Are You Compensated Like the Top 1% of Engineers?

Neither am I…

Each year I see reports on the highest paying entry level jobs and engineering disciplines are always near the top of the list.  Early in my career I watched my salary grow significantly;  however, now as an 18+ year veteran in the engineering field I’ve noticed that in the past 5 or 6 years my increases have tended to stagnate at or even below the cost of living.  For several years now I have considered market fluctuations and political environments as potential causes for this apparent leveling off of my compensation.  Over time this led me to wonder whether I had simply reached my peak for my particular profession and what the absolute maximum compensation was for top performers in my field might be.

To gain additional insight I consulted Salary.com‘s free salary reports. Salary.com uses employer-reported data comprised of 29 million individuals working at 16,000 companies adjusted for cost of living by zip code.  The distribution of salaries is provided for various job titles for individuals with varying years of experience.

So I set off to determine what the absolute maximum salary might be for the various engineering disciplines.

Salary of Engineering Professionals with the Most Experience

The following table shows the salary distribution of Engineering professionals with the most experience.  The 50, 75, and 90 percentile salaries are extracted from Salary.com‘s free salary reports for those individuals with greater than 8 years experience nationwide.  The 99, 99.9, and 99.99 percentile salaries are interpolated from the data using curve fitting techniques (more on the methodology later) to provide the salary for the top 1% (1 in 100), 0.1% (1 in 1,000), and 0.01% (1 in 10,000). These last three data points provide a theoretical upper bound on the potential salaries of the various engineering disciplines.  Although these salary results are numerically sound (in my humble opinion), these outlying salaries may or may not be achievable.

Salary Percentile
Engineering Discipline 50% 75% 90% 99% 99.90% 99.99%
Aerospace $126,388 $139,715 $151,710 $172,354 $187,448 $199,872
Chemical $130,711 $142,475 $153,064 $171,287 $184,611 $195,578
Electrical $132,203 $144,736 $156,016 $175,429 $189,623 $201,306
Field Services $109,043 $121,341 $132,410 $151,459 $165,387 $176,852
Hardware $136,559 $151,212 $164,401 $187,099 $203,694 $217,355
Industrial $118,650 $131,171 $142,439 $161,834 $176,014 $187,686
Manufacturing $123,288 $136,221 $147,862 $167,896 $182,543 $194,600
Materials $124,736 $148,896 $170,640 $208,063 $235,425 $257,947
Mechanical $131,221 $142,349 $152,365 $169,603 $182,207 $192,581
Network $118,593 $131,441 $143,004 $162,905 $177,456 $189,433
Production $110,630 $122,780 $133,716 $152,537 $166,297 $177,624
Quality Assurance $127,766 $138,309 $147,798 $164,129 $176,069 $185,898
Reliability $118,354 $129,377 $139,298 $156,374 $168,858 $179,134
Software $127,740 $141,481 $153,849 $175,135 $190,697 $203,508
Systems $132,113 $147,033 $160,461 $156,374 $200,469 $214,378
Telecommunications $112,571 $124,151 $134,574 $152,512 $165,627 $176,423
Test $118,517 $127,561 $135,701 $149,711 $159,954 $168,385


compensation_of_top_engineers

Below is more detail into the salary data for each discipline as well as the methodology used to interpolate data.

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Aerospace Engineering Salary

Below is the Salary.com salary data for Aerospace Engineers.  The available salary percentile data has been plotted for individuals with varying levels of experience.

aerospace_engineering_salary_range

Aerospace Engineer Percentile
Experience (yrs) 10% 25% 50% 75% 90% Source
0 – 2 $56,244 $62,275 $68,899 $73,710 $78,090 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Aerospace-Engineer-I-Salary-Details.aspx
2 – 4 $74,503 $85,474 $97,523 $107,592 $116,759 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Aerospace-Engineer-II-Salary-Details.aspx
4 – 5 $80,517 $91,841 $104,280 $115,509 $125,732 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Aerospace-Engineer-III-Salary-Details.aspx
5 – 8 $86,376 $95,383 $105,276 $115,077 $124,001 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Aerospace-Engineer-IV-Salary-Details.aspx
> 8 $98,921 $112,011 $126,388 $139,642 $151,710 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Aerospace-Engineer-V-Salary-Details.aspx

