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Senior communications engineer salary
Average senior communications engineer salary
$108,459
Average Senior Communications Engineer Salary
The average salary for a Senior Communications Engineer in the United States is approximately $108,459 annually, translating to about $52 per hour. These engineers play a crucial role in developing communication networks and technologies, which are vital in various sectors, including telecommunications, defense, and technology.
Salaries by State
Salaries can differ significantly based on geographical location. For instance, states like California and New York often offer higher compensation due to the cost of living and demand for skilled engineers. Explore detailed salary data to find what you can expect in different states.
Highest Paying Cities
Certain cities also present more lucrative opportunities. Cities such as San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Seattle are among the highest paying, reflecting the concentration of tech companies and advanced telecommunications infrastructure.
Industry Insights
Moreover, the industry you work in affects your salary potential. The telecommunications and defense sectors tend to pay more than others. Understanding these dynamics can help you make informed decisions about your career path.
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Where can a Senior Communications Engineer earn more?
Average senior communications engineer salary by state
The average senior communications engineer salary in Maine, Vermont, and Louisiana are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior communications engineer salary states are North Carolina, Kansas, and Colorado.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior communications engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermont | $129,424 | $62.22 |
| 2 | Virginia | $128,738 | $61.89 |
| 3 | Maine | $131,005 | $62.98 |
| 4 | Texas | $125,297 | $60.24 |
| 5 | New Mexico | $126,564 | $60.85 |
| 6 | Idaho | $125,688 | $60.43 |
| 7 | Louisiana | $129,343 | $62.18 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $124,454 | $59.83 |
| 9 | Utah | $120,730 | $58.04 |
| 10 | New York | $124,676 | $59.94 |
| 11 | Georgia | $125,668 | $60.42 |
| 12 | Arkansas | $122,258 | $58.78 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | $117,125 | $56.31 |
| 14 | South Carolina | $124,927 | $60.06 |
| 15 | Alaska | $117,426 | $56.45 |
| 16 | South Dakota | $113,836 | $54.73 |
| 17 | Mississippi | $123,284 | $59.27 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $118,827 | $57.13 |
| 19 | Montana | $116,703 | $56.11 |
| 20 | North Dakota | $111,631 | $53.67 |
| 21 | Washington | $112,637 | $54.15 |
| 22 | New Jersey | $120,469 | $57.92 |
| 23 | California | $115,230 | $55.40 |
| 24 | Delaware | $108,315 | $52.07 |
| 25 | Nevada | $111,841 | $53.77 |
| 26 | Iowa | $112,858 | $54.26 |
| 27 | Tennessee | $114,873 | $55.23 |
| 28 | Arizona | $108,603 | $52.21 |
| 29 | Oregon | $106,683 | $51.29 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $101,200 | $48.65 |
| 31 | Maryland | $104,610 | $50.29 |
| 32 | Alabama | $100,577 | $48.35 |
| 33 | West Virginia | $102,943 | $49.49 |
| 34 | Minnesota | $103,973 | $49.99 |
| 35 | Hawaii | $105,270 | $50.61 |
| 36 | Ohio | $101,585 | $48.84 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $99,143 | $47.66 |
| 38 | Indiana | $101,110 | $48.61 |
| 39 | New Hampshire | $97,969 | $47.10 |
| 40 | Michigan | $100,264 | $48.20 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $101,027 | $48.57 |
| 42 | Colorado | $93,245 | $44.83 |
| 43 | Illinois | $98,694 | $47.45 |
| 44 | Pennsylvania | $96,749 | $46.51 |
| 45 | North Carolina | $95,840 | $46.08 |
| 46 | Connecticut | $97,722 | $46.98 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $97,596 | $46.92 |
| 48 | Florida | $92,911 | $44.67 |
| 49 | Kansas | $95,638 | $45.98 |
| 50 | Wisconsin | $91,833 | $44.15 |
| 51 | Missouri | $90,346 | $43.44 |
Highest paying cities for senior communications engineers
The highest-paying cities for senior communications engineers are Norfolk, VA, Houston, TX, and Albuquerque, NM.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norfolk, VA | $129,438 | $62.23 |
| 2 | Houston, TX | $126,736 | $60.93 |
| 3 | Albuquerque, NM | $126,093 | $60.62 |
| 4 | Atlanta, GA | $125,521 | $60.35 |
| 5 | Harrison, NY | $124,946 | $60.07 |
| 6 | Boston, MA | $124,677 | $59.94 |
| 7 | San Francisco, CA | $122,013 | $58.66 |
| 8 | Newark, NJ | $120,624 | $57.99 |
| 9 | Washington, DC | $118,898 | $57.16 |
| 10 | Anchorage, AK | $117,865 | $56.67 |
| 11 | Billings, MT | $115,052 | $55.31 |
| 12 | Aberdeen, SD | $114,517 | $55.06 |
| 13 | Seattle, WA | $113,095 | $54.37 |
| 14 | Tucson, AZ | $108,688 | $52.25 |
| 15 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $105,651 | $50.79 |
| 16 | Bethesda, MD | $104,492 | $50.24 |
| 17 | Birmingham, AL | $100,292 | $48.22 |
| 18 | Philadelphia, PA | $97,086 | $46.68 |
| 19 | Colorado Springs, CO | $93,605 | $45.00 |
| 20 | Kansas City, MO | $89,116 | $42.84 |
Senior communications engineer salary details
A senior communications engineer's salary ranges from $80,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $145,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior communications engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $145,000 | $12,083 | $70 |
| 75th Percentile | $126,000 | $10,500 | $61 |
| Average | $108,459 | $9,038 | $52 |
| 25th Percentile | $92,000 | $7,667 | $44 |
| 10th Percentile | $80,000 | $6,667 | $38 |
Highest paying senior communications engineer jobs
The highest paying types of senior communications engineers are communications systems engineer, lead data architect, and senior network engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOC Analyst | $54,953 | $4,579 | $26.42 | 36,258 |
| Lead Data Architect | $112,015 | $9,335 | $53.85 | 150,424 |
| Telecom Analyst | $63,580 | $5,298 | $30.57 | 19,698 |
| Data Center Analyst | $61,669 | $5,139 | $29.65 | 167,264 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Network Engineer | $83,557 | $6,963 | $40.17 | 72,346 |
Top companies hiring senior communications engineers now:
Which companies pay senior communications engineers the most?
