Lead Mechanical Design Engineer Salary in the United States
How much does a Lead Mechanical Design Engineer make in the United States?
As of October 01, 2026, the average salary for a Lead Mechanical Design Engineer in the United States is $56,982 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $27.
However, a Lead Mechanical Design Engineer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $71,788
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $53,083 to $64,732
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $49,534
10%$49,534
50% (Median)$56,982
90%$71,788
Lead Mechanical Design Engineer Salaries by Percentile
Key Factors That Influence Lead Mechanical Design Engineer Salaries
A Lead Mechanical Design Engineer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how geographic location, education
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Do Lead Mechanical 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 Lead Mechanical Design Engineers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
District of Columbia: $63,090.
California: $62,851.
Massachusetts: $62,013.
District of Columbia$63,090
California$62,851
Massachusetts$62,013
Washington$61,785
New Jersey$61,762
Alaska$61,682
Connecticut$60,896
New York$60,577
Hawaii$59,557
Rhode Island$59,078
Maryland$58,754
Minnesota$58,309
Colorado$58,138
Illinois$58,081
Oregon$57,865
Delaware$57,705
New Hampshire$57,605
Virginia$57,380
Pennsylvania$56,725
Nevada$56,395
North Dakota$56,286
Michigan$56,115
Wisconsin$56,053
Vermont$55,927
Texas$55,580
Maine$55,557
Arizona$55,523
Ohio$55,483
Georgia$54,959
Indiana$54,697
Wyoming$54,645
Utah$54,565
Iowa$54,531
Kansas$54,258
Louisiana$54,178
North Carolina$54,150
Missouri$54,138
Florida$53,916
Montana$53,796
Nebraska$53,682
Kentucky$53,620
South Carolina$53,392
Tennessee$53,249
Idaho$53,192
New Mexico$52,776
Oklahoma$52,685
Alabama$52,349
South Dakota$51,785
Arkansas$51,477
West Virginia$51,312
Mississippi$50,816
Top Paying Cities for Lead Mechanical 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: $71,871
San Francisco: $71,084
Oakland: $69,586
San Jose, CA$71,871
San Francisco, CA$71,084
Oakland, CA$69,586
New York, NY$65,608
Paramus, NJ$64,810
Queens Village, NY$64,807
Passaic, NJ$64,753
Bergenfield, NJ$64,748
Stamford, CT$64,623
Huntington, NY$64,599
Newark, NJ$64,178
Bridgeport, CT$64,058
Vallejo, CA$63,945
New Brunswick, NJ$63,922
Petaluma, CA$63,888
Middlesex, NJ$63,779
Somerset, NJ$63,740
Santa Cruz, CA$63,665
Boston, MA$63,318
Monterey, CA$63,118
Seattle, WA$62,987
Santa Rosa, CA$62,976
Los Angeles, CA$62,959
Juneau, AK$62,811
Washington, DC$62,748
Orange, CA$62,545
Santa Ana, CA$62,395
Long Beach, CA$62,338
Anaheim, CA$62,326
Anchorage, AK$62,298
Santa Maria, CA$62,127
Everett, WA$62,116
Danbury, CT$61,915
Bremerton, WA$61,836
Tacoma, WA$61,631
New Suffolk, NY$61,630
Sacramento, CA$61,614
Santa Barbara, CA$61,551
Trenton, NJ$61,489
San Diego, CA$61,489
Brockton, MA$61,426
Fairbanks, AK$61,286
Lompoc, CA$61,141
Lowell, MA$61,095
Ventura, CA$61,084
Nashua, NH$61,073
