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Job outlook for senior electrical designers in the United States
Senior electrical designer job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected senior electrical designer job growth rate is 3% from 2018-2028.
About 9,800 new jobs for senior electrical designers are projected over the next decade.
Senior electrical designer salaries have increased 7% for senior electrical designers in the last 5 years.
There are over 15,029 senior electrical designers currently employed in the United States.
There are 78,838 active senior electrical designer job openings in the US.
The average senior electrical designer salary is $87,859.
Are senior electrical designer jobs in demand?
Senior electrical designer job and salary trends over time
Senior electrical designer jobs over time
Senior electrical designer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 15,029 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 14,964 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 14,993 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 15,067 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 14,815 | 0.00% |
Average senior electrical designer salary over time
Senior electrical designer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $87,859 | $42.24 | +2.3% |
| 2025 | $85,855 | $41.28 | +2.0% |
| 2024 | $84,208 | $40.48 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | $82,831 | $39.82 | +0.9% |
| 2022 | $82,091 | $39.47 | +1.3% |
Senior electrical designer jobs by state
Most common states for senior electrical designers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 254 | 37% |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,040 | 15% |
| 3 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,062 | 14% |
| 4 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,108 | 13% |
| 5 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 396 | 13% |
| 6 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 679 | 12% |
| 7 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 511 | 12% |
| 8 | California | 39,536,653 | 4,434 | 11% |
| 9 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 1,097 | 11% |
| 10 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 145 | 11% |
| 11 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 604 | 10% |
| 12 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 602 | 10% |
| 13 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 565 | 10% |
| 14 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 302 | 10% |
| 15 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 869 | 9% |
| 16 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 643 | 9% |
| 17 | Vermont | 623,657 | 56 | 9% |
| 18 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 1,041 | 8% |
| 19 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 112 | 8% |
| 20 | Delaware | 961,939 | 81 | 8% |
Most common cities for senior electrical designers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilmington | 2 | 3% | $90,410 |
| 2 | Lenexa | 1 | 2% | $72,321 |
| 3 | Plainfield | 1 | 2% | $94,259 |
| 4 | Atlanta | 4 | 1% | $74,482 |
| 5 | Santa Ana | 2 | 1% | $104,972 |
| 6 | Appleton | 1 | 1% | $67,120 |
| 7 | Kalamazoo | 1 | 1% | $70,081 |
| 8 | Troy | 1 | 1% | $70,964 |
| 9 | Chicago | 2 | 0% | $94,443 |
| 10 | Orlando | 1 | 0% | $73,841 |
| 11 | Phoenix | 1 | 0% | $72,091 |
Senior Electrical Designer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of senior electrical designer experts
Gonzaga University
Stevens Institute of Technology
California State University - Fresno
University of Alabama at Birmingham
San Diego State University
University of Utah
Old Dominion University
Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University
University of Central Florida
University of Dubuque
University of California, Davis
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
What Senior Electrical Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Steven Schennum Ph.D. P.E.: The most important skill is the ability to learn new things, and especially to unlearn things you “know” after evidence demonstrates that these things are not true. Learn how to analyze information. Your intuition, simulations, and results should all be in alignment. If they are not, then dig deeper. Learn the terminology and jargon specific to your company and your projects. Spend time reading. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be intimidated by new software.
What Senior Electrical Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Min Song: Communication skills and innovative thinking skills. As emerging technologies continue to be complex and multidisciplinary, it’s important to be able to communicate with professionals in diverse disciplines. Taking robotics, for example, the electrical engineer must be able to work with mechanical and biomechanical engineers, computer engineers, software engineers, artificial intelligence experts, cognitive scientists, system engineers, etc. A person will be able to generate innovative ideas only if the person has a complete and comprehensive understanding of the entire system and can work well with other individuals with a range of expertise.
What general advice would you give to a Senior Electrical Designer?
Hovannes Kulhandjian Ph.D.: Negotiate Your Starting Salary: Research industry salary standards and be prepared to negotiate a competitive starting salary based on your qualifications and experience. Pursue In-Demand Skills: Develop specialized skills and certifications that are in high demand within the industry. This can make you more valuable to employers. Seek Opportunities for Advancement: Look for roles with potential for growth and advancement within the company. Express your interest in taking on challenging projects and responsibilities. Leverage Internships and Experience: Demonstrate your value to employers by showcasing your internships, projects, and relevant experience. Stay Informed: Keep up with industry trends and market conditions. Staying informed can help you position yourself for better opportunities and salary increases.
