Compensation database
Engineering salary by role
Updated January 2025
Compare median and top-end pay across every engineering discipline, from software and petroleum to civil and environmental — plus the common titles that map to each.
U.S. engineer median
$116,537
across disciplines
Verified disciplines
13
national benchmarks
Highest median
$165,370
Engineering Manager
Roles tracked
22
incl. mapped
The median U.S. engineering salary is about $116,537. Engineering Manager lead with a median near $165,370; top earners (90th percentile) can exceed $239,200. These 22 are our current benchmark roles — the list grows as engineers submit pay for more titles.
Benchmark engineering roles
22 roles · 13 national benchmarks, 9 estimated| Engineering role | Pay band (10th–90th) | Median | 90th pct | Data | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Manager Architecture & Engineering | $165,370 | $239,200 | Verified | ||
| AI Engineer Emerging | $150,000 | $245,000 | Estimate | ||
| Machine Learning Engineer Emerging | $148,000 | $240,000 | Estimate | ||
| Senior Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $140,000 | $215,000 | Estimate | ||
| Petroleum Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $135,690 | $222,840 | Verified | ||
| Software Engineer Software & Technology | $132,270 | $208,620 | Verified | ||
| DevOps Engineer Emerging | $132,000 | $200,000 | Estimate | ||
| Aerospace Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $130,720 | $175,480 | Verified | ||
| Cloud Engineer Emerging | $128,000 | $198,000 | Estimate | ||
| Data Engineer Emerging | $126,000 | $197,000 | Estimate | ||
| Nuclear Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $125,460 | $185,550 | Verified | ||
| Robotics Engineer Emerging | $118,000 | $180,000 | Estimate | ||
| Systems Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $112,620 | $168,570 | Estimate | ||
| Chemical Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $112,100 | $187,430 | Verified | ||
| Electrical Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $111,910 | $173,910 | Verified | ||
| Materials Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $104,100 | $169,180 | Verified | ||
| Industrial Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $101,140 | $146,850 | Verified | ||
| Biomedical Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $100,730 | $158,040 | Verified | ||
| Environmental Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $100,090 | $153,200 | Verified | ||
| Mechanical Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $99,510 | $157,900 | Verified | ||
| Civil Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $95,890 | $150,640 | Verified | ||
| Entry-Level Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $72,000 | $95,000 | Estimate |
- Verified
Engineering Manager
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$165,370
90th
$239,200
View details - Estimate
AI Engineer
Emerging
Median
$150,000
90th
$245,000
View details - Estimate
Machine Learning Engineer
Emerging
Median
$148,000
90th
$240,000
View details - Estimate
Senior Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$140,000
90th
$215,000
View details - Verified
Petroleum Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$135,690
90th
$222,840
View details - Verified
Software Engineer
Software & Technology
Median
$132,270
90th
$208,620
View details - Estimate
DevOps Engineer
Emerging
Median
$132,000
90th
$200,000
View details - Verified
Aerospace Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$130,720
90th
$175,480
View details - Estimate
Cloud Engineer
Emerging
Median
$128,000
90th
$198,000
View details - Estimate
Data Engineer
Emerging
Median
$126,000
90th
$197,000
View details - Verified
Nuclear Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$125,460
90th
$185,550
View details - Estimate
Robotics Engineer
Emerging
Median
$118,000
90th
$180,000
View details - Estimate
Systems Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$112,620
90th
$168,570
View details - Verified
Chemical Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$112,100
90th
$187,430
View details - Verified
Electrical Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$111,910
90th
$173,910
View details - Verified
Materials Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$104,100
90th
$169,180
View details - Verified
Industrial Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$101,140
90th
$146,850
View details - Verified
Biomedical Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$100,730
90th
$158,040
View details - Verified
Environmental Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$100,090
90th
$153,200
View details - Verified
Mechanical Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$99,510
90th
$157,900
View details - Verified
Civil Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$95,890
90th
$150,640
View details - Estimate
Entry-Level Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$72,000
90th
$95,000
View details
Don't see your role?
Engineering titles run far broader than the benchmark roles above — staff, principal, firmware, platform, QA, sales engineering, and hundreds more. Submit your salary with your title and we'll normalize it, and add new roles to the database as the data supports them.
How a submitted title becomes public
- 1
Review
Each submission is moderated; obvious outliers and duplicates are removed.
- 2
Normalize
Free-text titles are mapped to a standard role and seniority.
- 3
Aggregate
Entries are pooled by role, location, and seniority.
- 4
Publish at threshold
A figure goes public only once it clears a sample-size gate — never from one entry.
Explore by discipline
Source details
Benchmark roles map to a standard occupation; newer roles (e.g. AI engineer, data engineer) are derived from the nearest occupation and labeled as estimates.
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →