Engineering · 25 Cities Ranked

Highest Paying Cities for Mechanical Engineer (2024)

The median Mechanical Engineer salary is $147,730 in San Jose, CA, the highest-paying city for this role. After adjusting for cost of living, Houston, TX offers the best purchasing power at $131,472 adjusted.

$110,710

National Median

$147,730

Highest City

$93,350

Lowest City

Cities Ranked

Ranked by Median Salary

Rank	City	Median	Range (10th–90th)	COL Index	COL-Adjusted	Jobs
1	San Jose, CA	$147,730	$100,540 – $224,620	195.8	$75,449	3,910
2	San Francisco, CA	$145,640	$97,070 – $207,610	179.6	$81,091	4,670
3	San Diego, CA	$128,660	$84,120 – $170,840	160.2	$80,312	3,320
4	Houston, TX	$126,870	$77,980 – $195,310	96.5	$131,472	7,010
5	Boston, MA	$124,160	$79,970 – $168,720	152.1	$81,631	8,050
6	Washington, DC	$121,060	$81,060 – $181,540	152.8	$79,228	5,080
7	Seattle, WA	$117,930	$81,600 – $168,150	149.4	$78,936	5,390
8	Los Angeles, CA	$114,290	$69,990 – $175,840	166	$68,849	8,280
9	New York, NY	$111,270	$77,230 – $168,270	187.2	$59,439	6,440
10	Denver, CO	$110,530	$78,750 – $176,300	112.8	$97,988	3,870
11	Austin, TX	$110,410	$62,800 – $176,310	103	$107,194	1,570
12	Detroit, MI	$104,420	$77,220 – $147,830	95.1	$109,800	19,740
13	Dallas, TX	$104,410	$67,580 – $165,220	104.1	$100,298	5,140
14	Portland, OR	$103,010	$76,600 – $144,970	130.1	$79,178	2,650
15	Raleigh, NC	$102,750	$65,180 – $155,460	99.8	$102,956	1,270
16	Phoenix, AZ	$102,300	$71,690 – $157,430	100.7	$101,589	3,640
17	Philadelphia, PA	$102,180	$73,220 – $158,070	118.4	$86,301	5,010
18	Nashville, TN	$101,600	$39,730 – $138,980	100.3	$101,296	1,200
19	Charlotte, NC	$100,990	$74,420 – $150,300	96.7	$104,436	3,010
20	Minneapolis, MN	$100,740	$73,510 – $155,880	106.2	$94,859	4,510
21	Salt Lake City, UT	$100,580	$72,220 – $136,060	101.4	$99,191	1,670
22	Chicago, IL	$100,390	$67,490 – $150,430	107.3	$93,560	6,050
23	Atlanta, GA	$98,880	$67,080 – $157,290	99.2	$99,677	2,720
24	Tampa, FL	$93,610	$64,470 – $151,020	99.6	$93,986	1,260
25	Miami, FL	$93,350	$56,360 – $147,100	123.1	$75,833	1,720

Ranked by Purchasing Power (COL-Adjusted)

Cost-of-living adjusted salaries show where your Mechanical Engineer paycheck goes furthest. A lower COL index means your dollars stretch further.

Rank	City	COL-Adjusted	Raw Median	COL Index
1	Houston, TX	$131,472	$126,870	96.5
2	Detroit, MI	$109,800	$104,420	95.1
3	Austin, TX	$107,194	$110,410	103
4	Charlotte, NC	$104,436	$100,990	96.7
5	Raleigh, NC	$102,956	$102,750	99.8
6	Phoenix, AZ	$101,589	$102,300	100.7
7	Nashville, TN	$101,296	$101,600	100.3
8	Dallas, TX	$100,298	$104,410	104.1
9	Atlanta, GA	$99,677	$98,880	99.2
10	Salt Lake City, UT	$99,191	$100,580	101.4
11	Denver, CO	$97,988	$110,530	112.8
12	Minneapolis, MN	$94,859	$100,740	106.2
13	Tampa, FL	$93,986	$93,610	99.6
14	Chicago, IL	$93,560	$100,390	107.3
15	Philadelphia, PA	$86,301	$102,180	118.4
16	Boston, MA	$81,631	$124,160	152.1
17	San Francisco, CA	$81,091	$145,640	179.6
18	San Diego, CA	$80,312	$128,660	160.2
19	Washington, DC	$79,228	$121,060	152.8
20	Portland, OR	$79,178	$103,010	130.1
21	Seattle, WA	$78,936	$117,930	149.4
22	Miami, FL	$75,833	$93,350	123.1
23	San Jose, CA	$75,449	$147,730	195.8
24	Los Angeles, CA	$68,849	$114,290	166
25	New York, NY	$59,439	$111,270	187.2

Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose, CA pays the highest median Mechanical Engineer salary at $147,730. However, after cost-of-living adjustment, Houston, TX offers the most purchasing power at $131,472 adjusted.

The national median Mechanical Engineer salary is $110,710 based on BLS data. Salaries range from $93,350 to $147,730 depending on city.

Not necessarily. A city with higher nominal pay may have a higher cost of living that offsets the salary difference. Compare the "COL-Adjusted" column in both tables above — cities with lower costs of living often offer better real purchasing power.