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The average salary for a Structural Design Engineer in the United States is around $75,662 per year, translating to approximately $36 per hour. Factors influencing salary include experience level, geographic location, and the specific industry in which one works. For instance, engineers with over ten years of experience typically command higher salaries.
Additionally, certain states such as California and Texas offer higher average salaries due to the cost of living and demand for engineering professionals. For example, California's average salary for this role may exceed $90,000, reflecting its competitive job market.
In terms of career advancement, structural design engineers can explore various roles. Positions like Project Manager or Senior Engineer often come with increased responsibilities and significantly higher salaries. By staying informed about industry trends and continuously enhancing skills, professionals can improve their earning potential and job satisfaction.
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The highest-paying states for structural design engineers are California, Oklahoma, and Washington. The lowest average structural design engineer salary states are Montana, Maryland, and Wyoming.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $95,744 | $46.03 |
| 2 | Washington | $88,968 | $42.77 |
| 3 | Oregon | $83,303 | $40.05 |
| 4 | Texas | $80,634 | $38.77 |
| 5 | Alaska | $82,611 | $39.72 |
| 6 | Alabama | $76,930 | $36.99 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | $89,332 | $42.95 |
| 8 | Arizona | $75,635 | $36.36 |
| 9 | Nevada | $79,918 | $38.42 |
| 10 | Louisiana | $86,290 | $41.49 |
| 11 | Utah | $76,707 | $36.88 |
| 12 | Idaho | $77,966 | $37.48 |
| 13 | Kentucky | $81,616 | $39.24 |
| 14 | South Carolina | $77,809 | $37.41 |
| 15 | Maine | $75,611 | $36.35 |
| 16 | Delaware | $75,234 | $36.17 |
| 17 | Mississippi | $77,517 | $37.27 |
| 18 | Colorado | $75,083 | $36.10 |
| 19 | District of Columbia | $74,978 | $36.05 |
| 20 | Kansas | $74,419 | $35.78 |
| 21 | Massachusetts | $73,982 | $35.57 |
| 22 | Connecticut | $74,422 | $35.78 |
| 23 | Vermont | $71,905 | $34.57 |
| 24 | Minnesota | $73,416 | $35.30 |
| 25 | New Jersey | $78,407 | $37.70 |
| 26 | New York | $74,314 | $35.73 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $72,786 | $34.99 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $68,412 | $32.89 |
| 29 | Virginia | $69,723 | $33.52 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $71,185 | $34.22 |
| 31 | Iowa | $68,466 | $32.92 |
| 32 | Michigan | $66,332 | $31.89 |
| 33 | Hawaii | $67,788 | $32.59 |
| 34 | Rhode Island | $70,117 | $33.71 |
| 35 | West Virginia | $68,516 | $32.94 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $66,179 | $31.82 |
| 37 | New Hampshire | $67,794 | $32.59 |
| 38 | Illinois | $68,156 | $32.77 |
| 39 | Georgia | $66,581 | $32.01 |
| 40 | Missouri | $68,253 | $32.81 |
| 41 | Montana | $64,004 | $30.77 |
| 42 | Maryland | $63,562 | $30.56 |
| 43 | Wyoming | $61,729 | $29.68 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $65,752 | $31.61 |
| 45 | Ohio | $64,214 | $30.87 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $65,208 | $31.35 |
| 47 | Florida | $64,632 | $31.07 |
| 48 | Indiana | $64,107 | $30.82 |
| 49 | North Carolina | $61,094 | $29.37 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $60,266 | $28.97 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $60,614 | $29.14 |
The highest-paying cities for structural design engineers are San Francisco, CA, Oklahoma City, OK, and Seattle, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $105,488 | $50.72 |
| 2 | Oklahoma City, OK | $90,030 | $43.28 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | $89,250 | $42.91 |
| 4 | Austin, TX | $80,836 | $38.86 |
| 5 | Columbia, SC | $77,992 | $37.50 |
| 6 | Wichita, KS | $75,876 | $36.48 |
| 7 | Denver, CO | $74,841 | $35.98 |
| 8 | New York, NY | $74,476 | $35.81 |
| 9 | McLean, VA | $69,715 | $33.52 |
| 10 | Tallahassee, FL | $68,400 | $32.88 |
| 11 | Chicago, IL | $68,210 | $32.79 |
| 12 | Saint Louis, MO | $68,097 | $32.74 |
| 13 | Columbus, GA | $67,258 | $32.34 |
| 14 | Dearborn, MI | $66,447 | $31.95 |
| 15 | Columbus, OH | $64,135 | $30.83 |
