Machine Design Engineer

Machine Design Engineer Salary

$45.5K

$87.5K

$137K

$91,578

/year

$44.03

/hour

Machine Design Engineer Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$91,578

Columbus

Ohio

$88,455

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    How much does a Machine Design Engineer make?

    As of May 28, 2026, the average annual pay for a Machine Design Engineer in the United States is $91,578 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $44.03 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,761/week or $7,631/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $137,000 and as low as $45,500, the majority of Machine Design Engineer salaries currently range between $76,000 (25th percentile) to $103,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $122,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Machine Design Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 27000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

    A Machine Design Engineer in your area makes on average $88,455 per year, or $3,123 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $91,578. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Machine Design Engineer salaries.

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

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Machine Design Engineer Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Machine Design Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Nome, AK, , with Cupertino, CA, and Berkeley, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Berkeley, CA, beats the national average by $20,554 (22.4%), and Nome, AK, furthers that trend with another $22,024 (24.0%) above the $91,578 average.

    With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Machine 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 5% between Nome, AK, and Santa Clara, 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 Machine Design Engineer role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Nome, AK

    $113,602

    $54.62

    Cupertino, CA

    $112,984

    $54.32

    Berkeley, CA

    $112,132

    $53.91

    Sitka, AK

    $110,322

    $53.04

    Wyoming, WY

    $109,218

    $52.51

    Sunnyvale, CA

    $108,951

    $52.38

    Mountain View, CA

    $107,977

    $51.91

    Palo Alto, CA

    $107,924

    $51.89

    San Francisco, CA

    $107,895

    $51.87

    Santa Clara, CA

    $107,553

    $51.71

    What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Machine Design Engineer Jobs in the U.S.

    We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Machine Design Engineer category.

    For example Principal Mechanical Design Engineer jobs pay as much as $53,497 (58.4%) more than the average Machine Design Engineer salary of $91,578. If you're qualified, finding work as a Principal Mechanical Design Engineer may help you make more money than that of the average Machine Design Engineer position.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Principal Mechanical Design Engineer

    $145,075

    $69.75

    System Design Engineer

    $118,589

    $57.01

    Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

    $108,560

    $52.19

    Cfd Analyst

    $99,157

    $47.67

    Mechanical Design Engineer I

    $91,578

    $44.03

    About Our Data

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

    Infographic detailing Machine Design Engineer salary across the United States as of May 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $91,578 per year or $44.03 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.