Side-by-side distribution
Plant Manager
$139,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 42.3%
- Live roles
- 414
Process Engineer
$119,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 29.2%
- Live roles
- 2,572
Highest-paying jobs
Plant Manager (Arizona)
Principal Product Manager, AI Factory
Product Manager, Software Factory
Senior Manager, Software Engineering, Plant Control
Staff Product Manager, AI Software Factory PLG
Manager, ML Solutions Architecture - Token Factory
Plant Manager
Sr. Manager - Factory Automation
Plant Manager
Manufacturing Plant Manager
Highest-paying jobs
Forward Deployed Process Engineer Lead - R37
Director, Process Engineer – Dry Etch
Forward Deployed Process Engineer Lead - R37
Finance Transformation Process Engineer
Process Design Engineer - IT
MEMs Microfabrication Process Engineer (Metrology, Test, BEOL, or Bond)
Sr. Staff Engineer - Process & Equipment Design
Director, Process Engineer
Intel Foundry Process Development Engineer - Lithography
Senior Process Engineer (Power Generation / Gas-to-Power)
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| JC J.Crew | $45,604 | 30 |
Heidelberg Materials
|
$125,393 | 9 |
LG Electronics
|
$97,500 | 6 |
Niagara Bottling
|
$136,879 | 5 |
Greif
|
$153,850 | 4 |
Conagra Brands
|
$134,000 | 4 |
|
Blue Origin
|
$193,880 | 3 |
Kraft Heinz
|
$184,700 | 3 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Applied Materials
|
$147,500 | 90 |
Samsung
|
$107,500 | 35 |
Northrop Grumman
|
$111,800 | 26 |
|
Intel
|
$167,330 | 13 |
Anduril Industries
|
$155,750 | 12 |
Abbott
|
$117,000 | 11 |
|
Blue Origin
|
$119,041 | 10 |
| GV GE Vernova | $114,100 | 10 |
Plant Manager salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $184,053 | 4 |
| Los Angeles | $160,956 | 4 |
| Chicago | $135,900 | 3 |
| New York | $130,361 | 3 |
Process Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $170,000 | 5 |
| Los Angeles | $128,750 | 10 |
| New York | $124,675 | 20 |
| Seattle | $119,041 | 15 |
| Boston | $115,000 | 5 |
| Denver | $112,011 | 3 |
| Austin | $110,500 | 21 |
Plant Manager vs Process Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Plant Manager is $139,500 per year (typically $113,610–$168,925), versus $119,000 for Process Engineer ($96,100–$143,985). That puts Plant Manager about 17% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Plant Manager and Process 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.