CAD salary: $158K median
The median advertised CAD salary is $158K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $130K to $186K: counted from 1,297 open roles that publish a yearly US-dollar range: about $76 an hour or $13,125 a month. A tenth of the postings offer $214K or more. Advertised ranges, not verified pay.
Check an offer against these figuresAll CAD jobs
$158Kmedian advertised salary
$130K – $186Kmiddle half of roles
$161Kaverage advertised salary
1,297roles counted
CAD salary by level
Senior roles advertise a median of $170K, 67% more than junior roles ($102K). The level comes from the job title; titles without a level word are counted separately.
| Level | Median salary | Middle half | Roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior | $102K | $92K–$118K | 20 |
| Senior | $170K | $158K–$186K | 369 |
| Lead and above | $213K | $188K–$222K | 212 |
| No level in the title | $136K | $115K–$155K | 695 |
CAD salary by location
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸San Francisco Bay Area | $185K | 158 |
| 🇺🇸Seattle, WA | $179K | 88 |
| 🇺🇸Texas | $178K | 19 |
| 🇺🇸California | $162K | 901 |
| 🇺🇸Boston, MA | $162K | 19 |
| 🇺🇸United States | $158K | 1,257 |
| 🇺🇸Denver, CO | $155K | 36 |
| 🇺🇸Los Angeles, CA | $140K | 249 |
Skills that pay more for CAD roles
| Skill | Median with it | Above the median | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sensor fusion | $170K | +$12K | 367 |
| Security clearance | $170K | +$12K | 369 |
| Computer Vision | $170K | +$12K | 378 |
| CATIA | $170K | +$12K | 197 |
| PCB design | $166K | +$8K | 176 |
Top-paying companies
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic | $402K | 3 |
| OpenAI | $272K | 13 |
| Waymo | $257K | 6 |
| Serve Robotics | $248K | 3 |
| Summit Therapeutics | $222K | 3 |
| Shield AI | $214K | 57 |
| Astera Labs | $208K | 7 |
| Zoox | $204K | 8 |
| Reliable Robotics | $198K | 5 |
| Crusoe | $195K | 9 |
| Skydio | $194K | 13 |
| Oura | $188K | 4 |
| 1X | $185K | 20 |
| Figure | $185K | 13 |
| Agility Robotics | $184K | 5 |
| Lightmatter | $184K | 7 |
| Muon Space | $183K | 17 |
| Applied | $182K | 8 |
| Heartflow | $182K | 3 |
| Momentus Space LLC | $181K | 4 |
| Helion | $179K | 4 |
| Rigetti | $178K | 3 |
| Portal Space Systems | $175K | 4 |
| Lucid Motors | $171K | 8 |
| Archer | $171K | 16 |
Highest-paying open CAD roles
All CAD jobs- Silicon EngineerAnthropic · 🇺🇸San Francisco, CA$320K - $485KMachine LearningAnalog designCompilers
- Staff+ Software Engineer, STEMAnthropic · 🇺🇸San Francisco, CA | New York City, NY | Seattle, WA$405K - $485KLead and aboveCAD
- Mechanical Engineer, Hardware SystemsOpenAI · 🇺🇸San Francisco$266K - $455KData centers3D modelingHigh-performance computing
- Founding Software Engineer, Physical EngineeringOpenAI · 🇺🇸San Francisco$347K - $445KHybridOpenAI APICAD
- Principal Thermal Engineer - Aircraft Avionics & Thermal Systems (R3930)Shield AI · 🇺🇸Seattle, WA, US$267K - $400KLead and aboveSecurity clearanceCADAviation
- Head of Industrial DesignWaymo · 🇺🇸Mountain View, CA, US$323K - $399KLead and aboveBrand designRegulatory complianceCAD
- Power Electronics - Principal Electrical Engineer (R4822)Shield AI · 🇺🇸Seattle, WA, US$253K - $380KLead and aboveSecurity clearancePCB designAnalog design
- Head of Indirect Strategic Supply Chain & ProcurementAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$260K - $345KLead and aboveAWSSAPNetSuite
- Principal Propulsion Engineer, Air Vehicles (Air Breathing Engine Integration)Anduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$260K - $345KLead and abovePythonMATLABComputer Vision
