Data current as of August 2026 · sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET
Yearly Monthly Biweekly Weekly Hourly
Average base salary, Hawaii
$107,000 / year
≈ $8,900 per month · $51.44 per hour
Location United States (national) Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Or metro area Metro area… Abilene, TX Akron, OH Alaska nonmetropolitan area Albany, GA Albany, OR Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Altoona, PA Amarillo, TX Ames, IA Amherst Town-Northampton, MA Anchorage, AK Ann Arbor, MI Anniston-Oxford, AL Appleton, WI Arizona nonmetropolitan area Asheville, NC Athens-Clarke County, GA Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ Auburn-Opelika, AL Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Bakersfield-Delano, CA Balance of Nevada nonmetropolitan area Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Bangor, ME Barnstable Town, MA Baton Rouge, LA Battle Creek, MI Bay City, MI Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX Bellingham, WA Bend, OR Billings, MT Binghamton, NY Birmingham, AL Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA Bloomington, IL Bloomington, IN Boise City, ID Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Boulder, CO Bowling Green, KY Bozeman, MT Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Brownsville-Harlingen, TX Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY Burlington, NC Burlington-South Burlington, VT Canton-Massillon, OH Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL Cape Girardeau, MO-IL Capital/Northern New York nonmetropolitan area Carson City, NV Casper, WY Cedar Rapids, IA Central East New York nonmetropolitan area Central Indiana nonmetropolitan area Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area Central Missouri nonmetropolitan area Central New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area Central Oregon nonmetropolitan area Central Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area Chambersburg, PA Champaign-Urbana, IL Charleston, WV Charleston-North Charleston, SC Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Charlottesville, VA Chattanooga, TN-GA Cheyenne, WY Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Chico, CA Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN Clarksville, TN-KY Cleveland, OH Coast Oregon nonmetropolitan area Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area Coeur d'Alene, ID College Station-Bryan, TX Colorado Springs, CO Columbia, MO Columbia, SC Columbus, GA-AL Columbus, IN Columbus, OH Connecticut nonmetropolitan area Corpus Christi, TX Corvallis, OR Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Dalton, GA Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH Decatur, AL Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Dothan, AL Dover, DE Duluth, MN-WI Durham-Chapel Hill, NC East Arkansas nonmetropolitan area East Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area East Georgia nonmetropolitan area East North Dakota nonmetropolitan area East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area East Tennessee nonmetropolitan area East-Central Montana nonmetropolitan area Eastern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area Eastern North Carolina nonmetropolitan area Eastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area Eastern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area Eastern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area Eau Claire, WI El Paso, TX Elizabethtown, KY Elkhart-Goshen, IN Elmira, NY Erie, PA Eugene-Springfield, OR Evansville, IN Fairbanks-College, AK Fargo, ND-MN Fayetteville, NC Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR Flagstaff, AZ Flint, MI Florence, SC Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL Fond du Lac, WI Fort Collins-Loveland, CO Fort Smith, AR-OK Fort Wayne, IN Fresno, CA Gainesville, FL Gainesville, GA Glens Falls, NY Goldsboro, NC Grand Forks, ND-MN Grand Junction, CO Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI Greeley, CO Green Bay, WI Greensboro-High Point, NC Greenville, NC Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC Gulfport-Biloxi, MS Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT Hattiesburg, MS Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH Huntsville, AL Idaho Falls, ID Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN Iowa City, IA Ithaca, NY Jackson, MI Jackson, MS Jackson, TN Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville, NC Janesville-Beloit, WI Jefferson City, MO Johnson City, TN Johnstown, PA Jonesboro, AR Joplin, MO-KS Kalamazoo-Portage, MI Kankakee, IL Kansas City, MO-KS Kansas nonmetropolitan area Kennewick-Richland, WA Kenosha, WI Killeen-Temple, TX Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA Kingston, NY Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY Knoxville, TN Kokomo, IN La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN Lafayette, LA Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN Lake Charles, LA Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL Lancaster, PA Lansing-East Lansing, MI Las Cruces, NM Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV Lawrence, KS Lebanon, PA Lewiston, ID-WA Lexington Park, MD Lexington-Fayette, KY Lima, OH Lincoln, NE Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR Logan, UT-ID Longview, TX Longview-Kelso, WA Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN Lower East Mississippi nonmetropolitan area Lower West Mississippi nonmetropolitan area Lubbock, TX Lynchburg, VA Macon-Bibb County, GA Madison, WI Manchester-Nashua, NH Manhattan, KS Mankato, MN Mansfield, OH Maryland nonmetropolitan area Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX Medford, OR Memphis, TN-MS-AR Merced, CA Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Michigan City-La Porte, IN Mid Michigan nonmetropolitan area Middle Georgia nonmetropolitan area Midland, MI Midland, TX Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Missoula, MT Mobile, AL Modesto, CA Monroe, LA Monroe, MI Montgomery, AL Morgantown, WV Morristown, TN Muncie, IN Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC Napa, CA Naples-Marco Island, FL Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN New Haven, CT New Orleans-Metairie, LA New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Niles, MI North Arkansas nonmetropolitan area North Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area North Florida nonmetropolitan area North Georgia nonmetropolitan area North Missouri nonmetropolitan area North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL North Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area Northeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area Northeast Maine nonmetropolitan area Northeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area Northeast Nebraska nonmetropolitan area Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area Northeast Virginia nonmetropolitan area Northeastern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area Northeastern South Carolina nonmetropolitan area Northeastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area Northern Michigan nonmetropolitan area Northern New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area Northern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area Northwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area Northwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area Northwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area Northwestern Idaho nonmetropolitan area Northwestern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area Northwestern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area Northwestern South Carolina