Side-by-side distribution
Automotive Engineer
$165,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 53%
- Live roles
- 217
Structural Engineer
$127,740
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 31.7%
- Live roles
- 268
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
Staff Software Engineer, Vehicle Software, C++
Highest-paying jobs
Resident Structural Engineer (PHX)
Senior Spacecraft Structural Analysis Engineer II - TS/SCI Clearance
Structural Design Engineer (SE) - Los Angeles
CNC / Structural Steel Processing Engineer
Structural Engineer, Modular R&D
Structural Engineer, Capacity Delivery
Structural Engineer
Structural/Civil Engineer - Natural Gas Power Projects
Lead Structural Engineer - Building Design
Senior Engineer - Structural - Mi-Tech Services, Inc.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| MC Michels Corporation | $147,500 | 11 |
| DG DLR Group | $116,650 | 8 |
Entuitive
|
$86,500 | 7 |
|
Fluidstack
|
$185,000 | 5 |
LaBella Associates
|
$83,500 | 5 |
|
Rocket Lab Corporation
|
$164,775 | 3 |
|
Anduril Industries
|
$150,000 | 3 |
Brindleyengineering
|
$130,000 | 3 |
Automotive Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $193,000 | 6 |
| Boston | $193,000 | 5 |
| Los Angeles | $144,750 | 4 |
Structural Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $185,000 | 7 |
| Seattle | $185,000 | 6 |
| Austin | $185,000 | 5 |
| New York | $145,000 | 8 |
| Los Angeles | $132,358 | 6 |
| Chicago | $114,565 | 5 |
| Toronto | $98,250 | 4 |
Automotive Engineer vs Structural Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Automotive Engineer is $165,000 per year (typically $130,250–$197,625), versus $127,740 for Structural Engineer ($109,688–$155,000). That puts Automotive Engineer about 29% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Automotive Engineer and Structural 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.