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Senior cost engineer salary

Average senior cost engineer salary

$86,004

$41.35 hourly rate

Entry-level senior cost engineer salary
$60,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Average Senior Cost Engineer Salary

The average Senior Cost Engineer salary stands at $86,004 annually, translating to approximately $41 per hour. This figure can vary significantly based on factors such as geographic location, industry, and level of experience. For example, those working in high-demand states may command higher salaries due to competition and cost of living differences.

Salary by State

States like California and Texas frequently offer the most competitive salaries for Senior Cost Engineers, reflecting the high demand for engineering expertise in these regions. In contrast, salaries may be lower in states with less economic activity related to engineering projects.

Factors Influencing Salary

Experience plays a crucial role in determining salary levels. Senior Cost Engineers with extensive experience or specialized skills often see higher compensation packages. Additionally, certifications in project management or cost analysis can enhance earning potential.

Opportunities for Advancement

Advancing to managerial positions or roles in specialized sectors can also lead to increased earnings. Understanding the salary trends and factors affecting compensation can empower job seekers to negotiate better offers in their career paths.

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Where can a Senior Cost Engineer earn more?

Compare salary by location
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121k
101k
81k
61k
41k
Columbus, OH$108,216
Waukesha, WI$70,704
Compare salary by company
Vs
143k
123k
103k
83k
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43k
Nike$116,139
Goodwin Recruiting$72,981

Senior cost engineer salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a senior cost engineer typically falls between $86,004 and $122,673.
zippia
$86,004yearly
glassdoor[1]
$122,301yearly
comparably[2]
$90,768yearly
Salary.com[3]
$114,267yearly
payscale[4]
$122,673yearly

Average senior cost engineer salary by state

The average senior cost engineer salary in New Jersey, California, and Washington are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior cost engineer salary states are Minnesota, Arkansas, and Nebraska.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for senior cost engineers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Washington$98,196$47.21
2New Jersey$108,302$52.07
3California$100,823$48.47
4Connecticut$94,510$45.44
5Massachusetts$92,681$44.56
6Michigan$88,123$42.37
7New York$95,351$45.84
8North Carolina$87,981$42.30
9Wyoming$93,797$45.09
10Virginia$91,571$44.02
11Florida$92,580$44.51
12New Mexico$92,661$44.55
13Idaho$89,560$43.06
14Nevada$89,771$43.16
15Oklahoma$92,842$44.64
16Missouri$90,159$43.35
17Maryland$89,376$42.97
18Utah$84,202$40.48
19District of Columbia$88,863$42.72
20Delaware$84,295$40.53
21Arizona$83,693$40.24
22Texas$84,725$40.73
23New Hampshire$82,327$39.58
24South Carolina$83,524$40.16
25Mississippi$84,913$40.82
26Pennsylvania$84,020$40.39
27Oregon$83,579$40.18
28Alabama$80,178$38.55
29Colorado$84,534$40.64
30Montana$86,596$41.63
31Ohio$79,185$38.07
32North Dakota$80,344$38.63
33Maine$82,472$39.65
34Illinois$82,043$39.44
35Rhode Island$82,548$39.69
36Alaska$84,476$40.61
37West Virginia$79,909$38.42
38Tennessee$78,895$37.93
39Louisiana$81,459$39.16
40Kentucky$77,054$37.05
41Minnesota$73,506$35.34
42Georgia$77,708$37.36
43Indiana$73,750$35.46
44Arkansas$72,837$35.02
45Kansas$74,332$35.74
46Iowa$74,430$35.78
47Vermont$74,214$35.68
48Nebraska$71,528$34.39
49Wisconsin$70,608$33.95
50Hawaii$68,034$32.71
51South Dakota$70,644$33.96

Highest paying cities for senior cost engineers

The highest-paying cities for senior cost engineers are San Francisco, CA, Tacoma, WA, and New York, NY.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1San Francisco, CA$108,216$52.03
2Tacoma, WA$98,801$47.50
3New York, NY$95,500$45.91
4Reston, VA$91,923$44.19
5Grand Junction, CO$88,725$42.66
6Warren, MI$88,593$42.59
7Plano, TX$85,554$41.13
8Phoenix, AZ$83,861$40.32
9Roy, UT$83,754$40.27
10Beaverton, OR$82,916$39.86
11Baton Rouge, LA$81,552$39.21
12Oak Ridge, TN$79,009$37.99
13Cincinnati, OH$77,853$37.43
14New Albany, IN$73,892$35.52
15Overland Park, KS$73,843$35.50
16Waukesha, WI$70,704$33.99

