What data and AI roles pay

4,283 postings · 208 companies

Design Engineer salary

Half designer, half front-end engineer: prototypes and ships polished interfaces.

32 posted ranges at 15 companies · median $187k · H-1B median $178k (746 filings)

On Titles

By level

Median of posted rangesMiddle halfH-1B median

LevelPostedH-1B
MidH-1B onlyNo ranges$164k6 filings
Senior9 posted$184k$147k to $212k$160k38 filings
Staff3 posted$223k$191k to $254k$193k32 filings
Principal3 posted$219k$207k to $240k$260k3 filings
ManagerH-1B onlyNo ranges$252k4 filings
Not stated17 posted$182k$132k to $225k$177k662 filings

By company

Anduril Industries$154kA tech employer posting pay on 543 open jobs, mostly Software Engineer roles.OpenAI$339kOpenAI is an American artificial intelligence (AI) public benefit corporation (PBC) headquartered in San Francisco, California.Astera Labs$216kA semiconductors company posting pay on 9 open jobs, mostly Software Engineer roles.IonQ$199kIonQ, Inc. is an American quantum computing hardware and software company headquartered in College Park, Maryland.CoreWeave$177kCoreWeave, Inc. is an American artificial intelligence (AI) cloud-computing company based in Livingston, New Jersey.Ramp$306kRamp Business Corporation is an American multinational financial technology company that offers corporate charge cards, expense management, and bill-payment software.Waymo$281kAn autonomous vehicle company posting pay on 113 open jobs, mostly Software Engineer roles.Etched$260kDesigns inference chips and memory systems specialised for transformer models.Baseten$215kAn AI infrastructure company posting pay on 42 open jobs, mostly Software Engineer roles.Cohere$213kCohere Inc. is a Canadian multinational technology company focused on artificial intelligence.H-1B $180kFigure$205kAn autonomous vehicle company posting pay on 17 open jobs, mostly AI Engineer roles.Rillet$205kAI-native accounting and general ledger platform for finance teams.CodeRabbit$200kAI code review and change-governance platform for pull requests.Samsara$184kSamsara Inc. is an American IoT company headquartered in San Francisco, California, that provides telematics software and insights for physical operations.H-1B $145kWriter$182kAn AI app company posting pay on 10 open jobs, mostly Security Engineer roles.
CompanyPosted
Anduril IndustriesA tech employer posting pay on 543 open jobs, mostly Software Engineer roles.$154k$132k to $175k
OpenAIOpenAI is an American artificial intelligence (AI) public benefit corporation (PBC) headquartered in San Francisco, California.$272k to $406k2 postings
Astera LabsA semiconductors company posting pay on 9 open jobs, mostly Software Engineer roles.$196k to $235k2 postings
IonQIonQ, Inc. is an American quantum computing hardware and software company headquartered in College Park, Maryland.$168k to $231k2 postings
CoreWeaveCoreWeave, Inc. is an American artificial intelligence (AI) cloud-computing company based in Livingston, New Jersey.$143k to $210k2 postings
RampRamp Business Corporation is an American multinational financial technology company that offers corporate charge cards, expense management, and bill-payment software.$172k to $440kone posting
WaymoAn autonomous vehicle company posting pay on 113 open jobs, mostly Software Engineer roles.$251k to $310kone posting
EtchedDesigns inference chips and memory systems specialised for transformer models.$150k to $370kone posting
BasetenAn AI infrastructure company posting pay on 42 open jobs, mostly Software Engineer roles.$190k to $240kone posting
CohereCohere Inc. is a Canadian multinational technology company focused on artificial intelligence.$180k to $245kone posting
FigureAn autonomous vehicle company posting pay on 17 open jobs, mostly AI Engineer roles.$160k to $250kone posting
RilletAI-native accounting and general ledger platform for finance teams.$170k to $240kone posting
CodeRabbitAI code review and change-governance platform for pull requests.$175k to $225kone posting
SamsaraSamsara Inc. is an American IoT company headquartered in San Francisco, California, that provides telematics software and insights for physical operations.$137k to $231kone posting
WriterAn AI app company posting pay on 10 open jobs, mostly Security Engineer roles.$129k to $234kone posting

Posted ranges

Not stated$257k to $327k

Design Engineer, Power Generation

San Francisco Bay Area

OpenAIseen Nov 4Posting ↗
Staff$191k to $254k

Staff Electrical Harness Design Engineer

Elsewhere in the US

Senior$191k to $253k

Senior UI Engineer, EW

Elsewhere in the US

Principal$185k to $240k

Principal PCS/PMA RTL Design Engineer

San Francisco Bay Area

Astera Labsseen Nov 4Posting ↗
Not stated$129k to $234k

Design engineer (US)

