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Research and development engineer salary
Average research and development engineer salary
$100,169
Research and Development Engineer Salary Overview
The average salary for a Research and Development Engineer stands at $100,169 annually, translating to approximately $48 per hour. This compensation can vary based on factors such as geographic location, industry sector, and years of experience. For instance, engineers with advanced expertise often command higher salaries, making continuous learning and skill development essential in this competitive field.
Salary by State
Research and Development Engineers can find the highest salaries in states like California and Texas, where tech industries thrive. Understanding how salaries differ across states can help you target job opportunities that align with your financial goals.
Experience Matters
As with many engineering roles, experience significantly impacts salary potential. Entry-level positions may start around $70,000, while seasoned professionals can earn upwards of $130,000. This highlights the importance of gaining relevant experience and advancing your career through specialized training and certifications.
Top Paying Cities
- San Francisco, CA
- New York, NY
- Seattle, WA
These cities not only offer higher salaries but also a vibrant job market for R&D Engineers. Whether you're starting your career or looking to advance, knowing where to focus your job search is crucial.
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Where can a Research And Development Engineer earn more?
Research and development engineer salaries by experience level
Average research and development engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for research and development engineers are California, New Mexico, and Nevada. The lowest average research and development engineer salary states are Missouri, Kentucky, and Nebraska.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for research and development engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $124,903 | $60.05 |
| 2 | Washington | $104,396 | $50.19 |
| 3 | New Mexico | $110,943 | $53.34 |
| 4 | Nevada | $104,621 | $50.30 |
| 5 | Oregon | $96,746 | $46.51 |
| 6 | Arizona | $95,543 | $45.93 |
| 7 | Colorado | $99,140 | $47.66 |
| 8 | Texas | $92,499 | $44.47 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $100,025 | $48.09 |
| 10 | Idaho | $102,750 | $49.40 |
| 11 | North Dakota | $91,935 | $44.20 |
| 12 | Alaska | $101,852 | $48.97 |
| 13 | Utah | $91,737 | $44.10 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $91,006 | $43.75 |
| 15 | Delaware | $94,755 | $45.56 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $91,568 | $44.02 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $93,021 | $44.72 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $99,940 | $48.05 |
| 19 | Virginia | $89,206 | $42.89 |
| 20 | Michigan | $83,006 | $39.91 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $83,288 | $40.04 |
| 22 | New Jersey | $89,762 | $43.15 |
| 23 | Vermont | $82,389 | $39.61 |
| 24 | Louisiana | $88,891 | $42.74 |
| 25 | Maryland | $93,089 | $44.75 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | $80,286 | $38.60 |
| 27 | Maine | $87,367 | $42.00 |
| 28 | Illinois | $86,834 | $41.75 |
| 29 | Georgia | $79,799 | $38.36 |
| 30 | Minnesota | $79,432 | $38.19 |
| 31 | New York | $91,298 | $43.89 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $79,708 | $38.32 |
| 33 | Connecticut | $85,929 | $41.31 |
| 34 | Ohio | $76,127 | $36.60 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $82,939 | $39.87 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $81,139 | $39.01 |
| 37 | Indiana | $76,289 | $36.68 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $78,978 | $37.97 |
| 39 | Alabama | $76,771 | $36.91 |
| 40 | Florida | $76,816 | $36.93 |
| 41 | Montana | $80,103 | $38.51 |
| 42 | Iowa | $75,657 | $36.37 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $71,514 | $34.38 |
| 44 | Kansas | $74,984 | $36.05 |
| 45 | Missouri | $74,387 | $35.76 |
| 46 | North Carolina | $75,891 | $36.49 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $71,334 | $34.30 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $74,868 | $35.99 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $72,071 | $34.65 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $65,056 | $31.28 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $70,659 | $33.97 |
Highest paying cities for research and development engineers
The highest-paying cities for research and development engineers are Santa Rosa, CA, Albuquerque, NM, and Marlborough, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Rosa, CA | $135,295 | $65.05 |
| 2 | Albuquerque, NM | $111,648 | $53.68 |
| 3 | Marlborough, MA | $100,025 | $48.09 |
| 4 | Colorado Springs, CO | $99,388 | $47.78 |
| 5 | Hillsboro, OR | $96,178 | $46.24 |
| 6 | Phoenix, AZ | $95,952 | $46.13 |
| 7 | Austin, TX | $92,654 | $44.55 |
| 8 | New York, NY | $91,412 | $43.95 |
| 9 | Arlington Heights, IL | $87,167 | $41.91 |
| 10 | Farmington Hills, MI | $83,024 | $39.92 |
| 11 | Burlington, VT | $82,040 | $39.44 |
| 12 | Pittsburgh, PA | $80,376 | $38.64 |
| 13 | Madison, WI | $80,029 | $38.48 |
| 14 | Duluth, GA | $79,715 | $38.32 |
| 15 | Plymouth, MN | $79,418 | $38.18 |
| 16 | Durham, NC | $76,863 | $36.95 |
| 17 | Madison, AL | $75,293 | $36.20 |
Research And Development Engineers are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Research and development engineer salary details
A research and development engineer's salary ranges from $74,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $135,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a research and development engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $135,000 | $11,250 | $65 |
| 75th Percentile | $117,000 | $9,750 | $56 |
| Average | $100,169 | $8,347 | $48 |
| 25th Percentile | $85,000 | $7,083 | $41 |
| 10th Percentile | $74,000 | $6,167 | $36 |
Highest paying research and development engineer jobs
The highest paying types of research and development engineers are research and development manager, staff engineer, and tool 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 |
| Manufacturing Engineer | $78,522 | $6,543 | $37.75 | 115,384 |
| Process Engineer | $82,443 | $6,870 | $39.64 | 66,937 |
| Product Engineer | $89,645 | $7,470 | $43.10 | 157,888 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for research and development engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Daisy Huang
Assistant Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Top companies hiring research and development engineers now:
Which companies pay research and development engineers the most?
