Senior Engineer
Senior Engineer Salary
$59.5K - $71K
1% of jobs
$71K - $82.5K
4% of jobs
$82.5K - $94K
8% of jobs
$104.8K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$94K - $105.5K
13% of jobs
$105.5K - $117K
16% of jobs
The median wage is $121.8K / yr.
$117K - $128.5K
19% of jobs
$128.5K - $140K
13% of jobs
$141.6K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$140K - $151.5K
11% of jobs
$151.5K - $163K
7% of jobs
$163K - $174.5K
5% of jobs
$174.5K - $186K
4% of jobs
$59.5K
$120K
$184K
$126,557
/year
$60.84
/hour
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How much does a Senior Engineer make?
As of Aug 19, 2026, the average annual pay for a Senior Engineer in the United States is $126,557 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $60.84 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,433/week or $10,546/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $184,000 and as low as $59,500, the majority of Senior Engineer salaries currently range between $104,500 (25th percentile) to $143,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $168,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Senior Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 39000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Senior Engineer in your area makes on average $0 per year, or $126,557 (100.000%) less than the national average annual salary of $126,557. Ohio ranks number 31 out of 50 states nationwide for Senior Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Senior Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Senior Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Senior Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Senior Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Soledad, CA, , with Mineral, VA, and Portola Valley, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Portola Valley, CA, beats the national average by $49,838 (39.4%), and Soledad, CA, furthers that trend with another $62,760 (49.6%) above the $126,557 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Senior Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
However, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies modestly at 18% between Soledad, CA, and Barrow, AK, , 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 Senior Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Soledad, CA | $189,317 | $91.02 |
Mineral, VA | $183,935 | $88.43 |
Portola Valley, CA | $176,395 | $84.81 |
Two Rivers, WI | $170,770 | $82.10 |
Campbell, CA | $164,686 | $79.18 |
Scotts Valley, CA | $163,777 | $78.74 |
South San Francisco, CA | $161,962 | $77.87 |
Felton, CA | $160,889 | $77.35 |
Emerald Lake, BC | $160,823 | $77.32 |
Barrow, AK | $157,661 | $75.80 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Senior Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Senior Engineer job category, we found that Industrial Systems Engineer jobs have average salaries similar than Senior Engineer jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Industrial Systems Engineer | $110,216 | $52.99 |
Mechanical Energy Engineer | $101,250 | $48.68 |
Freelance Electrical Design Engineer | $101,072 | $48.59 |
Automotive Programmer | $82,234 | $39.54 |
Engineering Drafting | $52,344 | $25.17 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
