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Senior mechanical project engineer salary

Quoted expert
Michael Rudisill

Average senior mechanical project engineer salary

$84,631

$40.69 hourly rate

Entry-level senior mechanical project engineer salary
$66,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding the Senior Mechanical Project Engineer Salary

A Senior Mechanical Project Engineer typically earns an average salary of $84,631 annually, which translates to about $41 per hour. This figure can vary based on factors such as location, experience, and industry. For instance, engineers in metropolitan areas often have higher salaries due to increased demand and cost of living.

Salary by State

When examining salaries by state, areas with a robust engineering industry, such as California and Texas, tend to offer higher compensation. Additionally, the highest paying cities for this role include San Francisco, New York, and Seattle, where the average salaries can exceed $100,000.

Opportunities for Advancement

With experience, a Senior Mechanical Project Engineer can advance to managerial positions or specialize in high-demand sectors, which can significantly increase earning potential. Engaging in continuous professional development and networking within the industry can also open doors to lucrative opportunities.

Conclusion

Overall, pursuing a career as a Senior Mechanical Project Engineer offers not only a competitive salary but also a variety of pathways for growth and advancement in the engineering field.

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Where can a Senior Mechanical Project Engineer earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
125k
105k
85k
65k
45k
Columbus, OH$111,746
Dayton, OH$75,145
Compare salary by company
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Amazon$128,266
EN Engineering$92,462

Average senior mechanical project engineer salary by state

The average senior mechanical project engineer salary in Texas, New Mexico, and Connecticut are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior mechanical project engineer salary states are Vermont, Mississippi, and North Dakota.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for senior mechanical project engineers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Texas$107,365$51.62
2New Mexico$105,024$50.49
3California$103,384$49.70
4Arizona$94,754$45.55
5Connecticut$104,594$50.29
6Idaho$93,088$44.75
7Iowa$94,878$45.61
8Nevada$89,445$43.00
9Delaware$98,290$47.25
10West Virginia$93,104$44.76
11Massachusetts$96,054$46.18
12North Carolina$84,181$40.47
13District of Columbia$97,643$46.94
14Pennsylvania$84,225$40.49
15Tennessee$87,292$41.97
16Kansas$84,889$40.81
17Colorado$89,322$42.94
18Minnesota$83,396$40.09
19New Hampshire$81,766$39.31
20Washington$86,984$41.82
21Virginia$89,006$42.79
22Indiana$82,586$39.70
23Michigan$81,103$38.99
24Illinois$89,292$42.93
25Rhode Island$81,359$39.11
26South Carolina$83,780$40.28
27Georgia$81,185$39.03
28Louisiana$85,593$41.15
29New York$89,472$43.02
30Wyoming$77,107$37.07
31Maryland$89,374$42.97
32Alabama$76,904$36.97
33Alaska$87,407$42.02
34Wisconsin$76,160$36.62
35Oklahoma$81,041$38.96
36Ohio$75,760$36.42
37Missouri$79,846$38.39
38Oregon$80,208$38.56
39Kentucky$78,208$37.60
40Maine$78,791$37.88
41Vermont$73,660$35.41
42North Dakota$72,855$35.03
43Hawaii$71,289$34.27
44Montana$74,224$35.68
45Utah$77,922$37.46
46South Dakota$75,662$36.38
47Nebraska$72,459$34.84
48Florida$77,525$37.27
49New Jersey$78,818$37.89
50Arkansas$70,535$33.91
51Mississippi$73,404$35.29
Top senior mechanical project engineer jobs near you

