UX Engineer salary information is hard to find. Look no further. I did some research and gathered data for the most populated cities in each US state. The national average salary for UX Engineers in the US is:

$84,363 for 4-7 years of experience

$67,266 for 2-4 years of experience

$57,903 for 0-2 years of experience

Some states pay well above the national average and some states pay well below it. Refer to the tables at the bottom of this post to find out whether your state is above or below the mark.

US States with a UX Engineer Salary Above $100,000

Let’s just jump straight into what you’re wondering about. Yes, UX Engineers can make really good money. Their skills are among the most desired in the industry. The data I found suggests that the 75th percentile of UX Engineers with 4+ years of experience earn $100,000 or more in the following locations:

New York, NY ($115,478) Newark, NJ ($109,805) Boston, MA ($109,420) Anchorage, AK ($109,228) Bridgeport, CT ($109,036) Los Angeles, CA ($107,978) Seattle, WA ($105,190) Philadelphia, PA ($103,459) Minneapolis, MN ($102,594) Wilmington, DE ($102,498) Chicago, IL ($101,921) Providence, RI ($101,825) Manchester, NH ($101,536) Portland, OR ($100,959) Honolulu, HI ($100,286) Las Vegas, NV ($100,190)

The numbers reported in each table are for the position’s base salary only. The actual average amount is likely much higher after factoring in the value of benefits, bonuses, profit sharing etc. Not surprisingly, the majority of the highest earning UX Engineers are on the east and west coasts of the US.

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One thing that DID surprise me is where Los Angeles, CA fall on this list. I assumed they would rank #1 or #2, but not #6. However, one of the faults in my approach to this research was starting with the “most populated” cities, which does not necessarily equate to the “highest paying” cities. After digging a bit deeper, I learned that the towns that make up Silicon Valley (San Jose, Cupertino, Mountain View etc.) pay $115,093 for UX Engineers in the 75th percentile, making this location #2 on the list, just below New York, NY.

Don’t Forget Cost of Living Expenses

The opportunity to earn $115,000 sounds great, but don’t forget about the cost of living in each of these locations. Although New York, NY has the highest average salary for UX Engineers, they likely also have the highest cost of living. To Illustrate, let’s compare salaries in the 75th percentile for Little Rock, AR with New York, NY.

Little Rock, AR ($88,940)

New York, NY ($115,478)

With a difference of $26,538, it seems like New York is the clear winner until you compare the cost of living.

Unfortunately, I don’t have the cost of living data for each state. However, you can use a Cost of Living Calculator to easily find this information on your own.

UX Engineer Salary: 4-7 Years of Experience

UX Engineers with 4-7 years of experience make between $62,988 (Sioux Falls, SD) to $115,478 (New York, NY).

State City 25% 50% 75% AL Birmingham $67,927 $80,061 $91,248 AK Anchorage $81,312 $95,837 $109,228 AZ Phoenix $70,933 $83,604 $95,286 AR Little Rock $66,209 $78,036 $88,940 CA Los Angeles $80,381 $94,740 $107,978 CO Denver $72,365 $85,292 $97,209 CT Bridgeport $81,169 $95,668 $109,036 DE Wilimington $76,301 $89,932 $102,498 FL Jacksonville $68,714 $80,989 $92,306 GA Altlanta $70,504 $83,098 $94,709 HI Honolulu $74,655 $87,991 $100,286 ID Boise $67,927 $80,061 $91,248 IL Chicago $75,872 $89,425 $101,921 IN Indianapolis $69,931 $82,423 $93,940 IA Des Moines $69,144 $81,495 $92,882 KS Wichita $68,929 $81,242 $92,594 KY Louisville $67,855 $79,977 $91,152 LA New Orleans $71,076 $83,773 $95,479 ME Portland $72,293 $85,207 $97,113 MD Baltimore $73,438 $86,557 $98,652 MA Boston $81,455 $96,006 $109,420 MI Detroit $73,725 $86,895 $99,036 MN Minneapolis $76,373 $90,016 $102,594 MS Jackson $63,704 $75,084 $85,575 MO Kansas City $70,432 $83,014 $94,613 MT Billings $68,142 $80,314 $91,536 NE Omaha $67,712 $79,808 $90,959 NV Las Vegas $74,583 $87,907 $100,190 NH Manchester $75,586 $89,088 $101,536 NJ Newark $81,741 $96,343 $109,805 NM Albuquerque $66,853 $78,796 $89,806 NY New York $85,964 $101,321 $115,478 NC Charlotte $70,146 $82,676 $94,229 ND Fargo $66,782 $78,711 $89,709 OH Columbus $70,575 $83,183 $94,805 OK Oklahoma City $67,998 $80,145 $91,344 OR Portland $75,156 $88,582 $100,959 PA Philadelphia $77,017 $90,775 $103,459 RI Providence $75,800 $89,341 $101,825 SC Charleston $67,569 $79,639 $90,767 SD Sioux Falls $62,988 $74,240 $84,613 TN Nashville $66,352 $78,205 $89,133 TX Houston $72,436 $85,376 $97,305 UT Salt Lake City $67,855 $79,977 $91,152 VT Burlington $70,647 $83,267 $94,902 VA Virginia Beach $68,428 $80,652 $91,921 WA Seattle $78,305 $92,294 $105,190 WV Charleston $65,278 $76,940 $87,690 WI Milwaukee $71,219 $83,942 $95,671 WY Cheyenne $65,135 $76,771 $87,498

