FEA salary: $162K median
The median advertised FEA salary is $162K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $132K to $192K: counted from 590 open roles that publish a yearly US-dollar range: about $78 an hour or $13,458 a month. A tenth of the postings offer $225K or more. Advertised ranges, not verified pay.
Check an offer against these figuresAll FEA jobs
$162Kmedian advertised salary
$132K – $192Kmiddle half of roles
$166Kaverage advertised salary
590roles counted
FEA salary by level
Lead roles advertise a median of $214K, 26% more than senior roles ($170K). The level comes from the job title; titles without a level word are counted separately.
| Level | Median salary | Middle half | Roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior | $170K | $160K–$189K | 174 |
| Lead and above | $214K | $192K–$235K | 103 |
| No level in the title | $138K | $118K–$162K | 302 |
FEA salary by location
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸San Francisco Bay Area | $200K | 81 |
| 🇺🇸Denver, CO | $164K | 20 |
| 🇺🇸California | $163K | 428 |
| 🇺🇸United States | $161K | 581 |
| 🇺🇸Seattle, WA | $154K | 57 |
| 🇺🇸Los Angeles, CA | $143K | 152 |
Skills that pay more for FEA roles
| Skill | Median with it | Above the median | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCB design | $181K | +$20K | 74 |
| Sensor fusion | $170K | +$8K | 104 |
| Security clearance | $170K | +$8K | 142 |
| RF engineering | $170K | +$8K | 60 |
| Hardware testing | $170K | +$8K | 65 |
Top-paying companies
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | $316K | 4 |
| Zoox | $246K | 3 |
| Waymo | $219K | 3 |
| DensityAI | $216K | 6 |
| Shield AI | $214K | 29 |
| Applied | $210K | 4 |
| Skydio | $209K | 4 |
| Helion | $208K | 4 |
| Muon Space | $203K | 5 |
| Astranis | $195K | 10 |
| Swarmaero | $190K | 4 |
| 1X | $185K | 6 |
| Figure | $185K | 7 |
| Amca | $185K | 7 |
| Valar Atomics | $178K | 9 |
| Portal Space Systems | $175K | 6 |
| Lightmatter | $174K | 5 |
| Agility Robotics | $172K | 3 |
| Anysignal | $171K | 4 |
| Archer | $171K | 7 |
| Anduril Industries | $170K | 102 |
| Cowboyspace | $170K | 22 |
| Critical Energy | $170K | 3 |
| True Anomaly | $168K | 15 |
| Apex Technology | $168K | 11 |
Highest-paying open FEA roles
All FEA jobs- PCB Layout Engineer, RoboticsOpenAI · 🇺🇸San Francisco$318K - $485KHybridHardware testingHardware interfacesPCB design
- Mechanical Engineer, Hardware SystemsOpenAI · 🇺🇸San Francisco$266K - $455KData centers3D modelingHigh-performance computing
- Data Center Mechanical EngineerAnthropic · 🇺🇸Remote-Friendly, United States$320K - $405KRemoteFEAHVACHydraulics
- Principal Thermal Engineer - Aircraft Avionics & Thermal Systems (R3930)Shield AI · 🇺🇸Seattle, WA, US$267K - $400KLead and aboveSecurity clearanceCADAviation
- Principal Combustion Devices EngineerRocket Lab · 🇺🇸Long Beach, CA$162K - $350KLead and aboveMATLABGD&TFEA
- Principal System Safety EngineerAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$253K - $336KLead and aboveJiraComputer VisionSecurity clearance
- Principal Electrical Engineer - Compute and SensingApptronik · 🇺🇸Sunnyvale, CA$295K - $330KLead and aboveDesign systemsHardware interfacesPCB design
- Senior Staff Engineer, Structural Analysis - Ranger (R6300)Shield AI · 🇺🇸Seattle, WA, US$217K - $325KLead and aboveSecurity clearanceCADFEA
- Senior Combustion Devices Engineer IIRocket Lab · 🇺🇸Long Beach, CA$132K - $320KSeniorMATLABGD&TFEA
- Staff Signal Integrity and Power Integrity Engineer (SI/PI)Zoox · 🇺🇸Foster City, CA$259K - $311KLead and aboveTest equipmentHardware interfacesPCB design
- Senior Manager, Mechanical Engineering - DroneApplied · 🇺🇸Sunnyvale$225K - $310KSeniorCADAviationCNC machining
- Director, Model & SimulationValar Atomics · 🇺🇸Torrance, California, United States$225K - $300KLead and abovePythonHigh-performance computingAviation
- Mechanical Engineer - Active CoolingCowboyspace · 🇺🇸Kent, Washington$100K - $300KPower AutomateControl systemsHigh-performance computing
- Lead Structures Design EngineerSwarmaero · Oxnard$180K - $300KLead and aboveCADGD&TFEA
- Principal Thermal Design EngineerK2 Space · 🇺🇸Los Angeles, CA$175K - $295KLead and abovePythonC++MATLAB
- Director, Mission Systems, Advanced EffectsAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$220K - $292KLead and abovePythonC++MATLAB
- Optomechanical Engineer, StaffTrue Anomaly · 🇺🇸Denver, CO or Long Beach, CA$185K - $285KLead and aboveOpticsCADGD&T
- Lead Noise, Vibration, and Harshness (NVH) EngineerWaymo · 🇺🇸Mountain View, California, USA$230K - $284KLead and aboveTest equipmentDSPFEA
- Senior Validation & SI Correlation EngineerSambaNova · 🇺🇸San Jose, California, United States$210K - $280KSeniorPythonPerlPandas
- Sr. High-Speed Electro-Optical IC Engineer (RFIC Engineering)SpaceX · 🇺🇸Palo Alto, CA$175K - $280KSeniorFirmwareTest equipmentOptics
Questions about FEA pay
- What is the average FEA salary?
- $166K a year on average and $162K at the median, across 590 open FEA 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 $132K to $192K a year. A quarter offer less and a quarter offer more.
- Which companies advertise the highest FEA pay?
- OpenAI ($316K), Zoox ($246K), Waymo ($219K), by the median of their open postings that state pay (three postings or more).
- Is a fea a high-paying job?
- The median FEA posting advertises $162K a year, less than the median of all 55,899 job postings with pay on Jobs Every Hour ($174K). That is 7% below the middle of the market.
- How much can you earn as a fea?
- A tenth of the postings offer $225K a year or more; the highest open FEA role advertises up to $485K. Pay rises with level: see the table by level.
- What is the FEA salary per hour and per month?
- The median of $162K a year is about $78 an hour (2,080 working hours) and $13,458 a month before tax. The middle half of postings: $64 to $93 an hour.
- Which skills pay more for FEA roles?
- Postings that ask for PCB design (+$20K, 74 postings), Sensor fusion (+$8K, 104 postings), Security clearance (+$8K, 142 postings) advertise more than the $162K median of all FEA postings with pay.
- What does an entry-level fea make?
- 11 junior and intern FEA postings state pay, with a median of $115K a year ($55 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 FEA roles at companies is $162K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $132K to $192K. Counted from 590 open job postings that state pay, November 2026. Source: Jobs Every Hour, https://jobseveryhour.com/salaries/fea/
Free to use with the link.