Side-by-side distribution
Automotive Engineer
$160,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 50.2%
- Live roles
- 414
Mechanical Engineer
$133,850
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 43.4%
- Live roles
- 3,564
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 Mechanical Engineer - Data Center Cooling
Staff Mechanical Engineer
Mechanical Engineer, Hardware Systems
Mechanical Engineer, PCBA Test Infrastructure, Robotics
Data Center Mechanical Engineer
Distinguished Technologist Mechanical Engineer (Network Infrastructure)
Senior Mechanical Controls Engineer
Staff Mechanical Engineer
Staff Mechanical Engineer
Mechanical Design Engineer, Motor Design & Prototyping
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 |
|---|---|---|
|
Northrop Grumman
|
$121,650 | 107 |
|
Anduril Industries
|
$170,000 | 91 |
|
Blue Origin
|
$145,228 | 54 |
Applied Materials
|
$147,500 | 48 |
Mindrift
|
$76,960 | 46 |
KLA
|
$159,050 | 34 |
Syska Hennessy Group
|
$123,612 | 33 |
Leidos
|
$122,275 | 28 |
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 |
Mechanical Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $162,275 | 74 |
| Austin | $159,850 | 22 |
| Los Angeles | $150,000 | 64 |
| Boston | $149,250 | 21 |
| Seattle | $145,228 | 64 |
| New York | $128,750 | 34 |
| Denver | $125,500 | 35 |
| Chicago | $119,437 | 18 |
| Atlanta | $111,000 | 10 |
| London | $74,880 | 5 |
Automotive Engineer vs Mechanical Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Automotive Engineer is $160,500 per year (typically $130,000–$193,000), versus $133,850 for Mechanical Engineer ($107,500–$162,550). That puts Automotive Engineer about 20% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Automotive Engineer and Mechanical 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.