What are the main factors that influence a Rocket Engineer's salary?

The primary factors are: 1) Experience Level, 2) Geographic Location, 3) Education/Skills, 4) Company Size & Industry

How does experience change A Rocket Engineer's salary?

A Rocket Engineer's salary grows with experience: a Workforce Analyst I (2-4 years)earns $79,000, a Rocket Engineer (4-7 years)earns $96,272, a Workforce Analyst III (7+ years)earns $111,378, a Workforce Analytics Manager (7+ years)earns $115,081, a Workforce Analytics Senior Manager (7+ years)earns $180,369,

What are the highest paying states for a Rocket Engineer?

Rocket Engineer salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Rocket Engineer roles are District of Columbia $104,183, California $103,788, Massachusetts $102,404. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of Rocket Engineer roles make?

Salaries for Rocket Engineer level roles vary by specialization: Rocket Surgeon: $219,492; Engineer VI: $187,050; Rocket Scientist: $107,991; Rocket Propulsion Engineer: $97,248; Ceramics Engineer: $90,411.

How do different companies affect a Rocket Engineer's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for Rocket Engineer roles. Large, established industry leaders like C R Bard Inc ($128,509) and Henry Schein Canada ($124,697) offer base salaries 35-40% above the national average. In contrast, smaller firms or startups may offer closer to $82,041.

Rocket Engineer Salary in the United States

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

As of June 01, 2026, the average salary for a Rocket Engineer in the United States is $94,096 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $45.

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

Top Earners (90th percentile): $108,501
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $83,653 to $101,636
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $74,144

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Rocket Engineer Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$101,636	$8,470	$1,955	$49
Average	$94,096	$7,841	$1,810	$45
25th Percentile	$83,653	$6,971	$1,609	$40

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Check out Rocket Engineer Job Openings in the United States

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Exxel Pacific - BELLEVUE, WA

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jub.com - LA GRANDE, OR

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Key Factors That Influence Rocket Engineer Salaries

A Rocket 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 and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Rocket Engineer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Rocket 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): $79,000
Early Career (1-2 years): $96,272
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $111,378
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $115,081
Expert (over 8 years): $180,369

Levels	Salary
Workforce... Level Rocket Engineer	$79,000
Rocket En... Level Rocket Engineer	$96,272
Workforce... Level Rocket Engineer	$111,378
Workforce... Level Rocket Engineer	$115,081
Workforce... Level Rocket Engineer	$180,369

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What Am I Worth?

How Do Rocket 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 Rocket Engineers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

District of Columbia: $104,183.
California: $103,788.
Massachusetts: $102,404.

District of Columbia $104,183 California $103,788 Massachusetts $102,404 Washington $102,028 New Jersey $101,990 Alaska $101,859 Connecticut $100,560 New York $100,033

Hawaii $98,349 Rhode Island $97,559 Maryland $97,022 Minnesota $96,288 Colorado $96,006 Illinois $95,912 Oregon $95,554 Delaware $95,291

New Hampshire $95,125 Virginia $94,754 Pennsylvania $93,672 Nevada $93,127 North Dakota $92,948 Michigan $92,666 Wisconsin $92,562 Vermont $92,355

Texas $91,781 Maine $91,743 Arizona $91,687 Ohio $91,621 Georgia $90,755 Indiana $90,323 Wyoming $90,238 Utah $90,106

Iowa $90,050 Kansas $89,598 Louisiana $89,466 North Carolina $89,419 Missouri $89,400 Florida $89,033 Montana $88,836 Nebraska $88,648

Kentucky $88,544 South Carolina $88,168 Tennessee $87,933 Idaho $87,838 New Mexico $87,152 Oklahoma $87,001 Alabama $86,446 South Dakota $85,514

Arkansas $85,006 West Virginia $84,733 Mississippi $83,915

Top Paying Cities for Rocket 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: $118,683
San Francisco: $117,384
Oakland: $114,910