Stockton, CA$61,067
Modesto, CA$60,651
Poughkeepsie, NY$60,526
Olympia, WA$60,417
Kennewick, WA$60,417
New Haven, CT$60,395
Lawrence, MA$60,190
Hartford, CT$60,133
Riverside, CA$60,121
New Bedford, MA$60,064
Richland, WA$60,064
Bakersfield, CA$59,984
San Bernardino, CA$59,962
New Britain, CT$59,956
Atlantic City, NJ$59,956
New London, CT$59,933
Norwich, CT$59,916
Portsmouth, NH$59,905
Boulder, CO$59,784
Portland, OR$59,705
Worcester, MA$59,700
Minneapolis, MN$59,523
Philadelphia, PA$59,443
Honolulu, HI$59,255
Saint Paul, MN$59,228
Vineland, NJ$59,215
Providence, RI$59,050
Chicago, IL$58,885
Bellingham, WA$58,816
Springfield, MA$58,771
Baltimore, MD$58,754
Chico, CA$58,611
Pittsfield, MA$58,457
Manchester, NH$58,349
Spokane, WA$58,098
Denver, CO$58,093
Albany, NY$57,825
Troy, NY$57,802
Nassau, NY$57,741
Schenectady, NY$57,682
Wilmington, DE$57,637
Burlington, VT$57,557
Salem, OR$57,534
Portland, ME$57,358
Yakima, WA$57,301
Rochester, MN$57,124
Reno, NV$57,095
Fresno, CA$57,095
Milwaukee, WI$57,044
Detroit, MI$56,987
Ann Arbor, MI$56,978
Allentown, PA$56,970
Colorado Springs, CO$56,873
Syracuse, NY$56,845
Carson City, NV$56,845
Houston, TX$56,765
Eugene, OR$56,736
Gary, IN$56,668
Springfield, OR$56,623
Bismarck, ND$56,611
Galveston, TX$56,571
Medford, OR$56,486
Fort Collins, CO$56,463
Concord, NH$56,434
Austin, TX$56,417
Mesa, AZ$56,298
Reading, PA$56,292
Phoenix, AZ$56,286
Dallas, TX$56,269
Saint Cloud, MN$56,215
Madison, WI$56,138
Utica, NY$55,984
Rochester, NY$55,893
Des Moines, IA$55,887
Raleigh, NC$55,882
Atlanta, GA$55,796
Battle Creek, MI$55,779
Salt Lake City, UT$55,762
Lancaster, PA$55,677
Harrisburg, PA$55,597
Kansas City, MO$55,540
Champaign, IL$55,528
Kansas City, KS$55,528
Fort Worth, TX$55,523
Columbus, OH$55,513
Boca Raton, FL$55,500
Pittsburgh, PA$55,477
Richmond, VA$55,454
Indianapolis, IN$55,443
Cleveland, OH$55,437
Las Vegas, NV$55,369
Cincinnati, OH$55,369
Petersburg, VA$55,283
Huntsville, AL$55,198
Lansing, MI$55,160
Lebanon, PA$55,152
Pueblo, CO$55,147
Appleton, WI$55,130
Buffalo, NY$55,107
Dayton, OH$55,090
Racine, WI$55,078
Charlotte, NC$55,073
Saint Louis, MO$55,056
York, PA$55,021
Elkhart, IN$55,021
Gastonia, NC$55,011
Billings, MT$54,997
Beaumont, TX$54,981
Lorain, OH$54,970
Benton Harbor, MI$54,959
Toledo, OH$54,947
Binghamton, NY$54,919
Rock Hill, SC$54,913
Rockford, IL$54,885
Springfield, IL$54,862
Elyria, OH$54,856
Fargo, ND$54,856
Flagstaff, AZ$54,816
Fort Lauderdale, FL$54,782
Duluth, MN$54,748
Miami, FL$54,748
Cheyenne, WY$54,708
Grand Forks, ND$54,708
Bangor, ME$54,583
Cedar Rapids, IA$54,520
Durham, NC$54,496
Louisville, KY$54,491
Grand Rapids, MI$54,480
Hialeah, FL$54,474
Casper, WY$54,395
Scranton, PA$54,326
New Orleans, LA$54,309
Virginia Beach, VA$54,303
Akron, OH$54,275
Peoria, IL$54,201
Sarasota, FL$54,189
Nashville, TN$54,150
Omaha, NE$54,150
Green Bay, WI$54,150
Baton Rouge, LA$54,121
Charleston, SC$54,110
Jamestown, NY$54,081
Davenport, IA$54,081
Tucson, AZ$54,053
Saint Petersburg, FL$54,018
Tampa, FL$54,007
Evansville, IN$53,973
Port Arthur, TX$53,973
Bradenton, FL$53,950
