- Home >
- Startup hiring data >
- Mechanical Engineer Salary and Equity Compensation in Startups 2026
Mechanical Engineer Salary and Equity in 2026
How much do Mechanical Engineers expect to make at US-based startups? The average expected salary for Mechanical Engineers in a startup is 131k per year, with a range from 75k to 220k. The salary range for Mechanical Engineers varies depending on factors such as location, industry, experience, skills, and startup stage.
130.5k
Average Salary
3 years
Average years of experience
Salary
The average Mechanical Engineer salary is $130,542, which is 15.7% higher than the average startup salary of $112,833. Mechanical Engineer salaries are based on exclusive Wellfound data. All data is updated on a weekly basis. Factors that may influence salary include: location, years of experience, title, size of company, skill-set, and industry.
Top of market
$180,500/yr
Range $140k - $220k
Average
$130,542/yr
Range $105k - $150k
Below Average
$106,375/yr
Range $75k - $121k
Top Locations
The highest average salary a Mechanical Engineer can get in Seattle, that is $120,000. This pay is 8.1% lower than the average Mechanical Engineer salary in startups, which is $130,542. Salaries will vary based on your location. The top-paying markets in the US, on average, are currently: Seattle (avg $120,000 per year), Los Angeles (avg $115,000 per year), San Diego (avg $104,500 per year). Remote jobs often pay based on the location you reside in.
Industries
The highest average salary a Mechanical Engineer can get in Ride Sharing, that is $205,000. This pay is 12.4% higher than the average Mechanical Engineer salary, which is $182,400. The highest-paying industries in 2023 are: Ride Sharing (avg $205,000 per year), Mechanical Solutions (avg $205,000 per year), Deep Learning (avg $190,000 per year).
Years of experience
Below Average
Average
Top of Market
The highest average salary a Mechanical Engineer can get with 10+ years of experience, that is $140,000. This pay is 7.2% higher than the average Mechanical Engineer salary, which is $130,542. The salary range varies with years of experience and depends on other factors such as skill set, size of company, and industry.
Popular roles
Software EngineerMobile DeveloperAndroid DeveloperiOS DeveloperFrontend EngineerBackend EngineerFull-Stack EngineerSoftware ArchitectMachine Learning EngineerEmbedded EngineerData EngineerDevOpsEngineering ManagerQA EngineerData ScientistDesignerUI/UX DesignerUser ResearcherVisual DesignerCreative DirectorGraphic Designer Product DesignerProduct ManagerOperationsFinance/AccountingH.R.Office ManagerRecruiterCustomer ServiceOperations ManagerSalesBusiness DevelopmentSales Development RepresentativeAccount ExecutiveBD ManagerAccount ManagerSales ManagerCustomer Success ManagerMarketingGrowth HackerMarketing ManagerContent CreatorCopywriterSocial Media ManagerManagementCEOCFOCMOCOOCTOOther EngineeringHardware EngineerMechanical EngineerSystems EngineerOtherBusiness AnalystProject ManagerAttorneyData AnalystInvestorLimited PartnerStrategic InvestorInstitutional InvestorVenture DebtVCSeed FundIndividual InvestorAngelFounder