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The average salary for a Senior Design Project professional is currently $92,208 annually. This figure represents a combination of experience and industry-specific knowledge that contributes to overall compensation. Salaries can vary by state; for instance, professionals in California and New York often earn higher than the national average due to demand and cost of living factors.
Several factors can impact a Senior Design Project’s salary:
In addition to base salary, many positions offer benefits such as bonuses, health insurance, and retirement plans, enhancing overall compensation. For those considering a career in this field, understanding these dynamics is crucial for negotiating salaries and making informed career decisions.
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The highest-paying states for senior design projects are Washington, California, and New Mexico. The lowest average senior design project salary states are Wyoming, Nebraska, and South Dakota.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | $107,144 | $51.51 |
| 2 | Maine | $106,190 | $51.05 |
| 3 | California | $110,718 | $53.23 |
| 4 | Washington | $115,888 | $55.72 |
| 5 | Tennessee | $99,241 | $47.71 |
| 6 | West Virginia | $99,642 | $47.90 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $94,557 | $45.46 |
| 8 | Idaho | $94,705 | $45.53 |
| 9 | Arizona | $101,065 | $48.59 |
| 10 | Michigan | $90,474 | $43.50 |
| 11 | Texas | $88,858 | $42.72 |
| 12 | Delaware | $98,410 | $47.31 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $105,712 | $50.82 |
| 14 | North Dakota | $86,518 | $41.60 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $87,233 | $41.94 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | $91,106 | $43.80 |
| 17 | North Carolina | $85,974 | $41.33 |
| 18 | Georgia | $95,659 | $45.99 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $85,438 | $41.08 |
| 20 | Louisiana | $90,491 | $43.51 |
| 21 | Virginia | $96,211 | $46.26 |
| 22 | Illinois | $95,788 | $46.05 |
| 23 | New York | $97,988 | $47.11 |
| 24 | New Hampshire | $86,281 | $41.48 |
| 25 | Missouri | $87,881 | $42.25 |
| 26 | Kentucky | $87,163 | $41.91 |
| 27 | Massachusetts | $94,503 | $45.43 |
| 28 | Alabama | $84,025 | $40.40 |
| 29 | Alaska | $95,763 | $46.04 |
| 30 | Maryland | $96,167 | $46.23 |
| 31 | New Jersey | $95,161 | $45.75 |
| 32 | Minnesota | $83,262 | $40.03 |
| 33 | Oregon | $86,761 | $41.71 |
| 34 | Ohio | $81,120 | $39.00 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $84,256 | $40.51 |
| 36 | Nevada | $80,965 | $38.93 |
| 37 | Connecticut | $87,939 | $42.28 |
| 38 | Indiana | $81,782 | $39.32 |
| 39 | Vermont | $78,955 | $37.96 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $75,685 | $36.39 |
| 41 | Colorado | $84,235 | $40.50 |
| 42 | Kansas | $78,574 | $37.78 |
| 43 | Utah | $82,177 | $39.51 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $64,468 | $30.99 |
| 45 | Montana | $66,770 | $32.10 |
| 46 | Iowa | $75,691 | $36.39 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $78,541 | $37.76 |
| 48 | Nebraska | $72,091 | $34.66 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $71,878 | $34.56 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $66,390 | $31.92 |
| 51 | Florida | $78,276 | $37.63 |
The highest-paying cities for senior design projects are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $119,401 | $57.40 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $116,602 | $56.06 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $105,785 | $50.86 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $98,052 | $47.14 |
| 5 | Arlington, VA | $96,786 | $46.53 |
| 6 | Baltimore, MD | $96,323 | $46.31 |
| 7 | Chicago, IL | $96,133 | $46.22 |
| 8 | Jersey City, NJ | $95,301 | $45.82 |
| 9 | Cambridge, MA | $94,566 | $45.46 |
| 10 | Dallas, TX | $89,754 | $43.15 |
| 11 | Saint Louis, MO | $88,285 | $42.44 |
| 12 | Rochester, NH | $86,167 | $41.43 |
| 13 | Madison, WI | $84,839 | $40.79 |
| 14 | Denver, CO | $84,152 | $40.46 |
| 15 | Minneapolis, MN | $83,302 | $40.05 |
| 16 | Indianapolis, IN | $81,540 | $39.20 |
