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

A Vehicle Engineer's salary grows with experience: a Software Quality Assurance Engineer I (0-2 years)earns $73,830, a Vehicle Engineer (2-4 years)earns $94,764, a Software Quality Assurance Engineer III (4-7 years)earns $114,894, a Software Quality Assurance Engineer IV (7+ years)earns $132,672, a Software Quality Assurance Engineer V (7-10 years)earns $155,104,

What are the highest paying states for a Vehicle Engineer?

Vehicle Engineer salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Vehicle Engineer roles are District of Columbia $104,214, California $103,818, Massachusetts $102,435. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of Vehicle Engineer roles make?

Salaries for Vehicle Engineer level roles vary by specialization: Senior C Software Engineer Vehicle Infra Team: $151,995; Vehicle Test Engineer: $115,782; Vehicle Control Engineer: $113,308; Vehicle Dynamics Engineer: $110,267; Vehicle Integration Engineer: $106,192.

How do different companies affect a Vehicle Engineer's salary?

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

Vehicle Engineer Salary in the United States

How much does a Vehicle Engineer make in the United States?

As of April 01, 2026, the average salary for a Vehicle Engineer in the United States is $94,124 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $45.

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

Top Earners (90th percentile): $108,029
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $84,899 to $101,402
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $76,500

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Vehicle Engineer Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$101,402	$8,450	$1,950	$49
Average	$94,124	$7,844	$1,810	$45
25th Percentile	$84,899	$7,075	$1,633	$41

You may get higher pay by adjusting the following factors:

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Check out Vehicle Engineer Job Openings in the United States

Air Vehicle Design Engineer

Cornerstone Research Group, Inc. - Miamisburg, OH

Vehicle Test Engineer

netwalk GmbH - New Bremen, OH

Air Vehicle Design Engineer

Cornerstone Research Group, Inc. - Miamisburg, OH

Vehicle Accident Reconstructionist Biomechanical Engineer

SEA, Ltd - Columbus, OH

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Key Factors That Influence Vehicle Engineer Salaries

A Vehicle 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 Vehicle Engineer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Vehicle 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): $73,830
Early Career (1-2 years): $94,764
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $114,894
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $132,672
Expert (over 8 years): $155,104

Levels	Salary
Software ... Level Vehicle Engineer	$73,830
Vehicle E... Level Vehicle Engineer	$94,764
Software ... Level Vehicle Engineer	$114,894
Software ... Level Vehicle Engineer	$132,672
Software ... Level Vehicle Engineer	$155,104

View as Graph

What Am I Worth?

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

District of Columbia: $104,214.
California: $103,818.
Massachusetts: $102,435.

District of Columbia $104,214 California $103,818 Massachusetts $102,435 Washington $102,058 New Jersey $102,021 Alaska $101,889 Connecticut $100,590 New York $100,063

Hawaii $98,378 Rhode Island $97,587 Maryland $97,051 Minnesota $96,317 Colorado $96,034 Illinois $95,940 Oregon $95,583 Delaware $95,319

New Hampshire $95,153 Virginia $94,782 Pennsylvania $93,700 Nevada $93,154 North Dakota $92,975 Michigan $92,693 Wisconsin $92,589 Vermont $92,382

Texas $91,808 Maine $91,771 Arizona $91,714 Ohio $91,648 Georgia $90,782 Indiana $90,349 Wyoming $90,265 Utah $90,133

Iowa $90,076 Kansas $89,624 Louisiana $89,493 North Carolina $89,446 Missouri $89,427 Florida $89,060 Montana $88,862 Nebraska $88,674

Kentucky $88,570 South Carolina $88,194 Tennessee $87,959 Idaho $87,864 New Mexico $87,177 Oklahoma $87,027 Alabama $86,471 South Dakota $85,540

Arkansas $85,031 West Virginia $84,758 Mississippi $83,939

Top Paying Cities for Vehicle 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: $118,718
San Francisco: $117,551
Oakland: $114,944