Research and development engineer salaries at Meta and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average research and development engineer salary at companies like Amazon and Neuralink IT Solutions are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $161,816 | $77.80 |
| 2 | Apple | $149,149 | $71.71 |
| 3 | Amazon | $140,013 | $67.31 |
| 4 | Neuralink IT Solutions | $135,578 | $65.18 |
| 5 | Microsoft | $135,305 | $65.05 |
| 6 | The Walt Disney Company | $133,165 | $64.02 |
| 7 | NVIDIA | $132,176 | $63.55 |
| 8 | Brocade Services Corporation | $131,815 | $63.37 |
| 9 | Lucasfilm | $131,312 | $63.13 |
| 10 | IDG | $128,578 | $61.82 |
| 11 | Wilson Medical Center | $127,619 | $61.36 |
| 12 | Western Digital | $126,863 | $60.99 |
| 13 | Sony Pictures | $126,810 | $60.97 |
| 14 | Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. | $125,900 | $60.53 |
| 15 | PlayStation | $125,373 | $60.28 |
| 16 | Finisar | $124,543 | $59.88 |
| 17 | GlassPoint | $123,236 | $59.25 |
| 18 | Broadcom | $121,829 | $58.57 |
| 19 | VMware | $121,730 | $58.52 |
| 20 | Joby Aviation | $121,564 | $58.44 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Research And Development Engineer salary by industry
The average research and development engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average research and development engineer salary in the technology industry is $107,654, the highest of any industry.
- The average research and development engineer salary in the finance industry is $98,512.
- Research and development engineers in the health care industry earn an average salary of $89,875, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for research and development engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $107,654 | $51.76 |
| 2 | Automotive | $98,512 | $47.36 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $95,786 | $46.05 |
| 4 | Health Care | $89,875 | $43.21 |
High paying research and development engineer jobs
Research and development engineer salary trends
The average research and development engineer salary has risen by $12,143 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average research and development engineer earned $88,026 annually, but today, they earn $100,169 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for research and development engineers over the last decade.
Compare research and development engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average research and development engineer salary over time
Compare research and development engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Research and development engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $100,000 | $48.16 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $98,200 | $47.23 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $97,100 | $46.67 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $95,400 | $45.87 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $93,500 | $44.97 | +0.7% |
Recently added research and development engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philips Healthcare | Principal Catheter NPI R&D Engineer | San Diego, CA | 06/30/2025 | $130,000 |
| Mdlz | R&D Process Engineer | East Hanover, NJ | 06/30/2025 | $73,900 |
| Perspecta | Advanced Development/Unique Services R&D Engineer | Fort Irwin, CA | 06/29/2025 | $66,000 |
| Actalent | R&D Engineer, Risk Management | Sunnyvale, CA | 06/29/2025 | $126,700 |
| Silvus Technologies | R&D Systems Engineer | Los Angeles, CA | 06/29/2025 | $110,000 |
| Abbott Laboratories | R&D Data Engineer | Park City, IL | 06/28/2025 | $97,300 |
| Medtronic Inc. | Principal R&D Engineer-Hybrid | Carlsbad, CA | 06/28/2025 | $130,400 |
| Quantumscape Corp | Battery Systems R&D Engineer, Smts | San Jose, CA | 06/28/2025 | $134,800 |
| The Pennsylvania State University | Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Research and Development Engineer | Parksley, VA | 06/28/2025 | $109,300 |
| Ansys, Inc. | R&D Engineer II | Evanston, IL | 06/27/2025 | $106,558 |
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