Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Test design engineer salary
Average test design engineer salary
$88,403
Understanding the Test Design Engineer Salary
The average salary for a Test Design Engineer in the United States is $88,403 annually. This figure can vary based on several factors including geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry. For instance, Test Design Engineers in tech-heavy states like California often earn more compared to their peers in less urbanized areas.
Experience plays a significant role in determining salary levels. Entry-level engineers may start at lower salaries, while those with several years of experience can see substantial increases. For example, professionals with 5-10 years of experience typically earn around $95,000, whereas those with over 10 years can earn upwards of $110,000.
Where Can You Earn More?
Some of the highest paying states for Test Design Engineers include California, New York, and Massachusetts. With the tech industry booming, cities like San Francisco and New York City offer competitive salaries that reflect the cost of living and demand for skilled engineers. Additionally, sectors such as software development, telecommunications, and automotive manufacturing often provide higher compensation due to the complexity and importance of testing in their operations.
By understanding these factors, aspiring Test Design Engineers can better navigate their career paths and salary expectations, ultimately positioning themselves for success in this vital engineering role.
Let Zippia find your next test design engineer job
Let Zippia find your next test design engineer job
Where can a Test Design Engineer earn more?
Test design engineer salaries by experience level
Test design engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average test design engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for test design engineers are California, Maryland, and Connecticut. The lowest average test design engineer salary states are Mississippi, Florida, and Nebraska.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for test design engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $111,264 | $53.49 |
| 2 | Maryland | $107,250 | $51.56 |
| 3 | Washington | $99,256 | $47.72 |
| 4 | Delaware | $99,175 | $47.68 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $99,568 | $47.87 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $96,833 | $46.55 |
| 7 | Iowa | $95,081 | $45.71 |
| 8 | Idaho | $92,014 | $44.24 |
| 9 | Arizona | $91,476 | $43.98 |
| 10 | Indiana | $94,794 | $45.57 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $97,196 | $46.73 |
| 12 | Oregon | $91,587 | $44.03 |
| 13 | Maine | $93,126 | $44.77 |
| 14 | Texas | $91,327 | $43.91 |
| 15 | Alabama | $88,039 | $42.33 |
| 16 | New Mexico | $91,074 | $43.79 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $90,900 | $43.70 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $89,365 | $42.96 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $91,205 | $43.85 |
| 20 | New Jersey | $95,640 | $45.98 |
| 21 | Illinois | $90,374 | $43.45 |
| 22 | Georgia | $91,221 | $43.86 |
| 23 | Michigan | $83,690 | $40.24 |
| 24 | New York | $90,042 | $43.29 |
| 25 | Colorado | $84,383 | $40.57 |
| 26 | Virginia | $84,657 | $40.70 |
| 27 | Vermont | $83,031 | $39.92 |
| 28 | Louisiana | $87,896 | $42.26 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $79,628 | $38.28 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $83,272 | $40.03 |
| 31 | Utah | $78,657 | $37.82 |
| 32 | Alaska | $82,596 | $39.71 |
| 33 | Nevada | $81,995 | $39.42 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $81,902 | $39.38 |
| 35 | Ohio | $80,280 | $38.60 |
| 36 | South Carolina | $82,133 | $39.49 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $80,350 | $38.63 |
| 38 | North Dakota | $75,594 | $36.34 |
| 39 | Montana | $78,259 | $37.62 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $78,824 | $37.90 |
| 41 | Missouri | $78,904 | $37.93 |
| 42 | Minnesota | $75,657 | $36.37 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $77,478 | $37.25 |
| 44 | North Carolina | $74,722 | $35.92 |
| 45 | Florida | $72,777 | $34.99 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $76,287 | $36.68 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $63,316 | $30.44 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $73,755 | $35.46 |
| 49 | Kansas | $68,179 | $32.78 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $70,476 | $33.88 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $64,885 | $31.19 |
Highest paying cities for test design engineers
The highest-paying cities for test design engineers are San Francisco, CA, Columbia, MD, and Issaquah, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $119,876 | $57.63 |
| 2 | Columbia, MD | $107,344 | $51.61 |
| 3 | Issaquah, WA | $99,599 | $47.88 |
| 4 | Hartford, CT | $99,500 | $47.84 |
| 5 | Austin, TX | $91,874 | $44.17 |
| 6 | Tempe, AZ | $91,424 | $43.95 |
| 7 | Alpharetta, GA | $91,190 | $43.84 |
| 8 | Buffalo Grove, IL | $90,801 | $43.65 |
| 9 | Burlington, MA | $90,710 | $43.61 |
| 10 | Poughkeepsie, NY | $89,824 | $43.18 |
| 11 | Broomfield, CO | $84,389 | $40.57 |
| 12 | Charlottesville, VA | $84,020 | $40.39 |
| 13 | Troy, MI | $83,924 | $40.35 |
| 14 | Florence, SC | $82,703 | $39.76 |
| 15 | Columbia, MO | $78,960 | $37.96 |
| 16 | Salt Lake City, UT | $78,279 | $37.63 |
| 17 | Florence, KY | $77,167 | $37.10 |
| 18 | Gainesville, FL | $73,833 | $35.50 |
Test design engineer salary details
A test design engineer's salary ranges from $67,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $115,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a test design engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $115,000 | $9,583 | $55 |
| 75th Percentile | $101,000 | $8,417 | $49 |
| Average | $88,403 | $7,367 | $43 |
| 25th Percentile | $76,000 | $6,333 | $37 |
| 10th Percentile | $67,000 | $5,583 | $32 |
Highest paying test design engineer jobs
The highest paying types of test design engineers are principal engineer, senior engineer, and lead design engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Principal Engineer | $130,213 | $10,851 | $62.60 | 312,683 |
| Staff Engineer | $107,530 | $8,961 | $51.70 | 277,011 |
| Development Engineer | $93,206 | $7,767 | $44.81 | 224,881 |
| Lead Engineer | $84,927 | $7,077 | $40.83 | 301,777 |
| Tool Engineer | $101,135 | $8,428 | $48.62 | 98,936 |
Top companies hiring test design engineers now:
Which companies pay test design engineers the most?
