It's hard to pinpoint the number of roller-coaster designers, but there
likely aren't very many. "I don't think it's a big field," says engineer Glenn
Birket. "I think it's a field that attracts a lot of interest. But there are
a handful of positions that exist and they don't open up all that often.
"It's not a large market by anybody's measure, I'm sure," says Birket.
"There's a lot of frustrated roller-coaster designers out there, particularly
on the classic side of mechanical engineering, but even on our side."
Designers' salaries would be roughly equal with any other mechanical engineer.
"It's comparable with any of the other positions with that degree and your
number of years of experience," says Birket.
"Typically, right out of school at this point of time, [the salary is]
$45,000 to $55,000, depending upon your grades or whatever experience you
might have. And then it's roughly double that depending on your years in the
business."
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) includes roller-coaster designer in
the category Electrical and Electronic Engineers. They say there were 324,600
workers in this category in 2016. The average hourly wage for the category
was $47.10 in 2107, and the average annual wage was $97,970 according to
the BLS.