Side-by-side distribution
Automotive Engineer
$165,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 54.1%
- Live roles
- 209
Mechanical Engineer
$150,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 46.8%
- Live roles
- 1,339
Highest-paying jobs
Principal Engineer, Embedded Vehicle Software
Senior Manufacturing Engineer (Arc Vehicle)
Staff Robotics Software Engineer, Air Vehicle Autonomy
Staff Robotics Software Engineer, Air Vehicle Autonomy
Staff Robotics Software Engineer, Air Vehicle Autonomy
Site Reliability Engineering Manager, Vehicle Software
Automotive System Engineer
Chief Engineer, Software-Defined Vehicle Platform
Principal Systems Engineer, Air Vehicle Systems
Principal Systems Engineer, Air Vehicle Software
Highest-paying jobs
Data Center Mechanical Engineer
Mechanical Commissioning Project Engineer
Staff Mechanical Engineer, Fluid Systems
Mechanical Design Engineer
Senior Mechanical engineer
Mechanical Engineer, Robotics Hardware
Mechanical Engineer
Principal Mechanical Engineer, Space Special Programs
Principal Mechanical Engineer, Tooling
Principal Mechanical Engineer, Factory Automation
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Anduril Industries
|
$193,000 | 37 |
|
Relativity Space
|
$144,000 | 14 |
Scout Motors
|
$122,500 | 10 |
|
Inversion
|
$130,500 | 9 |
Rocket Lab Corporation
|
$122,500 | 8 |
|
Wayve
|
$277,150 | 4 |
Stoke Space
|
$154,350 | 3 |
Motional
|
$146,000 | 3 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Anduril Industries
|
$170,000 | 68 |
SpaceX
|
$115,000 | 28 |
|
Relativity Space
|
$165,000 | 22 |
Syska Hennessy Group
|
$132,627 | 20 |
Vast
|
$147,213 | 16 |
| DG DLR Group | $114,565 | 16 |
|
Rocket Lab Corporation
|
$139,750 | 14 |
ALTEN Technology USA
|
$111,433 | 12 |
Automotive Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $193,000 | 6 |
| Boston | $193,000 | 5 |
| Los Angeles | $144,750 | 4 |
Mechanical Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $188,500 | 20 |
| San Francisco | $165,000 | 57 |
| Austin | $165,000 | 16 |
| Los Angeles | $150,000 | 55 |
| New York | $131,750 | 26 |
| Boston | $128,692 | 7 |
| Denver | $125,000 | 11 |
| Chicago | $114,565 | 10 |
| Atlanta | $102,500 | 4 |
Automotive Engineer vs Mechanical Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Automotive Engineer is $165,000 per year (typically $130,125–$199,063), versus $150,000 for Mechanical Engineer ($120,000–$171,500). That puts Automotive Engineer about 10% 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.