Development Design Engineer Salary in the United States

How much does a Development Design Engineer make in the United States?

As of January 01, 2026, the average salary for a Development Design Engineer in the United States is $78,909 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $38.

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

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $87,568
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $74,842 to $83,441
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $71,139
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View as table View as graph 25% $74,842 10% $71,139 90% $87,568 75% $83,441 $78,909 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Development Design Engineer Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $83,441 $6,953 $1,605 $40
Average $78,909 $6,576 $1,517 $38
25th Percentile $74,842 $6,237 $1,439 $36
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Key Factors That Influence Development Design Engineer Salaries

A Development Design 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 Development Design Engineer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Development Design 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): $78,908
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $79,337
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $80,437
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $80,656
  • Expert (over 8 years): $80,803
Levels Salary
Entry Level Development Design Engineer$78,908
Intermediate Level Development Design Engineer$79,337
Senior Level Development Design Engineer$80,437
Specialist Level Development Design Engineer$80,656
Expert Level Development Design Engineer$80,803
$78,908 0 yr
$79,337 < 2 yrs
$80,437 2-4 yrs
$80,656 5-8 yrs
$80,803 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

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

  • District of Columbia: $87,367.
  • California: $87,036.
  • Massachusetts: $85,876.

Top Paying Cities for Development Design 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: $99,527
  • San Francisco: $98,549
  • Oakland: $96,363

What Skills Can Increase a Development Design Engineer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Customer Service (Mentioned in 17.02% Job Postings): Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. The perception of success of such interactions is dependent on employees "who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest". Customer service concerns the priority an organization assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. In this sense, an organization that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organization or may proactively interview customers for feedback. From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. One good customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer holds towards the organization.
  • Continuous Improvement (Mentioned in 0.88% Job Postings): A continual improvement process, also often called a continuous improvement process (abbreviated as CIP or CI), is an ongoing effort to improve products, services, or processes. These efforts can seek "incremental" improvement over time or "breakthrough" improvement all at once. Delivery (customer valued) processes are constantly evaluated and improved in the light of their efficiency, effectiveness and flexibility. Some see CIPs as a meta-process for most management systems (such as business process management, quality management, project management, and program management). W. Edwards Deming, a pioneer of the field, saw it as part of the 'system' whereby feedback from the process and customer were evaluated against organisational goals. The fact that it can be called a management process does not mean that it needs to be executed by 'management'; but rather merely that it makes decisions about the implementation of the delivery process and the design of the delivery process itself.
  • CNC (Mentioned in 0.49% Job Postings): Numerical control is the automated control of machining tools by means of a computer. A CNC machine processes a piece of material to meet specifications by following coded programmed instructions
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Customer Service 17.02%
Continuous Improvement 0.88%
CNC 0.49%
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 Development Design Engineer's salary.
  • Square: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
  • Networking: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
  • Brand Design: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Square
$82,854
5%
Networking
$82,854
5%
Brand Design
$82,065
4%
Leadership
$80,487
2%
Innovation
$80,487
2%
Team Operations
$80,487
2%
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How Education impacts a Development Design Engineer's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Development Design Engineers 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 Development Design Engineer with a Bachelor's Degree is between $76,251 and $80,097).

Development Design Engineer Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Development Design Engineer
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 0.3%
High School 5.3%
Associates 10.6%
Bachelors 56.2%
Masters 25.2%
Doctorate 2.5%
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Development Design Engineer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Development Design 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 January 01, 2026

Salary Trends for Development Design Engineer

Salaries for a Development Design Engineer can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $82,798 in 2023 to around $82,160 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Development Design Engineer salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Development Design Engineer Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$82,798
2024
$82,927
2025
$82,160
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $82,798
2024 $82,927
2025 $82,160
2026
View More
2027
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Most common benefits for Development Design Engineer

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Development Design Engineer

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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.)

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