Senior communications engineer salaries at Apple and McKinsey & Company Inc are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior communications engineer salary at companies like Intuit and Northwell Health are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $139,141 | $66.89 |
| 2 | McKinsey & Company Inc | $137,714 | $66.21 |
| 3 | Intuit | $132,316 | $63.61 |
| 4 | Northwell Health | $130,649 | $62.81 |
| 5 | Ardent Mills | $125,848 | $60.50 |
| 6 | Open Systems Technologies | $121,306 | $58.32 |
| 7 | MITRE | $119,724 | $57.56 |
| 8 | Burns & McDonnell | $118,553 | $57.00 |
| 9 | Booz Allen Hamilton | $118,515 | $56.98 |
| 10 | DTCC | $115,288 | $55.43 |
| 11 | MFS Investment Management | $114,110 | $54.86 |
| 12 | CACI International | $113,188 | $54.42 |
| 13 | Kiewit | $113,138 | $54.39 |
| 14 | E3 Federal Solutions, Llc | $113,130 | $54.39 |
| 15 | Gartner | $112,430 | $54.05 |
| 16 | Argonne National Laboratory | $111,971 | $53.83 |
| 17 | Meriplex | $111,817 | $53.76 |
| 18 | Jacobs Engineering Group | $110,133 | $52.95 |
| 19 | Robbins-Gioia | $110,081 | $52.92 |
| 20 | Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation | $108,153 | $52.00 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior Communications Engineer salary by industry
The average senior communications engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average senior communications engineer salary in the technology industry is $109,082, the highest of any industry.
- The average senior communications engineer salary in the finance industry is $106,846.
- Senior communications engineers in the finance industry earn an average salary of $98,249, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for senior communications engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $109,082 | $52.44 |
| 2 | Professional | $106,846 | $51.37 |
| 3 | Health Care | $100,009 | $48.08 |
| 4 | Finance | $98,249 | $47.24 |
High paying senior communications engineer jobs
Senior communications engineer salary trends
The average senior communications engineer salary has risen by $24,227 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior communications engineer earned $84,232 annually, but today, they earn $108,459 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for senior communications engineers over the last decade.
Compare senior communications engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior communications engineer salary over time
Compare senior communications engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior communications engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $108,000 | $52.14 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $105,000 | $50.43 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $103,000 | $49.28 | +4.0% |
| 2022 | $98,400 | $47.31 | +3.3% |
| 2021 | $95,200 | $45.75 | +1.0% |
Recently added senior communications engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perspecta | Senior Unified Communications Engineer | Alexandria, VA | 06/29/2025 | $135,000 |
| Blacksky | Senior Communications Engineer | Tukwila, WA | 06/29/2025 | $120,000 |
| The Boeing Company | Kc-46 Communications Engineer (Experienced or Senior) | Everett, WA | 06/26/2025 | $128,350 |
| Black Sky Inc. | Senior Communications Engineer | Tukwila, WA | 06/26/2025 | $120,000 |
| Exelon | SR Engineer-Transmission & Substation Communication Protection | Oakbrook Terrace, IL | 06/24/2025 | $100,800 |
| Atkinsrealis | SR. Rail Communications Engineer | New York, NY | 06/19/2025 | $150,000 |
| Inceed | SR. Communications Engineer | Houston, TX | 06/10/2025 | $120,000 |
| Perspecta | Senior Unified Communications Engineer | Alexandria, VA | 05/26/2025 | $135,000 |
| Inceed | SR. Communications Engineer | Houston, TX | 05/26/2025 | $120,000 |
| Pacific Dental Services | SR. Engineer, Unified Communication and Collaboration | Henderson, NV | 05/18/2025 | $117,000 |
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