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Professional engineer salary
Average professional engineer salary
$86,348
Understanding Professional Engineer Salaries
A Professional Engineer (PE) earns an average salary of $86,348 per year, translating to approximately $42 per hour. This figure can fluctuate based on several factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and the specific engineering discipline (e.g., civil, mechanical, electrical).
Salary by Experience
Entry-level positions typically start around $63,000, while experienced engineers can earn over $110,000. States such as California and New York often offer higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for skilled engineers.
Opportunities for Growth
Professional Engineers can enhance their earnings by pursuing specialized certifications or advanced degrees. Industries such as technology, construction, and environmental services frequently pay above average. Understanding regional salary differences can also help you negotiate better compensation packages.
- California: $100,000+
- Texas: $85,000
- New York: $95,000
By leveraging this information, you can better navigate your career as a Professional Engineer, aligning your skills with the most lucrative opportunities available.
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Where can a Professional Engineer earn more?
Professional engineer salaries by experience level
Professional engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average professional engineer salary by state
The average professional engineer salary in Alaska, California, and New Jersey are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average professional engineer salary states are Nebraska, South Dakota, and Tennessee.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for professional engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $109,678 | $52.73 |
| 2 | California | $106,350 | $51.13 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $94,232 | $45.30 |
| 4 | Oregon | $87,253 | $41.95 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $104,309 | $50.15 |
| 6 | Alabama | $92,943 | $44.68 |
| 7 | Arizona | $86,386 | $41.53 |
| 8 | Delaware | $85,561 | $41.14 |
| 9 | Washington | $88,528 | $42.56 |
| 10 | Texas | $88,806 | $42.70 |
| 11 | Maine | $83,740 | $40.26 |
| 12 | Virginia | $86,481 | $41.58 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $85,792 | $41.25 |
| 14 | New York | $87,829 | $42.23 |
| 15 | Vermont | $83,045 | $39.93 |
| 16 | Minnesota | $81,071 | $38.98 |
| 17 | Missouri | $85,190 | $40.96 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $79,631 | $38.28 |
| 19 | Idaho | $81,614 | $39.24 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $80,219 | $38.57 |
| 21 | Connecticut | $84,011 | $40.39 |
| 22 | Oklahoma | $82,362 | $39.60 |
| 23 | North Dakota | $77,821 | $37.41 |
| 24 | Mississippi | $81,959 | $39.40 |
| 25 | Utah | $79,906 | $38.42 |
| 26 | Colorado | $79,992 | $38.46 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $80,373 | $38.64 |
| 28 | Louisiana | $81,946 | $39.40 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $81,327 | $39.10 |
| 30 | Montana | $78,420 | $37.70 |
| 31 | West Virginia | $76,774 | $36.91 |
| 32 | Rhode Island | $80,964 | $38.92 |
| 33 | Indiana | $74,598 | $35.86 |
| 34 | Illinois | $79,250 | $38.10 |
| 35 | Michigan | $76,450 | $36.75 |
| 36 | Maryland | $77,306 | $37.17 |
| 37 | Iowa | $73,211 | $35.20 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | $78,595 | $37.79 |
| 39 | Nevada | $74,284 | $35.71 |
| 40 | Hawaii | $60,048 | $28.87 |
| 41 | New Mexico | $75,890 | $36.49 |
| 42 | Wyoming | $65,763 | $31.62 |
| 43 | Georgia | $72,702 | $34.95 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $71,263 | $34.26 |
| 45 | Kansas | $70,380 | $33.84 |
| 46 | Florida | $69,839 | $33.58 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $68,117 | $32.75 |
| 48 | Ohio | $69,070 | $33.21 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $67,518 | $32.46 |
| 50 | Tennessee | $67,187 | $32.30 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $63,604 | $30.58 |
Highest paying cities for professional engineers
The highest-paying cities for professional engineers are San Francisco, CA, Boston, MA, and Birmingham, AL.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $113,768 | $54.70 |
| 2 | Boston, MA | $94,223 | $45.30 |
| 3 | Birmingham, AL | $92,730 | $44.58 |
| 4 | Austin, TX | $89,574 | $43.06 |
| 5 | Seattle, WA | $89,103 | $42.84 |
| 6 | New York, NY | $88,042 | $42.33 |
| 7 | Alexandria, VA | $87,116 | $41.88 |
| 8 | Portland, OR | $87,014 | $41.83 |
| 9 | Tempe, AZ | $86,397 | $41.54 |
| 10 | Oklahoma City, OK | $82,758 | $39.79 |
| 11 | Alexandria, LA | $82,203 | $39.52 |
| 12 | Raleigh, NC | $81,703 | $39.28 |
| 13 | Saint Paul, MN | $81,168 | $39.02 |
| 14 | Englewood, CO | $80,050 | $38.49 |
| 15 | Milwaukee, WI | $79,779 | $38.36 |
| 16 | Chicago, IL | $79,472 | $38.21 |
| 17 | Albuquerque, NM | $75,988 | $36.53 |
| 18 | Alpharetta, GA | $72,651 | $34.93 |
| 19 | Tallahassee, FL | $72,072 | $34.65 |
| 20 | Lincoln, NE | $68,023 | $32.70 |
Professional engineer salary details
A professional engineer's salary ranges from $63,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $118,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a professional engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $118,000 | $9,833 | $57 |
| 75th Percentile | $101,000 | $8,417 | $49 |
| Average | $86,348 | $7,196 | $42 |
| 25th Percentile | $73,000 | $6,083 | $35 |
| 10th Percentile | $63,000 | $5,250 | $30 |
Highest paying professional engineer jobs
The highest paying types of professional engineers are senior engineer, resident engineer, and senior structural engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structural Designer | $63,273 | $5,273 | $30.42 | 51,432 |
| Civil Designer | $58,421 | $4,868 | $28.09 | 57,036 |
| Civil Engineering Internship | $52,597 | $4,383 | $25.29 | 109,733 |
| Civil/Structural Engineer | $74,421 | $6,202 | $35.78 | 20,123 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Facility Engineer | $89,623 | $7,469 | $43.09 | 94,268 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for professional engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Michael Rudisill
Department Head and Professor of Engineering Technology, Northern Michigan University
Top companies hiring professional engineers now:
Which companies pay professional engineers the most?
