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Staff design engineer salary
Average staff design engineer salary
$128,071
Understanding Staff Design Engineer Salaries
In the realm of engineering, Staff Design Engineers play a pivotal role in product development and innovation. As of October 2025, the average salary stands at $128,071 annually, with variations depending on experience, location, and industry sector.
Factors Influencing Salary
Several factors contribute to salary differences:
- Experience Level: Entry-level positions typically earn less, while seasoned professionals command higher wages.
- Geographic Location: Salaries vary significantly by state, with top-paying states often reflecting the cost of living and demand for engineers.
- Industry: Certain sectors, such as technology and aerospace, tend to offer higher compensation packages.
Knowing where to focus job searches can enhance earning potential. States such as California and New York consistently report higher salaries for Staff Design Engineers. Additionally, pursuing advanced certifications or specialized skills can lead to lucrative opportunities and promotions within the field.
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Where can a Staff Design Engineer earn more?
Staff design engineer salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level staff design engineer | $115,000 | $55.11 |
| Mid-level staff design engineer | $143,000 | $68.57 |
| Senior-level staff design engineer | $180,000 | $86.57 |
Staff design engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average staff design engineer salary by state
The average staff design engineer salary in California, Rhode Island, and Texas are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average staff design engineer salary states are Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Kentucky.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for staff design engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $131,522 | $63.23 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $130,280 | $62.63 |
| 3 | Arizona | $116,808 | $56.16 |
| 4 | Texas | $120,426 | $57.90 |
| 5 | Alabama | $104,358 | $50.17 |
| 6 | New Mexico | $111,950 | $53.82 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $112,604 | $54.14 |
| 8 | Washington | $105,586 | $50.76 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $102,776 | $49.41 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $105,827 | $50.88 |
| 11 | Maine | $103,023 | $49.53 |
| 12 | Hawaii | $118,645 | $57.04 |
| 13 | Vermont | $100,201 | $48.17 |
| 14 | Delaware | $102,712 | $49.38 |
| 15 | Colorado | $100,141 | $48.14 |
| 16 | Virginia | $100,652 | $48.39 |
| 17 | Maryland | $104,562 | $50.27 |
| 18 | Alaska | $107,169 | $51.52 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $99,352 | $47.77 |
| 20 | Michigan | $96,614 | $46.45 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $99,787 | $47.97 |
| 22 | Oklahoma | $103,815 | $49.91 |
| 23 | Nevada | $96,603 | $46.44 |
| 24 | North Dakota | $99,635 | $47.90 |
| 25 | Indiana | $97,504 | $46.88 |
| 26 | Oregon | $94,288 | $45.33 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $96,833 | $46.55 |
| 28 | New Jersey | $101,552 | $48.82 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $98,748 | $47.48 |
| 30 | Utah | $90,687 | $43.60 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $94,724 | $45.54 |
| 32 | Mississippi | $95,895 | $46.10 |
| 33 | Illinois | $93,163 | $44.79 |
| 34 | Arkansas | $92,014 | $44.24 |
| 35 | Pennsylvania | $85,506 | $41.11 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $87,733 | $42.18 |
| 37 | Georgia | $88,563 | $42.58 |
| 38 | Ohio | $84,953 | $40.84 |
| 39 | Iowa | $87,364 | $42.00 |
| 40 | Missouri | $88,850 | $42.72 |
| 41 | New York | $80,711 | $38.80 |
| 42 | Florida | $88,213 | $42.41 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $87,996 | $42.31 |
| 44 | Kansas | $84,953 | $40.84 |
| 45 | Idaho | $84,362 | $40.56 |
| 46 | Wisconsin | $78,837 | $37.90 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $80,528 | $38.72 |
| 48 | Montana | $65,586 | $31.53 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $77,399 | $37.21 |
| 50 | West Virginia | $76,543 | $36.80 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $71,089 | $34.18 |
Highest paying cities for staff design engineers
The highest-paying cities for staff design engineers are San Francisco, CA, Austin, TX, and Tempe, AZ.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $138,097 | $66.39 |
| 2 | Austin, TX | $121,425 | $58.38 |
| 3 | Tempe, AZ | $116,923 | $56.21 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $112,562 | $54.12 |
| 5 | Seattle, WA | $106,593 | $51.25 |
| 6 | Baltimore, MD | $104,654 | $50.31 |
| 7 | Andover, MA | $103,017 | $49.53 |
| 8 | Colorado Springs, CO | $101,594 | $48.84 |
| 9 | Arlington, VA | $100,847 | $48.48 |
| 10 | Raleigh, NC | $97,563 | $46.91 |
| 11 | Chicago, IL | $93,471 | $44.94 |
| 12 | Atlanta, GA | $88,159 | $42.38 |
| 13 | Philadelphia, PA | $85,637 | $41.17 |
| 14 | New York, NY | $80,718 | $38.81 |
Staff design engineer salary details
A staff design engineer's salary ranges from $89,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $182,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a staff design engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $182,000 | $15,167 | $88 |
| 75th Percentile | $154,000 | $12,833 | $74 |
| Average | $128,071 | $10,673 | $62 |
| 25th Percentile | $106,000 | $8,833 | $51 |
| 10th Percentile | $89,000 | $7,417 | $43 |
Highest paying staff design engineer jobs
The highest paying types of staff design engineers are senior staff engineer, senior principal engineer, and principal engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Trainee | $60,235 | $5,020 | $28.96 | 79,966 |
| Principal Engineer | $130,213 | $10,851 | $62.60 | 312,683 |
| Project Controls Engineer | $86,685 | $7,224 | $41.68 | 38,974 |
| Electronics Engineer | $93,985 | $7,832 | $45.19 | 83,870 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Radio Frequency Engineer | $88,301 | $7,358 | $42.45 | 35,158 |
Top companies hiring staff design engineers now:
Which companies pay staff design engineers the most?
