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Senior design specialist salary
Average senior design specialist salary
$96,923
Understanding Senior Design Specialist Salaries
The role of a Senior Design Specialist is vital in crafting effective and appealing designs across numerous sectors. As of October 2025, the average salary stands at $96,923 per year. Factors influencing salary include geographic location, industry, and years of experience. For instance, professionals in high-demand areas or prestigious companies may earn significantly more.
Average Salary by State
Salaries for Senior Design Specialists can vary widely by state. For example:
- California: $105,000
- New York: $101,000
- Texas: $95,000
These variations illustrate the importance of considering location when evaluating job offers. Additionally, industries such as technology and finance tend to offer higher salaries compared to non-profit sectors.
Job Opportunities and Growth
With the increasing demand for design expertise, job opportunities for Senior Design Specialists are on the rise. Companies are actively seeking skilled professionals to enhance their branding and user engagement strategies. By staying updated on trends and continuing education, individuals can ensure they remain competitive in this field.
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Where can a Senior Design Specialist earn more?
Senior design specialist salary estimates from across the web
Average senior design specialist salary by state
The average senior design specialist salary in California, Connecticut, and New Mexico are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior design specialist salary states are Colorado, Mississippi, and Florida.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior design specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $117,885 | $56.68 |
| 2 | Arizona | $103,123 | $49.58 |
| 3 | Delaware | $107,235 | $51.56 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $117,870 | $56.67 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $105,943 | $50.93 |
| 6 | Oregon | $102,005 | $49.04 |
| 7 | New Mexico | $111,246 | $53.48 |
| 8 | Virginia | $106,523 | $51.21 |
| 9 | Texas | $98,981 | $47.59 |
| 10 | Nevada | $99,590 | $47.88 |
| 11 | North Carolina | $93,727 | $45.06 |
| 12 | District of Columbia | $104,986 | $50.47 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $95,176 | $45.76 |
| 14 | Michigan | $90,107 | $43.32 |
| 15 | Idaho | $95,457 | $45.89 |
| 16 | West Virginia | $96,852 | $46.56 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $94,189 | $45.28 |
| 18 | Maryland | $96,456 | $46.37 |
| 19 | Louisiana | $96,712 | $46.50 |
| 20 | Maine | $92,345 | $44.40 |
| 21 | Rhode Island | $93,261 | $44.84 |
| 22 | Washington | $99,754 | $47.96 |
| 23 | New Jersey | $94,897 | $45.62 |
| 24 | Vermont | $85,743 | $41.22 |
| 25 | Illinois | $87,573 | $42.10 |
| 26 | Kansas | $80,220 | $38.57 |
| 27 | Minnesota | $83,946 | $40.36 |
| 28 | New York | $86,476 | $41.58 |
| 29 | Indiana | $84,049 | $40.41 |
| 30 | Utah | $78,890 | $37.93 |
| 31 | Ohio | $81,606 | $39.23 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $75,083 | $36.10 |
| 33 | Wyoming | $75,098 | $36.10 |
| 34 | Iowa | $81,502 | $39.18 |
| 35 | Alaska | $88,590 | $42.59 |
| 36 | Alabama | $75,799 | $36.44 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $77,824 | $37.42 |
| 38 | Montana | $76,461 | $36.76 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $77,461 | $37.24 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $76,740 | $36.89 |
| 41 | Georgia | $77,389 | $37.21 |
| 42 | Colorado | $74,942 | $36.03 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $77,420 | $37.22 |
| 44 | Missouri | $76,275 | $36.67 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $77,917 | $37.46 |
| 46 | Florida | $73,219 | $35.20 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $69,440 | $33.38 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $75,868 | $36.48 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $70,143 | $33.72 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $73,288 | $35.23 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $66,754 | $32.09 |
Highest paying cities for senior design specialists
The highest-paying cities for senior design specialists are San Francisco, CA, Hartford, CT, and McLean, VA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $128,028 | $61.55 |
| 2 | Hartford, CT | $118,003 | $56.73 |
| 3 | McLean, VA | $107,428 | $51.65 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $105,972 | $50.95 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | $105,033 | $50.50 |
| 6 | Phoenix, AZ | $103,455 | $49.74 |
| 7 | Austin, TX | $100,547 | $48.34 |
| 8 | Seattle, WA | $100,363 | $48.25 |
| 9 | Baton Rouge, LA | $97,283 | $46.77 |
| 10 | Annapolis, MD | $96,604 | $46.44 |
| 11 | Raleigh, NC | $95,925 | $46.12 |
| 12 | Rahway, NJ | $94,899 | $45.62 |
| 13 | Chicago, IL | $88,268 | $42.44 |
| 14 | New York, NY | $86,622 | $41.65 |
| 15 | Atlanta, GA | $77,229 | $37.13 |
| 16 | Kansas City, MO | $75,320 | $36.21 |
| 17 | Tampa, FL | $75,176 | $36.14 |
| 18 | Denver, CO | $74,800 | $35.96 |
| 19 | Cheyenne, WY | $72,473 | $34.84 |
| 20 | Lincoln, NE | $69,649 | $33.49 |
Senior design specialist salary details
A senior design specialist's salary ranges from $71,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $131,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior design specialist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $131,000 | $10,917 | $63 |
| 75th Percentile | $113,000 | $9,417 | $54 |
| Average | $96,923 | $8,077 | $47 |
| 25th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
| 10th Percentile | $71,000 | $5,917 | $34 |
Highest paying senior design specialist jobs
The highest paying types of senior design specialists are senior principal engineer, senior piping designer, and senior engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Project Engineer | $75,050 | $6,254 | $36.08 | 176,689 |
| Mechanical Engineer | $75,352 | $6,279 | $36.23 | 105,618 |
| Design Engineer | $77,134 | $6,428 | $37.08 | 138,173 |
| Design Manager | $102,637 | $8,553 | $49.34 | 61,273 |
| Product Design Engineer | $94,827 | $7,902 | $45.59 | 170,485 |
Top companies hiring senior design specialists now:
Which companies pay senior design specialists the most?
