A controls engineer in the US earns an average base salary of about $94,000, with most advertised pay falling between roughly $59,000 and $150,000, according to Indeed at the time of our last update (October 2026). Controls engineers in CPG plants are paid within that national range, with the top end going to senior engineers who can own PLC, HMI and line integration work across a whole site. There is no public salary dataset for CPG plants alone, so this guide combines national benchmarks with the factors that move pay in food, beverage and household products manufacturing.
Controls engineer salary benchmarks
Indeed's figures are drawn from pay quoted in job postings over the past 36 months, so they show what employers advertise. Payscale's are self-reported by employees and usually sit lower. Read both together, and treat any single figure as indicative.
| Title and source | Average base | Typical range | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Controls engineer, Indeed (11.5k salaries) | $94,048 | $59,091 to $149,687 | Updated October 4, 2026 |
| Senior controls engineer, Indeed (3.3k salaries) | $127,078 | $88,120 to $183,260 | Updated October 12, 2026 |
| Automation engineer, Indeed (5.2k salaries) | $108,340 | $72,728 to $161,391 | Updated October 5, 2026 |
| PLC programmer, Indeed (304 salaries) | $90,663 | $63,729 to $128,981 | Updated October 11, 2026 |
| Controls engineer, Payscale (2,532 profiles) | $88,752 | $68,000 to $121,000 (10th to 90th percentile) | Updated July 8, 2026 |
The step from controls engineer to senior controls engineer is worth more than $30,000 in average base on Indeed's numbers. In a CPG plant, that step usually means moving from supporting existing lines to leading projects: specifying new equipment, managing integrators and signing off commissioning.
How does BLS data compare?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish a separate occupation for controls engineers. Depending on their training and duties, they are counted under electrical engineers, electro-mechanical technicians or related groups. The adjacent BLS figures help frame where controls work sits between engineering and technician pay.
- Electrical engineers: median pay of $120,630 in May 2025, with employment projected to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035.
- Electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians: median pay of $73,900 in May 2025, with growth of 3% projected over 2025 to 2035.
- Industrial machinery mechanics: median pay of $64,520 in May 2025, with employment projected to grow 18% from 2025 to 2035.
Those medians help explain the spread in controls pay. An engineer with a bachelor's degree who designs control systems is paid closer to the electrical engineer median. A technician who has moved into PLC troubleshooting from maintenance often starts nearer the technician figures and climbs as their programming and project skills grow.
Controls engineer pay by experience
Payscale reports an average total compensation of $73,983 for controls engineers with under a year of experience, based on 148 salaries, and $81,778 for those with one to four years, based on 1,247 salaries. It shows mid-career engineers earning about 7% above the overall average. Bonus, where offered, ranges from about $1,000 to $11,000 a year on Payscale's data, which is modest compared with commercial roles. Base salary carries most of the value in a controls offer.
In practice, the experience bands map to responsibilities. An engineer in their first year usually supports maintenance with fault-finding and small logic changes under supervision. By three to five years, most are trusted to make changes on running lines, build new HMI screens and support equipment installs. Senior engineers set standards, review integrator code and lead commissioning. Pay follows that progression more closely than it follows years served, so an engineer who has commissioned a full line can reasonably benchmark above the early-career average.
What drives controls engineer pay in CPG plants?
- Platform depth: Payscale lists PLC and automation, HMI, SCADA, DCS, robotics and AutoCAD Electrical among the skills linked to the role. Engineers who can program, not just fault-find, on the plant's main platform are paid more.
- Line integration: CPG lines are a chain of fillers, cappers, labelers, case packers and palletizers from different OEMs. Making them talk to each other and lifting line efficiency is specialist work.
- Data and OEE: Connecting machines to historians and MES systems so the plant can track downtime and OEE is increasingly part of the job.
- Hygienic environments: Food and beverage plants need washdown-rated equipment and tight food safety controls, which shapes how panels, sensors and changeovers are designed.
- Location: Indeed's top-paying cities for controls engineers include Mount Laurel, NJ ($119,408), Philadelphia, PA ($102,463) and Chicago, IL ($101,647).
- Scope and on-call: Single-site support roles with a call-out rota pay differently from multi-site or capital projects roles that involve travel.
For more on the automation skills plants are prioritizing, see our article on automation in food and beverage plants.
How to benchmark a controls engineer offer
Use these steps before you negotiate:
- Match the title to the work. Compare against the benchmark that fits your duties. A PLC troubleshooting role and a capital projects controls lead are different markets.
- Check the pay status. Ask whether the role is salaried or hourly, and how overtime, call-outs and weekend shutdowns are paid.
- Count the whole package. Add bonus, 401(k) match, shift differential and any relocation support to base salary.
- Factor in location. Compare against pay for the metro area, not just the national average, using the city figures above as a guide.
- Price your platform skills. If you program the plant's main PLC platform and can commission new lines, aim for the upper half of the range.
Career path and long-term earning potential
Most controls engineers in CPG follow one of three routes. Some stay technical and become senior or lead controls engineers, owning standards and new line projects. Some move into automation or engineering management, leading maintenance, controls and projects teams; see how we approach engineering manager recruitment. Others move to OEMs or system integrators, where pay can be higher but travel is heavier. Each route builds on the same foundation: strong PLC skills proven on running production lines.
Controls engineer salary: common questions
Indeed reports an average base salary of $94,048 for controls engineers in the US, with a range of $59,091 to $149,687 (October 2026). Payscale's self-reported average is $88,752.
Indeed puts the average senior controls engineer base at $127,078, with a range of $88,120 to $183,260 (October 2026). Senior roles usually include project leadership and integrator management.
There is no public dataset that isolates CPG plant pay, so we can't say that with confidence. CPG employers compete with automotive, pharma and integrators for the same engineers, and pay within the national range accordingly.
Programming depth on the plant's main PLC platform, HMI and SCADA development, robotics, and experience commissioning new lines. Project leadership and the ability to manage integrators usually mark the step to senior pay.
The titles overlap and many employers use them interchangeably. Automation engineer roles sometimes lean more toward projects and systems design, which may explain the higher Indeed average of $108,340.
TRG FMCG works with CPG manufacturers across the US on automation and controls engineer recruitment. You can also browse current engineering jobs.