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Highway Designer Salary in the United States

How much does a Highway Designer make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Highway Designer in the United States is $87,938 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $42.

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

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $105,451
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $80,578 to $97,105
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $73,877
Salary Factors Salary-Boosting Skills Salary by Experience Related Job Salaries Top Paying Cities Explore Related Jobs

Key Factors That Influence Highway Designer Salaries

A Highway Designer'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 Highway Designer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Highway Designer'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): $72,650
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $88,449
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $103,674
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $121,436
  • Expert (over 8 years): $145,029
Levels Salary
Civil Eng... Level Highway Designer$72,650
Highway D... Level Highway Designer$88,449
Civil Eng... Level Highway Designer$103,674
Civil Eng... Level Highway Designer$121,436
Civil Eng... Level Highway Designer$145,029
View as Graph

How Do Highway Designer 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 Highway Designers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $97,365.
  • California: $96,996.
  • Massachusetts: $95,703.

Top Paying Cities for Highway Designers

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: $110,916
  • San Francisco: $109,702
  • Oakland: $107,390

What Skills Can Increase a Highway Designer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Analysis (Mentioned in 4.64% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
  • AWS (Mentioned in 3.48% Job Postings): Amazon Web Services, Inc. is a subsidiary of Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computing platforms and APIs to individuals, companies, and governments, on a metered pay-as-you-go basis.
  • DevOps (Mentioned in 1.41% Job Postings): Automating and integrating the efforts of IT operations and development teams to deliver software applications faster.
Skills Demand Percentage
Analysis 4.64%
AWS 3.48%
DevOps 1.41%
See More Skills

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 Highway Designer's salary.

  • Networking: Can increase your salary by up to 13%.
  • Linux: Can increase your salary by up to 12%.
  • VMware: Can increase your salary by up to 12%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Networking $99,370
13%
Linux $98,491
12%
VMware $98,491
12%
Get Latest Data

Highway Designer Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Highway Designer roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 45% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Financial Services and Software & Networking sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 20% above the average. In contrast, Highway Designer positions in Hospitality & Leisure or Retail & Wholesale typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Highway Designer as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Highway Designer

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Financial Services$105,526$51.020%
Software & Networking$105,526$51.020%
Biotechnology$101,129$49.015%
Internet$101,129$49.015%
Energy & Utilities$96,732$47.010%

How Education impacts a Highway Designer's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Highway Designers 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 Highway Designer with a Bachelor's Degree is between $91,311 and $96,726).

Highway Designer Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Highway Designer
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 0.1%
High School 0.4%
Associates 0.8%
Bachelors 65.8%
Masters 28.9%
Doctorate 4.0%
View as Graph

Highway Designer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Highway Designer'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
$80,578
Average $87,938/year
$97,105
$6,715
Average $7,328/month
$8,092
$1,550
Average $1,691/week
$1,867
$39
Average $42/hour
$47
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $97,105 $8,092 $1,867 $47
Average $87,938 $7,328 $1,691 $42
25th Percentile $80,578 $6,715 $1,550 $39

Most common benefits for Highway Designer

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

Common company salaries for Highway Designer

Here are companies hiring for Highway Designer and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Highway Designer

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Highway Designer?

The Financial Services industry offers the highest average compensation for Highway Designer 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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