San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA · CBSA 41740
Engineering Manager Salary in San Diego
VerifiedPublished metro-area wages for engineering managers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, from the BLS OEWS May 2024 release — with the local distribution set against California and the national benchmark.
Engineering Managers in San Diego earn a median of $185,550 per year, per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $161,170–$217,430; the top 10% earn at least $239,200. That is 11% above the national median and 8% below the California median. BLS reports 3,690 employed locally.
Median wage
Verified$185,550
+11% vs national
Top 10% earn
≥$239,200
BLS topcodes at this level
Employed in metro
3,690
Reliability High (4% RSE)
Engineering Manager pay — San Diego vs California vs national
All three distributions are published BLS percentiles on a single shared scale.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $134,120 | +20% |
| 25th percentile | $161,170 | +19% |
| Median50th percentile | $185,550 | +11% |
| 75th percentile | $217,430 | +5% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | ≥$239,200 | — |
| Meanaverage | $195,150 | +11% |
How concentrated engineering managers are in San Diego
Location quotient compares local concentration to the national rate. Above 1.00 means this metro employs the occupation more densely than the country overall.
Location quotient
1.77
Jobs per 1,000
2.41
Metro rank (pay)
#12 of 330
All engineering roles
$139,762
At a location quotient of 1.77, San Diego is a genuine hub for this discipline — the occupation is roughly 1.8× as concentrated here as nationally, which usually means deeper employer competition and more lateral options.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a engineering manager make in San Diego?
Does San Diego pay more than the rest of California?
Where does San Diego rank nationally for engineering managers?
Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 11-9041 (Architectural and Engineering Managers), San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA (metro area).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →