Mechanical engineer salary in San Diego, CA
What mechanical 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
$121,750
Middle half earn
$96,860 to $151,920
People in this job here
3,370
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Mechanical Engineers, San Diego, CA, annual pay, May 2025
- 10th percentile
- $81,460
- 25th percentile
- $96,860
- Median
- $121,750
- 75th percentile
- $151,920
- 90th percentile
- $172,760
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 17-2141. Percentiles across everyone employed in the occupation, not experience levels.
At a glance
How San Diego, CA compares
- The median here is 17% above the national median of $104,110.
- San Diego, CA ranks 8th for median pay among the 50 largest US metros with published figures for this occupation.
- About 3,370 people work in this occupation here, roughly 1 in every 456 jobs in the metro.
- Pay varies widely within the job: the 90th percentile earns 2.1 times the 10th.
Worked from BLS OEWS, May 2025. Not adjusted for the cost of living.
| Percentile | San Diego, CA | National |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $81,460 | $73,990 |
| 25th percentile | $96,860 | $84,130 |
| Median | $121,750 | $104,110 |
| 75th percentile | $151,920 | $132,590 |
| 90th percentile | $172,760 | $164,340 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 17-2141. National page for mechanical engineers
By metro
Other metros for mechanical engineers
Median annual pay in the largest US metros where BLS published figures for this occupation, highest first, May 2025.
- San Jose, CA$168,030
- San Francisco, CA$161,370
- Denver, CO$128,180
- Washington, DC$126,990
- Seattle, WA$126,590
- Houston, TX$125,350
- Los Angeles, CA$123,900
- Sacramento, CA$120,970
- Boston, MA$119,300
- Baltimore, MD$116,700
- Providence, RI$111,360
- New York, NY$109,990
- Detroit, MI$109,470
- Las Vegas, NV$107,600
- Austin, TX$106,690
- Hartford, CT$105,980
- Dallas, TX$105,420
- Portland, OR$105,020
- Riverside, CA$104,910
- San Antonio, TX$104,620
- Philadelphia, PA$104,410
- Cincinnati, OH$104,220
- Richmond, VA$104,130
- Memphis, TN$104,110
- Orlando, FL$103,380
- Chicago, IL$102,070
- Atlanta, GA$102,020
- Charlotte, NC$101,950
- Salt Lake City, UT$101,500
- Minneapolis, MN$101,180
- Phoenix, AZ$100,980
- Columbus, OH$100,730
- St. Louis, MO$100,340
- Tampa, FL$100,290
- Virginia Beach, VA$100,280
- Raleigh, NC$100,000
- Miami, FL$99,660
- Kansas City, MO$99,630
- Jacksonville, FL$99,500
- Nashville, TN$99,440
- Louisville/Jefferson County, KY$99,290
- Milwaukee, WI$98,730
- Indianapolis, IN$98,680
- Pittsburgh, PA$98,050
- Cleveland, OH$97,220
- Buffalo, NY$97,200
- Oklahoma City, OK$96,930
- Grand Rapids, MI$96,610
- San Juan, PR$74,400
Medians from BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Skills
What employers look for in a mechanical engineer
The skills our mechanical engineer resume example leads with, written for US employers.
- SolidWorks
- CREO
- GD&T
- Finite element analysis
- Tolerance stack-up
- Design for manufacturability
- Injection molding
- Sheet metal design
- CNC machining
- Thermal analysis
See the full mechanical engineer resume example, with bullets and keywords.
Negotiating
Using these numbers
Below $96,860 puts you in the bottom quarter for mechanical engineers in San Diego, CA. That is worth raising, with evidence of what you deliver.
The median, $121,750, 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 $151,920 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 Mechanical 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 mechanical engineer pay in San Diego, CA
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