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Senior project engineer salary
Average senior project engineer salary
$97,803
Understanding Senior Project Engineer Salaries
The role of a Senior Project Engineer is crucial in various industries, including construction, technology, and engineering. As of October 2025, the average salary for this position stands at $97,803 per year. However, salary ranges can fluctuate significantly based on experience, state, and specific industry sectors.
For instance, states like California and New York often provide higher salaries due to their higher cost of living and demand for skilled engineers. In addition, senior project engineers with extensive experience or those working in specialized sectors may command premiums over the average salary.
To understand potential earnings better, consider factors like years of experience, educational background, and the specific industry you are interested in. Many organizations offer competitive benefits, which can also enhance overall compensation packages. Job seekers are encouraged to research various job boards and company websites to find opportunities that align with their skills and salary expectations.
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Where can a Senior Project Engineer earn more?
Senior project engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average senior project engineer salary by state
The average senior project engineer salary in Maryland, Oregon, and California are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior project engineer salary states are Kentucky, Wyoming, and Idaho.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior project engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $110,005 | $52.89 |
| 2 | New Mexico | $101,171 | $48.64 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $106,077 | $51.00 |
| 4 | Washington | $104,253 | $50.12 |
| 5 | Arizona | $103,806 | $49.91 |
| 6 | California | $108,976 | $52.39 |
| 7 | Nevada | $99,185 | $47.69 |
| 8 | Maryland | $111,201 | $53.46 |
| 9 | Texas | $103,940 | $49.97 |
| 10 | Louisiana | $105,090 | $50.52 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $105,406 | $50.68 |
| 12 | Tennessee | $96,418 | $46.35 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $105,250 | $50.60 |
| 14 | Virginia | $102,552 | $49.30 |
| 15 | Utah | $96,723 | $46.50 |
| 16 | Michigan | $93,698 | $45.05 |
| 17 | Georgia | $95,551 | $45.94 |
| 18 | Colorado | $98,943 | $47.57 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $97,636 | $46.94 |
| 20 | Alabama | $92,893 | $44.66 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $95,160 | $45.75 |
| 22 | Maine | $93,803 | $45.10 |
| 23 | South Carolina | $92,616 | $44.53 |
| 24 | New York | $99,763 | $47.96 |
| 25 | Indiana | $89,874 | $43.21 |
| 26 | Iowa | $90,735 | $43.62 |
| 27 | Missouri | $92,263 | $44.36 |
| 28 | Delaware | $95,996 | $46.15 |
| 29 | Illinois | $96,607 | $46.45 |
| 30 | Alaska | $99,160 | $47.67 |
| 31 | Ohio | $87,167 | $41.91 |
| 32 | Minnesota | $88,934 | $42.76 |
| 33 | New Jersey | $100,692 | $48.41 |
| 34 | Kansas | $89,429 | $42.99 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $91,631 | $44.05 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $99,030 | $47.61 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $88,479 | $42.54 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $89,989 | $43.26 |
| 39 | North Dakota | $86,225 | $41.45 |
| 40 | Florida | $93,055 | $44.74 |
| 41 | New Hampshire | $84,933 | $40.83 |
| 42 | Pennsylvania | $88,930 | $42.75 |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $81,138 | $39.01 |
| 44 | Idaho | $81,880 | $39.37 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $84,925 | $40.83 |
| 46 | Vermont | $86,788 | $41.73 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $86,551 | $41.61 |
| 48 | Montana | $87,606 | $42.12 |
| 49 | Wyoming | $84,735 | $40.74 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $72,168 | $34.70 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $73,042 | $35.12 |
Highest paying cities for senior project engineers
The highest-paying cities for senior project engineers are San Francisco, CA, Portland, OR, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $115,496 | $55.53 |
| 2 | Portland, OR | $109,627 | $52.71 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $106,143 | $51.03 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $105,439 | $50.69 |
| 5 | San Antonio, TX | $104,755 | $50.36 |
| 6 | Seattle, WA | $104,629 | $50.30 |
| 7 | Phoenix, AZ | $103,852 | $49.93 |
| 8 | New York, NY | $99,917 | $48.04 |
| 9 | Denver, CO | $98,775 | $47.49 |
| 10 | Chicago, IL | $96,761 | $46.52 |
| 11 | Atlanta, GA | $95,459 | $45.89 |
| 12 | Portland, ME | $94,220 | $45.30 |
| 13 | Warren, MI | $93,954 | $45.17 |
| 14 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | $92,724 | $44.58 |
| 15 | Raleigh, NC | $92,193 | $44.32 |
| 16 | Kansas City, MO | $91,852 | $44.16 |
| 17 | Indianapolis, IN | $89,879 | $43.21 |
| 18 | Philadelphia, PA | $89,402 | $42.98 |
| 19 | Kansas City, KS | $89,348 | $42.96 |
| 20 | Plymouth, MN | $88,906 | $42.74 |
Senior project engineer salary details
A senior project engineer's salary ranges from $77,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $124,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior project engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $124,000 | $10,333 | $60 |
| 75th Percentile | $110,000 | $9,167 | $53 |
| Average | $97,803 | $8,150 | $47 |
| 25th Percentile | $86,000 | $7,167 | $41 |
| 10th Percentile | $77,000 | $6,417 | $37 |
Highest paying senior project engineer jobs
The highest paying types of senior project engineers are senior staff engineer, senior principal engineer, and principal engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead Engineer | $84,927 | $7,077 | $40.83 | 301,777 |
| Design Engineer | $77,134 | $6,428 | $37.08 | 138,173 |
| Principal Engineer | $130,213 | $10,851 | $62.60 | 312,683 |
| Team Lead Engineer | $114,867 | $9,572 | $55.22 | 235,155 |
| Staff Engineer | $107,530 | $8,961 | $51.70 | 277,011 |
| Product Design Engineer | $94,827 | $7,902 | $45.59 | 170,485 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for senior project 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 project engineers now:
Which companies pay senior project engineers the most?
