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Senior engineering manager salary

Quoted expert
Michael Rudisill

Average senior engineering manager salary

$155,753

$74.88 hourly rate

Entry-level senior engineering manager salary
$110,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Average Senior Engineering Manager Salary

The average salary for a Senior Engineering Manager in the U.S. stands at $155,753 per year. This figure can vary significantly based on geographic location, industry sector, and individual experience levels. For instance, engineers in technology and aerospace sectors often command higher salaries due to the specialized skills required.

Where Can a Senior Engineering Manager Earn More?

Regions such as California and New York frequently offer the highest compensation for senior engineering managers. In California, salaries can exceed $180,000, reflecting the state's high cost of living and demand for engineering expertise.

Highest Paying Industries

Industries such as software development, aerospace, and biotechnology tend to provide lucrative opportunities, with senior managers in these fields often earning above average salaries.

Conclusion

As the demand for skilled engineering managers continues to rise, understanding salary trends is crucial. This insight can guide you in negotiating compensation and choosing job opportunities that align with your career goals.

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Where can a Senior Engineering Manager earn more?

Compare salary by location
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209k
189k
169k
149k
129k
109k
89k
Columbus, OH$186,726
Kansas City, MO$119,117
Compare salary by company
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Airbnb$244,234
Cruise Automation$210,208

Senior engineering manager salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Payscale, the average salary for a senior engineering manager typically falls between $130,750 and $257,674.
zippia
$155,753yearly
glassdoor[1]
$257,674yearly
indeed[2]
$170,292yearly
Salary.com[3]
$176,137yearly
ZipRecruiter[4]
$130,750yearly
payscale[5]
$156,596yearly

Average senior engineering manager salary by state

The average senior engineering manager salary in Alaska, California, and Washington are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior engineering manager salary states are Kansas, Iowa, and Alabama.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for senior engineering managers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Washington$163,488$78.60
2Alaska$183,727$88.33
3California$174,646$83.96
4Idaho$144,698$69.57
5Oregon$160,277$77.06
6Nevada$156,487$75.23
7Massachusetts$146,434$70.40
8New Hampshire$141,153$67.86
9Rhode Island$139,254$66.95
10Maine$140,764$67.67
11Arizona$140,522$67.56
12New York$149,172$71.72
13Montana$138,025$66.36
14Utah$132,037$63.48
15Connecticut$135,196$65.00
16Hawaii$147,833$71.07
17Indiana$132,865$63.88
18New Jersey$140,468$67.53
19Pennsylvania$132,918$63.90
20District of Columbia$132,957$63.92
21South Dakota$128,784$61.92
22Delaware$128,320$61.69
23North Dakota$123,208$59.23
24Michigan$126,043$60.60
25Louisiana$132,359$63.63
26Texas$129,901$62.45
27Mississippi$129,212$62.12
28Maryland$131,004$62.98
29Vermont$129,315$62.17
30North Carolina$122,890$59.08
31Ohio$125,601$60.39
32Kentucky$125,060$60.13
33Minnesota$123,610$59.43
34Nebraska$121,598$58.46
35New Mexico$121,285$58.31
36Georgia$124,179$59.70
37Arkansas$119,659$57.53
38Illinois$123,288$59.27
39Tennessee$122,134$58.72
40West Virginia$118,291$56.87
41Colorado$120,188$57.78
42Wyoming$112,266$53.97
43Virginia$118,615$57.03
44Florida$121,099$58.22
45Kansas$115,648$55.60
46South Carolina$118,783$57.11
47Iowa$115,501$55.53
48Missouri$119,175$57.30
49Wisconsin$112,784$54.22
50Alabama$113,898$54.76
51Oklahoma$112,766$54.21

Highest paying cities for senior engineering managers

The highest-paying cities for senior engineering managers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and New York, NY.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1San Francisco, CA$186,726$89.77
2Seattle, WA$166,314$79.96
3New York, NY$149,264$71.76
4Cambridge, MA$146,751$70.55
5Phoenix, AZ$141,078$67.83
6Philadelphia, PA$133,600$64.23
7Washington, DC$133,083$63.98
8Indianapolis, IN$132,623$63.76
9Salt Lake City, UT$131,158$63.06
10Austin, TX$130,629$62.80
11Columbus, OH$124,791$60.00
12Atlanta, GA$124,181$59.70
13Raleigh, NC$123,748$59.49
14Brooklyn Park, MN$123,676$59.46
15Chicago, IL$123,556$59.40
16Tampa, FL$121,396$58.36
17Boulder, CO$120,261$57.82
18McLean, VA$120,144$57.76
19Bentonville, AR$119,468$57.44
20Kansas City, MO$119,117$57.27