San Jose, CA $118,683

San Francisco, CA $117,384

Oakland, CA $114,910

New York, NY $108,341

Paramus, NJ $107,024

Queens Village, NY $107,019

Passaic, NJ $106,930

Bergenfield, NJ $106,921

Stamford, CT $106,714

Huntington, NY $106,675

Newark, NJ $105,980

Bridgeport, CT $105,782

Vallejo, CA $105,594

New Brunswick, NJ $105,557

Petaluma, CA $105,500

Middlesex, NJ $105,321

Somerset, NJ $105,256

Santa Cruz, CA $105,133

Boston, MA $104,559

Monterey, CA $104,229

Seattle, WA $104,013

Santa Rosa, CA $103,995

Los Angeles, CA $103,966

Juneau, AK $103,722

Washington, DC $103,618

Orange, CA $103,283

Santa Ana, CA $103,035

Long Beach, CA $102,941

Anaheim, CA $102,922

Anchorage, AK $102,875

Santa Maria, CA $102,593

Everett, WA $102,574

Danbury, CT $102,243

Bremerton, WA $102,113

Tacoma, WA $101,774

New Suffolk, NY $101,772

Sacramento, CA $101,746

Santa Barbara, CA $101,642

Trenton, NJ $101,539

San Diego, CA $101,539

Brockton, MA $101,435

Fairbanks, AK $101,205

Lompoc, CA $100,965

Lowell, MA $100,889

Ventura, CA $100,871

Nashua, NH $100,852

Stockton, CA $100,842

Modesto, CA $100,156

Poughkeepsie, NY $99,949

Olympia, WA $99,770

Kennewick, WA $99,770

New Haven, CT $99,732

Lawrence, MA $99,393

Hartford, CT $99,299

Riverside, CA $99,280

New Bedford, MA $99,186

Richland, WA $99,186

Bakersfield, CA $99,055

San Bernardino, CA $99,017

New Britain, CT $99,008

Atlantic City, NJ $99,008

New London, CT $98,970

Norwich, CT $98,942

Portsmouth, NH $98,923

Boulder, CO $98,723

Portland, OR $98,594

Worcester, MA $98,584

Minneapolis, MN $98,292

Philadelphia, PA $98,161

Honolulu, HI $97,850

Saint Paul, MN $97,805

Vineland, NJ $97,784

Providence, RI $97,511

Chicago, IL $97,239

Bellingham, WA $97,126

Springfield, MA $97,050

Baltimore, MD $97,022

Chico, CA $96,787

Pittsfield, MA $96,533

Manchester, NH $96,354

Spokane, WA $95,940

Denver, CO $95,931

Albany, NY $95,488

Troy, NY $95,451

Nassau, NY $95,350

Schenectady, NY $95,253

Wilmington, DE $95,178

Burlington, VT $95,046

Salem, OR $95,009

Portland, ME $94,717

Yakima, WA $94,623

Rochester, MN $94,331

Reno, NV $94,284

Fresno, CA $94,284

Milwaukee, WI $94,199

Detroit, MI $94,105

Ann Arbor, MI $94,089

Allentown, PA $94,077

Colorado Springs, CO $93,917

Syracuse, NY $93,870

Carson City, NV $93,870

Houston, TX $93,738

Eugene, OR $93,691

Gary, IN $93,578

Springfield, OR $93,503

Bismarck, ND $93,484

Galveston, TX $93,418

Medford, OR $93,277

Fort Collins, CO $93,240

Concord, NH $93,192

Austin, TX $93,164

Mesa, AZ $92,967

Reading, PA $92,957

Phoenix, AZ $92,948

Dallas, TX $92,920

Saint Cloud, MN $92,829

Madison, WI $92,703

Utica, NY $92,449

Rochester, NY $92,299

Des Moines, IA $92,289

Raleigh, NC $92,280

Atlanta, GA $92,139

Battle Creek, MI $92,110

Salt Lake City, UT $92,082

Lancaster, PA $91,941

Harrisburg, PA $91,809

Kansas City, MO $91,715

Champaign, IL $91,696

Kansas City, KS $91,696

Fort Worth, TX $91,687

Columbus, OH $91,671

Boca Raton, FL $91,649

Pittsburgh, PA $91,612

Richmond, VA $91,574

Indianapolis, IN $91,555

Cleveland, OH $91,546

Las Vegas, NV $91,433

Cincinnati, OH $91,433

Petersburg, VA $91,292

Huntsville, AL $91,151

Lansing, MI $91,088

Lebanon, PA $91,075

Pueblo, CO $91,066

Appleton, WI $91,038

Buffalo, NY $91,000

Dayton, OH $90,972

Racine, WI $90,953

Charlotte, NC $90,944

Saint Louis, MO $90,915

York, PA $90,859

Elkhart, IN $90,859

Gastonia, NC $90,841

Billings, MT $90,818

Beaumont, TX $90,793

Lorain, OH $90,774

Benton Harbor, MI $90,755

Toledo, OH $90,737

Binghamton, NY $90,690

Rock Hill, SC $90,680

Rockford, IL $90,633

Springfield, IL $90,595

Elyria, OH $90,586

Fargo, ND $90,586

Flagstaff, AZ $90,520

Fort Lauderdale, FL $90,464

Duluth, MN $90,407

Miami, FL $90,407

Cheyenne, WY $90,341

Grand Forks, ND $90,341

Bangor, ME $90,134

Cedar Rapids, IA $90,031

Durham, NC $89,991

Louisville, KY $89,984

Grand Rapids, MI $89,965

Hialeah, FL $89,956

Casper, WY $89,824

Scranton, PA $89,711

New Orleans, LA $89,683

Virginia Beach, VA $89,673

Akron, OH $89,626

Peoria, IL $89,504

Sarasota, FL $89,485

Nashville, TN $89,419

Omaha, NE $89,419

Green Bay, WI $89,419

Baton Rouge, LA $89,372

Charleston, SC $89,353

Jamestown, NY $89,306

Davenport, IA $89,306

Tucson, AZ $89,259

Saint Petersburg, FL $89,203

Tampa, FL $89,184

Evansville, IN $89,128

Port Arthur, TX $89,128

Bradenton, FL $89,090

Santa Fe, NM $88,921

Orlando, FL $88,751

Clearwater, FL $88,723

Canton, OH $88,525

La Crosse, WI $88,525

Albuquerque, NM $88,469

Newport News, VA $88,459

High Point, NC $88,431

Ogden, UT $88,394

Corpus Christi, TX $88,318

Norfolk, VA $88,262

Laramie, WY $88,262

Rock Island, IL $88,205

Saginaw, MI $88,187

Jacksonville, FL $88,177

Salisbury, NC $88,158

Boise, ID $88,140

Moline, IL $88,092

Fort Myers, FL $88,064

Memphis, TN $88,045

Tulsa, OK $87,998

Waterloo, IA $87,942

Spartanburg, SC $87,848

Lincoln, NE $87,801

Fort Wayne, IN $87,782

Provo, UT $87,773

Cedar Falls, IA $87,660

San Antonio, TX $87,622

Greensboro, NC $87,584

South Bend, IN $87,575

Savannah, GA $87,471

Muskegon, MI $87,434

Birmingham, AL $87,424

Winston Salem, NC $87,378

Lake Charles, LA $87,152

Anderson, IN $87,133

Lexington, KY $87,104

Augusta, GA $87,076

Greenville, SC $87,076

Lima, OH $87,001

Wichita, KS $86,992

Tuscaloosa, AL $86,992

Columbia, SC $86,907

Springfield, OH $86,888

Asheville, NC $86,738

Bloomington, IN $86,672

Knoxville, TN $86,333

Shreveport, LA $86,323

Wilmington, NC $86,201

Roanoke, VA $86,201

Topeka, KS $86,032

Frankfort, KY $86,021

Oklahoma City, OK $85,957

Chillicothe, OH $85,919

Longview, TX $85,909

Melbourne, FL $85,900

Sioux Falls, SD $85,750

Mobile, AL $85,740

Terre Haute, IN $85,702

Altoona, PA $85,646

Amarillo, TX $85,580

Killeen, TX $85,552

Fayetteville, AR $85,477

Chattanooga, TN $85,448

Sioux City, IA $85,364

Idaho Falls, ID $85,345

Lynchburg, VA $85,270

Gainesville, FL $85,147

Portsmouth, OH $85,100

Little Rock, AR $85,081

Lafayette, LA $85,044

Youngstown, OH $85,044

Daytona Beach, FL $84,987

Clarksville, TN $84,978

Pensacola, FL $84,969

Temple, TX $84,962

Hopkinsville, KY $84,686

Erie, PA $84,667

Florence, SC $84,630

Charleston, WV $84,479

Great Falls, MT $84,432

Macon, GA $84,300

Tallahassee, FL $84,291

Fayetteville, NC $84,272

Waco, TX $84,253

Helena, MT $84,188

