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 11 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $110,800. 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 | 3 | $94,786 |
| Level II — qualified | 5 | $98,987 |
| Level III — experienced | 1 | $142,804 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid USA, Inc. | Sr. Design Engineer, Lighting Systems | 1 | $150,654 |
| Siemens Mobility, Inc. | Design Lead Engineer | 1 | $144,841 |
| Opal Soft, Inc. | Design Engineer | 1 | $110,800 |
| P2S LP | Design Engineer | 1 | $98,987 |
| RIVIAN AUTOMOTIVE, LLC | Sr. Design Engineer, Front & Rear Closures | 1 | $142,804 |
| ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION CORPORATION | DESIGN ENGINEER | 1 | $126,214 |
| Tek Labs, Inc. | Design Engineer | 1 | $94,786 |
| TECH MAHINDRA (AMERICAS), INC | Design Engineer | 1 | $128,690 |
| Ex Opco LLC | Design Engineer | 1 | $88,000 |
| Vertical Laboratories | Design Engineer | 1 | $90,000 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Sr. Design Engineer, Lighting Systems at Lucid USA, Inc.$150,654NewarkDecided Nov 24, 2025I-200-25322-415243
- Design Lead Engineer at Siemens Mobility, Inc.$144,841SacramentoDecided Nov 14, 2025I-200-25310-381694
- Design Engineer at Opal Soft, Inc.$110,800Santa ClaraWage Level IDecided Aug 26, 2025I-200-25232-253616
- Design Engineer at P2S LP$98,987Long BeachWage Level IIDecided Aug 8, 2025I-200-25213-216965
- Sr. Design Engineer, Front & Rear Closures at RIVIAN AUTOMOTIVE, LLC$142,804IrvineWage Level IIIDecided Jul 17, 2025I-200-25191-164942
- DESIGN ENGINEER at ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION CORPORATION$126,214FOSTER CITYWage Level IIDecided Jul 10, 2025I-200-25183-148581
- Design Engineer at Tek Labs, Inc.$94,786NewarkWage Level IDecided Jun 11, 2025I-200-25155-051686
- Design Engineer at TECH MAHINDRA (AMERICAS), INC$128,690Santa ClaraWage Level IIDecided Jun 10, 2025I-200-25154-046239
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.