New York City

Writerseen Nov 4Posting ↗
Senior$161k to $212k

Senior Electrical Harness Design Engineer

Elsewhere in the US

Senior$161k to $212k

Senior Electrical Harness Design Engineer, Air Dominance and Strike

Elsewhere in the US

Senior$147k to $196k

Senior Configuration Design Engineer

Elsewhere in the US

Senior$146k to $194k

Senior Design Engineer, DFM / DFA

Elsewhere in the US

Not stated$132k to $175k

Configuration Design Engineer

Elsewhere in the US

Not stated$132k to $175k

Electrical Harness Design Engineer

Elsewhere in the US

Not stated$132k to $175k

Electrical Harness Design Engineer, Air Dominance and Strike

Elsewhere in the US

Not stated$132k to $175k

Module Design Engineer (BMS)

Elsewhere in the US

Not stated$129k to $171k

Design Engineer, DFM / DFA

Elsewhere in the US

Not stated$129k to $171k

EMC Design Engineer, Air Dominance and Strike

Elsewhere in the US

Not stated$129k to $171k

Tooling Design Engineer, Air Vehicles

Elsewhere in the US

Not stated$117k to $154k

Thermal Design Engineer

Elsewhere in the US

Senior$137k to $231k

Lead Design Engineer

Remote (US)

Samsaraseen Oct 21Posting ↗
Not stated$180k to $245k

Design Engineer

Remote (US)

Cohereseen Oct 14Posting ↗
Not stated$150k to $370k

RTL Design Engineer

San Francisco Bay Area

Etchedseen Sep 25Posting ↗
Principal$212k to $275k

Principal Photonic Device Design Engineer

Elsewhere in the US

IonQseen Sep 25Posting ↗
Not stated$170k to $240k

Design Engineer

San Francisco Bay Area

Rilletseen Sep 25Posting ↗
Principal$207k to $230k

Principal Analog Mixed-Signal Design Engineer

San Francisco Bay Area

Astera Labsseen Sep 25Posting ↗
Not stated$175k to $225k

Design Engineer

San Francisco Bay Area

CodeRabbitseen Sep 25Posting ↗
Senior$124k to $186k

Senior QPU Design Engineer

Elsewhere in the US

IonQseen Sep 25Posting ↗
Not stated$287k to $485k

RTL Design Engineer - Interconnect & Network Datapath

San Francisco Bay Area

OpenAIseen Sep 24Posting ↗
Not stated$172k to $440k

Design Engineer

New York City

Rampseen Sep 24Posting ↗
Staff$251k to $310k

Staff SoC Design Engineer

San Francisco Bay Area

Waymoseen Sep 24Posting ↗
Senior$160k to $250k

Senior Gear Design Engineer

San Francisco Bay Area

Figureseen Sep 24Posting ↗
Not stated$190k to $240k

Design Engineer (Brand Team)

