Foundation Engineer Salary in the United States

How much does a Foundation Engineer make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Foundation Engineer in the United States is $75,523 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $36.

However, a Foundation Engineer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $83,888
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $66,586 to $79,901
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $58,450

Key Factors That Influence Foundation Engineer Salaries

A Foundation Engineer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Foundation Engineer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Foundation Engineer's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $77,384
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $91,424
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $100,582
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $122,133
  • Expert (over 8 years): $141,968
Levels Salary
Foundatio... Level Foundation Engineer$77,384
Metallurg... Level Foundation Engineer$91,424
Metallurg... Level Foundation Engineer$100,582
Metallurg... Level Foundation Engineer$122,133
Metallurg... Level Foundation Engineer$141,968

How Do Foundation Engineer Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Foundation Engineers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $83,619.
  • California: $83,301.
  • Massachusetts: $82,191.

Top Paying Cities for Foundation Engineers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $95,257
  • San Francisco: $94,214
  • Oakland: $92,228

What Skills Can Increase a Foundation Engineer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Analysis (Mentioned in 15.51% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
  • ISO (Mentioned in 2.14% Job Postings): The International Organization for Standardization is an international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries.
  • Environmental Compliance (Mentioned in 1.51% Job Postings): Environmental Compliance means conforming to environmental laws, regulations, standards and other requirements such as site permits to operate. In recent years, environmental concerns have led to a significant increase in the number and scope of compliance imperatives across all global regulatory environments. Being closely related, environmental concerns and compliance activities are increasingly being aligned with corporate performance goals and being integrated to some extent to avoid conflicts, wasteful overlaps, and gaps. Compliance with the above requirements and obligations, requires meeting certain conditions. Typically, these include: Managing monitoring programmes or schedules, ensuring that the monitoring required in the permit has been done, at the correct locations, for the correct parameters, and at the correct frequency Pre-processing, performing calculations and validating the data for compliance with any alert or reporting levels Generating routine compliance reports for authorities.
Skills Demand Percentage
Analysis 15.51%
ISO 2.14%
Environmental Compliance 1.51%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Foundation Engineer's salary.

  • Dedication: Can increase your salary by up to 10%.
  • Coaching: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
  • Planning: Can increase your salary by up to 2%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Dedication $83,075
10%
Coaching $77,788
3%
Planning $77,033
2%

Foundation Engineer Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Foundation Engineer roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 35% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Financial Services and MFG Durable sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 20% above the average. In contrast, Foundation Engineer positions in MFG Nondurable or Energy & Utilities typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Foundation Engineer as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Foundation Engineer

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Financial Services$90,627$44.020%
MFG Durable$79,299$38.05%

How Education impacts a Foundation Engineer's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Foundation Engineers enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Foundation Engineer with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between $76,939 and $82,315).

Foundation Engineer Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Foundation Engineer
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 3.3%
High School 50.0%
Associates 3.3%
Bachelors 50.0%
Masters 36.7%
Doctorate 10.0%

Foundation Engineer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Foundation Engineer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$66,586
Average $75,523/year
$79,901
$5,549
Average $6,294/month
$6,658
$1,281
Average $1,452/week
$1,537
$32
Average $36/hour
$38
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $79,901 $6,658 $1,537 $38
Average $75,523 $6,294 $1,452 $36
25th Percentile $66,586 $5,549 $1,281 $32

Most common benefits for Foundation Engineer

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Foundation Engineer

Here are companies hiring for Foundation Engineer and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Foundation Engineer

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Foundation Engineer?

The Financial Services industry offers the highest average compensation for Foundation Engineer roles, with salaries approximately 20% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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