Aerospace Engineering Salary (for Experienced Top Performers)

The following data is representative of the interpolation that went into determining the 99, 99.9, and 99.99 percentile salaries.  Using the 50th percentile salary reported by Salary.com as the mean and assuming a normal distribution, the standard deviation of the data was determined (to the nearest dollar) as the value that resulted in the smallest delta between the data reported by Salary.com (“Actual”) and the sampled standard deviation (“Projected”).

mean $126,388
stddev $19,759
Percentile Actual Projected Delta
75% $139,642 $139,715 73.24
90% $151,710 $151,710 0.18
99% NA $172,354 NA
99.9% NA $187,448 NA
99.99% NA $199,872 NA

Chemical Engineering Salary

Below is the Salary.com salary data for Chemical Engineers.  The available salary percentile data has been plotted for individuals with varying levels of experience.

chemical_engineering_salary_range

Chemical Engineer Percentile
Experience (yrs) 10% 25% 50% 75% 90% Source
0 – 2 $59,162 $64,746 $70,880 $78,348 $85,148 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Chemical-Engineer-I-Salary-Details.aspx
2 – 4 $66,517 $73,819 $81,839 $91,249 $99,817 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Chemical-Engineer-II-Salary-Details.aspx
4 – 5 $76,001 $86,189 $97,380 $109,262 $120,080 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Chemical-Engineer-III-Salary-Details.aspx
5 – 8 $94,930 $104,913 $115,877 $129,941 $142,746 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Chemical-Engineer-IV-Salary-Details.aspx
> 8 $107,973 $118,809 $130,711 $142,412 $153,064 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Chemical-Engineer-V-Salary-Details.aspx

Chemical Engineering Salary (for Experienced Top Performers)

The following data is representative of the interpolation that went into determining the 99, 99.9, and 99.99 percentile salaries.  Using the 50th percentile salary reported by Salary.com as the mean and assuming a normal distribution, the standard deviation of the data was determined (to the nearest dollar) as the value that resulted in the smallest delta between the data reported by Salary.com (“Actual”) and the sampled standard deviation (“Projected”).
mean $130,711
stddev $17,442
Percentile Actual Projected Delta
75% $142,412 $142,475 63.45
90% $153,064 $153,064 0.18
99% NA $171,287 NA
99.9% NA $184,611 NA
99.99% NA $195,578 NA

Electrical Engineering Salary

Below is the Salary.com salary data for Electrical Engineers.  The available salary percentile data has been plotted for individuals with varying levels of experience.
electrical_engineering_salary_range
Electrical Engineer Percentile
Experience (yrs) 10% 25% 50% 75% 90% Source
0 – 2 $57,076 $61,448 $66,251 $72,300 $77,807 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Electrical-Engineer-I-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
2 – 4 $66,246 $72,822 $80,045 $89,169 $97,477 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Electrical-Engineer-II-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
4 – 5 $77,843 $86,669 $96,363 $106,680 $116,073 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Electrical-Engineer-III-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
5 – 8 $95,606 $104,092 $113,412 $125,447 $136,404 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Electrical-Engineer-IV-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
> 8 $109,938 $120,549 $132,203 $144,668 $156,017 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Electrical-Engineer-V-Salary-Details-Location.aspx

Electrical Engineering Salary (for Experienced Top Performers)

