Mechanical Designer Salary in Houston, TX (2026)
Typical pay is $78,820 a year, with most mechanical designers in Houston, TX earning between $62,360 and $100,300. Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Salary Calculator›Mechanical Designer›Houston, TX
The typical mechanical designer in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area earns $78,820 a year, about the same as the Texas median and 10% more than the national median. Early-career pay starts around $62,360, experienced mechanical designers earn $100,300 or more, and the top 10% make over $130,490. About 1,300 people work in this occupation in the metro area.
Mechanical Designer salary in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Annual pay, BLS survey of May 2025
What mechanical designers do
Mechanical designers create detailed 3D models and drawings of parts, assemblies and equipment, often in SolidWorks, Inventor or Creo, and apply tolerancing such as GD&T. BLS counts them as mechanical drafters, which is the occupation used here.
Mechanical Designer pay in Houston compared
| Area | Typical | Early career | Experienced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $78,820 | $62,360 | $100,300 |
| Texas | $79,380 | $61,710 | $93,600 |
| United States | $71,550 | $58,080 | $86,120 |
The Houston job market
Houston is the center of the US energy industry, home to NASA's Johnson Space Center and CenterPoint's grid build-out, and one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country.
Other engineering, design and supply chain salaries in Houston
| Role | Typical |
|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineer | $125,350 |
| Electrical Engineer | $131,070 |
| Controls Engineer | $131,070 |
| Civil Engineer | $100,950 |
| Process Engineer | $138,120 |
| Industrial Engineer | $111,690 |
| Aerospace Engineer | $133,970 |
| Environmental Engineer | $127,340 |
| Engineering Manager | $172,020 |
| Construction Manager | $103,530 |
| Architect | $97,590 |
| CAD Designer | $63,120 |
| Supply Chain Analyst | $75,940 |
| Buyer | $76,290 |
| Software Developer | $129,440 |
Mechanical Designer salary FAQs
How much does a mechanical designer make in Houston, TX?
The typical (median) mechanical designer in Houston, TX earns $78,820 a year, or about $37.89 an hour (BLS, May 2025). Half earn more and half earn less.
What is the entry-level salary for a mechanical designer in Houston, TX?
Early-career mechanical designers in Houston, TX typically earn around $62,360 (the 25th percentile), and the lowest-paid 10% earn under $54,990. Degree, internships, licenses and the industry all move starting pay.
How much do experienced mechanical designers earn in Houston, TX?
Experienced mechanical designers in Houston, TX earn $100,300 or more (the 75th percentile), and the top 10% earn over $130,490.
Do mechanical designers earn more in Houston, TX than the national average?
The typical mechanical designer in Houston, TX earns 10% more than the national median of $71,550. Prices in the metro area are 1.4% below the US average (BEA, 2024), so the same salary goes a little further there.
Are mechanical designers in demand?
BLS projects employment in this occupation to shrink 6% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% for all jobs, with about 2,900 openings a year nationally as people retire, change jobs or the field grows.
Hiring mechanical designers in Houston?
Where these numbers come from
Pay figures come from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program (OEWS), which surveys about 1.1 million employer locations and is the government's main source of pay by occupation and location. This page uses the May 2025 survey, released in 2026, and updates itself when BLS publishes the next year's figures. Job outlook comes from the BLS Employment Projections for 2025–35. Cost of living comes from the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024, where the US average is 100.
Pay is base wages and salary before tax. It does not include bonuses, overtime, benefits or equity. Early career is the 25th percentile (a quarter of workers earn less), Typical is the median and Experienced is the 75th percentile. The bar shows the full range from the 10th to the 90th percentile. The salary rank check estimates a percentile by drawing straight lines between those five published points.
BLS groups some job titles together. Controls engineers, for example, are counted with electrical engineers, and CAD designers with drafters. Each result names the BLS occupation it uses so you can see exactly what is being measured. BLS does not publish every occupation in every area, for example when too few people in a job were surveyed or when a figure does not meet its reliability standards. When a metro figure is missing, the calculator shows the state figure, or the national figure if the state is also missing, and says so.
BLS occupation used on this page: Mechanical Drafters (SOC 17-3013).