RF engineer salary
Space employers offer RF and communications engineers a median of $174k a year, and the middle half of their postings sits at $150k–$202k. That comes from 254 jobs at 43 employers whose own postings name a salary.
- 25th percentile$150,000/hr
- Median (50th)$173,500/hr
- 75th percentile$201,720/hr
- Distinct posted rates254
- Jobs stating an hourly rate254
- Employers43
The median is the middle of the 254 distinct rates they post, and the middle half, $150,000–$201,720 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$150,000/hr
- Median (50th)$173,500/hr
- 75th percentile$201,720/hr
- Distinct posted rates254
- Jobs stating an hourly rate254
- Employers43
The median is the middle of the 254 distinct rates they post, and the middle half, $150,000–$201,720 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$173,500
- Hours in a full-time year2,080
- The same per hour, full time$83.41/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.
- Amazon Leo39 jobs
- SpaceX37 jobs
- Blue Origin19 jobs
- Lockheed Martin19 jobs
- Boeing12 jobs
- Rocket Lab11 jobs
- Viasat9 jobs
- E-Space9 jobs
- K2 Space8 jobs
- BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems8 jobs
Jobs stating pay, the employers with the most first: 171 at the 10 shown and 83 at 33 other employers, 254 in all.
The jobs themselves: RF engineer jobs
What RF and communications 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 $174k a year. Middle half $150k to $202k. Point at a bar for its count. Tap a bar for its count.
Posted on open jobs
Middle half of 254 distinct posted rates (a job posted many times at one rate counted once), median $174k. 75% of the 340 open RF engineer jobs state pay.
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RF engineer pay by employer
What each employer posts for RF and communications 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.
RF 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | $185k | $159k–$205k | n/a | 13 |
| California | $182k | $152k–$202k | n/a | 135 |
| Washington | $168k | $160k–$203k | n/a | 50 |
| Colorado | $158k | $131k–$204k | n/a | 49 |
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 RF engineer jobs
The current postings with the highest stated salaries, no more than two per employer.
$269,175–$376,844/yr- $269,175–$376,844/yr
$248,100–$372,200/yr
$210,000–$340,000/yr
$212,500–$335,500/yr
$219,161–$316,566/yr- $210,000–$300,000/yr
$218,000–$279,000/yr
$166,900–$309,900/yr- $166,900–$309,900/yr
$185,200–$287,500/yr
$200,000–$270,000/yr
Every open job: RF engineer jobs
Questions about RF engineer pay in space
What do space companies pay RF and communications engineers?
Postings that state a salary put the median at $174k a year and the middle half at $150k–$202k, across 254 postings from 43 employers (one employer's repeated posting counted once). Full time, the median is about $83.41/hr an hour.
Where do RF and communications engineers earn the most?
Ranked by the median salary in each state's postings: Virginia ($185k), California ($182k) and Washington ($168k) come first, Colorado ($158k), Washington ($168k) and California ($182k) last. A state's own salary page splits its figure by town and employer.
Which space companies pay RF and communications engineers the most?
Of the employers that state a salary on at least 5 postings: Blue Origin ($218k), Hubble Network ($207k) and K2 Space ($185k). 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: 254 of 340 current RF engineer postings (75%) 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.
Salaries in rf & payloads
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). RF engineer salary. Data as of 7 Nov 2026. https://spacejobs.now/salaries/rf-engineers