Duty Engineer Salary in the United States

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

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Duty Engineer in the United States is $60,698 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $29.

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

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $71,963
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $57,826 to $66,594
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $55,212

Key Factors That Influence Duty Engineer Salaries

A Duty 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 Duty Engineer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Duty 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): $54,238
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $60,264
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $68,187
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $85,037
  • Expert (over 8 years): $82,646
Levels Salary
Stationar... Level Duty Engineer$54,238
Duty Engi... Level Duty Engineer$60,264
Stationar... Level Duty Engineer$68,187
Stationar... Level Duty Engineer$85,037
Stationar... Level Duty Engineer$82,646

How Do Duty 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 Duty Engineers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $67,205.
  • California: $66,950.
  • Massachusetts: $66,057.

Top Paying Cities for Duty 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: $76,558
  • San Francisco: $75,720
  • Oakland: $74,124

What Skills Can Increase a Duty Engineer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Troubleshooting (Mentioned in 10.08% Job Postings): Troubleshooting is a form of problem solving, often applied to repair failed products or processes on a machine or a system. It is a logical, systematic search for the source of a problem in order to solve it, and make the product or process operational again. Troubleshooting is needed to identify the symptoms. Determining the most likely cause is a process of elimination—eliminating potential causes of a problem. Finally, troubleshooting requires confirmation that the solution restores the product or process to its working state. In general, troubleshooting is the identification or diagnosis of "trouble" in the management flow of a system caused by a failure of some kind. The problem is initially described as symptoms of malfunction, and troubleshooting is the process of determining and remedying the causes of these symptoms. A system can be described in terms of its expected, desired or intended behavior (usually, for artificial systems, its purpose). Events or inputs to the system are expected to generate specific results or outputs. (For example, selecting the "print" option from various computer applications is intended to result in a hardcopy emerging from some specific device). Any unexpected or undesirable behavior is a symptom. Troubleshooting is the process of isolating the specific cause or causes of the symptom. Frequently the symptom is a failure of the product or process to produce any results. (Nothing was printed, for example). Corrective action can then be taken to prevent further failures of a similar kind.
  • Water Treatment (Mentioned in 3.21% Job Postings): Water treatment is any process that improves the quality of water to make it more acceptable for a specific end-use. The end use may be drinking, industrial water supply, irrigation, river flow maintenance, water recreation or many other uses, including being safely returned to the environment. Water treatment removes contaminants and undesirable components, or reduces their concentration so that the water becomes fit for its desired end-use. This treatment is crucial to human health and allows humans to benefit from both drinking and irrigation use.
  • Pneumatics (Mentioned in 1.21% Job Postings): Pneumatics (pronounced new-MATT-ix) is an aspect of physics and engineering that is concerned with using the energy in compressed gas to make something move or work.
Skills Demand Percentage
Troubleshooting 10.08%
Water Treatment 3.21%
Pneumatics 1.21%

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 Duty Engineer's salary.

  • Program Management: Can increase your salary by up to 16%.
  • Coordination: Can increase your salary by up to 8%.
  • Scheduling: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Program Management $70,409
16%
Coordination $65,554
8%
Scheduling $63,733
5%

Duty Engineer Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Duty Engineer roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 120% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Software & Networking and Pharmaceuticals sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 70% above the average. In contrast, Duty Engineer positions in Hospitality & Leisure or Telecom typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Duty Engineer as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Duty Engineer

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Software & Networking$103,186$50.070%
Pharmaceuticals$97,116$47.060%
Financial Services$91,047$44.050%
Biotechnology$84,977$41.040%
Internet$81,942$39.035%

How Education impacts a Duty Engineer's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Duty Engineers enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate 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 Duty Engineer with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between $58,671 and $64,189).

Duty Engineer Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Duty Engineer
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 34.5%
High School 34.5%
Associates 41.4%
Bachelors 20.7%
Masters 3.4%
Doctorate 0.0%

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

Understanding how a Duty 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 September 01, 2026
$57,826
Average $60,698/year
$66,594
$4,819
Average $5,058/month
$5,550
$1,112
Average $1,167/week
$1,281
$28
Average $29/hour
$32
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $66,594 $5,550 $1,281 $32
Average $60,698 $5,058 $1,167 $29
25th Percentile $57,826 $4,819 $1,112 $28

Most common benefits for Duty Engineer

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

Common company salaries for Duty Engineer

Here are companies hiring for Duty Engineer and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Duty Engineer

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Duty Engineer?

The Software & Networking industry offers the highest average compensation for Duty Engineer roles, with salaries approximately 70% 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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