The following data is representative of the interpolation that went into determining the 99, 99.9, and 99.99 percentile salaries.  Using the 50th percentile salary reported by Salary.com as the mean and assuming a normal distribution, the standard deviation of the data was determined (to the nearest dollar) as the value that resulted in the smallest delta between the data reported by Salary.com (“Actual”) and the sampled standard deviation (“Projected”).
mean $132,203
stddev $18,581
Percentile Actual Projected Delta
75% $144,668 $144,736 67.69
90% $156,017 $156,016 1.49
99% NA $175,429 NA
99.9% NA $189,623 NA
99.99% NA $201,306 NA

Field Serivices Engineering Salary

Below is the Salary.com salary data for Field Engineers.  The available salary percentile data has been plotted for individuals with varying levels of experience.
field_services_engineering_salary_range
Field Services Engineer Percentile
Experience (yrs) 10% 25% 50% 75% 90%  Source
0 – 2 $42,423 $48,988 $56,200 $64,692 $72,424 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Field-Service-Engineer-I-Salary-Details.aspx
2 – 4 $50,662 $58,821 $67,783 $77,852 $87,019 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Field-Service-Engineer-II-Salary-Details.aspx
4 – 5 $63,315 $72,431 $82,444 $95,257 $106,923 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Field-Service-Engineer-III-Salary-Details.aspx
5 – 8 $71,303 $84,199 $98,365 $108,954 $118,596 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Field-Service-Engineer-IV-Salary-Details.aspx
> 8 $81,025 $94,378 $109,043 $121,275 $132,411 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Field-Service-Engineer-V-Salary-Details.aspx

Field Services Engineering Salary (for Experienced Top Performers)

The following data is representative of the interpolation that went into determining the 99, 99.9, and 99.99 percentile salaries.  Using the 50th percentile salary reported by Salary.com as the mean and assuming a normal distribution, the standard deviation of the data was determined (to the nearest dollar) as the value that resulted in the smallest delta between the data reported by Salary.com (“Actual”) and the sampled standard deviation (“Projected”).
mean $109,043
stddev $18,233
Percentile Actual Projected Delta
75% $121,275 $121,341 65.97
90% $132,411 $132,410 1.47
99% NA $151,459 NA
99.9% NA $165,387 NA
99.99% NA $176,852 NA

Hardware Engineering Salary

Below is the Salary.com salary data for Hardware Engineers.  The available salary percentile data has been plotted for individuals with varying levels of experience.
hardware_engineering_salary_range
Hardware Engineer Percentile
Experience (yrs) 10% 25% 50% 75% 90% Source
0 – 2 $46,597 $55,508 $65,296 $73,325 $80,636 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Hardware-Engineer-I-Salary-Details.aspx
2 – 4 $59,186 $66,895 $75,362 $83,850 $91,577 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Hardware-Engineer-II-Salary-Details.aspx
4 – 5 $72,954 $83,280 $94,622 $104,706 $113,886 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Hardware-Engineer-III-Salary-Details.aspx
5 – 8 $94,366 $105,262 $117,230 $128,177 $138,144 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Hardware-Engineer-IV-Salary-Details.aspx
> 8 $107,585 $121,393 $136,559 $151,134 $164,405 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Hardware-Engineer-V-Salary-Details.aspx

Hardware Engineering Salary (for Experienced Top Performers)

The following data is representative of the interpolation that went into determining the 99, 99.9, and 99.99 percentile salaries.  Using the 50th percentile salary reported by Salary.com as the mean and assuming a normal distribution, the standard deviation of the data was determined (to the nearest dollar) as the value that resulted in the smallest delta between the data reported by Salary.com (“Actual”) and the sampled standard deviation (“Projected”).
mean $136,559
stddev $21,725
Percentile Actual Projected Delta
75% $151,134 $151,212 78.29
90% $164,405 $164,401 4.29
99% NA $187,099 NA
99.9% NA $203,694 NA
99.99% NA $217,355 NA

Industrial Engineering Salary

Below is the Salary.com salary data for Industrial Engineers.  The available salary percentile data has been plotted for individuals with varying levels of experience.
industrial_engineering_salary_range
Industrial Engineer Percentile
Experience (yrs) 10% 25% 50% 75% 90% Source
0 – 2 $53,302 $57,959 $63,074 $68,945 $74,290 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Industrial-Engineer-I-Salary-Details.aspx
2 – 4 $60,862 $67,585 $74,968 $83,453 $91,179 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Industrial-Engineer-II-Salary-Details.aspx
4 – 5 $72,645 $81,608 $91,452 $102,229 $112,042 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Industrial-Engineer-III-Salary-Details.aspx
5 – 8 $78,480 $91,449 $105,694 $120,753 $134,464 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Industrial-Engineer-IV-Salary-Details.aspx
> 8 $93,263 $105,361 $118,650 $131,103 $142,441 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Industrial-Engineer-V-Salary-Details.aspx

Industrial Engineering Salary (for Experienced Top Performers)

The following data is representative of the interpolation that went into determining the 99, 99.9, and 99.99 percentile salaries.  Using the 50th percentile salary reported by Salary.com as the mean and assuming a normal distribution, the standard deviation of the data was determined (to the nearest dollar) as the value that resulted in the smallest delta between the data reported by Salary.com (“Actual”) and the sampled standard deviation (“Projected”).
mean $118,650
stddev $18,563
Percentile Actual Projected Delta
75% $131,103 $131,171 67.55
90% $142,441 $142,439 1.56
99% NA $161,834 NA
99.9% NA $176,014 NA
99.99% NA $187,686 NA

Manufacturing Engineering Salary

Below is the Salary.com salary data for Manufacturing Engineers.  The available salary percentile data has been plotted for individuals with varying levels of experience.

manufacturing_engineering_salary_range

Manufacturing Engineer Percentile
Experience (yrs) 10% 25% 50% 75% 90% Source
0 – 2 $50,590 $56,088 $62,127 $66,781 $71,018 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Manufacturing-Engineer-I-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
2 – 4 $60,839 $66,469 $72,653 $80,793 $88,203 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Manufacturing-Engineer-II-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
4 – 5 $77,935 $84,101 $90,872 $98,506 $105,456 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Manufacturing-Engineer-III-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
5 – 8 $87,727 $98,088 $109,467 $120,655 $130,842 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Manufacturing-Engineer-IV-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
> 8 $99,880 $111,035 $123,288 $136,151 $147,863 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Manufacturing-Engineer-V-Salary-Details-Location.aspx

Manufacturing Engineering Salary (for Experienced Top Performers)

The following data is representative of the interpolation that went into determining the 99, 99.9, and 99.99 percentile salaries.  Using the 50th percentile salary reported by Salary.com as the mean and assuming a normal distribution, the standard deviation of the data was determined (to the nearest dollar) as the value that resulted in the smallest delta between the data reported by Salary.com (“Actual”) and the sampled standard deviation (“Projected”).
mean $123,288
stddev $19,175
Percentile Actual Projected Delta
75% $136,151 $136,221 70.34
90% $147,863 $147,862 1.25
99% NA $167,896 NA
99.9% NA $182,543 NA
99.99% NA $194,600 NA

Materials Engineering Salary

Below is the Salary.com salary data for Materials Engineers.  The available salary percentile data has been plotted for individuals with varying levels of experience.
materials_engineering_salary_range
Materials Engineer Percentile
Experience (yrs) 10% 25% 50% 75% 90% Source
0 – 2 $52,248 $57,671 $63,626 $68,198 $72,361 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Materials-Engineer-I-Salary-Details.aspx
2 – 4 $59,628 $66,540 $74,132 $83,561 $92,145 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Materials-Engineer-II-Salary-Details.aspx
4 – 5 $68,653 $77,299 $86,795 $97,437 $107,126 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Materials-Engineer-III-Salary-Details.aspx
5 – 8 $78,801 $91,000 $104,399 $118,285 $130,928 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Materials-Engineer-IV-Salary-Details.aspx
> 8 $92,001 $107,601 $124,736 $148,764 $170,641 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Materials-Engineer-V-Salary-Details.aspx

