480	$64.17
6	Denton, TX	$132,351	$63.63
7	Newark, NJ	$131,381	$63.16
8	Lake Oswego, OR	$129,681	$62.35
9	Pittsburgh, PA	$119,684	$57.54
10	Indianapolis, IN	$118,890	$57.16
11	Atlanta, GA	$116,653	$56.08
12	Huntsville, AL	$115,795	$55.67
13	Washington, DC	$104,652	$50.31
14	Salt Lake City, UT	$104,180	$50.09
15	Charleston, SC	$99,673	$47.92
16	Miami, FL	$92,762	$44.60
17	San Juan, PR	$68,507	$32.94

Mechanical engineering director salary details

A mechanical engineering director's salary ranges from $70,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $240,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average mechanical engineering director salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a mechanical engineering director's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$240,000	$20,000	$115
75th Percentile	$179,000	$14,917	$86
Average	$130,415	$10,868	$63
25th Percentile	$94,000	$7,833	$45
10th Percentile	$70,000	$5,833	$34

Highest paying mechanical engineering director jobs

The highest paying types of mechanical engineering directors are engineering director, 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
Design Manager	$102,637	$8,553	$49.34	61,273
Engineering/Maintenance Manager	$99,907	$8,326	$48.03	125,639
Engineering Operations Manager	$122,682	$10,223	$58.98	125,798
Vice President Of Engineering	$150,651	$12,554	$72.43	92,133
Research And Development Director	$137,944	$11,495	$66.32	102,901

How would you rate the starting salaries for mechanical engineering directors, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Daisy Huang

Assistant Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Above average, but you won't be a millionaire easily (you can with some effort, saving, and investing well). It is very unlikely you'll ever be *super* wealthy, but it's also very unlikely you'll ever not find employment in your field. You'll have a solid ticket to a modestly comfortable life, with some luxuries, too.

Top companies hiring mechanical engineering directors now:

Which companies pay mechanical engineering directors the most?

Mechanical engineering director salaries at Desktop Metal and Barry-Wehmiller are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average mechanical engineering director salary at companies like Paramount and Future Motion are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Desktop Metal	$175,193	$84.23
2	Barry-Wehmiller	$159,981	$76.91
3	Paramount	$152,212	$73.18
4	Future Motion	$150,445	$72.33
5	Hulcher Services	$146,358	$70.36
6	Nabors Industries	$141,771	$68.16
7	Northrop Grumman	$120,575	$57.97
8	AE Works	$111,165	$53.44
9	Presco	$109,163	$52.48
10	New Jersey Institute of Technology	$107,964	$51.91
11	Sanmina	$106,946	$51.42
12	Wsp USA Buildings Inc.	$90,701	$43.61
13	AMG Engineering	$89,752	$43.15

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$120,000$118,200$116,400$114,600$112,800$111,000

MaleFemale

Mechanical Engineering Director salary by industry

The average mechanical engineering director salary varies across industries:

The average mechanical engineering director salary in the energy industry is $146,841, the highest of any industry.
The average mechanical engineering director salary in the finance industry is $146,161.
Mechanical engineering directors in the transportation industry earn an average salary of $107,168, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for mechanical engineering directors

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Energy	$146,841	$70.60
2	Manufacturing	$146,161	$70.27
3	Health Care	$142,687	$68.60
4	Technology	$131,127	$63.04
5	Professional	$118,806	$57.12
6	Transportation	$107,168	$51.52

High paying mechanical engineering director jobs

Mechanical engineering director salary trends

The average mechanical engineering director salary has risen by $23,845 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average mechanical engineering director earned $106,570 annually, but today, they earn $130,415 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for mechanical engineering directors over the last decade.

Compare mechanical engineering director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average mechanical engineering director salary over time

Compare mechanical engineering director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Mechanical engineering director salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2026	$130,000	$62.70	+3.1%
2025	$126,000	$60.73	+2.8%
2024	$123,000	$59.02	+2.2%
2023	$120,000	$57.75	+2.2%
2022	$118,000	$56.49	+1.4%

Recently added mechanical engineering director salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Canadian Pacific Railway (CPKC	Mechanical Director Car	Bensenville, IL	06/27/2025	$132,000
Vessel Technologies	Director, Mechanical Engineering	New York, NY	06/27/2025	$200,000
Miso Robotics	Director of Mechanical Engineering	Los Angeles, CA	06/25/2025	$150,000
Edgecore Digital Infrastructure	Director of Mechanical Engineering	Denver, CO	06/25/2025	$185,000
Edgecore	Director of Mechanical Engineering	Denver, CO	06/24/2025	$185,000
Evolv Technologies Holdings	Director of Mechanical Engineering	Waltham, MA	06/14/2025	$190,000
Evolv Technology	Director of Mechanical Engineering	Waltham, MA	06/13/2025	$190,000
Fulfil Solutions	Director, Mechanical Engineering	Mountain View, CA	06/09/2025	$220,000
Niche SSP-No.1 for Estimating Talent	Director of Mechanical	San Antonio, TX	05/27/2025	$200,000
Vestal Corporation	Director of Mechanical Engineering	Noel, MO	05/23/2025	$165,000

Mechanical engineering director salary FAQs

What state pays Mechanical Engineering Directors the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a mechanical engineering director?

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Updated December 15, 2025

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