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SalaryEngineer

Engineering manager vs senior engineer salary

Engineering Managers earn more at the median — $165,370 vs $140,000, a gap of about $25,370 (18%).

Engineering Manager

Verified

$165,370

Median annual wage

Entry level
$102,910
Top earners
$239,200
Discipline
Architecture & Engineering

Engineering managers plan, direct, and coordinate activities in architecture and engineering, leading teams and owning technical delivery.

Engineering Manager salary details →

Senior Engineer

Mapped est.

$140,000

Median annual wage

Entry level
$95,000
Top earners
$215,000
Discipline
Architecture & Engineering

Senior engineers are experienced individual contributors, typically with 8+ years of experience, who own complex systems and set technical direction without managing people.

Senior Engineer salary details →
Source details

Engineering manager is BLS-verified (SOC 11-9041). Senior engineer is an experience-band estimate from the upper percentiles of engineering occupations.

Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →