Staff Engineer

Staff Engineer Salary

$23K

$84K

$192.5K

$99,330

/year

$47.75

/hour

Staff Engineer Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$99,330

Columbus

Ohio

$95,943

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    How much does a Staff Engineer make?

    As of Sep 6, 2026, the average annual pay for a Staff Engineer in the United States is $99,330 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $47.75 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,910/week or $8,277/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $192,500 and as low as $23,000, the majority of Staff Engineer salaries currently range between $69,000 (25th percentile) to $125,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $163,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Staff Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 56000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

    A Staff Engineer in your area makes on average $95,943 per year, or $3,387 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $99,330. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Staff Engineer salaries.

    To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Staff Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

    Find your next high paying job as a Staff Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Staff Engineer Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Staff Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Mountlake Terrace, WA, , with Kailua-Kona, HI, and Essex Junction, VT, close behind in the second and third positions. Essex Junction, VT, beats the national average by $44,161 (44.5%), and Mountlake Terrace, WA, furthers that trend with another $53,731 (54.1%) above the $99,330 average.

    With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Staff Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

    Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 15% between Mountlake Terrace, WA, and Cascade County, MT, , 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 Staff Engineer role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Mountlake Terrace, WA

    $153,061

    $73.59

    Kailua-Kona, HI

    $146,168

    $70.27

    Essex Junction, VT

    $143,491

    $68.99

    Surry, VA

    $142,859

    $68.68

    Elkton, MD

    $140,284

    $67.44

    Hillsborough County, NH

    $139,734

    $67.18

    Bountiful, UT

    $136,260

    $65.51

    Fredericksburg, VA

    $135,946

    $65.36

    Worland, WY

    $133,988

    $64.42

    Cascade County, MT

    $130,658

    $62.82

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

    Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Staff Engineer job category, we found that Dynamics 365 jobs have average salaries greater than Staff Engineer jobs.

    Significantly, Dynamics 365 jobs pay $10,726 (10.8%) more than the average Staff Engineer salary of $99,330. If you're qualified, finding work as a Dynamics 365 may help you make more money than that of the average Staff Engineer position.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Dynamics 365

    $110,056

    $52.91

    Production Supervisor

    $70,872

    $34.07

    Environmental Drilling

    $63,549

    $30.55

    Plant Operators

    $46,521

    $22.37

    2Nd Shift Second

    $29,399

    $14.13

    About Our Data

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

    Infographic detailing Staff Engineer salary across the United States as of August 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $99,330 per year or $47.75 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.