Staff design engineer salaries at HBO and Fungible are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average staff design engineer salary at companies like VMware and Adobe are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HBO | $177,452 | $85.31 |
| 2 | Fungible | $168,679 | $81.10 |
| 3 | VMware | $164,923 | $79.29 |
| 4 | Adobe | $164,131 | $78.91 |
| 5 | Brocade Services Corporation | $159,496 | $76.68 |
| 6 | Micron Technology | $158,735 | $76.31 |
| 7 | Nutanix | $156,508 | $75.24 |
| 8 | Futurewei Technologies | $155,118 | $74.58 |
| 9 | Harley-Davidson | $153,124 | $73.62 |
| 10 | Rivian | $152,234 | $73.19 |
| 11 | SiFive | $151,663 | $72.91 |
| 12 | ServiceNow | $150,836 | $72.52 |
| 13 | Juniper Networks | $150,494 | $72.35 |
| 14 | Sony Electronics | $148,881 | $71.58 |
| 15 | Volterra Alumni Network | $148,781 | $71.53 |
| 16 | Achronix | $148,257 | $71.28 |
| 17 | Fortinet | $147,562 | $70.94 |
| 18 | Goodwin Recruiting | $147,383 | $70.86 |
| 19 | Snagajob | $147,315 | $70.82 |
| 20 | Tesla | $146,082 | $70.23 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Staff design engineer salary trends
The average staff design engineer salary has risen by $19,103 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average staff design engineer earned $108,968 annually, but today, they earn $128,071 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for staff design engineers over the last decade.
Compare staff design engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average staff design engineer salary over time
Compare staff design engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Staff design engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $128,000 | $61.57 | +1.8% |
| 2025 | $126,000 | $60.44 | +2.7% |
| 2024 | $122,000 | $58.80 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | $122,000 | $58.50 | +2.9% |
| 2022 | $118,000 | $56.80 | +0.9% |
Recently added staff design engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brex | Staff Brand Designer | San Francisco, CA | 06/29/2025 | $180,000 |
| Databricks | SR. Staff Designated Support Engineer | San Francisco, CA | 06/29/2025 | $169,300 |
| Ursa Major | Staff Design Engineer-Solid Rocket Motors | Berthoud, CO | 06/29/2025 | $120,000 |
| Drone Cadets | Staff Design Reliability Engineer | Palo Alto, CA | 06/29/2025 | $232,000 |
| M. C. Dean | Designer Staff | Baltimore, MD | 06/28/2025 | $87,007 |
| Samsung Electronics America | Senior Staff-Physical Design Engineer, CAD Tools and Methodologies | Austin, TX | 06/28/2025 | $174,557 |
| Motive Companies | Senior Staff IC CAD Engineer | San Jose, CA | 06/28/2025 | $151,138 |
| The Wing | Staff Design Reliability Engineer | Palo Alto, CA | 06/27/2025 | $232,000 |
| Samsung Electronics Device Solutions (Semiconductor & Display | Staff Engineer, High Speed Analog Design | San Jose, CA | 06/26/2025 | $157,000 |
| Greenwave Radios | Staff Serdes Mixed Signal Design Engineer | San Diego, CA | 06/26/2025 | $180,000 |
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