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Special project engineer salary
Average special project engineer salary
$70,934
Special Project Engineer Salary Insights
The role of a Special Project Engineer is critical in various industries, with an average salary of $70,934 per year. Salaries can differ widely based on factors such as geographic location, level of experience, and specific sectors. For instance, the highest-paying states for Special Project Engineers include California and Texas, where the cost of living often aligns with higher salaries.
Impact of Experience on Salary
Entry-level positions typically command lower salaries, averaging around $58,000, while those with over ten years of experience can earn upwards of $90,000. Moreover, working in specialized industries such as technology or healthcare can yield higher compensation compared to other sectors.
Highest Paying Cities
Cities like San Francisco, New York, and Seattle offer some of the most competitive salaries for Special Project Engineers. This is attributed to the concentration of industries that require complex project management and engineering skills. Understanding these dynamics can significantly enhance your job search and career trajectory.
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Where can a Special Project Engineer earn more?
Special project engineer salaries by experience level
Average special project engineer salary by state
The average special project engineer salary in Rhode Island, California, and New Mexico are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average special project engineer salary states are Montana, Missouri, and Mississippi.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for special project engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | $80,159 | $38.54 |
| 2 | New Mexico | $82,885 | $39.85 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $99,612 | $47.89 |
| 4 | Idaho | $81,976 | $39.41 |
| 5 | Michigan | $74,525 | $35.83 |
| 6 | Iowa | $78,639 | $37.81 |
| 7 | California | $83,043 | $39.92 |
| 8 | Washington | $78,744 | $37.86 |
| 9 | Oregon | $77,439 | $37.23 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $83,137 | $39.97 |
| 11 | West Virginia | $75,928 | $36.50 |
| 12 | Delaware | $81,261 | $39.07 |
| 13 | Maryland | $80,760 | $38.83 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $76,838 | $36.94 |
| 15 | Ohio | $67,191 | $32.30 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $67,784 | $32.59 |
| 17 | Texas | $74,842 | $35.98 |
| 18 | Illinois | $74,449 | $35.79 |
| 19 | Tennessee | $68,592 | $32.98 |
| 20 | Alabama | $68,993 | $33.17 |
| 21 | Nevada | $68,271 | $32.82 |
| 22 | Arizona | $70,057 | $33.68 |
| 23 | Indiana | $67,392 | $32.40 |
| 24 | Maine | $68,782 | $33.07 |
| 25 | Pennsylvania | $69,028 | $33.19 |
| 26 | Virginia | $71,205 | $34.23 |
| 27 | Colorado | $69,953 | $33.63 |
| 28 | South Carolina | $67,649 | $32.52 |
| 29 | Kentucky | $63,522 | $30.54 |
| 30 | Alaska | $73,363 | $35.27 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $65,054 | $31.28 |
| 32 | New Jersey | $73,295 | $35.24 |
| 33 | Louisiana | $67,951 | $32.67 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | $65,634 | $31.55 |
| 35 | New York | $71,648 | $34.45 |
| 36 | Connecticut | $69,569 | $33.45 |
| 37 | Florida | $69,122 | $33.23 |
| 38 | Vermont | $67,295 | $32.35 |
| 39 | North Dakota | $59,771 | $28.74 |
| 40 | Utah | $65,200 | $31.35 |
| 41 | Missouri | $59,325 | $28.52 |
| 42 | Georgia | $66,999 | $32.21 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $58,113 | $27.94 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $62,606 | $30.10 |
| 45 | Kansas | $60,013 | $28.85 |
| 46 | North Carolina | $64,255 | $30.89 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $67,464 | $32.43 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $54,559 | $26.23 |
| 49 | Montana | $59,443 | $28.58 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $57,100 | $27.45 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $59,112 | $28.42 |
Highest paying cities for special project engineers
The highest-paying cities for special project engineers are Newark, CA, Seattle, WA, and Portland, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newark, CA | $88,766 | $42.68 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $79,311 | $38.13 |
| 3 | Portland, OR | $76,931 | $36.99 |
| 4 | Somerville, MA | $76,818 | $36.93 |
| 5 | College Station, TX | $74,832 | $35.98 |
| 6 | Battle Creek, MI | $74,240 | $35.69 |
| 7 | Bridgeton, NJ | $73,445 | $35.31 |
| 8 | Phoenix, AZ | $70,126 | $33.71 |
| 9 | Birmingham, AL | $69,077 | $33.21 |
| 10 | Miami, FL | $68,514 | $32.94 |
| 11 | Myrtle Beach, SC | $68,370 | $32.87 |
| 12 | Memphis, TN | $67,849 | $32.62 |
| 13 | Marietta, GA | $67,277 | $32.34 |
| 14 | Florence, KY | $64,234 | $30.88 |
| 15 | Wichita, KS | $59,848 | $28.77 |
Special project engineer salary details
A special project engineer's salary ranges from $52,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $95,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a special project engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $95,000 | $7,917 | $46 |
| 75th Percentile | $83,000 | $6,917 | $40 |
| Average | $70,934 | $5,911 | $34 |
| 25th Percentile | $60,000 | $5,000 | $29 |
| 10th Percentile | $52,000 | $4,333 | $25 |
Highest paying special project engineer jobs
The highest paying types of special project engineers are staff design engineer, senior controls engineer, and project lead engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controls Designer | $91,944 | $7,662 | $44.20 | 79,729 |
| Engineering Trainee | $60,235 | $5,020 | $28.96 | 79,966 |
| Radio Frequency Engineer | $88,301 | $7,358 | $42.45 | 35,158 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Control Systems Engineer | $92,727 | $7,727 | $44.58 | 133,220 |
| Communications Engineer | $83,540 | $6,962 | $40.16 | 71,942 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for special project engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Daisy Huang
Assistant Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Top companies hiring special project engineers now:
Which companies pay special project engineers the most?
