California engineer salary
EstimateUpdated March 2025
What engineers earn across California, from published wage data — explore it city by city and discipline by discipline.
Typical pay
$154,208
California
Top earners
$220,838
Higher end
vs national
+28% vs national
U.S. $120,395
Cities
10
in this state
Engineers in California earn a blended median of $154,208 per year, +28% vs national, with top earners near $220,838. That blends 12 engineering occupations across 472,160 published jobs in California. Per-discipline figures below are published wage data, not modeled.
Engineering pay by role in California
Published wage data for each discipline in California. Disciplines without published data for this state are not listed.
| Engineering role | Pay band (10th–90th) | Median | 90th pct | Data | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Manager Architecture & Engineering | $201,810 | $239,200 | Verified | ||
| Software Engineer Software & Technology | $170,910 | $239,200 | Verified | ||
| Data Engineer Emerging | $170,910 | $239,200 | Estimate | ||
| AI Engineer Emerging | $170,910 | $239,200 | Estimate | ||
| Machine Learning Engineer Emerging | $170,910 | $239,200 | Estimate | ||
| Cloud Engineer Emerging | $170,910 | $239,200 | Estimate | ||
| DevOps Engineer Emerging | $170,910 | $239,200 | Estimate | ||
| Nuclear Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $167,660 | $201,910 | Verified | ||
| Petroleum Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $147,780 | $219,170 | Verified | ||
| Aerospace Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $143,860 | $224,660 | Verified | ||
| Electrical Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $140,360 | $219,710 | Verified | ||
| Systems Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $128,830 | $212,930 | Estimate | ||
| Robotics Engineer Emerging | $128,830 | $212,930 | Estimate | ||
| Entry-Level Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $128,830 | $212,930 | Estimate | ||
| Senior Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $128,830 | $212,930 | Estimate | ||
| Environmental Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $127,660 | $172,480 | Verified | ||
| Materials Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $127,550 | $181,500 | Verified | ||
| Mechanical Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $126,370 | $188,660 | Verified | ||
| Biomedical Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $125,700 | $173,630 | Verified | ||
| Industrial Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $123,070 | $177,300 | Verified | ||
| Civil Engineer Architecture & Engineering | $118,450 | $171,760 | Verified |
- Verified
Engineering Manager
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$201,810
90th
$239,200
View details - Verified
Software Engineer
Software & Technology
Median
$170,910
90th
$239,200
View details - Estimate
Data Engineer
Emerging
Median
$170,910
90th
$239,200
View details - Estimate
AI Engineer
Emerging
Median
$170,910
90th
$239,200
View details - Estimate
Machine Learning Engineer
Emerging
Median
$170,910
90th
$239,200
View details - Estimate
Cloud Engineer
Emerging
Median
$170,910
90th
$239,200
View details - Estimate
DevOps Engineer
Emerging
Median
$170,910
90th
$239,200
View details - Verified
Nuclear Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$167,660
90th
$201,910
View details - Verified
Petroleum Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$147,780
90th
$219,170
View details - Verified
Aerospace Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$143,860
90th
$224,660
View details - Verified
Electrical Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$140,360
90th
$219,710
View details - Estimate
Systems Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$128,830
90th
$212,930
View details - Estimate
Robotics Engineer
Emerging
Median
$128,830
90th
$212,930
View details - Estimate
Entry-Level Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$128,830
90th
$212,930
View details - Estimate
Senior Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$128,830
90th
$212,930
View details - Verified
Environmental Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$127,660
90th
$172,480
View details - Verified
Materials Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$127,550
90th
$181,500
View details - Verified
Mechanical Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$126,370
90th
$188,660
View details - Verified
Biomedical Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$125,700
90th
$173,630
View details - Verified
Industrial Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$123,070
90th
$177,300
View details - Verified
Civil Engineer
Architecture & Engineering
Median
$118,450
90th
$171,760
View details
Engineering salaries by city in California
Open a city for its full role breakdown — or add a city we don't cover yet.
San Jose
$198,002
+64% vs national
View San Jose salariesSan Francisco
$165,321
+37% vs national
View San Francisco salariesSanta Maria
$142,013
+18% vs national
View Santa Maria salariesSan Diego
$139,762
+16% vs national
View San Diego salariesLos Angeles
$135,996
+13% vs national
View Los Angeles salariesSacramento
$130,787
+9% vs national
View Sacramento salariesSanta Cruz
$128,791
+7% vs national
View Santa Cruz salariesVallejo
$126,668
+5% vs national
View Vallejo salariesSanta Rosa
$125,380
+4% vs national
View Santa Rosa salariesOxnard
$125,143
+4% vs national
View Oxnard salariesBakersfield
$123,306
+2% vs national
View Bakersfield salariesNapa
$123,289
+2% vs national
View Napa salariesRedding
$122,437
+2% vs national
View Redding salariesSalinas
$122,243
+2% vs national
View Salinas salariesYuba City
$119,718
-1% vs national
View Yuba City salariesSan Luis Obispo
$118,069
-2% vs national
View San Luis Obispo salariesRiverside
$116,829
-3% vs national
View Riverside salariesStockton
$114,612
-5% vs national
View Stockton salariesFresno
$113,357
-6% vs national
View Fresno salariesChico
$111,590
-7% vs national
View Chico salariesVisalia
$109,282
-9% vs national
View Visalia salariesModesto
$107,287
-11% vs national
View Modesto salariesEl Centro
$106,380
-12% vs national
View El Centro salariesHanford
$103,210
-14% vs national
View Hanford salariesMerced
$102,064
-15% vs national
View Merced salariesMore cities in California
We don't publish a separate estimate for these yet. Use the California estimate above as your starting point — and add your pay to put your city on the map.
Don't see your city? Submit your salary or request a city — new cities appear as engineers contribute.
What affects engineering pay in California
- ▹Local market. California pay runs +28% vs national for the typical engineer, driven by local demand and living costs.
- ▹Discipline mix. Software, petroleum, and engineering-management roles pull averages up; civil and environmental roles sit lower. Use the role table above for specifics.
- ▹Metro concentration. Pay clusters in Los Angeles, San Jose, San Francisco and other metros, which run above the statewide estimate.
- ▹Remote & experience.Remote roles often anchor to a company's HQ market rather than California; seniority can swing pay ±35% around the median.
Engineer salaries in California — FAQ
How much do engineers make in California?
What is the highest-paying engineering job in California?
Is California a good state for engineers?
Which cities in California pay engineers the most?
Source details
BLS publishes no single "engineer" occupation. This blends the published medians of 12 engineering occupations in California, weighted by local employment (472,160 jobs).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →