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Vehicle controls engineer salary
Average vehicle controls engineer salary
$98,897
Average Vehicle Controls Engineer Salary
The average salary for a Vehicle Controls Engineer in the United States is $98,897 annually, which translates to approximately $48 per hour. This figure reflects the increasing demand for engineers who can create sophisticated control systems in modern vehicles. Salaries can vary significantly based on location and experience.
Salary by Experience Level
Entry-level engineers can expect to earn around $75,000 annually, while those with several years of experience can earn upwards of $115,000. The highest salaries are typically found in states like California and Texas, where large automotive companies are headquartered.
Key Cities for Vehicle Controls Engineers
Major cities such as Detroit, San Francisco, and Austin offer some of the highest salaries for this profession, reflecting the concentration of automotive and technology firms. As the industry evolves with advancements in electric and autonomous vehicles, the demand for skilled vehicle controls engineers is likely to grow, offering new career opportunities.
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Where can a Vehicle Controls Engineer earn more?
Vehicle controls engineer salaries by experience level
Average vehicle controls engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for vehicle controls engineers are California, New York, and Texas. The lowest average vehicle controls engineer salary states are Iowa, Vermont, and Montana.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for vehicle controls engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $127,972 | $61.52 |
| 2 | Texas | $108,385 | $52.11 |
| 3 | New York | $112,298 | $53.99 |
| 4 | Washington | $102,236 | $49.15 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $104,703 | $50.34 |
| 6 | Arizona | $100,757 | $48.44 |
| 7 | Oregon | $98,717 | $47.46 |
| 8 | Maryland | $104,643 | $50.31 |
| 9 | Nevada | $106,566 | $51.23 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $103,933 | $49.97 |
| 11 | Michigan | $92,087 | $44.27 |
| 12 | Colorado | $96,753 | $46.52 |
| 13 | Indiana | $94,504 | $45.43 |
| 14 | Alaska | $98,405 | $47.31 |
| 15 | Illinois | $95,835 | $46.07 |
| 16 | New Mexico | $98,418 | $47.32 |
| 17 | Florida | $93,209 | $44.81 |
| 18 | Idaho | $89,394 | $42.98 |
| 19 | Virginia | $86,945 | $41.80 |
| 20 | Utah | $84,550 | $40.65 |
| 21 | Louisiana | $91,669 | $44.07 |
| 22 | New Jersey | $94,581 | $45.47 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $87,919 | $42.27 |
| 24 | Georgia | $85,111 | $40.92 |
| 25 | Alabama | $84,003 | $40.39 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $86,047 | $41.37 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $85,922 | $41.31 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $85,180 | $40.95 |
| 29 | Delaware | $82,861 | $39.84 |
| 30 | Connecticut | $83,791 | $40.28 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $84,359 | $40.56 |
| 32 | Ohio | $83,386 | $40.09 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $80,649 | $38.77 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $78,905 | $37.94 |
| 35 | New Hampshire | $80,165 | $38.54 |
| 36 | Oklahoma | $83,851 | $40.31 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $77,227 | $37.13 |
| 38 | Minnesota | $77,559 | $37.29 |
| 39 | Kansas | $78,937 | $37.95 |
| 40 | North Dakota | $75,168 | $36.14 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $78,844 | $37.91 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $76,162 | $36.62 |
| 43 | Maine | $78,953 | $37.96 |
| 44 | Iowa | $72,959 | $35.08 |
| 45 | Montana | $71,613 | $34.43 |
| 46 | Vermont | $72,419 | $34.82 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $63,704 | $30.63 |
| 48 | Missouri | $75,245 | $36.18 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $74,191 | $35.67 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $70,486 | $33.89 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $66,046 | $31.75 |
Highest paying cities for vehicle controls engineers
The highest-paying cities for vehicle controls engineers are San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $137,453 | $66.08 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $112,628 | $54.15 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $104,623 | $50.30 |
| 4 | Kirkland, WA | $102,670 | $49.36 |
| 5 | Phoenix, AZ | $101,200 | $48.65 |
| 6 | Denver, CO | $96,475 | $46.38 |
| 7 | Las Cruces, NM | $95,848 | $46.08 |
| 8 | Columbus, IN | $94,358 | $45.36 |
| 9 | Warren, MI | $92,470 | $44.46 |
| 10 | Springfield, VA | $87,628 | $42.13 |
| 11 | Pittsburgh, PA | $84,619 | $40.68 |
| 12 | Elyria, OH | $84,194 | $40.48 |
| 13 | Smyrna, TN | $84,079 | $40.42 |
Vehicle controls engineer salary details
A vehicle controls engineer's salary ranges from $68,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $142,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a vehicle controls engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $142,000 | $11,833 | $68 |
| 75th Percentile | $119,000 | $9,917 | $57 |
| Average | $98,897 | $8,241 | $48 |
| 25th Percentile | $81,000 | $6,750 | $39 |
| 10th Percentile | $68,000 | $5,667 | $33 |
Highest paying vehicle controls engineer jobs
The highest paying types of vehicle controls engineers are contracting engineer, senior engineer, and chief engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Staff Engineer | $107,530 | $8,961 | $51.70 | 277,011 |
| Research Engineer | $96,945 | $8,079 | $46.61 | 136,763 |
| Lead Engineer | $84,927 | $7,077 | $40.83 | 301,777 |
| Product Engineer | $89,645 | $7,470 | $43.10 | 157,888 |
| Project Engineer | $75,050 | $6,254 | $36.08 | 176,689 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for vehicle controls engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Daisy Huang
Assistant Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Top companies hiring vehicle controls engineers now:
Which companies pay vehicle controls engineers the most?