Pine Bluff, AR $84,152

Vincennes, IN $84,037

Lubbock, TX $83,999

Alamogordo, NM $83,943

Twin Falls, ID $83,858

Rapid City, SD $83,830

Jackson, MS $83,661

Huntington, WV $83,654

Greenville, MS $83,651

Parkersburg, WV $83,555

Montgomery, AL $83,538

Wichita Falls, TX $83,444

Springfield, MO $83,444

Biloxi, MS $83,397

Monroe, LA $83,303

Johnstown, PA $83,237

Sumter, SC $83,200

Columbus, GA $83,190

Pascagoula, MS $83,011

Abilene, TX $83,011

Kingsport, TN $82,767

Albany, GA $82,767

Gulfport, MS $82,738

Alexandria, LA $82,428

Fort Smith, AR $82,193

El Paso, TX $81,939

Las Cruces, NM $81,515

Harlingen, TX $81,276

Pocatello, ID $81,261

Florence, AL $81,139

Brownsville, TX $81,120

Mcallen, TX $80,922

Dothan, AL $80,791

Columbus, MS $80,232

Altus, OK $79,793

Lawton, OK $79,614

Pierre, SD $79,276

What Skills Can Increase a Rocket Engineer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

Scheduling (Mentioned in 16.98% Job Postings): Scheduling is the process of arranging, controlling and optimizing work and workloads in a production process or manufacturing process.
Logistics (Mentioned in 1.92% Job Postings): In a general business sense, logistics is the management of the flow of things between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of customers or corporations.
Administrative Support (Mentioned in 1.15% Job Postings): Administrative support means technical assistance, studies, surveys, or securing volunteers to assist the department in fulfilling its administrative responsibilities.

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Scheduling	16.98%
Logistics	1.92%
Administrative Support	1.15%

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 Rocket Engineer's salary.

Acute Care: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
Flexibility: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
Sense Of Urgency: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Acute Care	$98,801	5%
Flexibility	$97,860	4%
Sense Of Urgency	$96,919	3%
Innovation	$96,919	3%
Leadership	$96,919	3%
Upselling	$95,978	2%

Get Latest Data

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

Understanding how a Rocket 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 June 01, 2026

$83,653

Average $94,096/year

$101,636

$6,971

Average $7,841/month

$8,470

$1,609

Average $1,810/week

$1,955

$40

Average $45/hour

$49

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$101,636	$8,470	$1,955	$49
Average	$94,096	$7,841	$1,810	$45
25th Percentile	$83,653	$6,971	$1,609	$40

Salaries of jobs related to Rocket Engineer

Salary Trends for Rocket Engineer

Salaries for a Rocket Engineer can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $100,900 in 2023 to around $100,391 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Rocket Engineer salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Rocket Engineer Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$100,900

2024

$101,131

2025

$100,391

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$100,900
2024	$101,131
2025	$100,391
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for Rocket Engineer

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