Materials Engineering Salary (for Experienced Top Performers)

The following data is representative of the interpolation that went into determining the 99, 99.9, and 99.99 percentile salaries.  Using the 50th percentile salary reported by Salary.com as the mean and assuming a normal distribution, the standard deviation of the data was determined (to the nearest dollar) as the value that resulted in the smallest delta between the data reported by Salary.com (“Actual”) and the sampled standard deviation (“Projected”).
mean $124,736
stddev $35,819
Percentile Actual Projected Delta
75% $148,764 $148,896 131.55
90% $170,641 $170,640 1.10
99% NA $208,063 NA
99.9% NA $235,425 NA
99.99% NA $257,947 NA

Mechanical Engineering Salary

Below is the Salary.com salary data for Mechanical Engineers.  The available salary percentile data has been plotted for individuals with varying levels of experience.
mechanical_engineering_salary_range
Mechanical Engineer Percentile
Experience (yrs) 10% 25% 50% 75% 90% Source
0 – 2 $56,059 $60,391 $65,149 $70,903 $76,142 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Mechanical-Engineer-I-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
2 – 4 $66,200 $72,186 $78,760 $87,154 $94,797 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Mechanical-Engineer-II-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
4 – 5 $80,611 $88,114 $96,355 $105,938 $114,663 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Mechanical-Engineer-III-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
5 – 8 $91,522 $100,785 $110,959 $123,504 $134,925 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Mechanical-Engineer-IV-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
> 8 $108,361 $119,255 $131,221 $142,289 $152,366 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Mechanical-Engineer-V-Salary-Details-Location.aspx

Mechanical Engineering Salary (for Experienced Top Performers)

The following data is representative of the interpolation that went into determining the 99, 99.9, and 99.99 percentile salaries.  Using the 50th percentile salary reported by Salary.com as the mean and assuming a normal distribution, the standard deviation of the data was determined (to the nearest dollar) as the value that resulted in the smallest delta between the data reported by Salary.com (“Actual”) and the sampled standard deviation (“Projected”).
mean $131,221
stddev $16,499
Percentile Actual Projected Delta
75% $142,289 $142,349 60.41
90% $152,366 $152,365 0.68
99% NA $169,603 NA
99.9% NA $182,207 NA
99.99% NA $192,581 NA

Network Engineering Salary

Below is the Salary.com salary data for Network Engineers.  The available salary percentile data has been plotted for individuals with varying levels of experience.

network_engineering_salary_range

Network Engineer Percentile
Experience (yrs) 10% 25% 50% 75% 90% Source
0 – 2 $50,794 $57,271 $64,385 $74,458 $83,630 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Network-Engineer-I-Salary-Details.aspx
2 – 4 $62,157 $70,565 $79,801 $91,074 $101,339 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Network-Engineer-II-Salary-Details.aspx
4 – 5 $76,108 $84,765 $94,275 $104,459 $113,731 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Network-Engineer-III-Salary-Details.aspx
5 – 8 $91,355 $101,407 $112,447 $125,039 $136,502 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Network-Engineer-IV-Salary-Details.aspx
> 8 $98,446 $108,047 $118,593 $131,371 $143,004 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Network-Engineer-V-Salary-Details.aspx

Network Engineering Salary (for Experienced Top Performers)

The following data is representative of the interpolation that went into determining the 99, 99.9, and 99.99 percentile salaries.  Using the 50th percentile salary reported by Salary.com as the mean and assuming a normal distribution, the standard deviation of the data was determined (to the nearest dollar) as the value that resulted in the smallest delta between the data reported by Salary.com (“Actual”) and the sampled standard deviation (“Projected”).
mean $118,593
stddev $19,048
Percentile Actual Projected Delta
75% $131,371 $131,441 69.68
90% $143,004 $143,004 0.01
99% NA $162,905 NA
99.9% NA $177,456 NA
99.99% NA $189,433 NA

