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Tool design engineer salary

Quoted expert
Marco Schoen Ph.D.

Average tool design engineer salary

$76,918

$36.98 hourly rate

Entry-level tool design engineer salary
$57,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Tool Design Engineer Salary Overview

The average salary for a Tool Design Engineer in the United States is $76,918 per year or about $37 per hour. Salaries can differ significantly based on geographic location, experience, and the specific industry. For instance, Tool Design Engineers in states like California and Texas typically earn more than their counterparts in other regions.

Salary Based on Experience

Experience level plays a crucial role in salary determination. Entry-level Tool Design Engineers may start at around $60,000, while those with more than 10 years of experience can earn upwards of $95,000. Such variations reflect the increasing complexity and responsibility associated with the role over time.

Job Opportunities

There is a strong demand for Tool Design Engineers across various sectors, including automotive, aerospace, and manufacturing. This demand not only affects salary potential but also presents numerous job opportunities. Explore job listings to find positions that align with your qualifications and career goals.

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Where can a Tool Design Engineer earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
149k
129k
109k
89k
69k
49k
29k
Columbus, OH$121,306
Wooster, OH$59,296
Compare salary by company
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168k
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Google$138,453
Global Packaging USA Corporation$78,389

Tool design engineer salaries by experience level

Tool design engineer salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Glassdoor and Payscale, the average salary for a tool design engineer typically falls between $59,965 and $120,840.
zippia
$76,918yearly
glassdoor[1]
$120,840yearly
payscale[2]
$59,965yearly

Average tool design engineer salary by state

The highest-paying states for tool design engineers are California, Washington, and Idaho. The lowest average tool design engineer salary states are Florida, Ohio, and Nebraska.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for tool design engineers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1California$107,660$51.76
2Washington$101,188$48.65
3Massachusetts$85,537$41.12
4Idaho$96,266$46.28
5Texas$88,327$42.46
6Alaska$87,235$41.94
7New Mexico$89,239$42.90
8Delaware$82,182$39.51
9Rhode Island$82,003$39.42
10Arizona$78,100$37.55
11Maryland$81,730$39.29
12New Hampshire$76,572$36.81
13District of Columbia$83,182$39.99
14Nevada$85,257$40.99
15Oregon$75,121$36.12
16Utah$73,637$35.40
17Iowa$77,079$37.06
18Virginia$75,264$36.18
19Michigan$71,683$34.46
20Connecticut$74,623$35.88
21West Virginia$75,220$36.16
22Tennessee$74,528$35.83
23Georgia$72,355$34.79
24Colorado$71,780$34.51
25Maine$73,517$35.34
26North Carolina$68,977$33.16
27Vermont$70,867$34.07
28New York$71,980$34.61
29Minnesota$68,534$32.95
30Louisiana$72,092$34.66
31Alabama$65,983$31.72
32Wyoming$66,392$31.92
33Montana$69,520$33.42
34Pennsylvania$67,647$32.52
35South Carolina$69,284$33.31
36New Jersey$71,799$34.52
37Wisconsin$65,960$31.71
38Hawaii$71,616$34.43
39Illinois$66,917$32.17
40Indiana$63,360$30.46
41Missouri$66,069$31.76
42Kentucky$63,970$30.75
43North Dakota$60,224$28.95
44Oklahoma$63,412$30.49
45Ohio$59,058$28.39
46Mississippi$62,135$29.87
47Nebraska$57,660$27.72
48Florida$60,021$28.86
49Kansas$57,015$27.41
50Arkansas$56,361$27.10
51South Dakota$56,619$27.22

Highest paying cities for tool design engineers

The highest-paying cities for tool design engineers are Cupertino, CA, Seattle, WA, and Fort Worth, TX.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Cupertino, CA$121,306$58.32
2Seattle, WA$101,888$48.98
3Fort Worth, TX$87,090$41.87
4Columbia, MD$81,694$39.28
5Mesa, AZ$77,848$37.43
6Beaverton, OR$75,076$36.09
7Lynchburg, VA$74,099$35.62
8Warren, MI$71,882$34.56
9Littleton, CO$71,864$34.55
10Rochester, NY$69,935$33.62
11Greenville, SC$69,474$33.40
12Wilmington, NC$68,771$33.06
13Milwaukee, WI$65,992$31.73
14Madison, AL$65,838$31.65
15Indianapolis, IN$63,326$30.45
16Wooster, OH$59,296$28.51