| 17 | Orlando, FL | $79,935 | $38.43 |
| 18 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $64,524 | $31.02 |
A senior design project's salary ranges from $70,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $120,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $120,000 | $10,000 | $58 |
| 75th Percentile | $106,000 | $8,833 | $51 |
| Average | $92,208 | $7,684 | $44 |
| 25th Percentile | $80,000 | $6,667 | $38 |
| 10th Percentile | $70,000 | $5,833 | $34 |
The highest paying types of senior design projects are senior principal engineer, senior piping designer, and senior engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consulting Engineer | $97,746 | $8,145 | $46.99 | 125,600 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Mechanical Engineer | $75,352 | $6,279 | $36.23 | 105,618 |
| Operations Engineer | $91,522 | $7,627 | $44.00 | 155,188 |
| Chief Engineer | $108,050 | $9,004 | $51.95 | 88,473 |
| Lead Engineer | $84,927 | $7,077 | $40.83 | 301,777 |
Top companies hiring senior design projects now:
Senior design project salaries at HDR and Atwell are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior design project salary at companies like Eversource Energy and Jupiter I LLC are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HDR | $95,018 | $45.68 |
| 2 | Atwell | $93,815 | $45.10 |
| 3 | Eversource Energy | $93,496 | $44.95 |
| 4 | Jupiter I LLC | $92,109 | $44.28 |
| 5 | American Consulting Inc | $92,109 | $44.28 |
| 6 | HNTB | $90,129 | $43.33 |
| 7 | Amazon | $90,083 | $43.31 |
| 8 | Insidesource | $89,140 | $42.86 |
| 9 | RVi Planning + Landscape Architecture | $86,437 | $41.56 |
| 10 | Perkins Eastman | $85,889 | $41.29 |
| 11 | Perkins&Will | $85,760 | $41.23 |
| 12 | Goettsch Partners | $85,403 | $41.06 |
| 13 | HOK | $85,359 | $41.04 |
| 14 | Affiliated Engineers | $85,183 | $40.95 |
| 15 | Edward Jones | $83,315 | $40.06 |
| 16 | Gkkworks | $81,139 | $39.01 |
| 17 | Page Southerland Page | $79,189 | $38.07 |
| 18 | DDG | $76,899 | $36.97 |
| 19 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $73,435 | $35.31 |
| 20 | Cubellis | $71,588 | $34.42 |
The average senior design project salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $92,334 | $44.39 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $89,995 | $43.27 |
| 3 | Health Care | $86,726 | $41.70 |
| 4 | Professional | $81,842 | $39.35 |
| 5 | Education | $72,556 | $34.88 |
The average senior design project salary has risen by $11,178 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior design project earned $81,030 annually, but today, they earn $92,208 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for senior design projects over the last decade.
Compare senior design project salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare senior design project salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $92,200 | $44.33 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $90,400 | $43.48 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $89,400 | $42.96 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $87,800 | $42.23 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $86,100 | $41.40 | +0.7% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urban | Senior Interior Designer-Project Lead | New York, NY | 06/27/2025 | $100,000 |
| Vanasse Hangen Brustlin | Senior Project Designer-Land Development | Newark, NJ | 06/26/2025 | $100,000 |
| NAC Architecture | Senior Project Designer | Seattle, WA | 06/20/2025 | $117,000 |
| HNTB | Senior Project Designer | Los Angeles, CA | 06/19/2025 | $107,698 |
| Merrick | Senior Civil Designer-DOD Projects | Greenwood Village, CO | 06/03/2025 | $87,654 |
| Psomas | Senior Project Designer | Tacoma, WA | 05/29/2025 | $100,000 |
| HMC Architects | Senior Project Designer | Ontario, CA | 05/20/2025 | $105,682 |
| Work at HMC | Senior Project Designer | Ione, CA | 05/20/2025 | $105,682 |
| Illumina | Senior Project Designer | San Diego, CA | 05/16/2025 | $96,500 |
| NAC Architecture | Senior Project Designer | Seattle, WA | 05/09/2025 | $117,000 |
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