Mechanical engineer salary
Space employers offer mechanical engineers a median of $149k a year, and the middle half of their postings sits at $130k–$174k. That comes from 524 jobs at 62 employers whose own postings name a salary.
- 25th percentile$129,500/hr
- Median (50th)$149,400/hr
- 75th percentile$174,294.20/hr
- Distinct posted rates524
- Jobs stating an hourly rate524
- Employers62
The median is the middle of the 524 distinct rates they post, and the middle half, $129,500–$174,294.20 an hour, runs from their 25th percentile to their 75th: half of the rates fall between them. Each range counts at its midpoint, and a job posted many times at one rate counts once, so no employer's posting volume sets the figure.
- 25th percentile$129,500/hr
- Median (50th)$149,400/hr
- 75th percentile$174,294.20/hr
- Distinct posted rates524
- Jobs stating an hourly rate524
- Employers62
The median is the middle of the 524 distinct rates they post, and the middle half, $129,500–$174,294.20 an hour, runs from their 25th percentile to their 75th: half of the rates fall between them. Each range counts at its midpoint, and a job posted many times at one rate counts once, so no employer's posting volume sets the figure.
- Median posted pay, a year$149,400
- Hours in a full-time year2,080
- The same per hour, full time$71.83/hr
Every figure here is a year's pay: a job that posts pay counts at 2,080 hours (40 a week for 52 weeks). Rounded to the nearest $100.
- Northrop Grumman55 jobs
- Lockheed Martin52 jobs
- SpaceX44 jobs
- Blue Origin43 jobs
- Relativity Space42 jobs
- Amazon Leo19 jobs
- Vast17 jobs
- Rocket Lab16 jobs
- K2 Space15 jobs
- Sierra Space14 jobs
Jobs stating pay, the employers with the most first: 317 at the 10 shown and 207 at 52 other employers, 524 in all.
The jobs themselves: Mechanical engineer jobs
What mechanical engineers are paid
How many postings fall in each salary step, a range counted at its midpoint; the darker bars are the middle half of what employers offer.
Median $149k a year. Middle half $130k to $174k. Point at a bar for its count. Tap a bar for its count.
Posted on open jobs
Middle half of 524 distinct posted rates (a job posted many times at one rate counted once), median $149k. 72% of the 725 open mechanical engineer jobs state pay. Another 1 states an "up to" ceiling, a weekly travel rate or a per-visit fee, left out.
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Mechanical engineer pay by employer
What each employer posts for mechanical engineers, the employers with the most jobs stating pay first. An employer with at least 5 such jobs has a page of its own with every range it posts.
Median of each employer's own jobs (a range at its midpoint), and the lowest and highest rate it posts. Jobs stating pay link to the employer's open jobs.
Mechanical engineer pay by state
States where at least 8 open jobs from 3 employers state pay, highest median first. Each opens the state's own page, with its towns and employers.
| State | Median posted | Middle half | BLS median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $160k | $133k–$177k | n/a | 54 |
| California | $158k | $130k–$180k | n/a | 266 |
| Arizona | $155k | $123k–$183k | n/a | 13 |
| Maryland | $152k | $125k–$177k | n/a | 22 |
| Alabama | $149k | $133k–$164k | n/a | 14 |
| Florida | $145k | $136k–$166k | n/a | 35 |
| Colorado | $137k | $113k–$165k | n/a | 105 |
| Texas | $132k | $101k–$168k | n/a | 10 |
| Virginia | $115k | $108k–$143k | n/a | 13 |
Median and middle half of employers' rates in the state. BLS medians are for the occupation's main SOC code in the state (latest release).
Best-paid open mechanical engineer jobs
The current postings with the highest stated salaries, no more than two per employer.
$220,000–$292,000/yr
$205,695–$287,972/yr
$208,300–$281,800/yr
$151,305–$327,810/yr
$166,900–$309,900/yr
$175,000–$295,000/yr
$192,979–$276,722/yr
$180,500–$285,000/yr
$185,000–$277,000/yr- $185,000–$277,000/yr
- $129,150–$327,810/yr
- $187,923–$263,092/yr
Every open job: Mechanical engineer jobs
Questions about mechanical engineer pay in space
What do space companies pay mechanical engineers?
Postings that state a salary put the median at $149k a year and the middle half at $130k–$174k, across 524 postings from 62 employers (one employer's repeated posting counted once). Full time, the median is about $71.83/hr an hour.
Where do mechanical engineers earn the most?
Ranked by the median salary in each state's postings: Washington ($160k), California ($158k) and Arizona ($155k) come first, Virginia ($115k), Texas ($132k) and Colorado ($137k) last. A state's own salary page splits its figure by town and employer.
Which space companies pay mechanical engineers the most?
Of the employers that state a salary on at least 5 postings: Muon Space ($188k), CesiumAstro ($182k) and Anduril ($179k). The employer table covers the 40 with the most postings that state pay.
Where do these figures come from?
From the salaries in space companies' own postings, read every night: 524 of 725 current mechanical engineer postings (72%) state one. Nothing is estimated for a posting without pay, "up to" ceilings are set aside, and an hourly rate counts as 2,080 hours.
Sources and method
- SpaceJobs.Now: salaries stated in space companies' own postings, read every night, published 7 Nov 2026
Cite this page
SpaceJobs.Now. (2026). Mechanical engineer salary. Data as of 7 Nov 2026. https://spacejobs.now/salaries/mechanical-engineers