Mechanical Engineer (R&D) salary in Trenton, NJ

Based on 14 certified H-1B filings in the Trenton-Princeton, NJ metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Princeton.

Also listed as: Researcher Iii Mechanical Engineering

Median salary$79,428
Middle 50%$66k–$120.8k
vs. national median−12%comparison median $90,063
Filings14FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $65,000 and $152,289.
PercentileSalary
10th$65,000
25th$66,005
50th (median)$79,428
75th$120,775
90th$150,088

Salary by year

Median salary

$40k $70k $100k FY2022: median $53,760 (12 filings) FY2023: median $86,000 (10 filings) FY2025: median $81,459 (11 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 6 filings FY20 FY2021: 9 filings FY21 FY2022: 12 filings FY22 FY2023: 10 filings FY23 FY2024: 3 filings FY24 FY2025: 11 filings FY25 FY2026: 3 filings FY26 12
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–––6
FY2021–––9
FY2022$53,760$53,760$68,97512
FY2023$86,000$65,699$93,75010
FY2024–––3
FY2025$81,459$65,000$131,36011
FY2026–––3

Cost of living

Trenton's median Mechanical Engineer (R&D) salary of $79,428 is worth about $77,000 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Trenton = 103.2).

Top employers filing

EmployerMedianFilings
The Trustees Of Princeton University$79,42814

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

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I too few 8
Mid-level · Level II too few 4
Senior · Level III – 0
Expert · Level IV – 0

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.