Expert Electrical Engineer salary in Washington, DC

Based on 28 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level IV in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Herndon, Manassas, Reston, Germantown, Gaithersburg.

Also listed as: Electrical Design Engineer

Median salary$170,278

Middle 50%$156.7k–$180.8k

vs. all levels here+29%comparison median $131,969

Filings28FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

All levels here

$120k$130k$140k$150k$160k$170k$180k$190k$200k$210k$220k

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $154,024 and $224,300.

Percentile	Salary
10th	$154,024
25th	$156,727
50th (median)	$170,278
75th	$180,825
90th	$200,900

Cost of living

Washington's median expert Electrical Engineer salary of $170,278 is worth about $156,400 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Washington = 108.9).

Compared with all workers here

All Electrical Engineers in the Washington, DC area earned a median of $126,420 in May 2025 (4,450 employed). The H-1B median here is $170,278, 35% higher.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metropolitan area estimates. BLS wages include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are base salary.

Employers filing at this level

Employer	Median	Filings
Ofinno	too few	5
Hughes Network Systems	too few	3
Amazon	too few	2
Google	too few	2
T-Mobile	too few	2
Virginkar and Associates	too few	2

Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.

By experience level

Wage level	Median	Filings
Entry-level · Level I	$96,552	43
Mid-level · Level II	$130,000	42
Senior · Level III	$160,000	19
Expert · Level IV	$170,278	28

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Minimum H-1B salary by level

Wage level	Prevailing wage (most common)	Median offered salary	Filings
Entry-level · Level I	$89,440	$96,552	43
Mid-level · Level II	$110,968	$130,000	42
Senior · Level III	$139,630	$160,000	19
Expert · Level IV	$154,024	$170,278	28

The prevailing wage is the minimum an employer must pay for this job and area. Amounts vary by county within a metro and by wage source.