San Francisco Bay Area

Basetenseen Sep 24Posting ↗
Senior$143k to $210k

Sr Due Diligence Design Engineer

San Francisco Bay Area

CoreWeaveseen Sep 24Posting ↗
Staff$143k to $210k

Staff White Space Design Engineer

San Francisco Bay Area

CoreWeaveseen Sep 24Posting ↗
PostingRange
Design Engineer, Power Generation (the posting, opens in a new tab)OpenAINot statedSan Francisco Bay Area$257kto $327k
Staff Electrical Harness Design Engineer (the posting, opens in a new tab)Anduril IndustriesStaffElsewhere in the US$191kto $254k
Senior UI Engineer, EW (the posting, opens in a new tab)Anduril IndustriesSeniorElsewhere in the US$191kto $253k
Principal PCS/PMA RTL Design Engineer (the posting, opens in a new tab)Astera LabsPrincipalSan Francisco Bay Area$185kto $240k
Design engineer (US) (the posting, opens in a new tab)WriterNot statedNew York City$129kto $234k
Senior Electrical Harness Design Engineer (the posting, opens in a new tab)Anduril IndustriesSeniorElsewhere in the US$161kto $212k
Senior Electrical Harness Design Engineer, Air Dominance and Strike (the posting, opens in a new tab)Anduril IndustriesSeniorElsewhere in the US$161kto $212k
Senior Configuration Design Engineer (the posting, opens in a new tab)Anduril IndustriesSeniorElsewhere in the US$147kto $196k
Senior Design Engineer, DFM / DFA (the posting, opens in a new tab)Anduril IndustriesSeniorElsewhere in the US$146kto $194k
Configuration Design Engineer (the posting, opens in a new tab)Anduril IndustriesNot statedElsewhere in the US$132kto $175k
Electrical Harness Design Engineer (the posting, opens in a new tab)Anduril IndustriesNot statedElsewhere in the US$132kto $175k
Electrical Harness Design Engineer, Air Dominance and Strike (the posting, opens in a new tab)Anduril IndustriesNot statedElsewhere in the US$132kto $175k
Module Design Engineer (BMS) (the posting, opens in a new tab)Anduril IndustriesNot statedElsewhere in the US$132kto $175k
Design Engineer, DFM / DFA (the posting, opens in a new tab)Anduril IndustriesNot statedElsewhere in the US$129kto $171k
EMC Design Engineer, Air Dominance and Strike (the posting, opens in a new tab)Anduril IndustriesNot statedElsewhere in the US$129kto $171k
Tooling Design Engineer, Air Vehicles (the posting, opens in a new tab)Anduril IndustriesNot statedElsewhere in the US$129kto $171k
Thermal Design Engineer (the posting, opens in a new tab)Anduril IndustriesNot statedElsewhere in the US$117kto $154k
Lead Design Engineer (the posting, opens in a new tab)SamsaraSeniorRemote (US)$137kto $231k
Design Engineer (the posting, opens in a new tab)CohereNot statedRemote (US)$180kto $245k
RTL Design Engineer (the posting, opens in a new tab)EtchedNot statedSan Francisco Bay Area$150kto $370k
Principal Photonic Device Design Engineer (the posting, opens in a new tab)IonQPrincipalElsewhere in the US$212kto $275k
Design Engineer (the posting, opens in a new tab)RilletNot statedSan Francisco Bay Area$170kto $240k
Principal Analog Mixed-Signal Design Engineer (the posting, opens in a new tab)Astera LabsPrincipalSan Francisco Bay Area$207kto $230k
Design Engineer (the posting, opens in a new tab)CodeRabbitNot statedSan Francisco Bay Area$175kto $225k
Senior QPU Design Engineer (the posting, opens in a new tab)IonQSeniorElsewhere in the US$124kto $186k
RTL Design Engineer - Interconnect & Network Datapath (the posting, opens in a new tab)OpenAINot statedSan Francisco Bay Area$287kto $485k
Design Engineer (the posting, opens in a new tab)RampNot statedNew York City$172kto $440k
Staff SoC Design Engineer (the posting, opens in a new tab)WaymoStaffSan Francisco Bay Area$251kto $310k
Senior Gear Design Engineer (the posting, opens in a new tab)FigureSeniorSan Francisco Bay Area$160kto $250k
Design Engineer (Brand Team) (the posting, opens in a new tab)BasetenNot statedSan Francisco Bay Area$190kto $240k
Sr Due Diligence Design Engineer (the posting, opens in a new tab)CoreWeaveSeniorSan Francisco Bay Area$143kto $210k
Staff White Space Design Engineer (the posting, opens in a new tab)CoreWeaveStaffSan Francisco Bay Area$143kto $210k
About

H-1B by prevailing-wage level

The level the employer chose on the filing: I is entry, IV is fully competent. FY2025 Q4 to FY2026 Q3.

Level I: $139k (4) · Level II: $142k (214) · Level III: $185k (244) · Level IV: $229k (112)

H-1B median by quarter

Fiscal quarterFilingsMedian
FY2025 Q1160$164k
FY2025 Q2382$148k
FY2025 Q3179$173k
FY2025 Q4120$187k
FY2026 Q1115$185k
FY2026 Q2297$164k
FY2026 Q3214$182k

Posted median by week

Week ofRangesMedian
Sep 2114$264k
Oct 523$219k
Oct 1220$227k
Oct 1919$215k
Oct 2616$209k
Nov 232$187k

Recent changes

Range movedNov 4 · 6d ago
OpenAI

Raised the pay range for RTL Design Engineer - Interconnect & Network Datapath: now $287k to $485k, was $225k to $445k. Posting ↗

PostedNov 4 · 6d ago
Anduril Industries

Posted Staff Electrical Harness Design Engineer at $191k to $254k. Posting ↗

And 3 more: Senior UI Engineer, EW; Tooling Design Engineer, Air Vehicles; Thermal Design Engineer.

RetitledNov 4 · 6d ago
SpaceXAI

Retitled Rack Design Engineer (Data Center) as Rack Design Engineer, Data Center - Memphis. Posting ↗

ClosedNov 4 · 6d ago
SpaceX

Took down Harness Design Engineer, Satellites (Starlink), last seen Oct 28. Posting ↗

ClosedNov 4 · 6d ago
SpaceXAI

Took down Design Engineer - Memphis, last seen Oct 28. Posting ↗

ClosedNov 4 · 6d ago
Writer

Took down Design engineer (US) ($129k to $234k), last seen Oct 28. Posting ↗

Related titles: Forward Deployed Engineer, Agent Engineer, Evals Engineer, Applied AI Engineer, AI Engineer, MLOps Engineer