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Job outlook for senior safety engineers in the United States
Senior safety engineer job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected senior safety engineer job growth rate is 4% from 2018-2028.
About 800 new jobs for senior safety engineers are projected over the next decade.
Senior safety engineer salaries have increased 9% for senior safety engineers in the last 5 years.
There are over 4,502 senior safety engineers currently employed in the United States.
There are 15,065 active senior safety engineer job openings in the US.
The average senior safety engineer salary is $82,142.
Are senior safety engineer jobs in demand?
Senior safety engineer job and salary trends over time
Senior safety engineer jobs over time
Senior safety engineer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4,502 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 4,682 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 5,091 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 5,164 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 5,144 | 0.00% |
Average senior safety engineer salary over time
Senior safety engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $82,142 | $39.49 | +3.1% |
| 2025 | $79,676 | $38.31 | +2.6% |
| 2024 | $77,688 | $37.35 | +0.7% |
| 2023 | $77,148 | $37.09 | +2.1% |
| 2022 | $75,588 | $36.34 | +2.5% |
Senior safety engineer jobs by state
Most common states for senior safety engineers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 167 | 24% |
| 2 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 868 | 10% |
| 3 | Delaware | 961,939 | 80 | 8% |
| 4 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 494 | 7% |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 472 | 7% |
| 6 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 445 | 7% |
| 7 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 283 | 7% |
| 8 | California | 39,536,653 | 2,229 | 6% |
| 9 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 579 | 6% |
| 10 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 338 | 6% |
| 11 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 273 | 6% |
| 12 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 83 | 6% |
| 13 | Alaska | 739,795 | 45 | 6% |
| 14 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 526 | 5% |
| 15 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 302 | 5% |
| 16 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 163 | 5% |
| 17 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 157 | 5% |
| 18 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 51 | 5% |
| 19 | Vermont | 623,657 | 32 | 5% |
| 20 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 146 | 4% |
Most common cities for senior safety engineers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edgewood | 1 | 4% | $82,238 |
| 2 | Cupertino | 2 | 3% | $120,533 |
| 3 | Royal Oak | 2 | 3% | $80,722 |
| 4 | Mountain View | 2 | 2% | $120,618 |
| 5 | Hagerstown | 1 | 2% | $81,779 |
| 6 | La Mesa | 1 | 2% | $100,382 |
| 7 | Novi | 1 | 2% | $80,658 |
| 8 | Columbia | 1 | 1% | $81,968 |
| 9 | Grand Rapids | 1 | 1% | $80,212 |
| 10 | Huntsville | 1 | 1% | $80,334 |
| 11 | Tustin | 1 | 1% | $103,993 |
| 12 | Baltimore | 2 | 0% | $82,096 |
| 13 | San Francisco | 1 | 0% | $120,924 |
| 14 | San Jose | 1 | 0% | $120,280 |
Senior Safety Engineer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of senior safety engineer experts
University of Central Missouri
IADLEST Member - International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training
Wesley Tinker
Assistant Professor of SafetyUniversity of Central Missouri
Safety Sciences
What Senior Safety Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Wesley Tinker: - In today's marketplace, the need for Safety Professionals is at an all-time high. With the ever-evolving methods and equipment across all industries, safety-related positions are being instituted to keep up with the introduction of the risks associated with the evolvement. Safety professionals impact the four quadrants of risk management involving finances, strategy, operations, and of course hazards. In previous years, the persona of duties associated with the Safety professional only impacted the hazards element but nowadays we can see how impactful they are on all four of those quadrants. With this level of involvement in the organization, the justification for a higher salary is made. Safety Professionals typically enter the field because they want to prevent people from becoming injured and/or ill but also the volume of positions along with the higher payscale than most 'fresh out of college' professions, allows for more opportunities.
What will help Senior Safety Engineers increase their earning potential?
Wesley Tinker: - Most dislikes are typically initial as they are mostly during the time needed to adapt to the organizational structure and procedures. Desensitization to certain aspects such as public speaking and conflict resolution is needed, as those skills will assist them heavily in their future in safety. Another dislike could be the individual not enjoying the development of safety loss control programs, but these documents are the backbone to which they enforce compliance and explain all elements related to worker and infrastructure safety. - There are many more 'likes' associated with being in safety than 'dislikes'. Safety Professionals can expect a very rewarding career personally, financially, and professionally as they typically enjoy a great work/life balance, maintaining a lucrative career which the majority of organizations start them at salaries ranging from $70,000 to $95,000, and several developmental aspects associated with being an active Safety Professional.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Senior Safety Engineers in the next 3-5 years?
Linsay Hale: Law enforcement, like most job fields, is continually evolving to reflect technological advancements. I would say, again generally speaking, that transparency and accountability of those employed in police and corrections are at the forefront of the national social and political discussion, as is the safety of the men and women choosing to work in those professions and the safety of community members (whether they be incarcerated or not). As such, I suppose that any tool or technologies developed to further those initiatives will increase in popularity and prevalence.