Vehicle controls engineer salaries at Zoox and Cruise Automation are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average vehicle controls engineer salary at companies like NVIDIA and Amazon are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoox | $132,840 | $63.87 |
| 2 | Cruise Automation | $131,230 | $63.09 |
| 3 | NVIDIA | $123,609 | $59.43 |
| 4 | Amazon | $114,565 | $55.08 |
| 5 | Booz Allen Hamilton | $109,031 | $52.42 |
| 6 | Faraday Technology | $107,702 | $51.78 |
| 7 | Lucid Motors | $107,226 | $51.55 |
| 8 | Rivian | $105,869 | $50.90 |
| 9 | Tesla | $105,239 | $50.60 |
| 10 | FCA US LLC | $103,883 | $49.94 |
| 11 | Erik Buell Racing | $103,093 | $49.56 |
| 12 | HWH Corporation | $101,947 | $49.01 |
| 13 | Morgan Olson | $101,444 | $48.77 |
| 14 | Visteon | $101,137 | $48.62 |
| 15 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $100,922 | $48.52 |
| 16 | Roush | $100,862 | $48.49 |
| 17 | Jacobs Enterprises | $100,831 | $48.48 |
| 18 | Divergent | $100,818 | $48.47 |
| 19 | Udelv | $100,817 | $48.47 |
| 20 | SOLIZE | $100,817 | $48.47 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Vehicle controls engineer salary trends
The average vehicle controls engineer salary has risen by $11,989 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average vehicle controls engineer earned $86,908 annually, but today, they earn $98,897 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for vehicle controls engineers over the last decade.
Compare vehicle controls engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average vehicle controls engineer salary over time
Compare vehicle controls engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Vehicle controls engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $98,900 | $47.55 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $97,000 | $46.63 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $95,800 | $46.08 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $94,200 | $45.29 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $92,300 | $44.40 | +0.7% |
Recently added vehicle controls engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Origin | Energetics Launch Vehicle Engineer III | Van Horn, TX | 06/30/2025 | $117,498 |
| Gatik | Vehicle Dynamics Engineer | Mountain View, CA | 06/28/2025 | $150,000 |
| Blue Origin | Energetics Launch Vehicle Engineer III | Denver, CO | 06/26/2025 | $117,498 |
| Blue Origin | Energetics Launch Vehicle Engineer III | Seattle, WA | 06/26/2025 | $117,498 |
| Archer | Dimensional Engineer, Air Vehicle | San Jose, CA | 06/25/2025 | $180,000 |
| Forterra | Staff Vehicle Controls Engineer | Clarksburg, MD | 06/17/2025 | $140,000 |
| Asquare | Vehicle Controls Engineer | Livermore, CA | 06/10/2025 | $120,000 |
| Hitachi | Rail Vehicle Engineer | Oakland, CA | 06/09/2025 | $112,000 |
| Lucid Motors | Body Controls-Vehicle Access Controls Engineer | Newark, CA | 06/09/2025 | $128,800 |
| Hitachi | Rail Vehicle Engineer | Oakland, CA | 05/26/2025 | $108,000 |
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