Santa Fe, NM$53,848
Orlando, FL$53,745
Clearwater, FL$53,728
Canton, OH$53,608
La Crosse, WI$53,608
Albuquerque, NM$53,574
Newport News, VA$53,568
High Point, NC$53,551
Ogden, UT$53,528
Corpus Christi, TX$53,483
Norfolk, VA$53,449
Laramie, WY$53,449
Rock Island, IL$53,414
Saginaw, MI$53,403
Jacksonville, FL$53,397
Salisbury, NC$53,386
Boise, ID$53,375
Moline, IL$53,346
Fort Myers, FL$53,329
Memphis, TN$53,318
Tulsa, OK$53,289
Waterloo, IA$53,255
Spartanburg, SC$53,198
Lincoln, NE$53,169
Fort Wayne, IN$53,158
Provo, UT$53,152
Cedar Falls, IA$53,084
San Antonio, TX$53,061
Greensboro, NC$53,038
South Bend, IN$53,033
Savannah, GA$52,970
Muskegon, MI$52,947
Birmingham, AL$52,942
Winston Salem, NC$52,914
Lake Charles, LA$52,776
Anderson, IN$52,765
Lexington, KY$52,748
Augusta, GA$52,731
Greenville, SC$52,731
Lima, OH$52,685
Wichita, KS$52,679
Tuscaloosa, AL$52,679
Columbia, SC$52,628
Springfield, OH$52,617
Asheville, NC$52,526
Bloomington, IN$52,486
Knoxville, TN$52,281
Shreveport, LA$52,275
Wilmington, NC$52,201
Roanoke, VA$52,201
Topeka, KS$52,098
Frankfort, KY$52,092
Oklahoma City, OK$52,053
Chillicothe, OH$52,030
Longview, TX$52,024
Melbourne, FL$52,018
Sioux Falls, SD$51,927
Mobile, AL$51,922
Terre Haute, IN$51,899
Altoona, PA$51,865
Amarillo, TX$51,825
Killeen, TX$51,808
Fayetteville, AR$51,762
Chattanooga, TN$51,745
Sioux City, IA$51,694
Idaho Falls, ID$51,682
Lynchburg, VA$51,637
Gainesville, FL$51,563
Portsmouth, OH$51,534
Little Rock, AR$51,523
Lafayette, LA$51,500
Youngstown, OH$51,500
Daytona Beach, FL$51,466
Clarksville, TN$51,460
Pensacola, FL$51,454
Temple, TX$51,450
Hopkinsville, KY$51,283
Erie, PA$51,272
Florence, SC$51,249
Charleston, WV$51,158
Great Falls, MT$51,129
Macon, GA$51,050
Tallahassee, FL$51,044
Fayetteville, NC$51,033
Waco, TX$51,021
Helena, MT$50,981
Pine Bluff, AR$50,960
Vincennes, IN$50,890
Lubbock, TX$50,867
Alamogordo, NM$50,833
Twin Falls, ID$50,782
Rapid City, SD$50,765
Jackson, MS$50,662
Huntington, WV$50,658
Greenville, MS$50,657
Parkersburg, WV$50,598
Montgomery, AL$50,588
Wichita Falls, TX$50,531
Springfield, MO$50,531
Biloxi, MS$50,503
Monroe, LA$50,446
Johnstown, PA$50,406
Sumter, SC$50,383
Columbus, GA$50,377
Pascagoula, MS$50,269
Abilene, TX$50,269
Kingsport, TN$50,121
Albany, GA$50,121
Gulfport, MS$50,104
Alexandria, LA$49,916
Fort Smith, AR$49,773
El Paso, TX$49,619
Las Cruces, NM$49,363
Harlingen, TX$49,218
Pocatello, ID$49,209
Florence, AL$49,135
Brownsville, TX$49,124
Mcallen, TX$49,004
Dothan, AL$48,924
Columbus, MS$48,586
Altus, OK$48,320
Lawton, OK$48,212
Pierre, SD$48,007
What Skills Can Increase a Lead Mechanical Design Engineer's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Analysis (Mentioned in 4.85% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
Microsoft Office (Mentioned in 2.93% Job Postings): Microsoft Office is a suite of desktop productivity applications that is designed by Microsoft for business use. You can create documents containing text and images, work with data in spreadsheets and databases, create presentations and posters.