UX Engineer Salary: 2 – 4 Years of Experience

After 2-4 years of experience, UX Engineers make between $47,467 (Des Moines, IA) to $92,050 (New York, NY).

State City 25% 50% 75% AL Birmingham $54,144 $63,836 $72,736 AK Anchorage $64,813 $76,415 $87,069 AZ Phoenix $56,540 $66,661 $75,955 AR Little Rock $52,774 $62,221 $70,897 CA Los Angeles $64,071 $75,540 $86,072 CO Denver $57,681 $68,006 $77,488 CT Bridgeport $55,722 $65,662 $74,848 DE Wilimington $60,819 $71,706 $81,703 FL Jacksonville $54,771 $64,576 $73,579 GA Altlanta $56,198 $66,257 $75,495 HI Honolulu $59,507 $70,159 $79,941 ID Boise $54,144 $63,836 $72,736 IL Chicago $60,477 $71,302 $81,244 IN Indianapolis $55,741 $65,719 $74,882 IA Des Moines $47,467 $55,934 $63,760 KS Wichita $54,942 $64,778 $73,809 KY Louisville $54,087 $63,769 $72,659 LA New Orleans $56,654 $66,796 $76,108 ME Portland $57,624 $67,939 $77,411 MD Baltimore $58,537 $69,015 $78,638 MA Boston $64,927 $76,549 $87,222 MI Detroit $58,765 $69,284 $78,944 MN Minneapolis $60,876 $71,773 $81,780 MS Jackson $50,778 $59,876 $68,214 MO Kansas City $56,141 $66,190 $75,419 MT Billings $54,315 $64,038 $72,966 NE Omaha $53,973 $63,634 $72,506 NV Las Vegas $59,450 $70,092 $79,864 NH Manchester $60,248 $71,033 $80,937 NJ Newark $65,155 $76,818 $87,528 NM Albuquerque $53,288 $62,827 $71,586 NY New York $68,521 $80,787 $92,050 NC Charlotte $55,912 $65,921 $75,112 ND Fargo $53,231 $62,760 $71,510 OH Columbus $56,255 $66,325 $75,572 OK Oklahoma City $54,201 $63,903 $72,813 OR Portland $59,906 $70,630 $80,477 PA Philadelphia $61,390 $72,379 $82,470 RI Providence $60,420 $71,235 $81,167 SC Charleston $53,858 $63,499 $72,353 SD Sioux Falls $52,017 $59,194 $67,477 TN Nashville $52,889 $62,356 $71,050 TX Houston $57,738 $68,074 $77,565 UT Salt Lake City $54,087 $63,769 $72,659 VT Burlington $56,312 $66,392 $75,648 VA Virginia Beach $54,543 $64,307 $73,273 WA Seattle $62,417 $73,589 $83,849 WV Charleston $52,033 $61,347 $69,900 WI Milwaukee $56,768 $66,930 $76,262 WY Cheyenne $51,919 $61,212 $69,747

UX Engineer Salary: 0 – 2 Years of Experience

The starting salary for UX Engineers with 0-2 years of experience ranges from $43,241 (Sioux Falls, SD) to $79,271 (New York, NY).

