Average RF Engineer Salary in United States for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average RF Engineer salary for 2024 in United States and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does an RF Engineer Make in United States?

An RF Engineer working in United States will typically earn around 84,500 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 42,700 USD to the highest average salary of 128,200 USD.

Average Annual Salary
84,500 USD
Average Monthly Salary
7,041 USD

Lowest Annual Salary
42,700 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary
3,558 USD

Highest Annual Salary
128,200 USD
Highest Monthly Salary
10,683 USD

These are average salaries for an RF Engineer in United States and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for an RF Engineer to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

RF Engineer salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of RF Engineer Salaries in United States

So we've looked at the average salaries an RF Engineer will earn in United States. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that an RF Engineer can earn between 42,700 USD and 128,200 USD on average in United States. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for an RF Engineer in United States is 77,100 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 77,100 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 77,100 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average RF Engineer salary in United States, 25% of the population are earning less than 54,700 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 54,700 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 96,500 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 96,500 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

RF Engineer Salary by Experience Level in United States

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average rf engineer salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. An RF Engineer in United States that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 51,800 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average RF Engineer salary would increase to 61,500 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as an RF Engineer, the average salary would be 87,900 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 102,700 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. An RF Engineer with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 114,900 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For an RF Engineer with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 119,700 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
51,800 USD
2-5 Years +23%
61,500 USD
5-10 Years +42%
87,900 USD
10-15 Years +17%
102,700 USD
15-20 Years +10%
114,900 USD
20+ Years +6%
119,700 USD

RF Engineer Salary by Education Level in United States

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for an RF Engineer in United States based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Bachelor's Degree. An RF Engineer in United States with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 58,600 USD.

  • Master's Degree. An RF Engineer in United States with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 111,700 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree
58,600 USD
Master's Degree +93%
111,700 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

RF Engineer Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In United States, a male rf engineer will earn an average of 86,800 USD, while a female rf engineer will earn around 79,800 USD.

This means that a male rf engineer earns approximately 9% more than a female rf engineer for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United States

Male
86,800 USD
Female -9%
79,800 USD

RF Engineer Average Pay Raise in United States

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for an RF Engineer in United States is around 11% every 17 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 11 ÷ 17 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that an RF Engineer in United States can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in United States for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
4%
Energy
8%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
7%
Travel
2%
Construction
6%
Education
1%

RF Engineer Bonus and Incentive Rates in United States

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

An RF Engineer is a moderate bonus based job, with 53% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

47% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5%.

Received Bonus
53%
No Bonus
47%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
98,800 USD
Private Sector -6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to an RF Engineer

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to an RF Engineer in United States.

