Engineering salaries in Canada span a remarkably wide range depending on the discipline. Software engineers at top tech companies earn 2-3x more than civil engineers with the same experience, creating one of the largest within-profession pay gaps in the country. The P.Eng designation matters for traditional disciplines (civil, mechanical, electrical) where it is legally required to sign off on designs, but is largely irrelevant in software engineering. Province and industry also play a large role — petroleum engineers in Alberta can earn $200,000+, while environmental engineers in Atlantic Canada may top out at $140,000.
Average Engineer Salary by Discipline
| Engineering Discipline |
Entry Level (0–3 yr) |
Mid-Career (4–9 yr) |
Senior (10+ yr) |
Management/Principal |
| Software engineering |
$70,000–$110,000 |
$110,000–$170,000 |
$150,000–$250,000+ |
$180,000–$350,000+ |
| Petroleum engineering |
$75,000–$110,000 |
$110,000–$160,000 |
$140,000–$200,000 |
$170,000–$250,000 |
| Mining engineering |
$70,000–$100,000 |
$100,000–$140,000 |
$130,000–$180,000 |
$150,000–$220,000 |
| Chemical engineering |
$65,000–$90,000 |
$90,000–$130,000 |
$120,000–$170,000 |
$140,000–$200,000 |
| Electrical engineering |
$60,000–$85,000 |
$85,000–$120,000 |
$110,000–$160,000 |
$130,000–$190,000 |
| Mechanical engineering |
$58,000–$80,000 |
$80,000–$115,000 |
$105,000–$155,000 |
$130,000–$185,000 |
| Aerospace engineering |
$60,000–$85,000 |
$85,000–$125,000 |
$115,000–$165,000 |
$140,000–$200,000 |
| Biomedical engineering |
$55,000–$80,000 |
$80,000–$120,000 |
$110,000–$160,000 |
$130,000–$190,000 |
| Civil engineering |
$55,000–$75,000 |
$75,000–$110,000 |
$100,000–$145,000 |
$120,000–$180,000 |
| Environmental engineering |
$55,000–$75,000 |
$75,000–$105,000 |
$95,000–$140,000 |
$120,000–$170,000 |
| Industrial engineering |
$55,000–$78,000 |
$78,000–$110,000 |
$100,000–$145,000 |
$120,000–$175,000 |
| Structural engineering |
$55,000–$78,000 |
$78,000–$115,000 |
$105,000–$155,000 |
$125,000–$185,000 |
Software Engineer Salary by Company Type
| Company Type |
Junior (0–2 yr) |
Intermediate (3–5 yr) |
Senior (6+ yr) |
Staff/Principal |
| FAANG/Big Tech (Canada offices) |
$100,000–$130,000 |
$140,000–$200,000 |
$200,000–$350,000+ |
$300,000–$500,000+ |
| Shopify, Wealthsimple, etc. |
$80,000–$110,000 |
$110,000–$160,000 |
$160,000–$240,000 |
$220,000–$350,000 |
| Mid-size tech |
$65,000–$90,000 |
$90,000–$130,000 |
$130,000–$180,000 |
$160,000–$220,000 |
| Startup |
$55,000–$85,000 |
$85,000–$130,000 |
$120,000–$180,000 |
$150,000+ + equity |
| Non-tech company (IT dept) |
$55,000–$75,000 |
$75,000–$105,000 |
$100,000–$140,000 |
$130,000–$170,000 |
| Government |
$60,000–$80,000 |
$80,000–$105,000 |
$100,000–$130,000 |
$120,000–$150,000 |
| Consulting |
$60,000–$90,000 |
$90,000–$130,000 |
$125,000–$175,000 |
$150,000–$220,000 |
Big Tech total compensation includes base salary + stock (RSUs) + bonus. Base alone may be $120K–$180K for seniors, but total comp reaches $250K–$400K+.
