Fire Protection Design Engineer

Fire Protection Design Engineer Salary in California

$44.9K

$97.2K

$170.2K

$98,213

/year

$47.22

/hour

Fire Protection Design Engineer Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$99,516

California

California

$98,213

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    How much does a Fire Protection Design Engineer make in California?

    As of Aug 31, 2026, the average annual pay for a Fire Protection Design Engineer in California is $98,213 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $47.22 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,888/week or $8,184/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $170,242 and as low as $44,904, the majority of Fire Protection Design Engineer salaries currently range between $81,900 (25th percentile) to $110,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $134,712 annually in California. The average pay range for a Fire Protection Design Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 28600), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

    California ranks number 50 out of 50 states nationwide for Fire Protection Design Engineer salaries.

    To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Fire Protection 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 Fire Protection Design Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Fire Protection Design Engineer Jobs in California

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Fire Protection Design Engineer job is above the average in California in California. Topping the list is Palo Alto, , with San Francisco, and Santa Clara, close behind in the second and third positions. Santa Clara, beats the average in California by $18,663 (19.0%), and Palo Alto, furthers that trend with another $19,066 (19.4%) above the $98,213 average.

    With these 10 cities paying on average above the average for California, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Fire Protection Design Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

    Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 3% between Palo Alto, and San Mateo, , 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 Fire Protection Design Engineer role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Palo Alto

    $117,279

    $56.38

    San Francisco

    $116,999

    $56.25

    Santa Clara

    $116,876

    $56.19

    Sunnyvale

    $116,797

    $56.15

    San Jose

    $116,632

    $56.07

    Daly City

    $115,309

    $55.44

    Santa Cruz

    $114,908

    $55.24

    Oakland

    $114,292

    $54.95

    Richmond

    $114,212

    $54.91

    San Mateo

    $113,349

    $54.49

    What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Fire Protection Design Engineer Jobs in California

    Analyzing similar jobs related to the Fire Protection Design Engineer job category in California, we found 5 that were relevant. However, none pay more than the $98213 state average for Fire Protection Design Engineer jobs.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Protection Engineer

    $116,498

    $56.01

    Cell Site Engineer

    $103,247

    $49.64

    Fire Safety Inspector

    $55,082

    $26.48

    Nicet Iv

    $48,637

    $23.38

    Escape Room Designer

    $31,366

    $15.08

    About Our Data

    ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

    Infographic detailing Fire Protection Design Engineer salary in California as of August 2026. Shows a bar chart with salary percentiles ranging from $81,900 to $134,712 annually, with the California average at $98,213 per year or $47.22 per hour. Includes a list of the top 10 highest paying cities in California for Fire Protection Design Engineer jobs, with Palo Alto leading at $117,279 annually.