Mechanical Engineer salary: $156K median
From 376 open roles that publish a yearly US-dollar range. Advertised ranges, not verified pay.
$156Kmedian advertised salary
$122K – $185Kmiddle half of roles
$160Kaverage advertised salary
376roles counted
Mechanical Engineer salary by level
Lead roles advertise a median of $203K, 25% more than senior roles ($162K). The level comes from the job title; titles without a level word are counted separately.
| Level | Median salary | Middle half | Roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior | $162K | $155K–$179K | 104 |
| Lead and above | $203K | $178K–$222K | 59 |
| No level in title | $130K | $116K–$162K | 204 |
Mechanical Engineer salary by location
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸San Francisco Bay Area | $185K | 73 |
| 🇺🇸California | $162K | 251 |
| 🇺🇸Denver | $160K | 19 |
| 🇺🇸United States | $156K | 367 |
| 🇺🇸Los Angeles | $140K | 83 |
| 🇺🇸Seattle | $118K | 28 |
Top-paying companies
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| Lambda | $390K | 3 |
| OpenAI | $282K | 8 |
| DensityAI | $215K | 3 |
| Endurance Energy | $210K | 3 |
| Saildrone | $204K | 3 |
| 1X | $198K | 6 |
| Meade | $197K | 3 |
| Muon Space | $193K | 11 |
| Zoox | $186K | 5 |
| Figure | $185K | 5 |
| Ridealso | $180K | 3 |
| Crusoe | $178K | 3 |
| Pacific Fusion | $176K | 12 |
| MaticRobots | $175K | 3 |
| DoorDash USA | $172K | 5 |
| Astranis | $171K | 12 |
| Lucid Motors | $171K | 3 |
| Sila | $171K | 3 |
| Gravitics, Inc | $170K | 3 |
| Whoop | $168K | 5 |
| Salient Motion | $168K | 5 |
| Formenergy | $161K | 23 |
| Radiant Industries | $160K | 14 |
| Rocket Lab | $150K | 18 |
| Agility Robotics | $148K | 4 |
Highest-paying open Mechanical Engineer roles
All mechanical engineer jobs- Staff Mechanical EngineerLambda · 🇺🇸San Francisco Office (Fremont St)$314K - $465KLeadMachine Learning
- Staff Mechanical Engineer - Data Center CoolingLambda · 🇺🇸San Francisco Office (Fremont St)$349K - $465KLeadMachine Learning
- Mechanical Engineer, Hardware SystemsOpenAI · 🇺🇸San Francisco$266K - $455K
- Thermal EngineerOpenAI · 🇺🇸San Francisco$266K - $445K
- Data Center Mechanical EngineerAnthropic · 🇺🇸Remote-Friendly, United States$320K - $405KRemote
- Mechanical / Optomechanical EngineerOratomic · Pasadena$200K - $350K
- Staff Mechanical Engineer, Fluid SystemsRadiant Industries · 🇺🇸El Segundo, CA$200K - $314KLeadPythonMATLAB
- Principal Mechanical Design Engineer, TurbomachineryRadiant Industries · 🇺🇸El Segundo, CA$200K - $314KLead
- Principal Mechanical EngineerClera · 🇺🇸San Francisco$235K - $305KLead
- Mechanical Engineer - Actuators1X · 🇺🇸San Carlos, CA$175K - $285K
- Optomechanical Engineer, StaffTrue Anomaly · 🇺🇸Denver, CO or Long Beach, CA$185K - $285KLead
- Thermal Engineer (Senior or Staff)True Anomaly · 🇺🇸Denver, CO; Long Beach, CA$160K - $285KLead
- Mechanical EngineerWaymo · PERM - N/A$270K - $284K
- Staff Thermal EngineerCoreWeave · 🇺🇸New York, NY$188K - $275KLead
- Director, Mechanical SourcingOura · 🇺🇸Hybrid - San Francisco, California$231K - $272KLead
- Senior Structures EngineerPacific Fusion · 🇺🇸San Leandro, CA$176K - $266KSenior
- Principal Manufacturing Engineer (Avionics / Electromechanical / Harnessing)Varda Space Industries · 🇺🇸El Segundo, California, United States$182K - $263KLead
- Director, Global Supply Management - MechanicalsSkydio · 🇺🇸San Mateo, California, United States$184K - $262KLead
- Mechanical Engineer, SystemsDensityAI · 🇺🇸Mountain View, California, United States$170K - $260K
- Senior Mechanical Engineer - ClosuresZoox · 🇺🇸Foster City, CA$195K - $256KSeniorPythonMachine LearningMATLAB
Questions about Mechanical Engineer pay
- What is the average Mechanical Engineer salary?
- $160K a year on average and $156K at the median, across 376 open Mechanical Engineer postings at tech 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 $122K to $185K a year. A quarter offer less and a quarter offer more.
- Which companies advertise the highest Mechanical Engineer pay?
- Lambda ($390K), OpenAI ($282K), DensityAI ($215K), by the median of their open postings that state pay (three postings or more).
- 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 Mechanical Engineer roles at tech companies is $156K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $122K to $185K. Counted from 376 open job postings that state pay, November 2026. Source: Hiring Right Now, https://jobseveryhour.com/salaries/mechanical-engineer/
Free to use with the link.