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Senior mechanical engineer salary
Average senior mechanical engineer salary
$103,836
Average Senior Mechanical Engineer Salary
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Senior Mechanical Engineer is $103,836 per year, which translates to about $50 per hour. This salary varies significantly based on factors such as geographic location, industry, and years of experience. For instance, senior mechanical engineers in states like California and Texas often earn higher salaries due to the concentration of technology and engineering firms.
Highest Paying States
Top-paying states for this role include:
- California
- Texas
- New York
- Washington
- Massachusetts
In these areas, senior mechanical engineers can earn salaries exceeding $120,000. Additionally, industries such as aerospace and defense typically offer higher compensation compared to other sectors.
Career Opportunities
Overall, the demand for skilled mechanical engineers remains strong, and pursuing a career in this field can lead to lucrative opportunities. Job seekers are encouraged to explore various job boards, including Zippia, to find opportunities that match their skills and aspirations.
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Where can a Senior Mechanical Engineer earn more?
Senior mechanical engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average senior mechanical engineer salary by state
The average senior mechanical engineer salary in Washington, California, and Nevada are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior mechanical engineer salary states are Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior mechanical engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $127,983 | $61.53 |
| 2 | California | $126,108 | $60.63 |
| 3 | Nevada | $111,979 | $53.84 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $109,334 | $52.56 |
| 5 | Arizona | $107,016 | $51.45 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $116,522 | $56.02 |
| 7 | New Mexico | $107,844 | $51.85 |
| 8 | Texas | $105,128 | $50.54 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $103,043 | $49.54 |
| 10 | Idaho | $109,506 | $52.65 |
| 11 | Delaware | $104,550 | $50.26 |
| 12 | Oregon | $104,088 | $50.04 |
| 13 | Utah | $99,830 | $48.00 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $102,133 | $49.10 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $102,764 | $49.41 |
| 16 | Louisiana | $108,398 | $52.11 |
| 17 | Maryland | $103,183 | $49.61 |
| 18 | Maine | $103,199 | $49.61 |
| 19 | New York | $102,192 | $49.13 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $101,430 | $48.76 |
| 21 | Colorado | $98,520 | $47.37 |
| 22 | New Jersey | $102,576 | $49.32 |
| 23 | Virginia | $97,741 | $46.99 |
| 24 | Alaska | $103,270 | $49.65 |
| 25 | Alabama | $93,434 | $44.92 |
| 26 | Michigan | $92,863 | $44.65 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $98,859 | $47.53 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $93,003 | $44.71 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $93,230 | $44.82 |
| 30 | Illinois | $93,176 | $44.80 |
| 31 | Georgia | $90,627 | $43.57 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $89,032 | $42.80 |
| 33 | Missouri | $92,730 | $44.58 |
| 34 | Vermont | $88,702 | $42.65 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $89,682 | $43.12 |
| 36 | South Dakota | $90,954 | $43.73 |
| 37 | Ohio | $84,421 | $40.59 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $85,990 | $41.34 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $86,132 | $41.41 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $85,025 | $40.88 |
| 41 | Montana | $86,143 | $41.41 |
| 42 | Minnesota | $82,260 | $39.55 |
| 43 | Florida | $88,942 | $42.76 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $81,453 | $39.16 |
| 45 | Wisconsin | $81,745 | $39.30 |
| 46 | Indiana | $82,315 | $39.57 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $82,431 | $39.63 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $82,323 | $39.58 |
| 49 | Iowa | $81,194 | $39.04 |
| 50 | Kansas | $79,154 | $38.05 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $80,067 | $38.49 |
Highest paying cities for senior mechanical engineers
The highest-paying cities for senior mechanical engineers are San Francisco, CA, Redmond, WA, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $135,334 | $65.06 |
| 2 | Redmond, WA | $128,521 | $61.79 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $116,501 | $56.01 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $109,362 | $52.58 |
| 5 | Carlsbad, NM | $107,525 | $51.69 |
| 6 | Phoenix, AZ | $107,121 | $51.50 |
| 7 | Austin, TX | $106,016 | $50.97 |
| 8 | Newark, DE | $104,475 | $50.23 |
| 9 | Portland, OR | $103,763 | $49.89 |
| 10 | Jersey City, NJ | $102,702 | $49.38 |
| 11 | New York, NY | $102,497 | $49.28 |
| 12 | Westminster, CO | $98,427 | $47.32 |
| 13 | Reston, VA | $98,096 | $47.16 |
| 14 | Tulsa, OK | $98,033 | $47.13 |
| 15 | Oak Ridge, TN | $93,690 | $45.04 |
| 16 | Chicago, IL | $93,422 | $44.91 |
| 17 | Washington, MI | $93,296 | $44.85 |
| 18 | Saint Louis, MO | $92,998 | $44.71 |
| 19 | Huntsville, AL | $92,321 | $44.39 |
| 20 | Atlanta, GA | $90,393 | $43.46 |
Senior Mechanical Engineers are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Senior mechanical engineer salary details
A senior mechanical engineer's salary ranges from $79,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $136,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior mechanical engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $136,000 | $11,333 | $65 |
| 75th Percentile | $119,000 | $9,917 | $57 |
| Average | $103,836 | $8,653 | $50 |
| 25th Percentile | $90,000 | $7,500 | $43 |
| 10th Percentile | $79,000 | $6,583 | $38 |
Highest paying senior mechanical engineer jobs
The highest paying types of senior mechanical engineers are senior staff engineer, senior principal engineer, and principal engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead Design Engineer | $108,490 | $9,041 | $52.16 | 118,073 |
| Design Engineer | $77,134 | $6,428 | $37.08 | 138,173 |
| Staff Engineer | $107,530 | $8,961 | $51.70 | 277,011 |
| Tool Engineer | $101,135 | $8,428 | $48.62 | 98,936 |
| Lead Engineer | $84,927 | $7,077 | $40.83 | 301,777 |
| Project Engineer | $75,050 | $6,254 | $36.08 | 176,689 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for senior mechanical 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
Top companies hiring senior mechanical engineers now:
Which companies pay senior mechanical engineers the most?