Engineer Salary by Province
Alberta offers the highest salaries for traditional engineering disciplines due to the oil and gas sector, while Ontario and BC lead in software engineering thanks to their tech ecosystems. Quebec’s emergence as an AI and gaming hub (Montreal) has significantly boosted software engineer pay in the province. For non-software engineers, the gap between provinces is smaller but still meaningful — roughly 15-25% between the highest (Alberta) and lowest (Atlantic Canada) paying regions.
| Province |
General Engineer Avg |
Software Engineer Avg |
Oil & Gas Engineer Avg |
Notes |
| Alberta |
$85,000–$130,000 |
$90,000–$150,000 |
$100,000–$200,000 |
Oil & gas premium |
| Ontario |
$75,000–$120,000 |
$85,000–$200,000+ |
N/A |
Toronto tech hub |
| British Columbia |
$72,000–$115,000 |
$80,000–$180,000 |
N/A |
Vancouver tech hub |
| Saskatchewan |
$72,000–$110,000 |
$70,000–$110,000 |
$90,000–$150,000 |
Mining, potash |
| Quebec |
$65,000–$100,000 |
$70,000–$140,000 |
N/A |
Montreal AI hub |
| Manitoba |
$65,000–$100,000 |
$65,000–$110,000 |
N/A |
Aerospace |
| New Brunswick |
$58,000–$90,000 |
$60,000–$100,000 |
N/A |
Lower cost of living |
| Nova Scotia |
$58,000–$90,000 |
$60,000–$105,000 |
N/A |
Growing tech sector |
| Newfoundland |
$65,000–$100,000 |
$60,000–$95,000 |
$90,000–$150,000 |
Offshore oil |
Engineering Career Path
| Stage |
Duration |
Earnings |
Designation |
| Engineering degree (BEng/BASc) |
4 years |
−$30,000–$80,000 (tuition) |
None |
| Engineer-in-Training (EIT) |
4 years |
$55,000–$100,000/year |
EIT |
| P.Eng license |
After 4 yr experience |
Salary bump (~5–15%) |
P.Eng |
| Senior engineer |
8–15 years |
$100,000–$180,000 |
P.Eng |
| Engineering manager |
10+ years |
$120,000–$200,000+ |
P.Eng + MBA (optional) |
| VP Engineering/Director |
15+ years |
$150,000–$300,000+ |
— |
| Master’s degree (MEng/MASc) |
1–2 years |
Salary bump $5K–$15K |
— |
| PhD |
4–6 years |
$25,000–$35,000/yr stipend |
— |
Canada vs US Engineering Salary Comparison
The Canada-US salary gap varies dramatically by discipline. Software engineers face the largest gap (30-50% less in Canada) primarily because US Big Tech firms use aggressive stock-based compensation that inflates total packages. For traditional engineering disciplines like mechanical and civil, the gap is a more modest 20-30%. Many Canadian engineers who want US-level pay now work remotely for US companies, which is an increasingly common arrangement in software but rare in other engineering disciplines that require on-site presence.
| Discipline |
Canada (CAD) |
US (USD) |
US (CAD equiv.) |
Difference |
| Software (senior) |
$150,000–$250,000 |
$150,000–$350,000+ |
$205,000–$480,000 |
30–50% higher in US |
| Mechanical (mid) |
$80,000–$115,000 |
$80,000–$110,000 |
$110,000–$150,000 |
20–30% higher in US |
| Civil (mid) |
$75,000–$110,000 |
$75,000–$100,000 |
$103,000–$137,000 |
20–25% higher in US |
| Petroleum (senior) |
$140,000–$200,000 |
$140,000–$200,000 |
$192,000–$274,000 |
25–35% higher in US |
The US-Canada gap is largest in software engineering due to Big Tech compensation structures (heavy stock-based comp in the US).
Top Industries for Engineers by Pay
| Industry |
Avg Engineer Salary |
Top Disciplines |
Growth Outlook |
| Oil & gas |
$100,000–$200,000 |
Petroleum, chemical, mechanical |
Cyclical |
| Technology |
$85,000–$250,000+ |
Software, data, ML/AI |
Strong |
| Mining |
$90,000–$180,000 |
Mining, geological, mechanical |
Moderate |
| Nuclear/power generation |
$85,000–$150,000 |
Nuclear, electrical, mechanical |
Growing |
| Aerospace/defence |
$80,000–$165,000 |
Aerospace, mechanical, electrical |
Growing |
| Construction/infrastructure |
$70,000–$140,000 |
Civil, structural, geotechnical |
Strong |
| Manufacturing |
$65,000–$130,000 |
Mechanical, industrial, electrical |
Stable |
| Consulting |
$65,000–$150,000 |
All disciplines |
Stable |
| Government/public sector |
$65,000–$130,000 |
Civil, environmental, electrical |
Stable |
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