Senior Mechanical Engineers salary in California
Roles that require seasoned judgement and the ability to lead projects without supervision. Typically five to ten years of experience and a track record of complete ownership.
Senior Mechanical Engineers in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 298 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $155,043. 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 III — experienced | 298 | $155,043 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Senior Mechanical Engineers in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Inc. | Mechanical Engineers | 36 | $155,043 |
| Tesla, Inc. | Sr Mechanical Design Engineer | 35 | $158,660 |
| Lucid USA, Inc. | Sr. Engineer, Body Structures | 30 | $142,854 |
| Rivian Automotive, LLC | Sr. Staff, Vehicle Line Manager | 23 | $166,300 |
| RIVIAN AUTOMOTIVE, LLC | Staff Mechanical Engineer | 16 | $172,904 |
| FORD MOTOR COMPANY | Safety Compliance Subject Matter Expert | 8 | $155,043 |
| Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | Mechanical Engineer Vision Equipment | 6 | $157,019 |
| The Boeing Company | Structural Analysis Engineer | 6 | $117,104 |
| Joby Aero, Inc. | Battery Module Manufacturing Engineering Lead | 4 | $160,000 |
| Western Digital Technologies, Inc. | Principal Engineer, Hardware Development Engineering | 4 | $155,043 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Software Development Engineering at Apple Inc.$158,995CupertinoWage Level IIIDecided Sep 30, 2025I-200-25266-326989
- Robotics Engineer, Motion Planning at Agility Robotics Inc.$160,000San JoseWage Level IIIDecided Sep 29, 2025I-200-25265-326332
- Mgr Mechanical Design Engineering at Tesla, Inc.$185,812HaywardWage Level IIIDecided Sep 29, 2025I-200-25265-323868
- Sr. Structural CAE Engineer, Drive Unit at Lucid USA, Inc.$150,654NewarkWage Level IIIDecided Sep 26, 2025I-200-25262-322651
- Sr. Controls Integration Engineer at Rivian Automotive, LLC$155,000CarsonWage Level IIIDecided Sep 26, 2025I-200-25262-322720
- Sr. Mechanical Design & Release Engineer at Rivian Automotive, LLC$134,000IrvineWage Level IIIDecided Sep 26, 2025I-200-25262-322825
- Reliability Engineering at Apple Inc.$158,995CupertinoWage Level IIIDecided Sep 25, 2025I-200-25261-317427
- System Product Design Engineer at Apple Inc.$158,995CupertinoWage Level IIIDecided Sep 25, 2025I-200-25261-317329
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.