Production Engineering Salary

Below is the Salary.com salary data for Production Engineers.  The available salary percentile data has been plotted for individuals with varying levels of experience.
production_engineering_salary_range
Production Engineer Percentile
Experience (yrs) 10% 25% 50% 75% 90% Source
0 – 2 $48,922 $54,813 $61,282 $68,140 $74,383 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Production-Engineer-I-Salary-Details.aspx
2 – 4 $59,435 $65,068 $71,254 $79,486 $86,980 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Production-Engineer-II-Salary-Details.aspx
4 – 5 $69,056 $76,828 $85,366 $95,112 $103,986 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Production-Engineer-III-Salary-Details.aspx
5 – 8 $77,499 $86,887 $97,200 $108,032 $117,894 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Production-Engineer-IV-Salary-Details.aspx
> 8 $92,332 $101,052 $110,630 $122,713 $133,715 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Production-Engineer-V-Salary-Details.aspx

Production Engineering Salary (for Experienced Top Performers)

The following data is representative of the interpolation that went into determining the 99, 99.9, and 99.99 percentile salaries.  Using the 50th percentile salary reported by Salary.com as the mean and assuming a normal distribution, the standard deviation of the data was determined (to the nearest dollar) as the value that resulted in the smallest delta between the data reported by Salary.com (“Actual”) and the sampled standard deviation (“Projected”).
mean $110,630
stddev $18,014
Percentile Actual Projected Delta
75% $122,713 $122,780 67.26
90% $133,715 $133,716 0.87
99% NA $152,537 NA
99.9% NA $166,297 NA
99.99% NA $177,624 NA

Quality Assurance Engineering Salary

Below is the Salary.com salary data for Quality Assurance Engineers.  The available salary percentile data has been plotted for individuals with varying levels of experience.

quality_assurance_engineering_salary_range

Quality Assurance Engineer Percentile
Experience (yrs) 10% 25% 50% 75% 90% Source
0 – 2 $45,391 $52,405 $60,109 $67,913 $75,018 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Quality-Assurance-Engineer-I-Salary-Details.aspx
2 – 4 $58,151 $64,775 $72,050 $80,606 $88,396 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Quality-Assurance-Engineer-II-Salary-Details.aspx
4 – 5 $72,528 $78,887 $85,871 $94,856 $103,037 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Quality-Assurance-Engineer-III-Salary-Details.aspx
5 – 8 $80,317 $90,594 $101,882 $113,678 $124,418 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Quality-Assurance-Engineer-IV-Salary-Details.aspx
> 8 $108,796 $117,836 $127,766 $138,251 $147,798 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Quality-Assurance-Engineer-V-Salary-Details.aspx

Quality Assurance Engineering Salary (for Experienced Top Performers)

The following data is representative of the interpolation that went into determining the 99, 99.9, and 99.99 percentile salaries.  Using the 50th percentile salary reported by Salary.com as the mean and assuming a normal distribution, the standard deviation of the data was determined (to the nearest dollar) as the value that resulted in the smallest delta between the data reported by Salary.com (“Actual”) and the sampled standard deviation (“Projected”).
mean $127,766
stddev $15,631
Percentile Actual Projected Delta
75% $138,251 $138,309 57.95
90% $147,798 $147,798 0.07
99% NA $164,129 NA
99.9% NA $176,069 NA
99.99% NA $185,898 NA