Special project engineer salaries at Apple and Amazon are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average special project engineer salary at companies like Formlabs and Lucid Motors are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $128,153 | $61.61 |
| 2 | Amazon | $109,539 | $52.66 |
| 3 | Formlabs | $89,352 | $42.96 |
| 4 | Lucid Motors | $76,329 | $36.70 |
| 5 | Kyyba | $71,745 | $34.49 |
| 6 | ICONMA | $71,667 | $34.46 |
| 7 | Clyde Union | $71,354 | $34.30 |
| 8 | King County | $71,259 | $34.26 |
| 9 | PDS Tech | $71,183 | $34.22 |
| 10 | Construction-CAD Solutions | $71,128 | $34.20 |
| 11 | Pegasus | $71,060 | $34.16 |
| 12 | Aimbridge Hospitality | $70,878 | $34.08 |
| 13 | FlexSteel Pipeline Technologies | $70,178 | $33.74 |
| 14 | Macdonald-miller | $70,126 | $33.71 |
| 15 | NOV | $69,722 | $33.52 |
| 16 | Navy Federal Credit Union | $69,456 | $33.39 |
| 17 | MYCON General Contractors | $69,315 | $33.32 |
| 18 | Alamo Group | $66,813 | $32.12 |
| 19 | Grand Canyon University | $58,614 | $28.18 |
| 20 | Inspira Health Network | $55,782 | $26.82 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Special Project Engineer salary by industry
The average special project engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average special project engineer salary in the hospitality industry is $79,777, the highest of any industry.
- The average special project engineer salary in the finance industry is $76,861.
- Special project engineers in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $66,464, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for special project engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hospitality | $79,777 | $38.35 |
| 2 | Energy | $76,861 | $36.95 |
| 3 | Professional | $72,836 | $35.02 |
| 4 | Automotive | $69,918 | $33.61 |
| 5 | Manufacturing | $66,464 | $31.95 |
High paying special project engineer jobs
Special project engineer salary trends
The average special project engineer salary has risen by $8,599 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average special project engineer earned $62,335 annually, but today, they earn $70,934 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for special project engineers over the last decade.
Compare special project engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average special project engineer salary over time
Compare special project engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Special project engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $70,900 | $34.10 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $69,600 | $33.45 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $68,700 | $33.05 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $67,600 | $32.48 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $66,200 | $31.84 | +0.7% |
Recently added special project engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State of Iowa | Bridge Special Projects Engineer (TE Specialist) | Ames, IA | 06/27/2025 | $79,602 |
| Limbach Holdings, Inc. | Special Projects Engineer | Owensboro, KY | 06/16/2025 | $64,000 |
| Limbach Holdings, Inc. | Special Projects Engineer | Warrington, PA | 04/22/2025 | $75,000 |
| Limbach Holdings, Inc. | Special Projects Engineer | Columbus, OH | 03/14/2025 | $70,000 |
| Iicon Construction | Project Engineer-Special Projects | Colorado Springs, CO | 03/07/2025 | $70,000 |
| State of Indiana | Special Projects Engineer | Crawfordsville, IN | 02/21/2025 | $85,020 |
| R.F. MacDonald Co. | Special Project Engineer (Logistics) | Modesto, CA | 02/03/2025 | $102,232 |
| R.F. MacDonald Co. | Special Project Engineer (Logistics) | Manteca, CA | 02/03/2025 | $102,232 |
| State of Indiana | Special Projects Engineer | Crawfordsville, IN | 01/27/2025 | $85,020 |
| Iowa Department of Administrative Services | Bridge Special Projects Engineer | Ames, IA | 12/07/2024 | $78,042 |
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