Design Engineer salary in California
A real-employer view of Design Engineer pay, clustered from DOL OFLC certified filings. Variants like Senior, Lead, and II/III titles fold into this cluster — the wage range below reflects all of them.
Design Engineer in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 16 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $87,371. Every figure below is an actual offered salary an employer attested to under federal law.
By DOL wage level
DOL classifies every offer into one of four wage levels based on the role's experience and skill requirements.
| Level | Filings | Median offer |
|---|---|---|
| Level I — entry | 9 | $82,000 |
| Level II — qualified | 4 | $112,200 |
| Level III — experienced | 2 | $120,500 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Design Engineer in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degenkolb Engineers | Design Engineer | 3 | $121,000 |
| Sandis Civil Engineers, Surveyors, Planners | Design Engineer 3, Traffic | 1 | $93,000 |
| John Labib Structural Engineers, LLP. | Design Engineer | 1 | $85,280 |
| Patterson Engineering, Incorporated | Design Engineer | 1 | $77,000 |
| Commercial Development Resources, Inc. | Design Engineer | 1 | $75,000 |
| STRUCTUS, INC. | Design Engineer | 1 | $86,528 |
| Nous Engineering Inc. | Design Engineer | 1 | $72,000 |
| KPFF Inc. | Design Engineer | 1 | $83,928 |
| Grimm & Chen Structural Engineering, Inc. | Design Engineer | 1 | $71,510 |
| ACTIVEWAYZ ENGINEERING INC | DESIGN ENGINEER | 1 | $110,000 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Design Engineer 3, Traffic at Sandis Civil Engineers, Surveyors, Planners$93,000OaklandDecided Dec 10, 2025I-200-25337-455404
- Design Engineer at John Labib Structural Engineers, LLP.$85,280South PasadenaWage Level IDecided Aug 20, 2025I-200-25225-240690
- Design Engineer at Degenkolb Engineers$121,000OaklandWage Level IIDecided Jul 23, 2025I-200-25197-179437
- Design Engineer at Patterson Engineering, Incorporated$77,000San DiegoWage Level IDecided Jun 16, 2025I-200-25160-071529
- Design Engineer at Commercial Development Resources, Inc.$75,000Costa MesaWage Level IDecided May 12, 2025I-200-25125-939784
- Design Engineer at STRUCTUS, INC.$86,528San FranciscoWage Level IDecided May 12, 2025I-200-25125-937150
- Design Engineer at Nous Engineering Inc.$72,000Los AngelesWage Level IDecided May 2, 2025I-200-25116-908896
- Design Engineer at KPFF Inc.$83,928RosevilleWage Level IDecided May 1, 2025I-200-25114-898839
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification. Disclosed wages reflect what employers attested to pay; actual paid wages may differ. Only certified filings are shown — denied and withdrawn cases are excluded.