Senior design specialist salaries at McKinsey & Company Inc and Thomson Reuters are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior design specialist salary at companies like SAP and Technip USA Corporation are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McKinsey & Company Inc | $145,630 | $70.01 |
| 2 | Thomson Reuters | $115,723 | $55.64 |
| 3 | SAP | $110,025 | $52.90 |
| 4 | Technip USA Corporation | $108,359 | $52.10 |
| 5 | Nokia | $108,079 | $51.96 |
| 6 | FCA US LLC | $107,962 | $51.90 |
| 7 | Merck | $106,373 | $51.14 |
| 8 | Climatec | $102,323 | $49.19 |
| 9 | Johnson & Johnson | $100,989 | $48.55 |
| 10 | ideas42 | $100,366 | $48.25 |
| 11 | Imagine Education | $100,366 | $48.25 |
| 12 | The Independent Traveler | $100,362 | $48.25 |
| 13 | The Travelers Companies | $98,003 | $47.12 |
| 14 | EN Engineering | $97,040 | $46.65 |
| 15 | Capgemini | $94,102 | $45.24 |
| 16 | Brighthouse Financial | $93,562 | $44.98 |
| 17 | GeoLogics | $92,848 | $44.64 |
| 18 | Fluor Corporation | $91,835 | $44.15 |
| 19 | Salesforce | $89,431 | $43.00 |
| 20 | Manhattan Associates | $88,668 | $42.63 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior Design Specialist salary by industry
The average senior design specialist salary varies across industries:
- The average senior design specialist salary in the automotive industry is $107,931, the highest of any industry.
- The average senior design specialist salary in the finance industry is $101,438.
- Senior design specialists in the professional industry earn an average salary of $82,899, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for senior design specialists
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Automotive | $107,931 | $51.89 |
| 2 | Technology | $101,438 | $48.77 |
| 3 | Retail | $98,935 | $47.56 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $95,428 | $45.88 |
| 5 | Construction | $88,101 | $42.36 |
| 6 | Hospitality | $85,666 | $41.19 |
| 7 | Professional | $82,899 | $39.86 |
High paying senior design specialist jobs
Senior design specialist salary trends
The average senior design specialist salary has risen by $11,750 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior design specialist earned $85,173 annually, but today, they earn $96,923 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for senior design specialists over the last decade.
Compare senior design specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior design specialist salary over time
Compare senior design specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior design specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $96,900 | $46.60 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $95,100 | $45.70 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $93,900 | $45.16 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $92,300 | $44.39 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $90,500 | $43.51 | +0.7% |
Recently added senior design specialist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apollo Professional Solutions | Design Specialist SR | San Jose, CA | 06/26/2025 | $136,678 |
| Apollo Professional Solutions | Design Specialist SR | Phoenix, AZ | 06/26/2025 | $110,590 |
| Hepco, Inc. | Design Specialist Senior (On-Site) | Phoenix, AZ | 06/26/2025 | $102,263 |
| Wayfair | SR. Specialist Business Development, B2B Retail & Design | Wilmette, IL | 06/21/2025 | $50,088 |
| Hepco, Inc. | Electrical Design Specialist SR. (Hybrid) | Sterling Heights, MI | 06/16/2025 | $118,959 |
| Sap | Senior User Experience Design Specialist | Kane, PA | 06/10/2025 | $133,700 |
| Wsp USA Buildings Inc. | Senior Specialist, Design Support | Aurora, CO | 06/10/2025 | $71,800 |
| Get It-Marketing | Senior Specialist, Graphic Design | Washington, DC | 06/10/2025 | $80,000 |
| Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Senior Specialist, Exhibition Design | Los Angeles, CA | 06/06/2025 | $67,222 |
| Bae Systems Plc | SR PCB Design Specialist | Hudson, NH | 06/02/2025 | $112,420 |
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