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

A Plant Design Engineer's salary grows with experience: a Software Quality Assurance Engineer I (0-2 years)earns $74,430, a Plant Design Engineer (2-4 years)earns $95,534, a Software Quality Assurance Engineer III (4-7 years)earns $115,827, a Software Quality Assurance Engineer IV (7+ years)earns $133,750, a Software Quality Assurance Engineer V (7-10 years)earns $156,364,

What are the highest paying states for a Plant Design Engineer?

Plant Design Engineer salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Plant Design Engineer roles are District of Columbia $105,060, California $104,662, Massachusetts $103,267. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of Plant Design Engineer roles make?

Salaries for Plant Design Engineer level roles vary by specialization: Design Engineer: $128,037; Power Plant Systems Engineer: $101,815; Plant Maintenance Engineer: $99,215; Plant Process Engineer: $99,136; Plant Engineer: $90,763.

How do different companies affect a Plant Design Engineer's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for Plant Design 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.

Plant Design Engineer Salary in the United States

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

As of April 01, 2026, the average salary for a Plant Design Engineer in the United States is $94,888 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $46.

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

Top Earners (90th percentile): $108,907
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $85,589 to $102,226
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $77,122

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Plant Design Engineer Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$102,226	$8,519	$1,966	$49
Average	$94,888	$7,907	$1,825	$46
25th Percentile	$85,589	$7,132	$1,646	$41

You may get higher pay by adjusting the following factors:

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Check out Plant Design Engineer Job Openings in the United States

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L3Harris Technologies - Payne, OH

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Key Factors That Influence Plant Design Engineer Salaries

A Plant 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 Plant Design Engineer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Plant 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): $74,430
Early Career (1-2 years): $95,534
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $115,827
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $133,750
Expert (over 8 years): $156,364

Levels	Salary
Software ... Level Plant Design Engineer	$74,430
Plant Des... Level Plant Design Engineer	$95,534
Software ... Level Plant Design Engineer	$115,827
Software ... Level Plant Design Engineer	$133,750
Software ... Level Plant Design Engineer	$156,364

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What Am I Worth?

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

District of Columbia: $105,060.
California: $104,662.
Massachusetts: $103,267.

District of Columbia $105,060

California $104,662

Massachusetts $103,267

Washington $102,887

New Jersey $102,849

Alaska $102,717

Connecticut $101,407

New York $100,876

Hawaii $99,177

Rhode Island $98,380

Maryland $97,839

Minnesota $97,099

Colorado $96,815

Illinois $96,720

Oregon $96,359

Delaware $96,093

New Hampshire $95,926

Virginia $95,553

Pennsylvania $94,461

Nevada $93,911

North Dakota $93,731

Michigan $93,446

Wisconsin $93,342

Vermont $93,133

Texas $92,554

Maine $92,516

Arizona $92,459

Ohio $92,393

Georgia $91,520

Indiana $91,083

Wyoming $90,998

Utah $90,865

Iowa $90,808

Kansas $90,353

Louisiana $90,220

North Carolina $90,172

Missouri $90,153

Florida $89,783

Montana $89,584

Nebraska $89,394

Kentucky $89,290

South Carolina $88,910

Tennessee $88,673

Idaho $88,578

New Mexico $87,886

Oklahoma $87,734

Alabama $87,174

South Dakota $86,234

Arkansas $85,722

West Virginia $85,447

Mississippi $84,621

Top Paying Cities for Plant 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: $119,683
San Francisco: $118,506
Oakland: $115,878