Installation (Mentioned in 1.79% Job Postings): The action or process of installing someone or something, or of being installed. the act of installing the state of being installed, something that is installed for use.
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 Lead Mechanical Design Engineer's salary.
Mechanical Engineering: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
Presentation: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
Design Engineering: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
Lead Mechanical Design Engineer Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Lead Mechanical Design Engineer roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 40% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Construction and Media
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 20% above the average.
In contrast, Lead Mechanical Design Engineer positions in Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit or MFG Durable typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Lead Mechanical Design Engineer as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a Lead Mechanical Design Engineer
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Construction
$68,378
$33.0
20%
Media
$65,529
$32.0
15%
Aerospace & Defense
$63,819
$31.0
12%
Energy & Utilities
$62,680
$30.0
10%
MFG Nondurable
$61,540
$30.0
8%
How Education impacts a Lead Mechanical Design Engineer's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many Lead Mechanical Design Engineers enter the field with a Associate'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 Lead Mechanical Design Engineer with a Associate's Degree is between
$50,726
and $55,509).
Lead Mechanical Design Engineer Salaries by Degree Level
$60,800
$59,400
$57,900
$56,500
$55,100
$53,600
$52,200
$50,800
No Diploma
High School
Associates
Bachelors
Masters
Doctorate
Typical Education for Lead Mechanical Design Engineer
Degree Level
% of user with this level of education
No Diploma
0.8%
High School
6.1%
Associates
54.2%
Bachelors
31.3%
Masters
7.6%
Doctorate
0.0%
Typical Education for Lead Mechanical Design Engineer
Lead Mechanical Design Engineer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Lead Mechanical 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.
Hourly
Monthly
Weekly
Yearly
Table View
Last Updated on October 01, 2026
$53,083
Average$56,982/year
$64,732
$4,424
Average$4,748/month
$5,394
$1,021
Average$1,096/week
$1,245
$26
Average$27/hour
$31
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Weekly Pay
Hourly Wage
75th Percentile
$64,732
$5,394
$1,245
$31
Average
$56,982
$4,748
$1,096
$27
25th Percentile
$53,083
$4,424
$1,021
$26
Salaries of Jobs related to Lead Mechanical Design Engineer
Mechanical Design Engineer VI$189,010
Mechanical Design Engineer V$148,533
Specialist Mechanical Engineer$129,100
Mechanical Engineer IV$129,091
Mechanical Design Engineer IV$129,090
Lead Mechanical Engineer$128,794
Mechanical Design Engineer III$108,340
Mechanical Design Engineer II$96,720
Mechanical Design Engineer Senior$81,085
Mechanical Design Engineer I$81,050
Mechanical Design Engineer$58,220
Salary Trends for Lead Mechanical Design Engineer
Salaries for a Lead Mechanical Design Engineer can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $51,203 in 2023
to around $50,867 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Lead Mechanical Design Engineer salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Lead Mechanical Design Engineer Over Time
$???
$51,203
$51,473
$50,867
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$51,203
2024
$51,473
2025
$50,867
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Lead Mechanical Design Engineer
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Lead Mechanical Design Engineer
Here are companies hiring for Lead Mechanical Design Engineer 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
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FAQ about Lead Mechanical Design Engineer
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Lead Mechanical Design Engineer?
The Construction industry offers the highest average compensation for Lead Mechanical Design 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.
