Mechanical Design Engineer salary in California
A real-employer view of Mechanical 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.
Mechanical Design Engineer in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 257 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $151,351. 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 | 23 | $103,000 |
| Level II — qualified | 82 | $134,900 |
| Level III — experienced | 67 | $158,660 |
| Level IV — fully competent | 48 | $185,935 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Mechanical Design Engineer in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings. Click a company for its full H-1B salary breakdown.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla, Inc. | Sr Mechanical Design Engineer | 147 | $154,440 |
| KLA Corporation | Mechanical Design Engineer | 15 | $149,570 |
| Rivian Automotive, LLC | Staff Mechanical Design Engineer | 11 | $150,000 |
| Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | Mechanical Design Engineer | 9 | $155,043 |
| L&T Technology Services Limited | Mechanical Design Engineer | 6 | $117,000 |
| Nextracker LLC | Mechanical Design Engineer | 5 | $166,878 |
| Mainspring Energy, Inc. | Associate Mechanical Design Engineer | 4 | $110,573 |
| AMPAIRE INC | MECHANICAL DESIGN ENGINEER | 2 | $145,000 |
| Archer Aviation Operating Corp. | Senior Mechanical Design Engineer | 2 | $181,397 |
| Electric Hydrogen Co | Mechanical Design Engineer | 2 | $152,340 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Staff Mechanical Design Engineer, Lighting at Rivian Automotive, LLC$174,894IrvineWage Level IIIDecided —I-200-26084-729842
- Sr Mechanical Design Engineer at Tesla, Inc.$140,098FremontWage Level IIDecided —I-200-26084-727877
- Mechanical Design Engineer at L&T Technology Services Limited$100,000IrvineWage Level IIDecided Mar 31, 2026I-200-26083-724749
- Sr. Mechanical Design Engineer at Diamond Foundry Inc.$160,000South San FranciscoWage Level IIIDecided Mar 27, 2026I-200-26081-720661
- Sr Mechanical Design Engineer at Tesla, Inc.$151,990FremontWage Level IIIDecided Mar 27, 2026I-200-26079-717404
- Staff Mechanical Design Engineer at Tesla, Inc.$179,702Palo AltoWage Level IIIDecided Mar 23, 2026I-200-26075-704581
- Senior Mechanical Design Engineer, Structures at Peak Energy Technologies, Inc.$150,000BurlingameDecided Mar 19, 2026I-200-26071-698697
- Sr Mechanical Design Engineer at Tesla, Inc.$178,984FremontWage Level IIIDecided Mar 17, 2026I-200-26069-691406
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.