| 16 | Indianapolis, IN | $64,110 | $30.82 |
| 17 | Columbia, MD | $63,563 | $30.56 |
| 18 | Greenville, NC | $61,409 | $29.52 |
A structural design engineer's salary ranges from $54,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $104,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $104,000 | $8,667 | $50 |
| 75th Percentile | $89,000 | $7,417 | $43 |
| Average | $75,662 | $6,305 | $36 |
| 25th Percentile | $63,000 | $5,250 | $30 |
| 10th Percentile | $54,000 | $4,500 | $26 |
The highest paying types of structural design engineers are system design engineer, senior design engineer, and resident engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civil Engineering Internship | $52,597 | $4,383 | $25.29 | 109,733 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Civil Engineer | $70,950 | $5,912 | $34.11 | 26,803 |
| Landscape Designer | $55,516 | $4,626 | $26.69 | 49,449 |
| Civil Designer | $58,421 | $4,868 | $28.09 | 57,036 |
| Office Engineer | $89,581 | $7,465 | $43.07 | 59,644 |
Top companies hiring structural design engineers now:
Structural design engineer salaries at Google and Amazon are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average structural design engineer salary at companies like Joby Aviation and Nucor are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $133,529 | $64.20 | |
| 2 | Amazon | $128,291 | $61.68 |
| 3 | Joby Aviation | $118,725 | $57.08 |
| 4 | Nucor | $102,439 | $49.25 |
| 5 | Tesla | $102,069 | $49.07 |
| 6 | Woods Services | $100,890 | $48.50 |
| 7 | Parsons | $97,463 | $46.86 |
| 8 | Faraday Technology | $96,880 | $46.58 |
| 9 | Constellation Energy Partners | $95,532 | $45.93 |
| 10 | Volvo Construction Equipment | $95,350 | $45.84 |
| 11 | General Electric | $94,219 | $45.30 |
| 12 | Intel | $93,662 | $45.03 |
| 13 | CTS Corporation | $91,826 | $44.15 |
| 14 | Fluor Corporation | $91,158 | $43.83 |
| 15 | Spirit AeroSystems | $90,480 | $43.50 |
| 16 | Samsung Electronics Device Solutions (Semiconductor & Display) | $89,814 | $43.18 |
| 17 | BASF | $89,644 | $43.10 |
| 18 | Cenergy International Services | $89,293 | $42.93 |
| 19 | Lockheed Martin | $88,273 | $42.44 |
| 20 | Aurora Flight Sciences | $88,165 | $42.39 |
The average structural design engineer salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manufacturing | $88,526 | $42.56 |
| 2 | Transportation | $86,420 | $41.55 |
| 3 | Technology | $84,315 | $40.54 |
| 4 | Construction | $80,896 | $38.89 |
| 5 | Energy | $80,866 | $38.88 |
| 6 | Professional | $74,669 | $35.90 |
The average structural design engineer salary has risen by $9,038 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average structural design engineer earned $66,624 annually, but today, they earn $75,662 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for structural design engineers over the last decade.
Compare structural design engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare structural design engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $75,700 | $36.38 | +1.7% |
| 2024 | $74,400 | $35.76 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | $74,000 | $35.58 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $72,400 | $34.82 | +1.5% |
| 2021 | $71,400 | $34.31 | +1.6% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeppesen | Structures Design Engineer (Mid-Level or Senior) | El Segundo, CA | 06/30/2025 | $120,700 |
| Jeppesen | Structural Design Engineer (Associate, Experienced, or Senior) | Hazelwood, MO | 06/30/2025 | $113,050 |
| Blue Origin | SR Structural Design Engineer-New Glenn Stage 2 & PA | Seattle, WA | 06/30/2025 | $140,959 |
| Relativity | Vehicle Structures Design Engineer II | Long Beach, CA | 06/29/2025 | $112,000 |
| Imeg Consultants | Structural Engineer-Project Designer | Minneapolis, MN | 06/29/2025 | $83,000 |
| Graham & Associates | Design Engineer-Civil Structural | Wichita, KS | 06/29/2025 | $70,000 |
| Graham & Associates | Structural Engineer-Design | Houston, TX | 06/29/2025 | $145,000 |
| Ispace, Inc. | Structural Design Engineer II | Englewood, CO | 06/29/2025 | $101,000 |
| Actalent | Structural Engineer-Bridge Design | Milwaukee, WI | 06/28/2025 | $60,000 |
| JGMS Inc. | Senior Structural Design Engineer | Houston, TX | 06/28/2025 | $107,000 |
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