How much does a Design Engineer II make in the United States?
As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Design Engineer II in the United States is $86,575 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $42.
However, a Design Engineer II's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $100,379
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $75,761 to $93,800
Key Factors That Influence Design Engineer II Salaries
A Design Engineer II'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 Design Engineer Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a Design Engineer II'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:
How Do Design Engineer II 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 Design Engineer IIs. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
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: $109,197
San Francisco: $108,001
Oakland: $105,725
San Jose, CA$109,197
San Francisco, CA$108,001
Oakland, CA$105,725
New York, NY$99,681
Paramus, NJ$98,469
Queens Village, NY$98,465
Passaic, NJ$98,383
Bergenfield, NJ$98,375
Stamford, CT$98,185
Huntington, NY$98,149
Newark, NJ$97,509
Bridgeport, CT$97,327
Vallejo, CA$97,154
New Brunswick, NJ$97,120
Petaluma, CA$97,068
Middlesex, NJ$96,903
Somerset, NJ$96,843
Santa Cruz, CA$96,730
Boston, MA$96,202
Monterey, CA$95,898
Seattle, WA$95,700
Santa Rosa, CA$95,683
Los Angeles, CA$95,657
Juneau, AK$95,432
Washington, DC$95,336
Orange, CA$95,028
Santa Ana, CA$94,800
Long Beach, CA$94,713
Anaheim, CA$94,696
Anchorage, AK$94,652
Santa Maria, CA$94,393
Everett, WA$94,375
Danbury, CT$94,071
Bremerton, WA$93,951
Tacoma, WA$93,639
New Suffolk, NY$93,638
Sacramento, CA$93,613
Santa Barbara, CA$93,518
Trenton, NJ$93,423
San Diego, CA$93,423
Brockton, MA$93,328
Fairbanks, AK$93,116
Lompoc, CA$92,895
Lowell, MA$92,825
Ventura, CA$92,808
Nashua, NH$92,791
Stockton, CA$92,782
Modesto, CA$92,150
Poughkeepsie, NY$91,960
Olympia, WA$91,795
Kennewick, WA$91,795
New Haven, CT$91,761
Lawrence, MA$91,449
Hartford, CT$91,362
Riverside, CA$91,345
New Bedford, MA$91,259
Richland, WA$91,259
Bakersfield, CA$91,137
San Bernardino, CA$91,103
New Britain, CT$91,094
Atlantic City, NJ$91,094
New London, CT$91,059
Norwich, CT$91,034
Portsmouth, NH$91,016
Boulder, CO$90,833
Portland, OR$90,713
Worcester, MA$90,705
Minneapolis, MN$90,436
Philadelphia, PA$90,315
Honolulu, HI$90,029
Saint Paul, MN$89,988
Vineland, NJ$89,969
Providence, RI$89,718
Chicago, IL$89,467
Bellingham, WA$89,363
Springfield, MA$89,293
Baltimore, MD$89,267
Chico, CA$89,051
Pittsfield, MA$88,817
Manchester, NH$88,653
Spokane, WA$88,272
Denver, CO$88,263
Albany, NY$87,856
Troy, NY$87,822
Nassau, NY$87,729
Schenectady, NY$87,640
Wilmington, DE$87,571
Burlington, VT$87,449
Salem, OR$87,415
Portland, ME$87,146
Yakima, WA$87,060
Rochester, MN$86,791
Reno, NV$86,748
Fresno, CA$86,748
Milwaukee, WI$86,670
Detroit, MI$86,584
Ann Arbor, MI$86,569
Allentown, PA$86,558
Colorado Springs, CO$86,410
Syracuse, NY$86,367
Carson City, NV$86,367
Houston, TX$86,246
Eugene, OR$86,203
Gary, IN$86,099
Springfield, OR$86,029
Bismarck, ND$86,012
Galveston, TX$85,952
Medford, OR$85,822
Fort Collins, CO$85,787
Concord, NH$85,744
Austin, TX$85,718
Mesa, AZ$85,536
Reading, PA$85,527
Phoenix, AZ$85,519
Dallas, TX$85,493
Saint Cloud, MN$85,410
Madison, WI$85,294
Utica, NY$85,060
Rochester, NY$84,921
Des Moines, IA$84,913
Raleigh, NC$84,904
Atlanta, GA$84,774
Battle Creek, MI$84,748
Salt Lake City, UT$84,722
Lancaster, PA$84,592
Harrisburg, PA$84,471
Kansas City, MO$84,385
Champaign, IL$84,367
Kansas City, KS$84,367
Fort Worth, TX$84,359
Columbus, OH$84,344
Boca Raton, FL$84,324
Pittsburgh, PA$84,289
Richmond, VA$84,255
Indianapolis, IN$84,237
Cleveland, OH$84,229
Las Vegas, NV$84,125
Cincinnati, OH$84,125
Petersburg, VA$83,995
Huntsville, AL$83,865
Lansing, MI$83,807
Lebanon, PA$83,796
Pueblo, CO$83,787
