BLS OEWS, May 2025

Electrical engineer salary in San Diego, CA

What electrical engineers are paid in San Diego, CA, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with how your own pay compares. Figures from the BLS OEWS release dated May 2025.

Median annual pay

$127,270

Middle half earn

$93,660 to $162,340

People in this job here

2,400

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Electrical Engineers, San Diego, CA, annual pay, May 2025

10th percentile
$80,080
25th percentile
$93,660
Median
$127,270
75th percentile
$162,340
90th percentile
$204,610

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 17-2071. Percentiles across everyone employed in the occupation, not experience levels.

At a glance

How San Diego, CA compares

  • The median here is 6% above the national median of $120,630.
  • San Diego, CA ranks 13th for median pay among the 49 largest US metros with published figures for this occupation.
  • About 2,400 people work in this occupation here, roughly 1 in every 641 jobs in the metro.
  • Pay varies widely within the job: the 90th percentile earns 2.6 times the 10th.

Worked from BLS OEWS, May 2025. Not adjusted for the cost of living.

San Diego, CA against the national figures
PercentileSan Diego, CANational
10th percentile$80,080$76,550
25th percentile$93,660$92,830
Median$127,270$120,630
75th percentile$162,340$152,950
90th percentile$204,610$184,300

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 17-2071. National page for electrical engineers

By metro

Other metros for electrical engineers

Median annual pay in the largest US metros where BLS published figures for this occupation, highest first, May 2025.

Medians from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Skills

What employers look for in an electrical engineer

The skills our electrical engineer resume example leads with, written for US employers.

  • Circuit design
  • PCB layout
  • Altium Designer
  • SPICE simulation
  • Power distribution
  • Load calculations
  • NEC compliance
  • Motor controls
  • PLC programming
  • SCADA

See the full electrical engineer resume example, with bullets and keywords.

Negotiating

Using these numbers

Below $93,660 puts you in the bottom quarter for electrical engineers in San Diego, CA. That is worth raising, with evidence of what you deliver.

The median, $127,270, is the middle of the market, not a ceiling. An offer at or near it is a fair starting point to negotiate from.

Asking for $162,340 or more puts you in the top quarter, so it needs a reason an employer will accept: a wider scope, a competing offer, or a skill that is hard to hire for.

Percentiles are not experience levels. They describe everyone doing the job, so a senior hire can sit at the median of a market full of senior people.

About the numbers

What these figures are

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys employers for its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and these figures are from the release dated May 2025. They cover wage and salary workers in Electrical Engineers, a category that is often broader than a single job title. Self-employed people are not included.

They are base pay: bonuses, equity and overtime are not included, and they are not adjusted for the cost of living. The metro is San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA as BLS defines it.

Questions

Questions about electrical engineer pay in San Diego, CA

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