Tool design engineer salary details

A tool design engineer's salary ranges from $57,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $102,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average tool design engineer salary graph
Average tool design engineer salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a tool design engineer's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$102,000$8,500$49
75th Percentile$89,000$7,417$43
Average$76,918$6,410$37
25th Percentile$66,000$5,500$32
10th Percentile$57,000$4,750$27

Highest paying tool design engineer jobs

The highest paying types of tool design engineers are senior engineer, lead design engineer, and staff engineer.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Mechanical Engineer$75,352$6,279$36.23105,618
Staff Engineer$107,530$8,961$51.70277,011
Integration Engineer$99,674$8,306$47.92103,437
Product Engineer$89,645$7,470$43.10157,888
Engineer$92,076$7,673$44.27618,207
Equipment Engineer$97,539$8,128$46.89108,449

How would you rate the starting salaries for tool design engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Marco Schoen Ph.D.

Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Director of the Measurement and Control Engineering Research Center (MCERC), Idaho State University

Starting salaries for new engineers have been competitive for many years. Engineers progress on two different pathways: technical and managerial, leading to different pay scales and careers.

Top companies hiring tool design engineers now:

  1. Bell Flight jobs (11)
  2. BorgWarner jobs (7)
  3. Pratt & Whitney jobs (12)
  4. Standard Motor Products jobs (6)
  5. Boeing jobs (76)

Which companies pay tool design engineers the most?

Tool design engineer salaries at Google and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average tool design engineer salary at companies like Joby Aviation and Hyperloop Transportation Technologies are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Google$138,453$66.56
2Apple$134,287$64.56
3Joby Aviation$121,532$58.43
4Hyperloop Transportation Technologies$115,809$55.68
5Amazon$114,199$54.90
6Harley-Davidson$94,234$45.30
7Greif$92,264$44.36
8Tesla$89,711$43.13
9BorgWarner$88,892$42.74
10Siemens$84,979$40.86
11AMETEK$82,674$39.75
12Standard Motor Products$81,931$39.39
13Aerojet Rocketdyne$81,753$39.30
14General Electric$81,168$39.02
15General Dynamics$81,123$39.00
16Major Tool & Machine$78,915$37.94
17Boeing$78,712$37.84
18SpaceX$78,571$37.77
19Northrop Grumman$78,498$37.74
20Global Packaging USA Corporation$78,389$37.69

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$77,000$76,400$75,800$75,200$74,600$74,000
MaleFemale

Tool Design Engineer salary by industry

The average tool design engineer salary varies across industries:

  • The average tool design engineer salary in the technology industry is $82,551, the highest of any industry.
  • The average tool design engineer salary in the finance industry is $79,067.
  • Tool design engineers in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $74,672, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for tool design engineers

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Technology$82,551$39.69
2Automotive$79,067$38.01
3Transportation$78,655$37.81
4Professional$77,590$37.30
5Manufacturing$74,672$35.90

High paying tool design engineer jobs

Tool design engineer salary trends

The average tool design engineer salary has risen by $9,325 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average tool design engineer earned $67,593 annually, but today, they earn $76,918 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for tool design engineers over the last decade.

Compare tool design engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average tool design engineer salary over time

Compare tool design engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Tool design engineer salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$76,900$36.98+1.9%
2024$75,400$36.27+1.2%
2023$74,500$35.84+1.7%
2022$73,300$35.22+2.0%
2021$71,800$34.53+0.7%

Recently added tool design engineer salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Heico CorpTooling Engineer-Mold DesignVilla Park, IL06/27/2025$62,610
Joby AviationSenior Tool Design EngineerMarina, CA06/19/2025$89,800
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical SystemsTool & Design Engineer ISacramento, CA06/18/2025$51,400
Adecco Us, Inc.Tooling Design EngineerCulpeper, VA06/17/2025$85,000
Impact SolutionsTooling Design Engineer-Precision Metal Casting & Horizontal MoldingTony, WI06/15/2025$100,000
AkkodisTool Design EngineerIrvine, CA06/13/2025$79,306
Howmet Holdings CorporationTool Design EngineerTorrance, CA06/10/2025$80,000
Aurora Flight SciencesTool Design EngineerColumbus, MS06/10/2025$59,000
OlinCold-Heading Tool Design EngineerIndependence, MO06/09/2025$116,900
TMATooling Design EngineerWheeling, IL06/05/2025$90,000

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