San Jose, CA $119,683

San Francisco, CA $118,506

Oakland, CA $115,878

New York, NY $109,966

Queens Village, NY $109,254

Paramus, NJ $108,495

Passaic, NJ $108,400

Bergenfield, NJ $108,306

Stamford, CT $108,163

Huntington, NY $108,068

Newark, NJ $107,452

Bridgeport, CT $107,262

New Brunswick, NJ $106,949

Vallejo, CA $106,749

Middlesex, NJ $106,692

Somerset, NJ $106,607

Petaluma, CA $106,389

Santa Cruz, CA $106,019

Boston, MA $105,829

Monterey, CA $105,354

Fairbanks, AK $105,288

Los Angeles, CA $105,108

Washington, DC $105,060

Seattle, WA $104,890

Santa Rosa, CA $104,871

Juneau, AK $104,595

Orange, CA $104,282

Anchorage, AK $104,111

Anaheim, CA $104,045

Santa Ana, CA $103,903

Nassau, NY $103,846

Long Beach, CA $103,808

Danbury, CT $103,779

Santa Maria, CA $103,457

Everett, WA $103,438

Bremerton, WA $102,973

Trenton, NJ $102,792

Sacramento, CA $102,755

San Diego, CA $102,707

Brockton, MA $102,669

Tacoma, WA $102,631

Santa Barbara, CA $102,498

Lowell, MA $102,119

New Suffolk, NY $102,081

Nashua, NH $101,967

Lompoc, CA $101,815

Ventura, CA $101,720

Stockton, CA $101,692

New Haven, CT $101,502

Atlantic City, NJ $101,255

Hartford, CT $101,047

Modesto, CA $100,999

Poughkeepsie, NY $100,790

New Britain, CT $100,743

Olympia, WA $100,610

Kennewick, WA $100,610

New London, CT $100,591

Norwich, CT $100,563

Lawrence, MA $100,515

Bakersfield, CA $100,249

Riverside, CA $100,117

New Bedford, MA $100,117

Richland, WA $100,022

Portsmouth, NH $99,946

Vineland, NJ $99,927

San Bernardino, CA $99,851

Boulder, CO $99,585

Worcester, MA $99,509

Portland, OR $99,424

Saint Paul, MN $99,310

Minneapolis, MN $99,310

Philadelphia, PA $99,177

Honolulu, HI $98,674

Springfield, MA $98,342

Providence, RI $98,333

Chicago, IL $98,058

Bellingham, WA $97,944

Baltimore, MD $97,839

Chico, CA $97,602

Wilmington, DE $97,441

Pittsfield, MA $97,346

Manchester, NH $97,166

Spokane, WA $96,748

Denver, CO $96,739

Albany, NY $96,293

Troy, NY $96,255

Schenectady, NY $96,055

Burlington, VT $95,847

Portland, ME $95,515

Salem, OR $95,439

Yakima, WA $95,420

Ann Arbor, MI $95,391

Rochester, MN $95,126

Fresno, CA $95,078

Reno, NV $95,078

Milwaukee, WI $94,993

Detroit, MI $94,898

Allentown, PA $94,869

Carson City, NV $94,860

Houston, TX $94,718

Colorado Springs, CO $94,708

Syracuse, NY $94,661

Eugene, OR $94,480

Bismarck, ND $94,366

Gary, IN $94,366

Galveston, TX $94,366

Springfield, OR $94,291

Medford, OR $94,063

Fort Collins, CO $94,025

Austin, TX $93,949

Mesa, AZ $93,750

Phoenix, AZ $93,731

Dallas, TX $93,702

Reading, PA $93,645

Saint Cloud, MN $93,607

Concord, NH $93,522

Madison, WI $93,484

Utica, NY $93,228

Raleigh, NC $93,152

Las Vegas, NV $93,142

Rochester, NY $93,076

Des Moines, IA $93,066

Atlanta, GA $92,915

Battle Creek, MI $92,886

Salt Lake City, UT $92,858

Lancaster, PA $92,715

Champaign, IL $92,696

Harrisburg, PA $92,583

Durham, NC $92,497

Kansas City, MO $92,488

Kansas City, KS $92,469

Fort Worth, TX $92,459

Boca Raton, FL $92,421

Cleveland, OH $92,412

Columbus, OH $92,393

Pittsburgh, PA $92,383

Richmond, VA $92,345

Indianapolis, IN $92,326

Cincinnati, OH $92,203

Petersburg, VA $92,061

Billings, MT $91,852

Lansing, MI $91,852

Huntsville, AL $91,852

Lebanon, PA $91,842

Dayton, OH $91,833

Pueblo, CO $91,833

Appleton, WI $91,804

Buffalo, NY $91,766

Racine, WI $91,719

Charlotte, NC $91,710

Saint Louis, MO $91,681

Springfield, IL $91,643

Elkhart, IN $91,624

York, PA $91,624

Gastonia, NC $91,615

Benton Harbor, MI $91,615

Beaumont, TX $91,558

Lorain, OH $91,539

Toledo, OH $91,501