Reliability Engineering Salary

 Below is the Salary.com salary data for Reliability Engineers.  The available salary percentile data has been plotted for individuals with varying levels of experience.
reliability_engineering_salary_range
Reliability Engineer Percentile
Experience (yrs) 10% 25% 50% 75% 90% Source
0 – 2 $55,890 $62,464 $69,685 $77,235 $84,109 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Reliability-Engineer-I-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
2 – 4 $67,749 $73,813 $80,474 $89,082 $96,920 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Reliability-Engineer-II-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
4 – 5 $76,979 $85,977 $95,861 $106,220 $115,652 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Reliability-Engineer-III-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
5 – 8 $88,635 $101,250 $115,107 $127,394 $138,581 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Reliability-Engineer-IV-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
> 8 $91,421 $104,256 $118,354 $129,317 $139,299 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Reliability-Engineer-V-Salary-Details-Location.aspx

Reliability Engineering Salary (for Experienced Top Performers)

The following data is representative of the interpolation that went into determining the 99, 99.9, and 99.99 percentile salaries.  Using the 50th percentile salary reported by Salary.com as the mean and assuming a normal distribution, the standard deviation of the data was determined (to the nearest dollar) as the value that resulted in the smallest delta between the data reported by Salary.com (“Actual”) and the sampled standard deviation (“Projected”).
mean $118,354
stddev $16,343
Percentile Actual Projected Delta
75% $129,317 $129,377 60.19
90% $139,299 $139,298 0.60
99% NA $156,374 NA
99.9% NA $168,858 NA
99.99% NA $179,134 NA

Software Engineering Salary

 Below is the Salary.com salary data for Software Engineers.  The available salary percentile data has been plotted for individuals with varying levels of experience.
software_engineering_salary_range
Software Engineer Percentile
Experience (yrs) 10% 25% 50% 75% 90% Source
0 – 2 $49,862 $56,690 $64,190 $71,879 $78,879 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Software-Engineer-I-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
2 – 4 $63,466 $71,732 $80,810 $90,668 $99,643 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Software-Engineer-II-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
4 – 5 $77,453 $86,760 $96,983 $107,826 $117,699 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Software-Engineer-III-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
5 – 8 $96,220 $105,405 $115,493 $128,115 $139,607 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Software-Engineer-IV-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
> 8 $104,308 $115,475 $127,740 $141,406 $153,849 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Software-Engineer-V-Salary-Details-Location.aspx

Software Engineering Salary (for Experienced Top Performers)

The following data is representative of the interpolation that went into determining the 99, 99.9, and 99.99 percentile salaries.  Using the 50th percentile salary reported by Salary.com as the mean and assuming a normal distribution, the standard deviation of the data was determined (to the nearest dollar) as the value that resulted in the smallest delta between the data reported by Salary.com (“Actual”) and the sampled standard deviation (“Projected”).
mean $127,740
stddev $20,373
Percentile Actual Projected Delta
75% $141,406 $141,481 75.38
90% $153,849 $153,849 0.05
99% NA $175,135 NA
99.9% NA $190,697 NA
99.99% NA $203,508 NA

Systems Engineering Salary

Below is the Salary.com salary data for Systems Engineers.  The available salary percentile data has been plotted for individuals with varying levels of experience.
systems_engineering_salary_range
Systems Engineer Percentile
Experience (yrs) 10% 25% 50% 75% 90% Source
0 – 2 $50,616 $58,526 $67,213 $74,591 $81,308 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Systems-Engineer-I-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
2 – 4 $63,299 $71,748 $81,029 $90,857 $99,805 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Systems-Engineer-II-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
4 – 5 $82,429 $90,657 $99,695 $110,219 $119,800 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Systems-Engineer-III-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
5 – 8 $95,118 $104,630 $115,079 $126,869 $137,604 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Systems-Engineer-IV-Salary-Details-Location.aspx
> 8 $107,001 $118,969 $132,113 $146,951 $160,461 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Systems-Engineer-V-Salary-Details-Location.aspx

Systems Engineering Salary (for Experienced Top Performers)

