Compensation database
Engineering salary by role
Updated March 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
$120,395
across disciplines
Verified disciplines
13
national benchmarks
Highest median
$167,740
Engineering Manager
Roles tracked
22
incl. mapped
The median U.S. engineering salary is about $120,395. Engineering Manager lead with a median near $167,740; 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 | $167,740 | $239,200 | Verified | ||
| Senior Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $153,216 | $190,407 | Estimate | ||
| Petroleum Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $141,280 | $228,790 | Verified | ||
| Aerospace Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $134,830 | $205,850 | Verified | ||
| Software Engineer Software & Technology | $133,080 | $211,450 | Verified | ||
| Data Engineer Emerging | $133,080 | $211,450 | Estimate | ||
| AI Engineer Emerging | $133,080 | $211,450 | Estimate | ||
| Machine Learning Engineer Emerging | $133,080 | $211,450 | Estimate | ||
| Cloud Engineer Emerging | $133,080 | $211,450 | Estimate | ||
| DevOps Engineer Emerging | $133,080 | $211,450 | Estimate | ||
| Nuclear Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $127,520 | $187,430 | Verified | ||
| Chemical Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $121,860 | $182,150 | Verified | ||
| Systems Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $117,750 | $183,510 | Estimate | ||
| Robotics Engineer Emerging | $117,750 | $183,510 | Estimate | ||
| Electrical Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $111,910 | $175,460 | Verified | ||
| Materials Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $108,310 | $172,000 | Verified | ||
| Biomedical Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $106,950 | $165,060 | Verified | ||
| Environmental Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $104,170 | $161,910 | Verified | ||
| Mechanical Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $102,320 | $161,240 | Verified | ||
| Industrial Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $101,140 | $157,140 | Verified | ||
| Civil Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $99,590 | $160,990 | Verified | ||
| Entry-Level Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $93,901 | $120,395 | Estimate |
- Verified
Engineering Manager
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$167,740
90th
$239,200
View details - Estimate
Senior Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$153,216
90th
$190,407
View details - Verified
Petroleum Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$141,280
90th
$228,790
View details - Verified
Aerospace Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$134,830
90th
$205,850
View details - Verified
Software Engineer
Software & Technology
Median
$133,080
90th
$211,450
View details - Estimate
Data Engineer
Emerging
Median
$133,080
90th
$211,450
View details - Estimate
AI Engineer
Emerging
Median
$133,080
90th
$211,450
View details - Estimate
Machine Learning Engineer
Emerging
Median
$133,080
90th
$211,450
View details - Estimate
Cloud Engineer
Emerging
Median
$133,080
90th
$211,450
View details - Estimate
DevOps Engineer
Emerging
Median
$133,080
90th
$211,450
View details - Verified
Nuclear Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$127,520
90th
$187,430
View details - Verified
Chemical Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$121,860
90th
$182,150
View details - Estimate
Systems Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$117,750
90th
$183,510
View details - Estimate
Robotics Engineer
Emerging
Median
$117,750
90th
$183,510
View details - Verified
Electrical Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$111,910
90th
$175,460
View details - Verified
Materials Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$108,310
90th
$172,000
View details - Verified
Biomedical Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$106,950
90th
$165,060
View details - Verified
Environmental Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$104,170
90th
$161,910
View details - Verified
Mechanical Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$102,320
90th
$161,240
View details - Verified
Industrial Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$101,140
90th
$157,140
View details - Verified
Civil Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$99,590
90th
$160,990
View details - Estimate
Entry-Level Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$93,901
90th
$120,395
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 →