Appleton, WI$83,761
Buffalo, NY$83,727
Dayton, OH$83,701
Racine, WI$83,683
Charlotte, NC$83,675
Saint Louis, MO$83,649
York, PA$83,597
Elkhart, IN$83,597
Gastonia, NC$83,580
Billings, MT$83,559
Beaumont, TX$83,536
Lorain, OH$83,519
Benton Harbor, MI$83,501
Toledo, OH$83,484
Binghamton, NY$83,441
Rock Hill, SC$83,432
Rockford, IL$83,389
Springfield, IL$83,354
Elyria, OH$83,346
Fargo, ND$83,346
Flagstaff, AZ$83,285
Fort Lauderdale, FL$83,233
Duluth, MN$83,181
Miami, FL$83,181
Cheyenne, WY$83,121
Grand Forks, ND$83,121
Bangor, ME$82,930
Cedar Rapids, IA$82,835
Durham, NC$82,799
Louisville, KY$82,792
Grand Rapids, MI$82,774
Hialeah, FL$82,766
Casper, WY$82,644
Scranton, PA$82,541
New Orleans, LA$82,515
Virginia Beach, VA$82,506
Akron, OH$82,463
Peoria, IL$82,350
Sarasota, FL$82,333
Nashville, TN$82,272
Omaha, NE$82,272
Green Bay, WI$82,272
Baton Rouge, LA$82,229
Charleston, SC$82,212
Jamestown, NY$82,168
Davenport, IA$82,168
Tucson, AZ$82,125
Saint Petersburg, FL$82,073
Tampa, FL$82,056
Evansville, IN$82,004
Port Arthur, TX$82,004
Bradenton, FL$81,969
Santa Fe, NM$81,813
Orlando, FL$81,657
Clearwater, FL$81,631
Canton, OH$81,450
La Crosse, WI$81,450
Albuquerque, NM$81,398
Newport News, VA$81,389
High Point, NC$81,363
Ogden, UT$81,328
Corpus Christi, TX$81,259
Norfolk, VA$81,207
Laramie, WY$81,207
Rock Island, IL$81,155
Saginaw, MI$81,138
Jacksonville, FL$81,129
Salisbury, NC$81,112
Boise, ID$81,095
Moline, IL$81,051
Fort Myers, FL$81,025
Memphis, TN$81,008
Tulsa, OK$80,965
Waterloo, IA$80,913
Spartanburg, SC$80,826
Lincoln, NE$80,783
Fort Wayne, IN$80,766
Provo, UT$80,757
Cedar Falls, IA$80,653
San Antonio, TX$80,619
Greensboro, NC$80,584
South Bend, IN$80,575
Savannah, GA$80,480
Muskegon, MI$80,445
Birmingham, AL$80,437
Winston Salem, NC$80,394
Lake Charles, LA$80,186
Anderson, IN$80,168
Lexington, KY$80,142
Augusta, GA$80,116
Greenville, SC$80,116
Lima, OH$80,047
Wichita, KS$80,038
Tuscaloosa, AL$80,038
Columbia, SC$79,961
Springfield, OH$79,943
Asheville, NC$79,805
Bloomington, IN$79,744
Knoxville, TN$79,432
Shreveport, LA$79,424
Wilmington, NC$79,311
Roanoke, VA$79,311
Topeka, KS$79,155
Frankfort, KY$79,146
Oklahoma City, OK$79,086
Chillicothe, OH$79,052
Longview, TX$79,043
Melbourne, FL$79,034
Sioux Falls, SD$78,896
Mobile, AL$78,887
Terre Haute, IN$78,852
Altoona, PA$78,800
Amarillo, TX$78,740
Killeen, TX$78,714
Fayetteville, AR$78,645
Chattanooga, TN$78,619
Sioux City, IA$78,541
Idaho Falls, ID$78,523
Lynchburg, VA$78,454
Gainesville, FL$78,342
Portsmouth, OH$78,298
Little Rock, AR$78,281
Lafayette, LA$78,246
Youngstown, OH$78,246
Daytona Beach, FL$78,194
Clarksville, TN$78,186
Pensacola, FL$78,177
Temple, TX$78,171
Hopkinsville, KY$77,917
Erie, PA$77,900
Florence, SC$77,865
Charleston, WV$77,727
Great Falls, MT$77,684
Macon, GA$77,562
Tallahassee, FL$77,554
Fayetteville, NC$77,536
Waco, TX$77,519
Helena, MT$77,459
Pine Bluff, AR$77,426
Vincennes, IN$77,320
Lubbock, TX$77,285
Alamogordo, NM$77,233
Twin Falls, ID$77,156
Rapid City, SD$77,130
Jackson, MS$76,974
Huntington, WV$76,968
Greenville, MS$76,965
Parkersburg, WV$76,877
Montgomery, AL$76,861
Wichita Falls, TX$76,775
Springfield, MO$76,775
Biloxi, MS$76,731
Monroe, LA$76,645
Johnstown, PA$76,584
Sumter, SC$76,550
Columbus, GA$76,541
Pascagoula, MS$76,376
Abilene, TX$76,376
Kingsport, TN$76,151
Albany, GA$76,151
Gulfport, MS$76,125
Alexandria, LA$75,840
Fort Smith, AR$75,623
El Paso, TX$75,389
Las Cruces, NM$75,000
Harlingen, TX$74,780
Pocatello, ID$74,766
Florence, AL$74,654
Brownsville, TX$74,636
Mcallen, TX$74,454
Dothan, AL$74,333
Columbus, MS$73,819
Altus, OK$73,416
Lawton, OK$73,251
Pierre, SD$72,939
What Skills Can Increase a Design Engineer II's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Collaboration (Mentioned in 4.33% Job Postings): Works cooperatively and shares ideas with coworkers and managers to achieve common goals and objectives.