The following data is representative of the interpolation that went into determining the 99, 99.9, and 99.99 percentile salaries.  Using the 50th percentile salary reported by Salary.com as the mean and assuming a normal distribution, the standard deviation of the data was determined (to the nearest dollar) as the value that resulted in the smallest delta between the data reported by Salary.com (“Actual”) and the sampled standard deviation (“Projected”).
mean $132,113
stddev $22,120
Percentile Actual Projected Delta
75% $146,951 $147,033 81.71
90% $160,461 $160,461 0.08
99% NA $183,572 NA
99.9% NA $200,469 NA
99.99% NA $214,378 NA

Telecommunications Engineering Salary

 Below is the Salary.com salary data for Telecommunications Engineers.  The available salary percentile data has been plotted for individuals with varying levels of experience.
telecommunications_engineering_salary_range

Telecommunications Engineer Percentile
Experience (yrs) 10% 25% 50% 75% 90% Source
0 – 2 $49,928 $55,959 $62,584 $70,645 $77,984 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Telecommunications-Engineer-I-Salary-Details.aspx
2 – 4 $58,783 $67,206 $76,458 $86,088 $94,857 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Telecommunications-Engineer-II-Salary-Details.aspx
4 – 5 $72,565 $81,482 $91,275 $101,577 $110,956 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Telecommunications-Engineer-III-Salary-Details.aspx
5 – 8 $80,365 $90,314 $101,242 $110,443 $118,820 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Telecommunications-Engineer-IV-Salary-Details.aspx
> 8 $88,942 $100,203 $112,571 $124,088 $134,575 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Telecommunications-Engineer-V-Salary-Details.aspx

Telecommunications Engineering Salary (for Experienced Top Performers)

The following data is representative of the interpolation that went into determining the 99, 99.9, and 99.99 percentile salaries.  Using the 50th percentile salary reported by Salary.com as the mean and assuming a normal distribution, the standard deviation of the data was determined (to the nearest dollar) as the value that resulted in the smallest delta between the data reported by Salary.com (“Actual”) and the sampled standard deviation (“Projected”).
mean $112,571
stddev $17,169
Percentile Actual Projected Delta
75% $124,088 $124,151 63.31
90% $134,575 $134,574 1.04
99% NA $152,512 NA
99.9% NA $165,627 NA
99.99% NA $176,423 NA

Test Engineering Salary

 Below is the Salary.com salary data for Test Engineers.  The available salary percentile data has been plotted for individuals with varying levels of experience.
test_engineering_salary_range
Test Engineer Percentile
Experience (yrs) 10% 25% 50% 75% 90% Source
0 – 2 $49,345 $56,188 $63,705 $70,933 $77,513 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Test-Engineer-I-Salary-Details.aspx
2 – 4 $61,445 $68,166 $75,549 $84,450 $92,554 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Test-Engineer-II-Salary-Details.aspx
4 – 5 $76,863 $84,392 $92,661 $102,274 $111,027 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Test-Engineer-III-Salary-Details.aspx
5 – 8 $86,280 $97,427 $109,670 $121,572 $132,409 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Test-Engineer-IV-Salary-Details.aspx
> 8 $102,702 $110,239 $118,517 $127,512 $135,702 http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Test-Engineer-V-Salary-Details.aspx

Test Engineering Salary (for Experienced Top Performers)

The following data is representative of the interpolation that went into determining the 99, 99.9, and 99.99 percentile salaries.  Using the 50th percentile salary reported by Salary.com as the mean and assuming a normal distribution, the standard deviation of the data was determined (to the nearest dollar) as the value that resulted in the smallest delta between the data reported by Salary.com (“Actual”) and the sampled standard deviation (“Projected”).
mean $118,517
stddev $13,409
Percentile Actual Projected Delta
75% $127,512 $127,561 49.23
90% $135,702 $135,701 0.68
99% NA $149,711 NA
99.9% NA $159,954 NA
99.99% NA $168,385 NA
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