State City 25% 50% 75% AL Birmingham $46,631 $54,950 $62,638 AK Anchorage $55,820 $65,778 $74,980 AZ Phoenix $48,695 $57,383 $65,410 AR Little Rock $45,452 $53,560 $61,054 CA Los Angeles $55,181 $65,025 $74,122 CO Denver $49,678 $58,540 $66,730 CT Bridgeport $55,722 $65,662 $74,848 DE Wilimington $52,380 $61,724 $70,360 FL Jacksonville $47,172 $55,587 $63,364 GA Altlanta $48,400 $57,034 $65,014 HI Honolulu $51,250 $60,939 $68,842 ID Boise $46,631 $54,950 $62,638 IL Chicago $52,085 $61,377 $69,964 IN Indianapolis $48,007 $56,571 $64,486 IA Des Moines $47,467 $55,934 $63,760 KS Wichita $47,319 $55,760 $63,562 KY Louisville $46,582 $54,892 $62,572 LA New Orleans $48,793 $57,497 $65,542 ME Portland $49,629 $58,482 $66,664 MD Baltimore $50,415 $59,408 $67,720 MA Boston $55,918 $65,893 $75,112 MI Detroit $50,611 $59,640 $67,984 MN Minneapolis $52,429 $61,782 $70,426 MS Jackson $43,732 $51,533 $58,743 MO Kansas City $48,351 $56,976 $64,948 MT Billings $46,779 $55,123 $62,836 NE Omaha $46,484 $54,776 $62,440 NV Las Vegas $51,201 $60,335 $68,776 NH Manchester $51,889 $61,145 $69,700 NJ Newark $56,115 $66,125 $75,376 NM Albuquerque $45,894 $54,081 $61,648 NY New York $59,014 $69,541 $79,271 NC Charlotte $48,154 $56,745 $64,684 ND Fargo $45,845 $54,023 $61,582 OH Columbus $48,449 $57,092 $65,080 OK Oklahoma City $46,680 $55,008 $62,704 OR Portland $51,594 $60,798 $69,304 PA Philadelphia $52,872 $62,303 $71,020 RI Providence $52,036 $61,319 $69,898 SC Charleston $46,386 $54,660 $62,308 SD Sioux Falls $43,241 $50,954 $58,083 TN Nashville $45,550 $53,676 $61,186 TX Houston $49,727 $58,598 $66,796 UT Salt Lake City $46,582 $54,892 $62,572 VT Burlington $48,498 $57,150 $65,146 VA Virginia Beach $46,975 $55,355 $63,100 WA Seattle $53,756 $63,346 $72,208 WV Charleston $44,813 $52,807 $60,196 WI Milwaukee $48,892 $57,613 $65,674 WY Cheyenne $44,715 $52,691 $60,064

How do I interpret this data?

Each row contains the salary information for the most populated cities (according to Wikipedia) in each US state. The salary information for each city was collected from Salary.com. You’ll notice that there are three salaries (a range) listed in each row, under the columns 25%, 50%, and 75%. These columns represent the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile. It may help to think of these numbers in terms of a bell curve.

As illustrated, you can see that the 50th percentile represents the majority of UX Engineer salaries in a particular location. In the case illustrated above (New York, NY), the majority of UX Engineers earn an average of $101,321. It’s also important to point out that the 25th percentile and 75th percentiles, do not represent the lowest and highest salaries. It’s possible to earn less than the 25th percentile and more than the 75th percentile. However, both cases occur less frequently, as illustrated above.

What if my city isn’t listed in the tables above?

You may be interested in finding the UX Engineer salary for the location you currently reside. If so, you can go to Salary.com to find the exact information you are looking for. You will need to use the search term “User Experience Developer,” as “UX Engineer” is not listed as an option. However, the two positions are practically the same, just expressed in different terms. They offer some additional filters too, such as “education” and “performance.”

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