Agile (Mentioned in 2.55% Job Postings): Agile is a development process where feedback is continuously gathered from users to create the best user experience.
Design Thinking (Mentioned in 1.75% Job Postings): Developing software solutions to understand and target customer needs in a repetitive process.
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 Design Engineer II's salary.
Storytelling: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
Product Strategy: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
Information Architecture: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
Design Engineer II Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Design Engineer II roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 80% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Hospitality & Leisure and Construction
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 40% above the average.
In contrast, Design Engineer positions in Insurance or Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Design Engineer II as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a Design Engineer II
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Hospitality & Leisure
$121,205
$58.0
40%
Construction
$112,547
$54.0
30%
Internet
$108,219
$52.0
25%
Aerospace & Defense
$103,890
$50.0
20%
MFG Durable
$99,561
$48.0
15%
How Education impacts a Design Engineer II's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many Design Engineer IIs enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree 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 Design Engineer II with a Bachelor's Degree is between
$88,377
and $92,682).
Design Engineer II Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Design Engineer II'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.
Salaries for a Design Engineer II can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $97,334 in 2023
to around $95,247 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Design Engineer II salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Design Engineer II Over Time
$???
$97,334
$96,614
$95,247
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$97,334
2024
$96,614
2025
$95,247
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Design Engineer II
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Design Engineer II
Here are companies hiring for Design Engineer II and their salaries, click below for more details.
C$128,509/per year
C R Bard IncBiotechnologythe United States
H$124,697/per year
Henry Schein CanadaBiotechnologythe United States
N$123,899/per year
Nordex IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$120,416/per year
Nipro CorpBiotechnologythe United States
E$115,870/per year
EnovisBiotechnologythe United States
A$114,553/per year
Advanced Research Projects Agency - EnergyBiotechnologythe United States
M$112,110/per year
MiniMed IncBiotechnologythe United States
L$111,500/per year
Labcorp Drug DevelopmentBiotechnologythe United States
L$110,229/per year
Life Technologies CorpBiotechnologythe United States
Z$106,224/per year
Zimmer BiometBiotechnologythe United States
P$103,077/per year
Promontory TherapeuticsBiotechnologythe United States
S$102,181/per year
Steris PLCBiotechnologythe United States
G$97,274/per year
Gavin Conferences Pty LtdBiotechnologythe United States
E$94,764/per year
Endeavor BioMedicinesBiotechnologythe United States
R$94,402/per year
Replay Holdings LLCBiotechnologythe United States
P$94,235/per year
Pleno IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$93,666/per year
Simulaids IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$88,880/per year
NOIRLab/CASBiotechnologythe United States
O$86,468/per year
Onward TechnologyBiotechnologythe United States
L$84,895/per year
LED Medical Diagnostics IncBiotechnologythe United States
E$84,682/per year
Eyeco LtdBiotechnologythe United States
P$84,523/per year
PaerosolBiotechnologythe United States
I$83,525/per year
IONIQ Sciences IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$82,815/per year
Stateside PPEBiotechnologythe United States
D$82,041/per year
Digi BioBiotechnologythe United States
Find Your Next Design Engineer II Job
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FAQ about Design Engineer II
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Design Engineer II?
The Hospitality & Leisure industry offers the highest average compensation for Design Engineer II roles,
with salaries approximately 40% 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.
