Director Engineer Salary
$73K - $89.5K
4% of jobs
$89.5K - $106K
5% of jobs
$106K - $122.5K
6% of jobs
$122.5K - $139K
9% of jobs
$139.5K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$139K - $155.5K
11% of jobs
$155.5K - $172K
7% of jobs
The median wage is $187.3K / yr.
$172K - $188.5K
8% of jobs
$188.5K - $205K
6% of jobs
$205K - $221.5K
3% of jobs
$221.5K - $238K
2% of jobs
$243.7K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$238K - $254.5K
38% of jobs
$73K
$198.5K
$254K
$194,709
/year
$93.61
/hour
Director Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$194,709
Columbus
Ohio
$188,070
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How much does a Director Engineer make?
As of Aug 7, 2026, the average annual pay for a Director Engineer in the United States is $194,709 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $93.61 an hour. This is the equivalent of $3,744/week or $16,225/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $254,000 and as low as $73,000, the majority of Director Engineer salaries currently range between $141,500 (25th percentile) to $253,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $253,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Director Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 111500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Director Engineer in your area makes on average $188,070 per year, or $6,639 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $194,709. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Director Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Director Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Director Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Director Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Director Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Nome, AK, , with Berkeley, CA, and Hanalei, HI, close behind in the second and third positions. Hanalei, HI, beats the national average by $40,748 (20.9%), and Nome, AK, furthers that trend with another $46,827 (24.0%) above the $194,709 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Director Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 5% between Nome, AK, and Menlo Park, CA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Director Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Nome, AK | $241,536 | $116.12 |
Berkeley, CA | $238,410 | $114.62 |
Hanalei, HI | $235,457 | $113.20 |
Princeville, HI | $235,457 | $113.20 |
Aspen, CO | $235,348 | $113.15 |
Sitka, AK | $234,562 | $112.77 |
Wyoming, WY | $232,215 | $111.64 |
Santa Clara, CA | $229,948 | $110.55 |
Palo Alto, CA | $229,463 | $110.32 |
Menlo Park, CA | $229,444 | $110.31 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Director Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Director Engineer job category, we found that Director Of Infrastructure Engineering jobs have average salaries similar than Director Engineer jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Director Of Infrastructure Engineering | $153,682 | $73.89 |
Aerospace Research Engineer | $106,012 | $50.97 |
Gis Engineer | $97,747 | $46.99 |
Osp Engineer | $85,730 | $41.22 |
Professional Programmer | $82,234 | $39.54 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