San Jose, CA $118,718

San Francisco, CA $117,551

Oakland, CA $114,944

New York, NY $109,080

Queens Village, NY $108,374

Paramus, NJ $107,621

Passaic, NJ $107,527

Bergenfield, NJ $107,433

Stamford, CT $107,291

Huntington, NY $107,197

Newark, NJ $106,586

Bridgeport, CT $106,397

New Brunswick, NJ $106,087

Vallejo, CA $105,889

Middlesex, NJ $105,833

Somerset, NJ $105,748

Petaluma, CA $105,531

Santa Cruz, CA $105,164

Boston, MA $104,976

Monterey, CA $104,505

Fairbanks, AK $104,440

Los Angeles, CA $104,261

Washington, DC $104,214

Seattle, WA $104,044

Santa Rosa, CA $104,025

Juneau, AK $103,752

Orange, CA $103,442

Anchorage, AK $103,272

Anaheim, CA $103,207

Santa Ana, CA $103,065

Nassau, NY $103,009

Long Beach, CA $102,971

Danbury, CT $102,943

Santa Maria, CA $102,623

Everett, WA $102,604

Bremerton, WA $102,143

Trenton, NJ $101,964

Sacramento, CA $101,926

San Diego, CA $101,879

Brockton, MA $101,842

Tacoma, WA $101,804

Santa Barbara, CA $101,672

Lowell, MA $101,296

New Suffolk, NY $101,258

Nashua, NH $101,145

Lompoc, CA $100,995

Ventura, CA $100,900

Stockton, CA $100,872

New Haven, CT $100,684

Atlantic City, NJ $100,439

Hartford, CT $100,232

Modesto, CA $100,185

Poughkeepsie, NY $99,978

New Britain, CT $99,931

Olympia, WA $99,799

Kennewick, WA $99,799

New London, CT $99,780

Norwich, CT $99,752

Lawrence, MA $99,705

Bakersfield, CA $99,442

Riverside, CA $99,310

New Bedford, MA $99,310

Richland, WA $99,216

Portsmouth, NH $99,140

Vineland, NJ $99,122

San Bernardino, CA $99,046

Boulder, CO $98,783

Worcester, MA $98,707

Portland, OR $98,623

Saint Paul, MN $98,510

Minneapolis, MN $98,510

Philadelphia, PA $98,378

Honolulu, HI $97,879

Springfield, MA $97,550

Providence, RI $97,540

Chicago, IL $97,267

Bellingham, WA $97,154

Baltimore, MD $97,051

Chico, CA $96,816

Wilmington, DE $96,656

Pittsfield, MA $96,561

Manchester, NH $96,383

Spokane, WA $95,968

Denver, CO $95,959

Albany, NY $95,517

Troy, NY $95,479

Schenectady, NY $95,281

Burlington, VT $95,074

Portland, ME $94,745

Salem, OR $94,670

Yakima, WA $94,651

Ann Arbor, MI $94,622

Rochester, MN $94,359

Fresno, CA $94,312

Reno, NV $94,312

Milwaukee, WI $94,227

Detroit, MI $94,133

Allentown, PA $94,105

Carson City, NV $94,095

Houston, TX $93,954

Colorado Springs, CO $93,945

Syracuse, NY $93,898

Eugene, OR $93,719

Bismarck, ND $93,606

Gary, IN $93,606

Galveston, TX $93,606

Springfield, OR $93,531

Medford, OR $93,305

Fort Collins, CO $93,267

Austin, TX $93,192

Mesa, AZ $92,994

Phoenix, AZ $92,975

Dallas, TX $92,947

Reading, PA $92,891

Saint Cloud, MN $92,853

Concord, NH $92,768

Madison, WI $92,731

Utica, NY $92,476

Raleigh, NC $92,401

Las Vegas, NV $92,392

Rochester, NY $92,326

Des Moines, IA $92,316

Atlanta, GA $92,166

Battle Creek, MI $92,138

Salt Lake City, UT $92,109

Lancaster, PA $91,968

Champaign, IL $91,949

Harrisburg, PA $91,836

Durham, NC $91,752

Kansas City, MO $91,742

Kansas City, KS $91,723

Fort Worth, TX $91,714

Boca Raton, FL $91,676

Cleveland, OH $91,667

Columbus, OH $91,648

Pittsburgh, PA $91,639

Richmond, VA $91,601

Indianapolis, IN $91,582

Cincinnati, OH $91,460

Petersburg, VA $91,319

Billings, MT $91,112

Lansing, MI $91,112

Huntsville, AL $91,112

Lebanon, PA $91,102

Dayton, OH $91,093

Pueblo, CO $91,093

Appleton, WI $91,065

Buffalo, NY $91,027

Racine, WI $90,980

Charlotte, NC $90,970

Saint Louis, MO $90,942

Springfield, IL $90,905

Elkhart, IN $90,886

York, PA $90,886

Gastonia, NC $90,876

Benton Harbor, MI $90,876

Beaumont, TX $90,820

Lorain, OH $90,801

Toledo, OH $90,763

Binghamton, NY $90,716

Rock Hill, SC $90,707

Rockford, IL $90,660

Fargo, ND $90,613

Elyria, OH $90,613

Flagstaff, AZ $90,547

Fort Lauderdale, FL $90,490

Miami, FL $90,434

Duluth, MN $90,283

Bangor, ME $90,161

Cedar Rapids, IA $90,057

Louisville, KY $90,010

Grand Rapids, MI $89,992

Hialeah, FL $89,982

Casper, WY $89,850

Scranton, PA $89,737

New Orleans, LA $89,709

Virginia Beach, VA $89,700

Akron, OH $89,653

Peoria, IL $89,530

Sarasota, FL $89,512

Green Bay, WI $89,446

Baton Rouge, LA $89,399

Charleston, SC $89,380

Nashville, TN $89,352

Jamestown, NY $89,333

Davenport, IA $89,333

Tucson, AZ $89,286

Cheyenne, WY $89,257

Saint Petersburg, FL $89,229

Tampa, FL $89,210

Omaha, NE $89,192

Port Arthur, TX $89,154

Evansville, IN $89,154

Bradenton, FL $89,116

Santa Fe, NM $88,947

Orlando, FL $88,853