What Senior Electrical Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Arie Nakhmani: Electrical Engineering has always (from its inception) been a good profession to enter, but now it is better than ever. Now everything is becoming Electrical Engineering, and the world cannot survive without it even for a few days. Electrical Engineering is the most necessary profession for the survival of modern society.
What will help Senior Electrical Designers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Arif Engin: Electrical engineers solve problems by skillfully applying mathematics and science. Electrical engineering classes are challenging at college, and electrical engineers must embrace lifelong learning to remain at the top of their skills. In the end, seeing the results of their work in a finished product is a rewarding experience.
Florian Solzbacher
Department Chair, Professor, Elect & Computer EngineeringUniversity of Utah
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
What skills stand out on Senior Electrical Designer resumes?
Florian Solzbacher: Examples of having applied the knowledge gained in their studies to practical examples of solving engineering problems that require the combination of skills and at least some understanding of system engineering aspects are important signals that graduating engineers are ready to be productive in a real-world setting are always important. Obviously, participating in projects that address current "hot topic" problems, e.g., in robotics, AI/machine learning, power systems, biomedical applications, or that resonate with specific problems an employer is currently working on, will raise a student's profile.
Supplemental skills, such as Entrepreneurial or business training, can enhance and differentiate a student's resume. This shows that an engineer is not solely focused on the core technical engineering skills but does have an understanding of the driving forces and their interaction in a real-world business setting, that are not only part of the design requirements for a product (e.g., design to cost), but also often drive the selection of technical solution paths, after all, every development and product has to make business sense. Imagine two young engineers proposing a solution to their manager for a new product: one maybe even over-exceeds the technical requirements, but the development and/or manufacturing and servicing effort and cost is significantly higher than a colleagues solution that may only just about reach the requirements, or maybe even compromise on some specifications, but that is far cheaper to develop, make and service and that may allow entering a far larger market- chances are very high that the business may decide to go for the "inferior" solution from a technical point of view, that is, however, the better product. This supplemental skill set is a significant competitive advantage to have as an engineer.
What soft skills should all Senior Electrical Designers possess?
Florian Solzbacher: Engineering is about teamwork. All major quantum leaps and most products require extensive system engineering and diverse skills. Engineers need to be able to understand the languages and workflows not only across engineering disciplines but also ranging into business, legal and ethical aspects of their work. This includes communication and project management skills.
What skills will help Senior Electrical Designers earn the most?
Florian Solzbacher: The ability to solve problems efficiently and effectively (i.e., fast and cost-effective) really is critical to companies: every month delay in completion delays revenue and income, which may even dwarf the additional engineering cost. Significantly increased development cost also raises the cost of the product, impacting margins. Developments that come with significant after-sales service and support costs also have to be considered.
From experience, there are, of course, "expert tracks" in many companies that allow an engineer to reach very high compensation levels because they are one of a few who solve specific complicated problems. In some cases, this can go all the way to below board level. In most cases, however, management skills (personnel, projects, budgets) lead to tracks that eventually increase management of engineering activities and decrease the active engineering. In recent years, more and more high-tech companies have moved to have engineers lead the entire business as CEO.
Starting your own business is another path to high incomes, but associated with significant risks, and initially possibly much lower income than a job at an established company.
Interpersonal skills - which do not often come easy to engineers who tend to be focused on solving technical problems - must also never be underestimated because so much in solving real-world problems requires communication and balancing competing needs and resources. And we all stand and fall with the team and the people that make up the team. Long term, an engineering leader who is able to coalesce a strong team around a target objective and motivate his team and who is able to mediate inter-team challenges tends to be far more successful than managers who ignore those aspects.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Senior Electrical Designers?
Michel Audette Ph.D.: My take on this is what I've seen with my wife's work in industry, which suggests that the industrial landscape is going to be increasingly equipped for, and open to, remote work. I think that the implication for graduates is that they may need to be flexible about working within a geographically distributed team. If company deciders feel that someone is worth employing because of a unique skill set, then they would typically be more willing to hire that person even if unable to make it to work regularly, if that is feasible given the nature of the work; some work, such as hardware testing or industrial production, may not lend itself to remote contributions.