Binghamton, NY $91,453

Rock Hill, SC $91,444

Rockford, IL $91,396

Fargo, ND $91,349

Elyria, OH $91,349

Flagstaff, AZ $91,283

Fort Lauderdale, FL $91,226

Miami, FL $91,169

Duluth, MN $91,017

Bangor, ME $90,894

Cedar Rapids, IA $90,789

Louisville, KY $90,742

Grand Rapids, MI $90,723

Hialeah, FL $90,713

Casper, WY $90,580

Scranton, PA $90,467

New Orleans, LA $90,438

Virginia Beach, VA $90,429

Akron, OH $90,381

Peoria, IL $90,258

Sarasota, FL $90,239

Green Bay, WI $90,172

Baton Rouge, LA $90,125

Charleston, SC $90,106

Nashville, TN $90,077

Jamestown, NY $90,058

Davenport, IA $90,058

Tucson, AZ $90,011

Cheyenne, WY $89,983

Saint Petersburg, FL $89,954

Tampa, FL $89,935

Omaha, NE $89,916

Port Arthur, TX $89,878

Evansville, IN $89,878

Bradenton, FL $89,840

Santa Fe, NM $89,669

Orlando, FL $89,575

Clearwater, FL $89,470

Canton, OH $89,271

La Crosse, WI $89,271

Grand Forks, ND $89,242

Albuquerque, NM $89,214

Tulsa, OK $89,214

Newport News, VA $89,204

High Point, NC $89,176

Ogden, UT $89,138

Corpus Christi, TX $89,062

Laramie, WY $89,005

Norfolk, VA $89,005

Rock Island, IL $88,948

Saginaw, MI $88,929

Jacksonville, FL $88,920

Salisbury, NC $88,901

Memphis, TN $88,882

Moline, IL $88,834

Fort Myers, FL $88,806

Waterloo, IA $88,683

Spartanburg, SC $88,588

Lincoln, NE $88,540

Fort Wayne, IN $88,521

Birmingham, AL $88,417

Cedar Falls, IA $88,398

Provo, UT $88,388

Springfield, OH $88,379

San Antonio, TX $88,360

Greensboro, NC $88,322

South Bend, IN $88,313

Winston Salem, NC $88,303

Boise, ID $88,275

Savannah, GA $88,208

Muskegon, MI $88,037

Lima, OH $87,923

Lake Charles, LA $87,886

Anderson, IN $87,867

Lexington, KY $87,838

Augusta, GA $87,810

Greenville, SC $87,810

Wichita, KS $87,724

Tuscaloosa, AL $87,724

Columbia, SC $87,639

Bloomington, IN $87,402

Roanoke, VA $87,345

Asheville, NC $87,221

Knoxville, TN $87,060

Shreveport, LA $87,051

Wilmington, NC $86,927

Frankfort, KY $86,747

Oklahoma City, OK $86,680

Chillicothe, OH $86,643

Longview, TX $86,633

Topeka, KS $86,605

Mobile, AL $86,462

Terre Haute, IN $86,424

Erie, PA $86,415

Altoona, PA $86,367

Melbourne, FL $86,339

Amarillo, TX $86,301

Killeen, TX $86,272

Fayetteville, AR $86,197

Sioux Falls, SD $86,130

Chattanooga, TN $86,073

Idaho Falls, ID $86,064

Gainesville, FL $85,864

Portsmouth, OH $85,817

Little Rock, AR $85,798

Lynchburg, VA $85,798

Lafayette, LA $85,760

Youngstown, OH $85,760

Temple, TX $85,722

Daytona Beach, FL $85,703

Clarksville, TN $85,694

Pensacola, FL $85,684

Hopkinsville, KY $85,399

Charleston, WV $85,390

Florence, SC $85,343

Sioux City, IA $85,286

Macon, GA $85,010

Tallahassee, FL $85,001

Fayetteville, NC $84,982

Waco, TX $84,963

Wichita Falls, TX $84,963

Pine Bluff, AR $84,925

Vincennes, IN $84,745

Lubbock, TX $84,707

Great Falls, MT $84,650

Alamogordo, NM $84,640

Abilene, TX $84,564

Rapid City, SD $84,441

Monroe, LA $84,441

Albany, GA $84,384

Huntington, WV $84,375

Jackson, MS $84,365

Greenville, MS $84,356

Parkersburg, WV $84,261

Montgomery, AL $84,242

Johnstown, PA $84,223

Springfield, MO $84,147

Biloxi, MS $84,100

Sumter, SC $83,900

Columbus, GA $83,891

Twin Falls, ID $83,834

Pascagoula, MS $83,710

Kingsport, TN $83,464

Gulfport, MS $83,435

Alexandria, LA $83,122

Fort Smith, AR $82,885

El Paso, TX $82,629

Helena, MT $82,505

Las Cruces, NM $82,202

Harlingen, TX $81,936

Pocatello, ID $81,851

Florence, AL $81,822

Brownsville, TX $81,803

Dothan, AL $81,651

Mcallen, TX $81,604

Columbus, MS $80,902

Altus, OK $80,465

Lawton, OK $80,285

Pierre, SD $79,943

