Robotics Engineer salary

Q: How much does a robotics engineer make?

The median robotics engineer salary in the U.S. is about $117,750 per year. Most robotics engineers earn between $62,840 and $183,510, and top earners (90th percentile) make $183,510 or more. Robotics Engineer is a newer title that standard salary surveys don't track on its own, so these figures are labeled, mapped estimates benchmarked against closely related engineering work.

Q: How much do entry-level robotics engineers make?

Entry-level robotics engineers (0–2 years) earn about $92,000 per year, rising to roughly $127,000 at mid-level and $159,000+ at the principal/staff level. These by-experience figures are modeled estimates based on typical engineering career progression.

Q: Do robotics engineers make good money?

Yes. The median robotics engineer salary of $117,750 is 2% below the roughly $120,395 median across engineering occupations, and experienced robotics engineers can earn $183,510 or more.

Q: Which cities pay robotics engineers the most?

Estimated robotics engineer pay is highest in Washington, D.C. ($162,610), San Jose ($157,770), Lexington Park ($157,330). These are cost-of-labor estimates that adjust the national baseline by local wage levels — not direct BLS metro wages.

Mapped est.

Updated March 2025

Robotics engineers design and build robots and robotic systems, blending mechanical, electrical, and software engineering into machines that sense, decide, and move.

Median pay

$117,750

U.S. typical

Top earners

$183,510

90th percentile

Entry level

$92,000

0–2 yrs

Senior

$159,000

15+ yrs

The median robotics engineer salary in the U.S. is about $117,750 per year. Entry-level pay starts near $62,840, while top earners (90th percentile) make $183,510 or more. Robotics Engineeris a newer title that standard salary surveys don't track on its own, so this figure is a labeled estimate benchmarked against closely related engineering work.

Median annual wage

$117,750

Mean

$121,720

10th pct · $62,84090th pct · $183,510

What robotics engineers do

Design robot mechanisms and control systems, develop perception and motion software, and integrate and test full systems.

Robotics engineers design and build robots and robotic systems, blending mechanical, electrical, and software engineering into machines that sense, decide, and move.

What affects robotics engineer pay

▹Hardware vs. software/perception focus
▹Industry (autonomous vehicles, warehouse, surgical)
▹Years of experience and specialization
▹Equity at robotics startups
▹Metro cost of labor

Robotics Engineer salary by experience

Pay typically climbs from about $92,000 for entry level engineers to $159,000+ at the principal / staff level.

Entry level 0–2 yrs

$92,000

Early career 3–5 yrs

$110,500

Mid level 6–9 yrs

$127,000

Senior 10–14 yrs

$143,500

Principal / Staff 15+ yrs

$159,000

Your actual offer depends on company, location, and specialization — run the calculator for a tailored range.

Highest-paying cities for robotics engineers

robotics engineer pay in the top-paying metros, mapped from the nearest tracked occupation, vs the national benchmark.

15results

Metro	State	Median	90th pct	vs U.S.	Data
Washington, D.C. District of Columbia	DC	$162,610	$198,580	+38%	Estimate
San Jose California	CA	$157,770	$222,300	+34%	Estimate
Lexington Park Maryland	MD	$157,330	$191,880	+34%	Estimate
San Francisco California	CA	$156,140	$239,200	+33%	Estimate
Huntsville Alabama	AL	$148,430	$191,880	+26%	Estimate
Albuquerque New Mexico	NM	$143,050	$197,540	+21%	Estimate
Bakersfield California	CA	$142,400	$191,880	+21%	Estimate
Bremerton Washington	WA	$140,130	$191,880	+19%	Estimate
Dayton Ohio	OH	$139,380	$187,660	+18%	Estimate
Kennewick Washington	WA	$139,080	$176,310	+18%	Estimate
Bridgeport Connecticut	CT	$137,720	$178,860	+17%	Estimate
Palm Bay Florida	FL	$135,320	$178,440	+15%	Estimate
Colorado Springs Colorado	CO	$134,690	$187,720	+14%	Estimate
Boise Idaho	ID	$134,540	$205,430	+14%	Estimate
Gulfport Mississippi	MS	$134,430	$177,260	+14%	Estimate

Robotics Engineer salary by state

Robotics Engineer pay by state, mapped from the nearest tracked occupation.