Senior project engineer salaries at Amazon and Microsoft are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior project engineer salary at companies like Rivian and Rent the Runway are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amazon | $134,731 | $64.77 |
| 2 | Microsoft | $132,356 | $63.63 |
| 3 | Rivian | $129,366 | $62.20 |
| 4 | Rent the Runway | $129,017 | $62.03 |
| 5 | Nike | $128,821 | $61.93 |
| 6 | Nikola Motor | $121,817 | $58.57 |
| 7 | Bunge | $121,751 | $58.53 |
| 8 | BD | $115,518 | $55.54 |
| 9 | Walgreens | $115,245 | $55.41 |
| 10 | Upsher-Smith Laboratories | $115,203 | $55.39 |
| 11 | Tesla | $113,989 | $54.80 |
| 12 | CyberCoders | $113,049 | $54.35 |
| 13 | Emergent BioSolutions | $112,979 | $54.32 |
| 14 | Navistar | $112,825 | $54.24 |
| 15 | Alphanumeric | $112,453 | $54.06 |
| 16 | Stanadyne | $112,446 | $54.06 |
| 17 | CoroWare, Inc. | $112,414 | $54.05 |
| 18 | Kelly Services | $111,975 | $53.83 |
| 19 | Ama Consulting Engineers | $111,933 | $53.81 |
| 20 | General Motors | $111,244 | $53.48 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior Project Engineer salary by industry
The average senior project engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average senior project engineer salary in the automotive industry is $104,214, the highest of any industry.
- The average senior project engineer salary in the finance industry is $100,604.
- Senior project engineers in the construction industry earn an average salary of $91,987, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for senior project engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Automotive | $104,214 | $50.10 |
| 2 | Energy | $100,604 | $48.37 |
| 3 | Professional | $98,842 | $47.52 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $96,895 | $46.58 |
| 5 | Transportation | $95,545 | $45.94 |
| 6 | Government | $95,346 | $45.84 |
| 7 | Finance | $94,196 | $45.29 |
| 8 | Technology | $94,108 | $45.24 |
| 9 | Construction | $91,987 | $44.22 |
High paying senior project engineer jobs
Senior project engineer salary trends
The average senior project engineer salary has risen by $11,856 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior project engineer earned $85,947 annually, but today, they earn $97,803 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for senior project engineers over the last decade.
Compare senior project engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior project engineer salary over time
Compare senior project engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior project engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $97,800 | $47.02 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $95,900 | $46.12 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $94,800 | $45.57 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $93,200 | $44.79 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $91,300 | $43.91 | +0.7% |
Recently added senior project engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeppesen | Senior Project Engineer-Phantom Works Integrated Advanced Systems | Berkeley, MO | 06/30/2025 | $140,250 |
| Jeppesen | Senior Project Engineer | Mesa, AZ | 06/30/2025 | $114,750 |
| Target | SR Engineer-Capital Project Management | Brooklyn Park, MN | 06/30/2025 | $95,000 |
| Beta | Senior Highway Project Engineer | Worcester, MA | 06/30/2025 | $98,000 |
| Beta | Senior Transportation Project Engineer | Rhode Island | 06/30/2025 | $98,000 |
| Daifuku North America Holding Company | Senior Project Engineer I (Conveyance & Sortation-Remote) | Bolingbrook, IL | 06/29/2025 | $115,000 |
| ZP Group | Senior Project Engineer | Merrifield, VA | 06/29/2025 | $95,000 |
| Project Farma | Senior Project/Validation Engineer | Boston, MA | 06/29/2025 | $50,000 |
| Cumminggroup | Senior Project Engineer | Los Angeles, CA | 06/29/2025 | $84,400 |
| Solv Energy, LLC | EPC Senior Project Engineer | Field, MN | 06/29/2025 | $90,468 |
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