Side-by-side distribution
Automotive Engineer
$170,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 57.9%
- Live roles
- 197
Chemical Engineer
$108,750
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 27.8%
- Live roles
- 18
Highest-paying jobs
Staff Robotics Software Engineer, Air Vehicle Autonomy
Staff Robotics Software Engineer, Air Vehicle Autonomy
Staff Robotics Software Engineer, Air Vehicle Autonomy
Mission Software Engineer, Vehicle Software, Computer Vision
Principal Systems Engineer, Air Vehicle Software
Senior Robotics Software Engineer, Vehicle Software
Principal Systems Engineer, Air Vehicle Systems
Sr Staff Vehicle Controls Engineer
Senior Manufacturing Engineer (Arc Vehicle)
Senior Test Engineer (Arc Vehicle)
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Anduril Industries
|
$193,000 | 41 |
Relativity Space
|
$165,000 | 12 |
|
Inversion
|
$150,250 | 10 |
Scout Motors
|
$122,500 | 9 |
Rocket Lab Corporation
|
$106,000 | 7 |
Applied Intuition
|
$175,000 | 5 |
|
ALSO
|
$265,000 | 3 |
Motional
|
$146,000 | 3 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Apex Technology, Inc.
|
$155,000 | 2 |
SpaceX
|
$108,750 | 1 |
Hire Hangar
|
$105,000 | 1 |
Fuku
|
$5,500 | 1 |
Automotive Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $193,000 | 8 |
| Boston | $193,000 | 5 |
| Los Angeles | $140,000 | 3 |
Automotive Engineer vs Chemical Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Automotive Engineer is $170,000 per year (typically $137,500–$194,750), versus $108,750 for Chemical Engineer ($105,000–$143,000). That puts Automotive Engineer about 56% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Automotive Engineer and Chemical Engineer are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.