Senior cost engineer salary details

A senior cost engineer's salary ranges from $60,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $121,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average senior cost engineer salary graph
Average senior cost engineer salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a senior cost engineer's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$121,000$10,083$58
75th Percentile$103,000$8,583$50
Average$86,004$7,167$41
25th Percentile$71,000$5,917$34
10th Percentile$60,000$5,000$29

Highest paying senior cost engineer jobs

The highest paying types of senior cost engineers are senior staff engineer, controls project manager, and senior engineer.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Manufacturing Engineering Internship$53,047$4,421$25.50125,868
Controls Project Manager$114,682$9,557$55.14122,592
Packaging Engineer$88,452$7,371$42.5254,028
Production Engineer$89,727$7,477$43.1494,789
Engineer$92,076$7,673$44.27618,207
Product Support Engineer$90,379$7,532$43.45201,554

Top companies hiring senior cost engineers now:

  1. General Motors jobs (8)
  2. Southern jobs (3)
  3. Lear jobs (3)
  4. Fluor Corporation jobs (5)
  5. Northrop Grumman jobs (3)

Which companies pay senior cost engineers the most?

Senior cost engineer salaries at Nike and General Motors are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior cost engineer salary at companies like Turner & Townsend and Capco are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Nike$116,139$55.84
2General Motors$104,110$50.05
3Turner & Townsend$97,412$46.83
4Capco$95,529$45.93
5Rivian$95,006$45.68
6Lucid Motors$94,943$45.65
7Lear$93,852$45.12
8Faithful+Gould$93,364$44.89
9National Aerospace Solutions$88,104$42.36
10Northrop Grumman$86,909$41.78
11Bechtel Corporation$85,536$41.12
12Altair$84,781$40.76
13PMA Consultants$84,064$40.42
14Moss Adams$82,556$39.69
15Matthews International$79,990$38.46
16Generac Holdings$79,651$38.29
17KBR$75,348$36.23
18E2 Consulting Engineers, Inc.$74,637$35.88
19Pcm Services$73,231$35.21
20Goodwin Recruiting$72,981$35.09

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$89,000$88,200$87,400$86,600$85,800$85,000
MaleFemale

Senior cost engineer salary trends

The average senior cost engineer salary has risen by $11,322 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior cost engineer earned $74,682 annually, but today, they earn $86,004 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for senior cost engineers over the last decade.

Compare senior cost engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average senior cost engineer salary over time

Compare senior cost engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Senior cost engineer salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$86,000$41.35+1.0%
2025$85,100$40.92+1.1%
2024$84,200$40.46+1.3%
2023$83,000$39.92+1.8%
2022$81,500$39.19+1.0%

Recently added senior cost engineer salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
RivianSR. Cost Engineer (Electrical)Irvine, CA06/26/2025$107,800
PacificorpSR Cost Estimating Engineer, Portland, or or Salt Lake City, UT #113671Ione, OR06/25/2025$103,800
AmazonSR. Cost Engineer, R2L PreconstructionNew York, NY06/14/2025$81,200
AmazonSR. Cost Engineer, R2L PreconstructionBellevue, WA06/14/2025$81,200
OracleSenior Saas Cloud Cost EngineerRedwood City, CA06/10/2025$104,200
PacificorpSR Cost Estimating Engineer, Portland, or or Salt Lake City, UT #113671Portland, OR05/29/2025$103,800
Moog Inc.SR. Cost EngineerArvada, CO05/28/2025$90,000
MoogSR. Cost EngineerBuffalo, NY05/27/2025$90,000
StvincSenior Cost Engineer-AviationLos Angeles, CA05/27/2025$109,772
MaceSenior Cost EngineerNew York, NY05/16/2025$150,000

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