Test design engineer salaries at Apple and Amazon are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average test design engineer salary at companies like Aetna and Rambus are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $137,815 | $66.26 |
| 2 | Amazon | $121,250 | $58.29 |
| 3 | Aetna | $113,812 | $54.72 |
| 4 | Rambus | $113,454 | $54.55 |
| 5 | Cisco | $111,375 | $53.55 |
| 6 | Cirrus Logic | $108,685 | $52.25 |
| 7 | Ampere | $108,546 | $52.19 |
| 8 | Amd | $106,254 | $51.08 |
| 9 | Cadence Design Systems | $105,783 | $50.86 |
| 10 | Keysight Technologies | $103,968 | $49.98 |
| 11 | Micron Technology | $102,386 | $49.22 |
| 12 | Lucid Motors | $98,927 | $47.56 |
| 13 | Tesla | $98,667 | $47.44 |
| 14 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $98,664 | $47.43 |
| 15 | Eurofins | $97,685 | $46.96 |
| 16 | Activehealth Management | $97,016 | $46.64 |
| 17 | Jacobs Enterprises | $96,408 | $46.35 |
| 18 | Doosan Hydro Technology | $96,407 | $46.35 |
| 19 | CNH Industrial | $96,403 | $46.35 |
| 20 | Katalyst Surgical | $96,403 | $46.35 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Test Design Engineer salary by industry
The average test design engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average test design engineer salary in the health care industry is $97,180, the highest of any industry.
- The average test design engineer salary in the finance industry is $94,975.
- Test design engineers in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $87,685, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for test design engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health Care | $97,180 | $46.72 |
| 2 | Automotive | $94,975 | $45.66 |
| 3 | Technology | $89,206 | $42.89 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $87,685 | $42.16 |
High paying test design engineer jobs
Test design engineer salary trends
The average test design engineer salary has risen by $10,717 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average test design engineer earned $77,686 annually, but today, they earn $88,403 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for test design engineers over the last decade.
Compare test design engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average test design engineer salary over time
Compare test design engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Test design engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $88,400 | $42.50 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $86,700 | $41.69 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $85,700 | $41.19 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $84,200 | $40.48 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $82,500 | $39.69 | +0.7% |
Recently added test design engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeppesen | Design, Analysis and Test Engineer | Berkeley, MO | 06/30/2025 | $66,300 |
| The Boeing Company | Design, Analysis and Test Engineer | Berkeley, MO | 06/27/2025 | $66,300 |
| Celestica | Manufacturing Test Design Engineer | Richardson, TX | 06/27/2025 | $102,000 |
| Boeing | Design, Analysis and Test Engineer | Berkeley, CA | 06/26/2025 | $66,300 |
| Silvus Technologies | Manufacturing Automated Test Design Engineer | Los Angeles, CA | 06/22/2025 | $100,000 |
| Akkodis | Functional Test Design Engineer | Grand Rapids, MI | 06/11/2025 | $90,000 |
| Sara Inc. | Design Assurance/Test Engineer | Colorado Springs, CO | 06/10/2025 | $75,000 |
| Bae Systems Plc | Test Set Design Engineer I | Greenlawn, NY | 06/02/2025 | $69,439 |
| Bae Systems Plc | Test Set Design Engineer I | Greenlawn, NY | 05/30/2025 | $69,439 |
| Yoh, A Day & Zimmermann Company | Design for Test Engineer (DFT) | Austin, TX | 05/27/2025 | $83,480 |
Test design engineer salary FAQs
Search for test design engineer jobs