Senior Mechanical Engineer salary in Columbus, IN

Based on 91 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level III in the Columbus, IN metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Walesboro.

Also listed as: Mechanical Design Engineer

Median salary$121,181
Middle 50%$116.9k–$121.2k
vs. all levels here+26%comparison median $96,000
Filings91FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $116,938 and $122,278.
PercentileSalary
10th$116,938
25th$116,938
50th (median)$121,181
75th$121,181
90th$121,181

Salary by year

Median salary

$80k $105k $130k FY2020: median $91,600 (22 filings) FY2021: median $94,494 (41 filings) FY2022: median $95,181 (30 filings) FY2023: median $101,520 (28 filings) FY2024: median $109,359 (18 filings) FY2025: median $116,938 (46 filings) FY2026: median $121,181 (45 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 22 filings FY20 FY2021: 41 filings FY21 FY2022: 30 filings FY22 FY2023: 28 filings FY23 FY2024: 18 filings FY24 FY2025: 46 filings FY25 FY2026: 45 filings FY26 46
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020$91,600$80,160$91,60022
FY2021$94,494$94,494$95,18141
FY2022$95,181$95,181$101,29330
FY2023$101,520$93,200$102,39028
FY2024$109,359$109,117$116,93818
FY2025$116,938$116,938$120,15746
FY2026$121,181$121,181$121,18145

Cost of living

Columbus's median senior Mechanical Engineer salary of $121,181 is worth about $130,300 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Columbus = 93.0).

Compared with all workers here

All Mechanical Engineers in the Columbus, IN area earned a median of $127,700 in May 2025 (1,000 employed). The H-1B median here is $121,181, 5% lower.

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

EmployerMedianFilings
Cummins$121,18189
LER TechForcetoo few2

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

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $92,581 22
Mid-level · Level II $106,891 63
Senior · Level III $121,181 91
Expert · Level IV $135,491 28

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Minimum H-1B salary by level

Wage levelPrevailing wage (most common)Median offered salaryFilings
Entry-level · Level I$89,960$92,58122
Mid-level · Level II$103,438$106,89163
Senior · Level III$121,181$121,18191
Expert · Level IV$135,491$135,49128

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.