Senior Engineering Managers are the most in-demand in these five cities:

  1. San Francisco, CA
  2. Seattle, WA
  3. New York, NY
  4. Cambridge, MA
  5. Phoenix, AZ

Senior engineering manager salary details

A senior engineering manager's salary ranges from $110,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $218,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average senior engineering manager salary graph
Average senior engineering manager salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a senior engineering manager's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$218,000$18,167$105
75th Percentile$186,000$15,500$89
Average$155,753$12,979$75
25th Percentile$130,000$10,833$63
10th Percentile$110,000$9,167$53

Highest paying senior engineering manager jobs

The highest paying types of senior engineering managers are engineering director, vice president of engineering, and design engineering manager.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Research And Development Director$137,944$11,495$66.32102,901
Research And Development Manager$117,507$9,792$56.49125,447
Design Manager$102,637$8,553$49.3461,273
Vice President Of Engineering$150,651$12,554$72.4392,133
Technical Manager$116,619$9,718$56.07116,732
Manager, Systems Engineering$130,127$10,844$62.56174,962

How would you rate the starting salaries for senior engineering managers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Michael Rudisill

Department Head and Professor of Engineering Technology, Northern Michigan University

From what we've seen, salaries haven't been reduced, even though demand is down. I would expect wages and salary progression to remain strong as the need for engineering will only continue to grow.

Top companies hiring senior engineering managers now:

  1. VMware jobs (49)
  2. Walmart jobs (43)
  3. Slack jobs (34)
  4. Wayfair jobs (63)
  5. Navistar jobs (32)

Which companies pay senior engineering managers the most?

Senior engineering manager salaries at Airbnb and Flexport are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior engineering manager salary at companies like Upstart Network and Pure Storage are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Airbnb$244,234$117.42
2Flexport$236,916$113.90
3Upstart Network$228,970$110.08
4Pure Storage$228,562$109.89
5Squarespace$226,401$108.85
6Google$224,979$108.16
7Twitter$223,240$107.33
8Coinbase$223,232$107.32
9Strava$220,636$106.08
10Thumbtack$218,976$105.28
11Credit Karma$218,575$105.08
12Reddit$218,186$104.90
13DoorDash$217,034$104.34
14Eventbrite$216,240$103.96
15ConsumerTrack$215,223$103.47
16Course Hero$214,449$103.10
17Instacart$213,098$102.45
18TripActions$211,662$101.76
19Uber Technologies$211,359$101.61
20Cruise Automation$210,208$101.06

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$149,000$147,600$146,200$144,800$143,400$142,000
MaleFemale

Senior Engineering Manager salary by industry

The average senior engineering manager salary varies across industries:

  • The average senior engineering manager salary in the telecommunication industry is $160,722, the highest of any industry.
  • The average senior engineering manager salary in the finance industry is $155,662.
  • Senior engineering managers in the professional industry earn an average salary of $137,309, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for senior engineering managers

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Telecommunication$160,722$77.27
2Automotive$155,662$74.84
3Technology$152,271$73.21
4Manufacturing$146,712$70.53
5Professional$137,309$66.01

High paying senior engineering manager jobs

Senior engineering manager salary trends

The average senior engineering manager salary has risen by $28,478 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior engineering manager earned $127,275 annually, but today, they earn $155,753 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for senior engineering managers over the last decade.

Compare senior engineering manager salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average senior engineering manager salary over time

Compare senior engineering manager salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Senior engineering manager salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$156,000$74.88+3.1%
2024$151,000$72.53+2.8%
2023$147,000$70.49+2.2%
2022$143,000$68.97+2.2%
2021$140,000$67.47+1.4%

Recently added senior engineering manager salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Capital OneSenior Manager, Data EngineeringChicago, IL06/30/2025$204,900
Capital OneSenior Manager, AI Engineer (People Leader)Cambridge, MA06/30/2025$245,900
HealthfirstSR Manager Hyphen EngineeringFine, NY06/30/2025$135,500
JeppesenSenior Systems Engineering Manager | SeitCole, OK06/30/2025$165,750
NextrackerSR. Manager, NPI EngineeringFremont, CA06/30/2025$225,000
Blue OriginSR. Manager-Combustion-Engines (BE7)Seattle, WA06/30/2025$178,452
First American FinancialSR. Manager-SEO & Ecommerce (Remote)Phoenix, AZ06/29/2025$109,650
Gannett FlemingSenior Highway Engineer/Project ManagerColumbus, OH06/29/2025$102,000
PerspectaSenior Engineering and Design ManagerTallahassee, FL06/29/2025$104,000
ErgSenior Engineering Project ManagerIndian Head, MD06/29/2025$105,000

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