Rocket Lab Corporation vs SpaceX salary
The median posted base pay for tech jobs is $155K a year at Rocket Lab Corporation and $163K a year at SpaceX. The median at Rocket Lab Corporation is 4% below the median at SpaceX. The numbers come from 112 open jobs at Rocket Lab Corporation and 606 open jobs at SpaceX with posted pay.
Rocket Lab Corporation and SpaceX: all tech jobs
Rocket Lab Corporation: The middle half of the jobs is from $129K to $183K. SpaceX: The middle half of the jobs is from $150K to $198K.
| Measure | Rocket Lab Corporation | SpaceX |
|---|---|---|
| Median posted base pay | $155K | $163K |
| Middle half of the jobs | $129K to $183K | $150K to $198K |
| Median posted range | $125K to $186K | $125K to $195K |
| 10th to 90th percentile | $110K to $204K | $130K to $218K |
| Open jobs with posted pay | 112 | 606 |
Rocket Lab Corporation vs SpaceX pay by job type
The median for each job type that has 3 or more jobs with posted pay at both companies. The difference compares Rocket Lab Corporation with SpaceX. One job can have more than one job type.
| Job type | Median at Rocket Lab Corporation | Median at SpaceX | Difference | Jobs at Rocket Lab Corporation | Jobs at SpaceX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software engineering | $163K | $163K | 0% | 46 | 251 |
| Hardware and robotics | $147K | $150K | −2% | 42 | 190 |
| Infra, platform & SRE | $153K | $163K | −6% | 17 | 82 |
| ML / AI engineering | $208K | $171K | +21% | 4 | 46 |
| Security engineering | $171K | $175K | −2% | 4 | 37 |
Rocket Lab Corporation vs SpaceX pay by level
The median for each level in the job title that has 3 or more jobs with posted pay at both companies.
| Level | Median at Rocket Lab Corporation | Median at SpaceX | Difference | Jobs at Rocket Lab Corporation | Jobs at SpaceX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry level | $104K | $155K | −33% | 10 | 16 |
| Level not stated | $120K | $150K | −20% | 23 | 364 |
| Senior | $165K | $200K | −17% | 66 | 201 |
| Principal | $217K | $275K | −21% | 11 | 25 |
Open jobs with the highest posted pay
The five open jobs with the highest posted pay at each company. Each range is the base pay that the company posted.
Rocket Lab Corporation
- Principal Spacecraft GNC Engineer - Secret Clearance$198K to $330K
- Principal Software Engineer$164K to $325K
- Principal Algorithm Engineer (EO/IR Image Analysis)$198K to $318K
- Principal Machine Learning Engineer (EO/IR Image Analysis)$153K to $318K
- Senior GNC Engineer II- Mission Formulation$162K to $300K
SpaceX
- Principal Security Software Engineer (Starlink)$235K to $355K
- Principal DFT Engineer (Silicon Engineering)$220K to $355K
- Principal Software Engineer, CDN (Starlink)$210K to $355K
- Principal AI Engineer, Special Programs$220K to $350K
- Sr. AI Engineer, Special Programs$220K to $350K
More about Rocket Lab Corporation and SpaceX
Rocket Lab Corporation
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Questions
Which company pays more, Rocket Lab Corporation or SpaceX?
SpaceX has the higher median posted base pay: $163K a year, against $155K at Rocket Lab Corporation. The median at Rocket Lab Corporation is 4% below the median at SpaceX.
What do software engineering jobs pay at Rocket Lab Corporation and SpaceX?
The median posted base pay for software engineering jobs is $163K at Rocket Lab Corporation (46 jobs) and $163K at SpaceX (251 jobs).
Does this pay include stock or a bonus?
No. The numbers are the base pay ranges that the companies posted in their open jobs. Stock, a bonus and benefits are not in the numbers. Total pay at these companies can be much higher than base pay.
Where does the data come from?
We read each open job from the job board of Rocket Lab Corporation and of SpaceX, and we check each job every day. We use only jobs that state a yearly pay range in US dollars.
How we compute these numbers
We read each job from the job board of the company and check it every day. We use only open jobs that state a yearly pay range in US dollars. One job counts with the middle point of its posted range. The median is the middle value of these amounts: half of the jobs are above it and half are below it.
We do not use a range with a bottom below $15,000, a top above $1,000,000, or a top that is more than four times the bottom. A company needs 20 or more open jobs with posted pay to be in a comparison. A job type or a level needs 3 or more jobs at both companies to be a row. Jobs under the same company name count as one company.
The numbers are base pay as the company posted it. They are not the pay of a person, and they do not include stock, a bonus or benefits. For the stock and the bonus that people reported, see Reported pay.