Propulsion Engineer salary: $162K median
The median advertised Propulsion Engineer salary is $162K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $130K to $190K: counted from 253 open roles that publish a yearly US-dollar range: about $78 an hour or $13,458 a month. A tenth of the postings offer $224K or more. Advertised ranges, not verified pay.
Check an offer against these figuresAll propulsion engineer jobs
$162Kmedian advertised salary
$130K – $190Kmiddle half of roles
$164Kaverage advertised salary
253roles counted
Propulsion Engineer salary by level
Lead roles advertise a median of $205K, 23% more than senior roles ($167K). The level comes from the job title; titles without a level word are counted separately.
| Level | Median salary | Middle half | Roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior | $167K | $160K–$193K | 90 |
| Lead and above | $205K | $186K–$256K | 48 |
| No level in the title | $130K | $115K–$143K | 113 |
Propulsion Engineer salary by location
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸California | $164K | 205 |
| 🇺🇸United States | $162K | 251 |
| 🇺🇸Los Angeles, CA | $144K | 92 |
Skills that pay more for Propulsion Engineer roles
| Skill | Median with it | Above the median | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security clearance | $193K | +$32K | 38 |
Top-paying companies
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| Roblox | $269K | 4 |
| Radiant Industries | $257K | 6 |
| True Anomaly | $200K | 13 |
| Amca | $200K | 3 |
| Anduril Industries | $194K | 20 |
| Valar Atomics | $178K | 8 |
| Apex Technology | $176K | 12 |
| Cowboyspace | $175K | 3 |
| Antares | $168K | 4 |
| Relativity Space | $165K | 30 |
| Inversion | $165K | 3 |
| Arbor Energy | $162K | 3 |
| Rocket Lab | $162K | 25 |
| Varda Space Industries | $160K | 10 |
| K2 Space | $158K | 7 |
| Vast | $150K | 8 |
| Shield AI | $148K | 3 |
| Stoke Space | $145K | 4 |
| Voyager Technologies, Inc. | $145K | 9 |
| Hermeus | $143K | 5 |
| BETA Technologies | $135K | 3 |
| SpaceX | $115K | 38 |
| Ursa Major | $115K | 10 |
Highest-paying open Propulsion Engineer roles
All propulsion engineer jobs- Principal Propulsion EngineerRocket Lab · 🇺🇸Long Beach, CA$162K - $351KLead and aboveTest planningHydraulics
- Principal Combustion Devices EngineerRocket Lab · 🇺🇸Long Beach, CA$162K - $350KLead and aboveMATLABGD&TFEA
- Principal Software Engineer, Engine SystemsRoblox · 🇺🇸San Mateo, CA, United States$295K - $345KLead and aboveC++
- Principal Propulsion Engineer, Air Vehicles (Air Breathing Engine Integration)Anduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$260K - $345KLead and abovePythonMATLABComputer Vision
- Principal Propulsion Engineer, Air Vehicles (Solid Rocket Motor Integration)Anduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$260K - $345KLead and abovePythonMATLABComputer Vision
- Senior Electrical Engineer II, Power & PropulsionNeros Technologies · 🇺🇸Torrance, California, United States$225K - $315KSenior
- Staff Turbomachinery EngineerRadiant Industries · 🇺🇸El Segundo, CA$200K - $314KLead and above
- Principal Turbomachinery EngineerRadiant Industries · 🇺🇸El Segundo, CA$200K - $314KLead and above
- Head of Turbomachinery TechnologyFreeform · 🇺🇸Los Angeles, CA$200K - $300KLead and above
- Senior Software Engineer, Engine SystemsRoblox · 🇺🇸San Mateo, CA, United States$243K - $295KSeniorRustC++C#
- Lead Mechanical Designer, TurbomachineryValar Atomics · 🇺🇸Torrance, California, United States$200K - $295KLead and aboveCADGD&TSiemens NX
- Engineering Manager, Propulsion Vehicle SubsystemTrue Anomaly · 🇺🇸Denver, CO; Long Beach, CA$165K - $290KSecurity clearance
- Staff Propulsion Analyst, Engine PerformanceTrue Anomaly · 🇺🇸Denver, CO or Long Beach, CA$185K - $280KLead and abovePythonMATLABSecurity clearance
- Senior Electric Motor Propulsion EngineerSkydio · 🇺🇸San Mateo, California, United States$170K - $278KHybridSeniorTest planningControl systemsAviation
- Principal Turbomachinery Engineer, Turbine DevelopmentRelativity Space · 🇺🇸Colorado, USA$185K - $277KLead and aboveAgile
- Senior Manager, Turbomachinery EngineeringRelativity Space · 🇺🇸Long Beach, California, United States$184K - $276KSenior
- Propulsion Manufacturing ManagerAstro Mechanica · 🇺🇸San Francisco$200K - $275K
- Propulsion Design Reliability EngineerVast · 🇺🇸Long Beach, California, United States$162K - $265KPythonTableauMATLAB
- Propulsion Structures EngineerVast · 🇺🇸Long Beach, California, United States$138K - $265KTest planningCADGD&T
- Principal Manufacturing Engineer (Propulsion)Varda Space Industries · 🇺🇸El Segundo, California, United States$182K - $263KLead and aboveTest equipmentCNC machiningBlueprint reading
Questions about Propulsion Engineer pay
- What is the average Propulsion Engineer salary?
- $164K a year on average and $162K at the median, across 253 open Propulsion Engineer 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 $190K a year. A quarter offer less and a quarter offer more.
- Which companies advertise the highest Propulsion Engineer pay?
- Roblox ($269K), Radiant Industries ($257K), True Anomaly ($200K), by the median of their open postings that state pay (three postings or more).
- Is a propulsion engineer a high-paying job?
- The median Propulsion Engineer 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 propulsion engineer?
- A tenth of the postings offer $224K a year or more; the highest open Propulsion Engineer role advertises up to $351K. Pay rises with level: see the table by level.
- What is the Propulsion Engineer 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: $62 to $91 an hour.
- Which skills pay more for Propulsion Engineer roles?
- Postings that ask for Security clearance (+$32K, 38 postings) advertise more than the $162K median of all Propulsion Engineer postings with pay.
- 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 Propulsion Engineer roles at companies is $162K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $130K to $190K. Counted from 253 open job postings that state pay, November 2026. Source: Jobs Every Hour, https://jobseveryhour.com/salaries/propulsion-engineer/
Free to use with the link.