Side-by-side distribution
Automotive Engineer
$160,250
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 50.6%
- Live roles
- 405
Environmental Engineer
$110,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 41.1%
- Live roles
- 297
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
Staff Environmental Test Engineer
Space-Based Environmental Monitoring Systems Engineer
Principal / Sr. Principal Engineer Systems - Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (EEE)
Senior Environmental Remediation Engineer
Environmental Engineer, Civil
Senior Environmental Engineer
Integration Engineer, Environmental Test
Mechanical Engineer – Environmental Test Lab
Sr. Environmental Engineer, Business Operations
Sr. Environmental Health & Safety Engineer, EHS Training Programs
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Anduril Industries
|
$222,000 | 42 |
Relativity Space
|
$136,000 | 18 |
|
Northrop Grumman
|
$148,000 | 16 |
|
General Motors
|
$149,618 | 14 |
|
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 |
|---|---|---|
Barr Engineering
|
$78,000 | 15 |
|
Northrop Grumman
|
$123,300 | 14 |
|
SpaceX
|
$160,000 | 12 |
|
Leidos
|
$122,275 | 5 |
| SC SLR Consulting | $82,500 | 5 |
|
LaBella Associates
|
$57,450 | 4 |
|
Vast
|
$153,900 | 3 |
| MT Micron Technology | $142,000 | 3 |
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 |
Environmental Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $126,250 | 4 |
| San Francisco | $125,000 | 6 |
| Denver | $107,500 | 3 |
| New York | $80,000 | 9 |
Automotive Engineer vs Environmental Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Automotive Engineer is $160,250 per year (typically $129,875–$193,000), versus $110,000 for Environmental Engineer ($87,450–$137,919). That puts Automotive Engineer about 46% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Automotive Engineer and Environmental 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.