Mechanical Engineer Salary in District Of Columbia (2026)
The average Mechanical Engineer in District Of Columbia earns around $130,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $92,040/year ($7,670/month).
Take-Home Pay Breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $92,040 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $7,670 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $3,540 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $44/hr |
Federal Tax | $19,934 |
State Tax | $8,082 |
FICA Taxes | $9,945 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 29.2% |
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Mechanical Engineer Salary Ranges in District Of Columbia
Not all Mechanical Engineers earn the same — not even close
DC's mechanical engineering market is anchored by DC-Northern Virginia cleared defense ME cluster (Lockheed Martin Bethesda cross-border + Raytheon + Northrop Grumman Falls Church + General Dynamics Falls Church + L3Harris + the substantial DC-DMV cleared defense ME + Naval Sea Systems Command NAVSEA Washington Navy Yard + Naval Air Systems Command NAVAIR Patuxent River cross-border + Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA Arlington + the substantial DC defense + IC ME), DC-Northern Virginia cleared federal contractor ME (Booz Allen + Leidos + SAIC + CACI + ManTech + the substantial cleared ME), DC infrastructure ME (WMATA Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority + DC Water + DDOT District Department of Transportation + the substantial DC Metro + utility infrastructure ME), MedStar + Children's National + GW + Howard hospital MEP, Smithsonian Institution + DC museum facility ME, Federal Reserve Board + Treasury + GSA federal buildings ME, plus George Washington University School of Engineering + Catholic University of America School of Engineering + Howard University College of Engineering + the substantial DC ME pipeline.
Sr / Lead Mechanical Engineer
$148,000–$245,000+ bonus
Sr ME at Booz + Leidos + LM + Raytheon + Northrop + NAVSEA + NAVAIR
Sr Mechanical Engineer (Cleared / NAVSEA / NAVAIR)
$135,000–$215,000+ GS-14/15
NAVSEA Washington Navy Yard + NAVAIR Patuxent · cleared · TS/SCI
Sr Mechanical Engineer (Cleared / LM / Raytheon / Northrop)
$140,000–$222,000+ TC
Lockheed + Raytheon + Northrop + GD + L3Harris · cleared defense ME
Sr Mechanical Engineer (Booz Allen / Leidos / SAIC / CACI)
$130,000–$200,000+ TC
Booz + Leidos + SAIC + CACI + ManTech · cleared federal ME · TS/SCI
Sr Mechanical Engineer (DARPA / Defense R&D)
$155,000–$245,000+ TC
DARPA Arlington + Defense Innovation Unit DIU · cleared R&D · TS/SCI
Sr MEP ME (MedStar / Children's National)
$108,000–$162,000+ bonus
MedStar + Children's National + GW + Howard · hospital HVAC + MEP + LEED
Sr MEP ME (Federal Buildings / GSA)
$108,000–$165,000+ GS-13/14
Federal Reserve + Treasury + GSA federal buildings · HVAC + MEP + LEED
Sr Transit / WMATA ME
$108,000–$165,000+ bonus
WMATA DC Metro + bus + DC Water + DDOT infrastructure ME
Mid-Level ME (3-6 yrs)
$85,000–$128,000+ bonus
Functional IC at DC major employers · transitioning to senior band
Junior ME / EIT (0-3 yrs)
$72,000–$98,000+ bonus
GW Eng + Catholic Eng + Howard Eng + AU Eng · entry EIT band
Worth knowing: DC-Northern Virginia cleared defense ME cluster (Lockheed + Raytheon + Northrop + NAVSEA + NAVAIR + DARPA) + DC-Northern Virginia cleared federal contractor ME (Booz Allen + Leidos + SAIC) + WMATA DC Metro infrastructure ME tri-anchor is one of the country's distinctive concentrated US single-state cleared defense + cleared federal contractor + transit + healthcare ME cluster and a feature most national ME surveys understate for DC. DC-Northern Virginia cleared defense ME cluster (Lockheed Martin Bethesda cross-border + Raytheon + Northrop Grumman Falls Church + General Dynamics Falls Church + L3Harris + the substantial DC-DMV cleared defense ME + Naval Sea Systems Command NAVSEA Washington Navy Yard + Naval Air Systems Command NAVAIR Patuxent River cross-border + DARPA Arlington + Defense Innovation Unit DIU + the substantial DC defense + IC ME). DC-Northern Virginia cleared federal contractor ME (Booz Allen + Leidos + SAIC + CACI + ManTech). DC infrastructure ME (WMATA Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority + DC Water + DDOT District Department of Transportation + the substantial DC Metro + utility infrastructure ME). MedStar + Children's National + GW + Howard hospital MEP. Smithsonian Institution + DC museum facility ME. Federal Reserve Board + Treasury + GSA federal buildings ME. GW + Catholic + Howard + AU. DC progressive top 10.75% + DC NLC since 2024 anchor the DC ME proposition.
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More on District Of Columbia
Salaries by profession, top-paying roles by industry, and an economic breakdown for District Of Columbia in 2026.
Tax brackets, standard deductions, and take-home estimates for District Of Columbia in 2026.
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