Job Title Category Salary
Access Operation Team Leader Telecommunication 105,200 USD
Audio Visual Installer Telecommunication 46,400 USD
Broadband Technician Telecommunication 49,700 USD
Chief Technology Officer Telecommunication 142,300 USD
Customer Implementation Support Telecommunication 45,800 USD
Fiber Optic Technician Telecommunication 52,000 USD
Mobile Data Coordinator Telecommunication 51,300 USD
OSP Site Supervisor Telecommunication 63,500 USD
Retention Executive Telecommunication 130,500 USD
Sales Director Telecommunication 146,700 USD
Sales Engineer Telecommunication 99,600 USD
Technical Support Engineer Telecommunication 78,500 USD
Telecom Chief Engineer Telecommunication 96,500 USD
Telecom Specialist Telecommunication 99,600 USD
Telecommunication Consultant Telecommunication 116,400 USD
Telecommunication Dispatcher Telecommunication 44,500 USD
Telecommunication Equipment Engineer Telecommunication 73,500 USD
Telecommunication Logistics Supervisor Telecommunication 64,400 USD
Telecommunication Product Manager Telecommunication 95,400 USD
Telecommunication Project Coordinator Telecommunication 61,400 USD
Telecommunication Project Manager Telecommunication 111,700 USD
Telecommunication Service Delivery Manager Telecommunication 119,700 USD
Telecommunication Service Management Coordinator Telecommunication 100,700 USD
Telecommunication Solution Architect Telecommunication 115,600 USD
Telecommunication Surveyor Telecommunication 44,200 USD
Telecommunication Team Leader Telecommunication 91,600 USD
Telecommunication Technical Manager Telecommunication 105,800 USD
Telecommunication Technician Telecommunication 45,300 USD
Telecommunications Analyst Telecommunication 103,600 USD
Telecommunications Assistant Manager Telecommunication 117,100 USD
Telecommunications Chief Engineer Telecommunication 100,500 USD
Telecommunications Engineer Telecommunication 87,900 USD
Telecommunications Engineering Specialist Telecommunication 88,700 USD
Telecommunications Equipment Installer Telecommunication 47,800 USD
Telecommunications Facility Examiner Telecommunication 51,900 USD
Telecommunications Line Installer Telecommunication 43,500 USD
Telecommunications Manager Telecommunication 160,700 USD
Telecommunications Network Engineer Telecommunication 88,500 USD
Telecommunications Technician Telecommunication 45,000 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Atlanta 78,100 USD
Austin 92,100 USD
Baltimore 86,600 USD
Boston 92,200 USD
Bristol 72,800 USD
Chicago 105,800 USD
Cincinnati 70,500 USD
Cleveland 78,500 USD
Dallas 99,900 USD
Denver 85,700 USD
Detroit 89,200 USD
Honolulu 68,500 USD
Houston 95,500 USD
Indianapolis 95,000 USD
Iowa City 65,900 USD
Jacksonville 90,300 USD
Kansas City 79,600 USD
Kent 73,700 USD
Las Vegas 87,300 USD
Long Beach 79,700 USD
Los Angeles 107,300 USD
Memphis 86,100 USD
Miami 80,700 USD
Minneapolis 81,200 USD
New Orleans 72,300 USD
New York 96,800 USD
Oakland 79,000 USD
Oklahoma City 85,400 USD
Orlando 75,000 USD
Philadelphia 97,200 USD
Phoenix 102,700 USD
Sacramento 85,500 USD
San Antonio 95,400 USD
San Diego 93,100 USD
San Francisco 86,800 USD
San Jose 96,000 USD
Seattle 86,100 USD
Tampa 77,100 USD
Vancouver 71,700 USD
Washington D.C. 90,900 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

City Average Salary
Alabama 86,100 USD
Alaska 75,100 USD
Arizona 96,000 USD
Arkansas 84,600 USD
California 99,600 USD
Colorado 84,900 USD
Connecticut 84,800 USD
Delaware 79,800 USD
District of Columbia 73,300 USD
Florida 97,400 USD
Georgia 89,900 USD
Hawaii 79,600 USD
Idaho 84,200 USD
Illinois 91,600 USD
Indiana 90,600 USD
Iowa 85,800 USD
Kansas 81,700 USD
Kentucky 88,000 USD
Louisiana 81,300 USD
Maine 80,800 USD
Maryland 95,100 USD
Massachusetts 88,400 USD
Michigan 93,600 USD
Minnesota 83,800 USD
Mississippi 84,200 USD
Missouri 92,100 USD
Montana 75,900 USD
Nebraska 80,500 USD
Nevada 77,000 USD
New Hampshire 80,200 USD
New Jersey 94,200 USD
New Mexico 79,600 USD
New York 98,100 USD
North Carolina 89,800 USD
North Dakota 75,500 USD
Ohio 94,800 USD
Oklahoma 81,700 USD
Oregon 86,600 USD
Pennsylvania 100,400 USD
Rhode Island 74,900 USD
South Carolina 87,800 USD
South Dakota 73,700 USD
Tennessee 90,900 USD
Texas 99,700 USD
Utah 78,700 USD
Vermont 76,900 USD
Virginia 87,600 USD
Washington 91,900 USD
West Virginia 81,900 USD
Wisconsin 87,400 USD
Wyoming 74,700 USD

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