Professional engineer salaries at Bayer and Abbott are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average professional engineer salary at companies like Chevron and AT&T; are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayer | $111,570 | $53.64 |
| 2 | Abbott | $105,911 | $50.92 |
| 3 | Chevron | $103,797 | $49.90 |
| 4 | AT&T | $102,647 | $49.35 |
| 5 | Pfizer | $100,215 | $48.18 |
| 6 | Oak Ridge National Laboratory | $97,244 | $46.75 |
| 7 | Peabody Energy | $94,547 | $45.46 |
| 8 | Halliburton | $93,127 | $44.77 |
| 9 | Northrop Grumman | $92,491 | $44.47 |
| 10 | Ingram Micro | $89,934 | $43.24 |
| 11 | IBM | $89,771 | $43.16 |
| 12 | Sandia National Labs | $89,555 | $43.06 |
| 13 | Siemens | $89,278 | $42.92 |
| 14 | McAdams | $88,800 | $42.69 |
| 15 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $88,444 | $42.52 |
| 16 | Rockwell Automation | $88,350 | $42.48 |
| 17 | CyberCoders | $88,087 | $42.35 |
| 18 | Samsung Electronics Device Solutions (Semiconductor & Display) | $88,064 | $42.34 |
| 19 | Lakeland Electric | $87,528 | $42.08 |
| 20 | Evonik | $87,178 | $41.91 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Professional Engineer salary by industry
The average professional engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average professional engineer salary in the health care industry is $96,275, the highest of any industry.
- The average professional engineer salary in the finance industry is $95,060.
- Professional engineers in the government industry earn an average salary of $74,091, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for professional engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health Care | $96,275 | $46.29 |
| 2 | Telecommunication | $95,060 | $45.70 |
| 3 | Energy | $88,843 | $42.71 |
| 4 | Technology | $86,759 | $41.71 |
| 5 | Construction | $80,326 | $38.62 |
| 6 | Professional | $79,459 | $38.20 |
| 7 | Government | $74,091 | $35.62 |
High paying professional engineer jobs
Professional engineer salary trends
The average professional engineer salary has risen by $10,315 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average professional engineer earned $76,033 annually, but today, they earn $86,348 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for professional engineers over the last decade.
Compare professional engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average professional engineer salary over time
Compare professional engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Professional engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $86,300 | $41.51 | +1.7% |
| 2024 | $84,900 | $40.81 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | $84,500 | $40.61 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $82,600 | $39.73 | +1.5% |
| 2021 | $81,400 | $39.16 | +1.6% |
Recently added professional engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Counterpart International | Renewal Risk Engineer-Management and Professional Liability | Southeast, NY | 06/29/2025 | $110,000 |
| Consoreng | Professional Engineer-Bridge Inspection | Urban Honolulu, HI | 06/29/2025 | $90,000 |
| Montrose | Professional Engineer (P.E.)-Environmental-Oil/Gas | Loveland, CO | 06/28/2025 | $150,000 |
| CRH Plc | Professional Engineer (Civil/Structural) | Cannon Falls, MN | 06/25/2025 | $90,000 |
| CEI | Professional Engineer | Connellsville, PA | 06/25/2025 | $135,655 |
| Trilon Group | Professional Engineer-Roadway | Phoenix, AZ | 06/25/2025 | $105,000 |
| Nucor | Professional Engineer P.E. | El Paso, TX | 06/24/2025 | $103,147 |
| State of Colorado | Professional Engineer I, Tunnel-Design/Construction | Boone, CO | 06/24/2025 | $92,508 |
| KBR | Technical Professional-Quality Engineering | Torrance, CA | 06/23/2025 | $73,045 |
| St. John's River Water Management District-Sa | Professional Engineer or Senior Professional Engineer | Apopka, FL | 06/22/2025 | $90,000 |
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