- Principal Digital ArchitectLightmatter · 🇺🇸Boston, MA; Mountain View, CA$217K - $325KLead and abovePythonMATLABData centers
- Senior Manager, Hardware Design EngineeringSkydio · 🇺🇸San Mateo, California, United States$230K - $325KSeniorMechatronicsRF engineeringCAD
- Chief EngineerMomentus Space LLC · 🇺🇸San Jose, CA, United States$275K - $325KLead and aboveSecurity clearanceTest planningCAD
- VP of IT Infrastructure & OperationsServe Robotics · 🇺🇸USA (remote)$220K - $320KRemoteLead and aboveMachine LearningAgileComputer Vision
- Senior Manager, Mechanical Engineering - DroneApplied · 🇺🇸Sunnyvale$225K - $310KSeniorCADAviationCNC machining
- Manufacturing Electrical Test EngineerFigure · 🇺🇸San Jose, CA$130K - $300KPythonMechatronicsTest equipment
- Mechanical Engineer - Active CoolingCowboyspace · 🇺🇸Kent, Washington$100K - $300KPower AutomateControl systemsHigh-performance computing
- Mechanical Engineer | Solar Array Deployable StructuresCowboyspace · 🇺🇸Kent, Washington$100K - $300KPower AutomateHigh-performance computingRF engineering
- Lead Structures Design EngineerSwarmaero · Oxnard$180K - $300KLead and aboveCADGD&TFEA
- Mechanical EngineerSunday · 🇺🇸Redwood City, CA$150K - $300KCADCNC machiningSolidWorks
- Lead Mechanical Designer, TurbomachineryValar Atomics · 🇺🇸Torrance, California, United States$200K - $295KLead and aboveCADGD&TSiemens NX
Questions about CAD pay
- What is the average CAD salary?
- $161K a year on average and $158K at the median, across 1,297 open CAD postings at companies that state pay (November 2026). The median is the better guide: a few very high offers pull the average up.
- What is the typical range?
- The middle half of the postings offer $130K to $186K a year. A quarter offer less and a quarter offer more.
- Which companies advertise the highest CAD pay?
- Anthropic ($402K), OpenAI ($272K), Waymo ($257K), by the median of their open postings that state pay (three postings or more).
- Is a cad a high-paying job?
- The median CAD posting advertises $158K a year, less than the median of all 55,899 job postings with pay on Jobs Every Hour ($174K). That is 9% below the middle of the market.
- How much can you earn as a cad?
- A tenth of the postings offer $214K a year or more; the highest open CAD role advertises up to $485K. Pay rises with level: see the table by level.
- What is the CAD salary per hour and per month?
- The median of $158K a year is about $76 an hour (2,080 working hours) and $13,125 a month before tax. The middle half of postings: $62 to $89 an hour.
- Which skills pay more for CAD roles?
- Postings that ask for Sensor fusion (+$12K, 367 postings), Security clearance (+$12K, 369 postings), Computer Vision (+$12K, 378 postings) advertise more than the $158K median of all CAD postings with pay.
- What does an entry-level cad make?
- 21 junior and intern CAD postings state pay, with a median of $101K a year ($49 an hour).
- Where do these figures come from?
- From the pay ranges employers print in their own job postings, read from their careers pages every hour. The midpoint of each range is counted. These are advertised ranges for open roles, mostly in the United States and in US dollars, not what people are actually paid.
Writing about this? A sentence you can quote
The median advertised salary for CAD roles at companies is $158K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $130K to $186K. Counted from 1,297 open job postings that state pay, November 2026. Source: Jobs Every Hour, https://jobseveryhour.com/salaries/cad/
Free to use with the link.