Side-by-side distribution
Automotive Engineer
$160,943
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 50.4%
- Live roles
- 415
Civil Engineer
$107,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 35.8%
- Live roles
- 848
Highest-paying jobs
Principal Software Engineer – Core OS, Vehicle Compute
Principal Software Engineer - Vehicle AI
Staff Robotics Software Engineer, Air Vehicle Autonomy
Staff Robotics Software Engineer, Air Vehicle Autonomy
Staff Robotics Software Engineer, Air Vehicle Autonomy
Staff Software Engineer – Core OS, Vehicle Compute
Senior / Staff Machine Learning Engineer, Vehicle Dynamics
Space Vehicle Chief Engineer (Level 7)
Chief Engineer, Space Vehicle Autonomy
Chief Engineer, Software-Defined Vehicle Platform
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Civil Engineer - Water/Sewer/Gas - Rail and Transit
Resident Engineer - Heavy Civil - Gateway Hudson Tunnel Project
Principal Civil Engineer
Civil Engineer, Capacity Delivery
Civil Engineer
Civil Engineer
Senior Supervising Engineer/Civil Design Discipline Lead – Water & Wastewater
Environmental Engineer, Civil
Civil/Structural Engineer
Wastewater Civil Engineer
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Anduril Industries
|
$222,000 | 42 |
|
Northrop Grumman
|
$153,500 | 21 |
Relativity Space
|
$136,000 | 18 |
|
General Motors
|
$150,210 | 13 |
The Aerospace Corporation
|
$155,100 | 12 |
Rocket Lab Corporation
|
$127,500 | 9 |
SpaceX
|
$142,500 | 7 |
Inversion
|
$130,500 | 7 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| PA Parsons | $120,375 | 34 |
Wilson & Company
|
$107,000 | 23 |
| SE SEH | $120,000 | 17 |
LaBella Associates
|
$102,500 | 13 |
HNTB
|
$65,728 | 13 |
AtkinsRéalis
|
$89,500 | 12 |
BKF
|
$119,750 | 10 |
Atwell, LLC
|
$102,500 | 10 |
Automotive Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $193,000 | 11 |
| Boston | $193,000 | 9 |
| San Francisco | $170,000 | 4 |
| Austin | $149,025 | 3 |
| Los Angeles | $144,750 | 6 |
Civil Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | $145,850 | 6 |
| Los Angeles | $140,000 | 6 |
| Seattle | $119,977 | 4 |
| New York | $119,200 | 27 |
| San Francisco | $117,000 | 5 |
| Denver | $107,500 | 17 |
| Chicago | $98,000 | 11 |
| Boston | $87,450 | 11 |
Automotive Engineer vs Civil Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Automotive Engineer is $160,943 per year (typically $130,000–$193,000), versus $107,000 for Civil Engineer ($87,450–$130,730). That puts Automotive Engineer about 50% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Automotive Engineer and Civil 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.