Senior mechanical engineer salaries at Google and Microsoft are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior mechanical engineer salary at companies like Apple and NVIDIA are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $152,230 | $73.19 | |
| 2 | Microsoft | $148,400 | $71.35 |
| 3 | Apple | $147,738 | $71.03 |
| 4 | NVIDIA | $139,293 | $66.97 |
| 5 | The Walt Disney Company | $139,022 | $66.84 |
| 6 | Zoox | $137,462 | $66.09 |
| 7 | Rivian | $137,369 | $66.04 |
| 8 | Seres | $134,232 | $64.53 |
| 9 | Amazon | $134,198 | $64.52 |
| 10 | Neuralink IT Solutions | $133,959 | $64.40 |
| 11 | Cepheid | $129,946 | $62.47 |
| 12 | Intuitive Surgical | $129,666 | $62.34 |
| 13 | ViacomCBS | $129,289 | $62.16 |
| 14 | GoPro | $127,269 | $61.19 |
| 15 | Parsons | $127,036 | $61.08 |
| 16 | GlassPoint | $126,231 | $60.69 |
| 17 | Volvo Trucks | $123,973 | $59.60 |
| 18 | Tesla | $123,000 | $59.13 |
| 19 | Fitbit | $122,989 | $59.13 |
| 20 | BorgWarner | $122,644 | $58.96 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior Mechanical Engineer salary by industry
The average senior mechanical engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average senior mechanical engineer salary in the energy industry is $105,778, the highest of any industry.
- The average senior mechanical engineer salary in the finance industry is $104,768.
- Senior mechanical engineers in the technology industry earn an average salary of $99,449, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for senior mechanical engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Energy | $105,778 | $50.85 |
| 2 | Automotive | $104,768 | $50.37 |
| 3 | Health Care | $104,255 | $50.12 |
| 4 | Professional | $103,135 | $49.58 |
| 5 | Retail | $102,955 | $49.50 |
| 6 | Manufacturing | $99,837 | $48.00 |
| 7 | Technology | $99,449 | $47.81 |
High paying senior mechanical engineer jobs
Senior mechanical engineer salary trends
The average senior mechanical engineer salary has risen by $12,588 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior mechanical engineer earned $91,248 annually, but today, they earn $103,836 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for senior mechanical engineers over the last decade.
Compare senior mechanical engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior mechanical engineer salary over time
Compare senior mechanical engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior mechanical engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $104,000 | $49.92 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $102,000 | $48.96 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $101,000 | $48.38 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $98,900 | $47.55 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $97,000 | $46.62 | +0.7% |
Recently added senior mechanical engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrier | SR Mechanical Engineer, Heat Transfer | East Syracuse, NY | 06/30/2025 | $74,181 |
| Jeppesen | Senior Thermal Lab Mechanical Engineer | El Segundo, CA | 06/30/2025 | $124,100 |
| Sierra Nevada | SR Electrical/Mechanical Engineer-Electrical Wiring and Interconnection Systems (Ewis) | Lone Tree, CO | 06/30/2025 | $124,771 |
| EFI Global | Senior Forensic Mechanical Engineer, P.E. | Orlando, FL | 06/30/2025 | $95,000 |
| Blue Origin | Senior Mechanical Engineer-New Glenn | Seattle, WA | 06/30/2025 | $140,959 |
| Irhythm Technologies | SR Mechanical Engineer I | San Francisco, CA | 06/29/2025 | $125,000 |
| Spacex | Senior Mechanical Engineer, Satellites (Starlink) | Redmond, WA | 06/29/2025 | $125,000 |
| The Liro Group | Senior Mechanical Engineer-Facility Assessment Specialist | Albany, NY | 06/29/2025 | $100,000 |
| Arcadis | Senior Mechanical Engineer-Living | Miami, FL | 06/29/2025 | $100,000 |
| Arcadis | Senior Mechanical Engineer-Retail | Dallas, TX | 06/29/2025 | $105,000 |
Senior mechanical engineer salary FAQs
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