Rank	State	Median	90th pct
1	District of Columbia	$167,270	$191,880
2	Alabama	$146,480	$191,880
3	New Mexico	$142,520	$198,940
4	Virginia	$142,110	$195,080
5	Wyoming	$139,010	$139,700
6	Maryland	$135,990	$191,880
7	Alaska	$132,410	$179,440
8	Massachusetts	$132,020	$188,730
9	New Jersey	$131,960	$191,880
10	Rhode Island	$131,830	$226,870
11	Idaho	$131,390	$205,430
12	California	$128,830	$212,930
13	Oregon	$125,920	$186,260
14	Colorado	$125,330	$178,150
15	Washington	$125,080	$174,060
16	Hawaii	$120,330	$167,360
17	Connecticut	$119,220	$178,860
18	New Hampshire	$118,630	$181,960
19	South Carolina	$117,980	$175,430
20	Minnesota	$116,660	$161,720
21	Texas	$115,950	$181,830
22	Georgia	$115,790	$165,730
23	Maine	$114,610	$151,860
24	Ohio	$113,880	$174,450
25	New York	$113,380	$170,760
26	Utah	$113,290	$160,370
27	Mississippi	$112,100	$158,850
28	Oklahoma	$111,230	$151,990
29	Vermont	$110,640	$177,430
30	Arizona	$110,160	$183,130
31	Illinois	$109,380	$164,040
32	Wisconsin	$107,400	$141,360
33	North Carolina	$106,960	$170,710
34	Indiana	$106,040	$162,980
35	Florida	$103,920	$164,980
36	Michigan	$103,800	$158,060
37	Pennsylvania	$103,580	$164,100
38	West Virginia	$103,400	$168,460
39	Nevada	$101,660	$164,960
40	Iowa	$100,200	$125,710
41	Tennessee	$97,990	$168,870
42	Louisiana	$95,550	$160,220
43	Missouri	$93,020	$146,640
44	Kentucky	$89,650	$147,280
45	North Dakota	$88,100	$149,890
46	Montana	$87,130	$134,430
47	Delaware	$85,530	$158,150
48	South Dakota	$82,970	$135,950
49	Nebraska	$76,910	$130,980
50	Arkansas	$75,000	$125,160
51	Kansas	$69,210	$122,530

Mapped from the nearest tracked occupation; treat as an estimate.

Robotics Engineer salary — frequently asked questions

How much does a robotics engineer make?

The median robotics engineer salary in the U.S. is about $117,750 per year. Most robotics engineers earn between $62,840 and $183,510, and top earners (90th percentile) make $183,510 or more. Robotics Engineer is a newer title that standard salary surveys don't track on its own, so these figures are labeled, mapped estimates benchmarked against closely related engineering work.

What is the highest robotics engineer salary?

Top-earning robotics engineers (90th percentile) make about $183,510 or more nationally. In the highest-paying metros, estimated pay can run even higher — for example around $162,610 in Washington, D.C.. Metro figures are cost-of-labor estimates, not direct BLS metro data.

How much do entry-level robotics engineers make?

Entry-level robotics engineers (0–2 years) earn about $92,000 per year, rising to roughly $127,000 at mid-level and $159,000+ at the principal/staff level. These by-experience figures are modeled estimates based on typical engineering career progression.

Do robotics engineers make good money?

Yes. The median robotics engineer salary of $117,750 is 2% below the roughly $120,395 median across engineering occupations, and experienced robotics engineers can earn $183,510 or more.

Which cities pay robotics engineers the most?

Estimated robotics engineer pay is highest in Washington, D.C. ($162,610), San Jose ($157,770), and Lexington Park ($157,330). These are cost-of-labor estimates that adjust the national baseline by local wage levels — not direct BLS metro wages.

How can a robotics engineer earn more?

Robotics Engineer pay rises most with hardware vs. software/perception focus, industry (autonomous vehicles, warehouse, surgical), and years of experience and specialization. Moving to a higher-cost metro, specializing, and taking on senior or lead scope are the biggest levers — the salary calculator lets you model each one.

Source details

Robotics Engineer is not a BLS-tracked title and blends mechanical, electrical, and software work. BLS does not publish a separate wage for this title, so the figures shown are the published wage for BLS SOC 17-2199 Engineers, All Other / 15-1252 — the closest tracked occupation. Actual pay for this specialization can sit above or below it.

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