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

Demanded Skills for the Role:

Analysis (Mentioned in 4.58% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
Test Scripts (Mentioned in 2.95% Job Postings): A test script in software testing is a set of instructions that will be performed on the system under test to test that the system functions as expected. There are various means for executing test scripts. Manual testing. These are more commonly called test cases. Automated testing. Short program written in a programming language used to test part of the functionality of a software system. Test scripts written as a short program can either be written using a special automated functional GUI test tool (such as HP QuickTest Professional, Borland SilkTest, IBM TPNS and Rational Robot) or in a well-known programming language (such as C++, C#, Tcl, Expect, Java, PHP, Perl, Powershell, Python, or Ruby). As documented in IEEE, ISO and IEC. Extensively parameterized short programs a.k.a. Data-driven testing Reusable steps created in a table a.k.a. keyword-driven or table-driven testing.
Automated Testing (Mentioned in 1.83% Job Postings): Test automation is the use of software to control the execution of tests and the comparison of predicted to actual outcomes.

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Analysis	4.58%
Test Scripts	2.95%
Automated Testing	1.83%

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 Plant Design Engineer's salary.

Innovation: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
Collaboration: Can increase your salary by up to 2%.
Debugging: Can increase your salary by up to 2%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Innovation	$97,735	3%
Collaboration	$96,786	2%
Debugging	$96,786	2%
Programming	$96,786	2%
Process Improvement	$96,786	2%
Quality Management	$96,786	2%

Get Latest Data

How Education impacts a Plant Design Engineer's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Plant 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 Plant Design Engineer with a Bachelor's Degree is between $85,394 and $90,297).

Plant Design Engineer Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Plant Design Engineer

No Diploma 0.4%

High School 10.1%

Associates 8.3%

Bachelors 58.0%

Masters 22.4%

Doctorate 0.8%

view as table

Degree Level	% of user with this level of education
No Diploma	0.4%
High School	10.1%
Associates	8.3%
Bachelors	58.0%
Masters	22.4%
Doctorate	0.8%

view as graph

Plant Design Engineer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Plant 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 April 01, 2026

$85,589

Average $94,888/year

$102,226

$7,132

Average $7,907/month

$8,519

$1,646

Average $1,825/week

$1,966

$41

Average $46/hour

$49

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$102,226	$8,519	$1,966	$49
Average	$94,888	$7,907	$1,825	$46
25th Percentile	$85,589	$7,132	$1,646	$41

Salaries of jobs related to Plant Design Engineer

Salary Trends for Plant Design Engineer

Salaries for a Plant Design Engineer can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $95,502 in 2023 to around $94,617 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Plant Design Engineer salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Plant Design Engineer Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$95,502

2024

$95,726

2025

$94,617

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$95,502
2024	$95,726
2025	$94,617
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for Plant Design Engineer

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

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