nonmetropolitan area Northwestern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area Ocala, FL Odessa, TX Ogden, UT Oklahoma City, OK Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA Omaha, NE-IA Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Oshkosh-Neenah, WI Owensboro, KY Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA Paducah, KY-IL Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL Parkersburg-Vienna, WV Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL Peoria, IL Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC Pittsburgh, PA Pittsfield, MA Port St. Lucie, FL Portland-South Portland, ME Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT Pueblo, CO Punta Gorda, FL Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI Raleigh-Cary, NC Rapid City, SD Reading, PA Redding, CA Reno, NV Richmond, VA Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Roanoke, VA Rochester, MN Rochester, NY Rockford, IL Rocky Mount, NC Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA Saginaw, MI Salem, OR Salinas, CA Salt Lake City-Murray, UT San Angelo, TX San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA Sandusky, OH Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA Savannah, GA Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL Sheboygan, WI Sherman-Denison, TX Shreveport-Bossier City, LA Sioux City, IA-NE-SD Sioux Falls, SD-MN Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA South Arkansas nonmetropolitan area South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area South Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area South Georgia nonmetropolitan area South Illinois nonmetropolitan area South Nebraska nonmetropolitan area Southeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area Southeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area Southeast Missouri nonmetropolitan area Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area Southeast-Central Idaho nonmetropolitan area Southern Indiana nonmetropolitan area Southern Michigan nonmetropolitan area Southern Ohio nonmetropolitan area Southern South Carolina nonmetropolitan area Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area Southern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area Southside Virginia nonmetropolitan area Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area Southwest Louisiana nonmetropolitan area Southwest Maine nonmetropolitan area Southwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area Southwest Missouri nonmetropolitan area Southwest New York nonmetropolitan area Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area Southwestern New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area Southwestern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area Spartanburg, SC Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA Springfield, IL Springfield, MA Springfield, MO Springfield, OH St. Cloud, MN St. George, UT St. Louis, MO-IL State College, PA Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA Stockton-Lodi, CA Sumter, SC Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area Syracuse, NY Tallahassee, FL Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Terre Haute, IN Texarkana, TX-AR Toledo, OH Topeka, KS Traverse City, MI Trenton-Princeton, NJ Tucson, AZ Tulsa, OK Tuscaloosa, AL Twin Falls, ID Tyler, TX Upper East Mississippi nonmetropolitan area Upper Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area Urban Honolulu, HI Utica-Rome, NY Vallejo, CA Vineland, NJ Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC Visalia, CA Waco, TX Walla Walla, WA Warner Robins, GA Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Waterbury-Shelton, CT Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA Watertown-Fort Drum, NY Wausau, WI Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA West Arkansas nonmetropolitan area West Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area West Delta Mississippi nonmetropolitan area West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area West Montana nonmetropolitan area West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area West Tennessee nonmetropolitan area Western Washington nonmetropolitan area Western Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area Wheeling, WV-OH Wichita Falls, TX Wichita, KS Williamsport, PA Wilmington, NC Winchester, VA-WV Winston-Salem, NC Worcester, MA Yakima, WA York-Hanover, PA Youngstown-Warren, OH Yuba City, CA Yuma, AZ BLS May 2025 state data for Hawaii · median $102,000
25th percentile$89,000 Average$107,000 75th percentile$124,000
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (occupation group), with detailed role definition from O*NET, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Automotive Engineer salary by state
What Automotive Engineers do
Typical education: Bachelor's Degree
Conduct or direct system-level automotive testing.
Provide technical direction to other engineers or engineering support personnel.
Perform failure, variation, or root cause analyses.
Calibrate vehicle systems, including control algorithms or other software systems.
Design or analyze automobile systems in areas such as aerodynamics, alternate fuels, ergonomics, hybrid power, brakes, transmissions, steering, calibration, safety, or diagnostics.
Top skills: Critical Thinking Complex Problem Solving Reading Comprehension Writing Speaking Mathematics
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Automotive Engineer pay by experience level
Entry level $76,500
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career $87,000
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced $108,000
Mid-career median pay
Senior $137,000
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners $170,000
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
+9.1%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
18,100
projected openings per year
Growing faster than average
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Automotive Engineer salary by industry
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
94,960 workers
$123,500 Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services
60,610 workers
$118,000 Machinery Manufacturing
41,730 workers
$105,500 Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
31,460 workers
$119,000 Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only)
29,420 workers
$104,000 Scientific Research and Development Services
21,390 workers
$139,500 Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
18,290 workers
$121,500 Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS
15,210 workers
$126,500 Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods
14,740 workers
$110,500 Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
14,590 workers
$100,500
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
How this role compares
Automotive Engineer pays 9% above the average across 59 roles in the Architecture and Engineering job family (family average $108,000).
Similar-paying roles in Architecture and Engineering
Careers related to Automotive Engineer
Related occupations from O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Automotive Engineer make?
The average base salary for a Automotive Engineer in the United States is $117,500 per year, or about $56.49 per hour.
What is the typical salary range?
Pay typically falls between $87,000 and $137,000 per year (25th to 75th percentile) depending on experience, location, industry, and organization size.
How does this compare with other Architecture and Engineering roles?
The Architecture and Engineering job family averages $108,000 across 59 roles tracked by WePayFairly.
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