How much do Engineering jobs pay?

$124,500 to $207,500 for the middle half, median $162,500, from 20,544 paid postings from 3,824 employers that state pay. That is above the $140,000 median for all professional postings. It is advertised pay, not what people are paid.

Is Engineering pay higher or lower once the job mix is matched?

With function, level and industry matched, advertised pay is +18.2% (about $24.5k a year) against other functions.

How does Engineering pay change with level?

Entry level: $101,500; Early career: $122,000; Mid-level: $165,000; Senior individual contributor: $182,000; Manager: $200,000; Director: $220,000; VP and above: $250,000.

Engineering salaries: what engineering jobs advertise

Name: Advertised pay in Engineering (function) on U.S. professional job postings
Creator: NextChapter

Engineering postings that state pay run $124,500 to $207,500 for the middle half, median $162,500, from 20,544 paid postings from 3,824 employers. With function, level and industry matched, pay is +18.2% (about $24.5k a year) against other functions.

Is this what you're looking for?

Answer a few questions and we'll show how engineering fits your background: matched jobs, a plain-language market read and a weekly plan. Free. No résumé needed.

Yes, build my plan Not sure yet

By Justin KullaLast updated November 3, 2026

Engineering pay range

From 20,544 paid postings from 3,824 employers. Annual, in US dollars.

Lower quarter: $124,500
Median: $162,500
Upper quarter: $207,500

The median for all professional postings is $140,000, so Engineering is above it. With function, level and industry matched, Engineering pay is +18.2% (about $24.5k a year) against other functions.

Engineering pay by level

Levels with at least 30 paid postings from 8 employers.

Engineering advertised pay by level
Group	Median	Middle half	Gap	Postings	Employers
Entry level	$101,500	$82,000 to $129,000	n/a	795	382
Early career	$122,000	$100,000 to $153,500	n/a	5,527	1,777
Mid-level	$165,000	$135,000 to $200,000	n/a	4,402	1,209
Senior individual contributor	$182,000	$149,500 to $222,000	n/a	7,067	1,872
Manager	$200,000	$161,500 to $243,000	n/a	1,863	748
Director	$220,000	$170,000 to $267,500	n/a	782	492
VP and above	$250,000	$190,000 to $300,000	n/a	108	93

Skills that go with higher Engineering pay

Skills listed on 50 or more paid postings from 10 employers in this function, by median pay.

Skills in Engineering postings by median pay
Skill	Median pay listing it	Raw gap	Gap, job mix matched	Postings	Employers
PyTorch	$235,000	+41.2%	+14.9%	617	228
TensorFlow	$232,000	+38.6%	n/a	230	116
A/B Testing	$187,500	+11.9%	n/a	315	189
Reconciliation	$159,000	−5.2%	−2%	1,104	565

Compare with other functions

The groups ranked just above and below by median.

All 21 functions · 20,544 postings in this one

Questions about this data

How much do Engineering jobs pay?: $124,500 to $207,500 for the middle half, median $162,500, from 20,544 paid postings from 3,824 employers that state pay. That is above the $140,000 median for all professional postings. It is advertised pay, not what people are paid.
Is Engineering pay higher or lower once the job mix is matched?: With function, level and industry matched, advertised pay is +18.2% (about $24.5k a year) against other functions.
How does Engineering pay change with level?: Entry level: $101,500; Early career: $122,000; Mid-level: $165,000; Senior individual contributor: $182,000; Manager: $200,000; Director: $220,000; VP and above: $250,000.

Method, download and how to cite

Data as of November 3, 2026. Rebuilt daily.

Pay is the midpoint of the range an employer posted (or stated in the posting text), converted to a year, on live U.S. professional jobs. It is advertised pay, not what anyone is paid.

A “gap, job mix matched” compares postings inside cells of the same function, level and industry, so a group is not credited for simply holding more senior or better-paid roles. It needs 150 or more postings across at least 5 cells with 15 postings on each side, and is shown as n/a otherwise. A gap is a difference in advertised pay between postings. It does not show that a skill, an industry or an employer size causes higher pay.

Download the CSV (aggregates only; no posting, employer or person is in it). Cite as: NextChapter, “Advertised pay in Engineering (function) on U.S. professional job postings”, data as of November 3, 2026, https://launchyournextchapter.com/resources/pay-data/function/engineering

See also the AI skills salary premium, which uses the same method for AI skills only, and the salary by job title pages.

More pay data

The job market, once a week

One email every Tuesday with the week's most useful read on the job market and the search, plus occasional news from NextChapter. No account needed. Unsubscribe any time.

Do you want this for your own search?

A free account turns this page into your plan: a plain-language read on engineering, jobs matched to you and a weekly action plan.

Yes, start free

Not ready for an account? Get a first-week plan by email.

Question 1

Where are you right now?

Why we ask: a laid-off week and a thinking-about-a-move week look nothing alike. No résumé, no account.