Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Sustaining engineer salary
Average sustaining engineer salary
$88,351
Understanding the Sustaining Engineer Salary
As of October 2025, the average salary for a sustaining engineer in the United States stands at $88,351 per year, translating to approximately $42 per hour. This salary reflects the role's vital importance in maintaining product integrity and performance across various industries, including manufacturing and technology.
Salary by State
Compensation can vary significantly by location. States like California, Texas, and New York typically offer higher salaries due to the concentration of tech and manufacturing firms. For instance, sustaining engineers in California may earn upwards of $100,000, influenced by the high cost of living and demand for skilled professionals.
Industry Insights
In addition to location, the industry also impacts salary potential. Aerospace, automotive, and healthcare sectors are known for offering competitive pay. Engineers with specialized skills in these fields are often sought after, resulting in higher compensation packages. Job seekers should consider not just salary, but also benefits and growth opportunities when evaluating potential positions.
Let Zippia find your next sustaining engineer job
Let Zippia find your next sustaining engineer job
Where can a Sustaining Engineer earn more?
Sustaining engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average sustaining engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for sustaining engineers are Washington, California, and Michigan. The lowest average sustaining engineer salary states are North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for sustaining engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $106,942 | $51.41 |
| 2 | Michigan | $103,335 | $49.68 |
| 3 | California | $105,996 | $50.96 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $95,897 | $46.10 |
| 5 | Texas | $95,107 | $45.72 |
| 6 | Alabama | $94,708 | $45.53 |
| 7 | Utah | $90,550 | $43.53 |
| 8 | Virginia | $93,999 | $45.19 |
| 9 | Arizona | $88,126 | $42.37 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $90,750 | $43.63 |
| 11 | Nevada | $90,421 | $43.47 |
| 12 | New Jersey | $95,891 | $46.10 |
| 13 | Wyoming | $88,227 | $42.42 |
| 14 | Maryland | $92,566 | $44.50 |
| 15 | Kansas | $90,259 | $43.39 |
| 16 | Oregon | $88,182 | $42.40 |
| 17 | North Carolina | $85,176 | $40.95 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $87,316 | $41.98 |
| 19 | Louisiana | $88,877 | $42.73 |
| 20 | New York | $88,343 | $42.47 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $85,358 | $41.04 |
| 22 | Oklahoma | $87,201 | $41.92 |
| 23 | Delaware | $85,278 | $41.00 |
| 24 | Ohio | $82,847 | $39.83 |
| 25 | South Carolina | $84,984 | $40.86 |
| 26 | Idaho | $84,485 | $40.62 |
| 27 | Connecticut | $85,130 | $40.93 |
| 28 | Montana | $85,182 | $40.95 |
| 29 | Florida | $85,860 | $41.28 |
| 30 | New Mexico | $84,643 | $40.69 |
| 31 | Georgia | $83,955 | $40.36 |
| 32 | Illinois | $83,989 | $40.38 |
| 33 | Colorado | $82,074 | $39.46 |
| 34 | Mississippi | $82,388 | $39.61 |
| 35 | Pennsylvania | $78,825 | $37.90 |
| 36 | West Virginia | $78,862 | $37.91 |
| 37 | New Hampshire | $76,320 | $36.69 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $78,751 | $37.86 |
| 39 | Alaska | $80,374 | $38.64 |
| 40 | Maine | $80,905 | $38.90 |
| 41 | Arkansas | $77,892 | $37.45 |
| 42 | Missouri | $79,162 | $38.06 |
| 43 | Iowa | $76,375 | $36.72 |
| 44 | North Dakota | $74,368 | $35.75 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $80,536 | $38.72 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $75,892 | $36.49 |
| 47 | Vermont | $69,784 | $33.55 |
| 48 | Indiana | $69,857 | $33.59 |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $71,062 | $34.16 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $70,062 | $33.68 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $71,924 | $34.58 |
Highest paying cities for sustaining engineers
The highest-paying cities for sustaining engineers are San Francisco, CA, Everett, WA, and Detroit, MI.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $113,804 | $54.71 |
| 2 | Everett, WA | $107,852 | $51.85 |
| 3 | Detroit, MI | $103,639 | $49.83 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $95,922 | $46.12 |
| 5 | Austin, TX | $95,735 | $46.03 |
| 6 | Carson City, NV | $94,942 | $45.65 |
| 7 | Annapolis, MD | $92,821 | $44.63 |
| 8 | Salt Lake City, UT | $90,033 | $43.29 |
| 9 | Baton Rouge, LA | $89,090 | $42.83 |
| 10 | New York, NY | $88,495 | $42.55 |
| 11 | Phoenix, AZ | $88,224 | $42.42 |
| 12 | Washington, DC | $87,341 | $41.99 |
| 13 | Durham, NC | $86,095 | $41.39 |
| 14 | Bloomington, MN | $85,294 | $41.01 |
| 15 | Chicago, IL | $84,293 | $40.53 |
| 16 | Atlanta, GA | $83,536 | $40.16 |
| 17 | Colorado Springs, CO | $82,106 | $39.47 |
| 18 | Saint Louis, MO | $79,615 | $38.28 |
| 19 | Charleston, WV | $78,273 | $37.63 |
| 20 | Bismarck, ND | $74,043 | $35.60 |
Sustaining engineer salary details
A sustaining engineer's salary ranges from $68,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $114,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a sustaining engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $114,000 | $9,500 | $55 |
| 75th Percentile | $101,000 | $8,417 | $49 |
| Average | $88,351 | $7,363 | $42 |
| 25th Percentile | $77,000 | $6,417 | $37 |
| 10th Percentile | $68,000 | $5,667 | $33 |
Highest paying sustaining engineer jobs
The highest paying types of sustaining engineers are contracting engineer, senior engineer, and staff engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reliability Engineer | $105,551 | $8,796 | $50.75 | 44,471 |
| Tool Engineer | $101,135 | $8,428 | $48.62 | 98,936 |
| Process Engineer | $82,443 | $6,870 | $39.64 | 66,937 |
| Project Engineer | $75,050 | $6,254 | $36.08 | 176,689 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Equipment Engineer | $97,539 | $8,128 | $46.89 | 108,449 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for sustaining engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Michael Rudisill
Department Head and Professor of Engineering Technology, Northern Michigan University
Top companies hiring sustaining engineers now:
Which companies pay sustaining engineers the most?