Nonetheless, for those areas that accommodate geographically distributed activity, such as software development, graduates can expect to interact with team members all over the US, possibly all over the world, if someone is deemed unique enough to hire despite living abroad. This places a high premium on the ability and willingness to work in a heterogeneous team, where not only will members look different, but also have myriad accents in their English, which will also impose a certain adaptability and tolerance to team members.
A related impact could also be that global hiring will make it easier for multi-national companies to hire a portion of their talent in countries where wages are lower and motivate US-based engineers to seek out graduate degrees in order to increase their competitiveness and employability at US salaries.
What general advice would you give to a Senior Electrical Designer?
Abby Guido: We've all heard the buzz about networking, and there is so much buzz because it works. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is both up to date and active. Connect with all of your past professors, classmates, and anyone and everyone you meet in a professional setting. I often tell students to get into the habit of searching for any classroom guests, or guest lecturers, to connect, thank them for their time, and build their network. Share content. Write articles, or reshare those you find interesting.
Every job I have ever received in my career has been through someone else I know. I share this with students to help them see the value in relationships. I always remember the students that took the time to write a handwritten thank-you note. And I think of them when I get an email asking if I know any students are looking for work.
Maria Jacob
ProfessorUniversity of Central Florida
Department of ECE
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Senior Electrical Designers?
Maria Jacob: Well, this is a somewhat difficult question, since it's hard to predict what is going to happen.
Given the current research, everything seems to indicate that even with the vaccine, we won't be able to come back to what we were used to for a long time.
This will mean, work and classes from home for some time. Although I see and enjoy some of the advantages of staying at home (that go from clothing to saving money on gas), I feel we are losing some of the human contact we were used to. Of course, we have software like Zoom or Meet that helps us to communicate with others, but this virtuality is just simply different. For example, some students do just fine, and others can't deal with the fact that they have to write their questions over a chat. More than that, some students have family making everything more difficult.
There are other aspects that also impact the knowledge the new graduates have at the time of start working. For example, we as professors also have to take into account that we are living special circumstances and that some students may find this new system more difficult. Then, sometimes is easy to overcompensate and be more lenient with some things. If we are not careful this could lead to students graduating having less knowledge in some topics, where students pass a class not knowing certain topics that they should.
Alan Garfield
Chair and Professor of Digital Art and Design, Director, Bisignano Art GalleryUniversity of Dubuque
Digital Art and Design Faculty
What experience really stands out on Senior Electrical Designer resumes?
Alan Garfield: Besides soft skills, which I don't think can be 'proven' on a resume, I believe that experiences that demonstrate what a candidate has done either in class or outside of the course are significant. An employer will not find a candidate who has done precisely what needs to be done in all likelihood. If there are examples - deliverables - which are somewhat close to those in the position and demonstrate timing, communication, and excellence in production, then the employer takes less of a risk. Also, merely throwing out names of software is worse than useless. It is sloppy. I believe your resume should list software/hardware (name and company) and a simple, humble measure of the applicant's level of experience in that software. Please include Oss as well.
What Senior Electrical Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Andre Knoesen Ph.D.: The gap year is an excellent period to expand soft skills (e.g., communication, critical thinking, creativity, writing, and exposure to other cultures) that are essential for new engineers. Basic engineering talents could be maintained by volunteering time in K-12 schools, such as assisting in distance learning efforts.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Senior Electrical Designers?
Andre Knoesen Ph.D.: As an educator of electric engineers, I am optimistic that the core skillsets we provide our students will continue to be essential for the immediate future, albeit that demands by industry maybe different. One positive aspect is that new engineers have gained practical experience working in virtual environments, a trend that had become commonplace in industry before the pandemic. Effectively operating such virtual collaborative team environments will be expected from new engineers.
Robert Saunders P.E.
Assistant Department HeadUniversity of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Electrical Engineering Department
What Senior Electrical Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Robert Saunders P.E.: Project management and/or leadership training, either at the university they graduated from, or a good online source. Either or both of these would demonstrate the proactive attitude of the student. And get involved in something; community service groups, design a project, anything that shows you are pushing forward professionally and personally, not just sitting at home.