Highest paying cities for senior mechanical project engineers

The highest-paying cities for senior mechanical project engineers are San Francisco, CA, Houston, TX, and New Haven, CT.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1San Francisco, CA$111,746$53.72
2Houston, TX$106,881$51.39
3New Haven, CT$104,772$50.37
4Boston, MA$95,911$46.11
5New York, NY$89,647$43.10
6Baltimore, MD$89,414$42.99
7Westminster, CO$89,179$42.87
8Seattle, WA$87,535$42.08
9Baton Rouge, LA$85,630$41.17
10Greenville, NC$85,315$41.02
11Spartanburg, SC$84,336$40.55
12Indianapolis, IN$82,545$39.69
13Dearborn, MI$81,250$39.06
14Jacksonville, FL$80,822$38.86
15Saint Louis, MO$80,659$38.78
16Portland, OR$80,073$38.50
17Ogden, UT$77,006$37.02
18Milwaukee, WI$76,310$36.69
19Sioux Falls, SD$75,781$36.43
20Dayton, OH$75,145$36.13

Senior mechanical project engineer salary details

A senior mechanical project engineer's salary ranges from $66,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $107,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average senior mechanical project engineer salary graph
Average senior mechanical project engineer salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a senior mechanical project engineer's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$107,000$8,917$51
75th Percentile$96,000$8,000$46
Average$84,631$7,053$41
25th Percentile$74,000$6,167$36
10th Percentile$66,000$5,500$32

Highest paying senior mechanical project engineer jobs

The highest paying types of senior mechanical project engineers are senior principal engineer, principal engineer, and team lead engineer.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Design Engineer$77,134$6,428$37.08138,173
Staff Engineer$107,530$8,961$51.70277,011
Lead Engineer$84,927$7,077$40.83301,777
Tool Engineer$101,135$8,428$48.6298,936
Principal Engineer$130,213$10,851$62.60312,683
Team Lead Engineer$114,867$9,572$55.22235,155

How would you rate the starting salaries for senior mechanical project engineers, 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 mechanical project engineers now:

  1. Sargent & Lundy jobs (2)
  2. Urban Engineers jobs (3)
  3. WorleyParsons jobs (3)
  4. Ball jobs (3)
  5. Flowserve jobs (2)

Which companies pay senior mechanical project engineers the most?

Senior mechanical project engineer salaries at Amazon and Randstad North America, Inc. are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior mechanical project engineer salary at companies like DRS and Sargent & Lundy are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Amazon$128,266$61.67
2Randstad North America, Inc.$104,421$50.20
3DRS$101,576$48.83
4Sargent & Lundy$98,507$47.36
5Fletcher Thompson$97,963$47.10
6Weatherford International$97,832$47.03
7Urban Engineers$97,243$46.75
8Raven Industries$95,481$45.90
9Neptune Technology Group$95,321$45.83
10P2S$95,220$45.78
11PEAK Technical Staffing USA$95,153$45.75
12Rain Bird$94,140$45.26
13Ball$94,139$45.26
14Westinghouse Appliances Australia$94,034$45.21
15Wacker Chemie$93,868$45.13
16Johnson Mirmiran & Thompson Inc$93,823$45.11
17Allison Transmission$93,578$44.99
18System One$92,757$44.59
19Hunter$92,501$44.47
20EN Engineering$92,462$44.45

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$85,000$84,400$83,800$83,200$82,600$82,000
MaleFemale

Senior Mechanical Project Engineer salary by industry

The average senior mechanical project engineer salary varies across industries:

  • The average senior mechanical project engineer salary in the technology industry is $93,208, the highest of any industry.
  • The average senior mechanical project engineer salary in the finance industry is $92,444.
  • Senior mechanical project engineers in the construction industry earn an average salary of $88,524, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for senior mechanical project engineers

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Technology$93,208$44.81
2Professional$92,444$44.44
3Manufacturing$89,181$42.88
4Construction$88,524$42.56

High paying senior mechanical project engineer jobs

Senior mechanical project engineer salary trends

The average senior mechanical project engineer salary has risen by $10,260 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior mechanical project engineer earned $74,371 annually, but today, they earn $84,631 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for senior mechanical project engineers over the last decade.

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

Average senior mechanical project engineer salary over time

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

Senior mechanical project engineer salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$84,600$40.69+1.9%
2025$83,000$39.91+1.2%
2024$82,000$39.43+1.7%
2023$80,600$38.76+2.0%
2022$79,000$37.99+0.7%

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