Clearwater, FL $88,749

Canton, OH $88,551

La Crosse, WI $88,551

Grand Forks, ND $88,523

Albuquerque, NM $88,495

Tulsa, OK $88,495

Newport News, VA $88,486

High Point, NC $88,457

Ogden, UT $88,420

Corpus Christi, TX $88,344

Laramie, WY $88,288

Norfolk, VA $88,288

Rock Island, IL $88,231

Saginaw, MI $88,213

Jacksonville, FL $88,203

Salisbury, NC $88,184

Memphis, TN $88,166

Moline, IL $88,119

Fort Myers, FL $88,090

Waterloo, IA $87,968

Spartanburg, SC $87,874

Lincoln, NE $87,827

Fort Wayne, IN $87,808

Birmingham, AL $87,704

Cedar Falls, IA $87,686

Provo, UT $87,676

Springfield, OH $87,667

San Antonio, TX $87,648

Greensboro, NC $87,610

South Bend, IN $87,601

Winston Salem, NC $87,591

Boise, ID $87,563

Savannah, GA $87,497

Muskegon, MI $87,328

Lima, OH $87,215

Lake Charles, LA $87,177

Anderson, IN $87,158

Lexington, KY $87,130

Augusta, GA $87,102

Greenville, SC $87,102

Wichita, KS $87,017

Tuscaloosa, AL $87,017

Columbia, SC $86,933

Bloomington, IN $86,697

Roanoke, VA $86,641

Asheville, NC $86,518

Knoxville, TN $86,358

Shreveport, LA $86,349

Wilmington, NC $86,227

Frankfort, KY $86,048

Oklahoma City, OK $85,982

Chillicothe, OH $85,944

Longview, TX $85,935

Topeka, KS $85,907

Mobile, AL $85,765

Terre Haute, IN $85,728

Erie, PA $85,718

Altoona, PA $85,671

Melbourne, FL $85,643

Amarillo, TX $85,605

Killeen, TX $85,577

Fayetteville, AR $85,502

Sioux Falls, SD $85,436

Chattanooga, TN $85,380

Idaho Falls, ID $85,370

Gainesville, FL $85,172

Portsmouth, OH $85,125

Little Rock, AR $85,107

Lynchburg, VA $85,107

Lafayette, LA $85,069

Youngstown, OH $85,069

Temple, TX $85,031

Daytona Beach, FL $85,012

Clarksville, TN $85,003

Pensacola, FL $84,994

Hopkinsville, KY $84,711

Charleston, WV $84,702

Florence, SC $84,655

Sioux City, IA $84,598

Macon, GA $84,325

Tallahassee, FL $84,316

Fayetteville, NC $84,297

Waco, TX $84,278

Wichita Falls, TX $84,278

Pine Bluff, AR $84,241

Vincennes, IN $84,062

Lubbock, TX $84,024

Great Falls, MT $83,968

Alamogordo, NM $83,958

Abilene, TX $83,883

Rapid City, SD $83,761

Monroe, LA $83,761

Albany, GA $83,704

Huntington, WV $83,695

Jackson, MS $83,685

Greenville, MS $83,676

Parkersburg, WV $83,582

Montgomery, AL $83,563

Johnstown, PA $83,544

Springfield, MO $83,469

Biloxi, MS $83,422

Sumter, SC $83,224

Columbus, GA $83,215

Twin Falls, ID $83,158

Pascagoula, MS $83,036

Kingsport, TN $82,791

Gulfport, MS $82,763

Alexandria, LA $82,452

Fort Smith, AR $82,217

El Paso, TX $81,963

Helena, MT $81,840

Las Cruces, NM $81,539

Harlingen, TX $81,276

Pocatello, ID $81,191

Florence, AL $81,163

Brownsville, TX $81,144

Dothan, AL $80,993

Mcallen, TX $80,946

Columbus, MS $80,250

Altus, OK $79,817

Lawton, OK $79,638

Pierre, SD $79,299

What Skills Can Increase a Vehicle 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 Vehicle 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	$96,947	3%
Collaboration	$96,006	2%
Debugging	$96,006	2%
Programming	$96,006	2%
Process Improvement	$96,006	2%
Quality Management	$96,006	2%

Get Latest Data

How Education impacts a Vehicle Engineer's Salary?

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

Vehicle Engineer Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Vehicle 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

Vehicle Engineer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Vehicle 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

$84,899

Average $94,124/year

$101,402

$7,075

Average $7,844/month

$8,450

$1,633

Average $1,810/week

$1,950

$41

Average $45/hour

$49

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$101,402	$8,450	$1,950	$49
Average	$94,124	$7,844	$1,810	$45
25th Percentile	$84,899	$7,075	$1,633	$41

Salaries of jobs related to Vehicle Engineer

Salary Trends for Vehicle Engineer

Salaries for a Vehicle Engineer can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $94,733 in 2023 to around $93,854 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Vehicle Engineer salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Vehicle Engineer Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$94,733

2024

$94,955

2025

$93,854

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$94,733
2024	$94,955
2025	$93,854
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for Vehicle 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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