Sustaining engineer salaries at Meta and PayPal are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average sustaining engineer salary at companies like Riverbed Holdings, Inc. and CloudBolt Software are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $142,278 | $68.40 |
| 2 | PayPal | $130,638 | $62.81 |
| 3 | Riverbed Holdings, Inc. | $115,976 | $55.76 |
| 4 | CloudBolt Software | $114,616 | $55.10 |
| 5 | Chevron | $113,788 | $54.71 |
| 6 | Zendesk | $110,288 | $53.02 |
| 7 | Parsons | $109,281 | $52.54 |
| 8 | Dell | $108,244 | $52.04 |
| 9 | TIBCO Software | $107,348 | $51.61 |
| 10 | Splunk | $106,149 | $51.03 |
| 11 | NetApp | $104,725 | $50.35 |
| 12 | Juniper Networks | $104,512 | $50.25 |
| 13 | Five9 | $102,698 | $49.37 |
| 14 | General Motors | $101,884 | $48.98 |
| 15 | Booz Allen Hamilton | $99,346 | $47.76 |
| 16 | Eastman | $98,999 | $47.60 |
| 17 | Aramco Services Company | $98,115 | $47.17 |
| 18 | Zebra Technologies | $96,672 | $46.48 |
| 19 | Hitachi Vantara | $96,505 | $46.40 |
| 20 | Baker Hughes | $96,254 | $46.28 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Sustaining Engineer salary by industry
The average sustaining engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average sustaining engineer salary in the health care industry is $88,869, the highest of any industry.
- The average sustaining engineer salary in the finance industry is $88,471.
- Sustaining engineers in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $84,708, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for sustaining engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health Care | $88,869 | $42.73 |
| 2 | Professional | $88,471 | $42.53 |
| 3 | Technology | $88,204 | $42.41 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $84,708 | $40.73 |
High paying sustaining engineer jobs
Sustaining engineer salary trends
The average sustaining engineer salary has risen by $11,631 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average sustaining engineer earned $76,720 annually, but today, they earn $88,351 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for sustaining engineers over the last decade.
Compare sustaining engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average sustaining engineer salary over time
Compare sustaining engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Sustaining engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $88,400 | $42.48 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | $87,400 | $42.03 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | $86,500 | $41.56 | +1.3% |
| 2022 | $85,300 | $41.01 | +1.8% |
| 2021 | $83,700 | $40.26 | +1.0% |
Recently added sustaining engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northrop Grumman | Metrology & Defects Sustaining Engineer/Principal Metrology & Defects Sustaining Engineer (1ST SHI | Linthicum, MD | 06/28/2025 | $105,400 |
| Nidec Americas Holding | Software Sustainment Engineer | Rancho Cordova, CA | 06/28/2025 | $80,000 |
| TIDI Products | SR Engineer, Sustaining Engineering | Neenah, WI | 06/28/2025 | $100,000 |
| Lockheed Martin | Sustainment Engineer Senior | New Boston, TX | 06/27/2025 | $89,300 |
| Philips | Sustaining Engineer | Linwood, NJ | 06/25/2025 | $88,200 |
| Fiserv, Inc. | Hardware Sustaining Engineer | Sunnyvale, CA | 06/24/2025 | $110,700 |
| Denver Public Schools | Engineer, Sustainability | Denver, CO | 06/24/2025 | $85,034 |
| Nice North America | Mechanical Sustaining Engineer | Kent, WA | 06/21/2025 | $110,000 |
| Pacira Pharmaceuticals | SR. Sustaining Engineer | San Diego, CA | 06/17/2025 | $120,000 |
| Medtronic Inc. | Sustaining Engineer II-Perfusion Systems | Brooklyn Park, MN | 06/16/2025 | $78,400 |
Sustaining engineer salary FAQs
Search for sustaining engineer jobs