Chief Design Engineer Salary
$90.5K - $102.5K
6% of jobs
$102.5K - $114.5K
3% of jobs
$114.5K - $126.5K
3% of jobs
$126.5K - $138.5K
12% of jobs
$139.1K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$138.5K - $150.5K
11% of jobs
$150.5K - $162.5K
12% of jobs
The median wage is $164.5K / yr.
$162.5K - $174.5K
16% of jobs
$185K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$174.5K - $186.5K
14% of jobs
$186.5K - $198.5K
9% of jobs
$198.5K - $210.5K
3% of jobs
$210.5K - $222.5K
11% of jobs
$90.5K
$167K
$224.5K
$166,542
/year
$80.07
/hour
Chief Design Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$166,542
Columbus
Ohio
$160,863
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How much does a Chief Design Engineer make?
As of Jul 28, 2026, the average annual pay for a Chief Design Engineer in the United States is $166,542 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $80.07 an hour. This is the equivalent of $3,202/week or $13,878/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $224,500 and as low as $90,500, the majority of Chief Design Engineer salaries currently range between $140,000 (25th percentile) to $190,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $219,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Chief Design Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 50000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Chief Design Engineer in your area makes on average $160,863 per year, or $5,679 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $166,542. Ohio ranks number 31 out of 50 states nationwide for Chief Design Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Chief Design Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Chief Design Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Chief Design Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Chief Design Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Surry, VA, , with Nome, AK, and Berkeley, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Berkeley, CA, beats the national average by $37,379 (22.4%), and Surry, VA, furthers that trend with another $72,984 (43.8%) above the $166,542 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Chief Design Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
However, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies modestly at 20% between Surry, VA, and Mountain View, CA, , suggesting it may be difficult to see much positive wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may help determine the balance between location and salary for a Chief Design Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Surry, VA | $239,526 | $115.16 |
Nome, AK | $206,595 | $99.32 |
Berkeley, CA | $203,921 | $98.04 |
Sitka, AK | $200,630 | $96.46 |
Sunnyvale, CA | $196,060 | $94.26 |
San Francisco, CA | $195,900 | $94.18 |
Santa Clara, CA | $195,593 | $94.04 |
Livermore, CA | $195,352 | $93.92 |
San Jose, CA | $195,186 | $93.84 |
Mountain View, CA | $195,008 | $93.75 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Chief Design Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Chief Design Engineer job category, we found that Optical Test Engineer jobs have average salaries similar than Chief Design Engineer jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Optical Test Engineer | $139,917 | $67.27 |
Chief Mechanical Engineer | $104,066 | $50.03 |
Chief Electrical Engineer | $92,945 | $44.69 |
Space Engineer | $89,769 | $43.16 |
Marriott Guest Experience Expert | $28,837 | $13.86 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
