Research Summary. After extensive research by the Zippia data science team, we have updated the details of mechanical engineer salaries by state for the United States in 2026:
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Washington continues to offer the highest mechanical engineer salary at $90,626
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Arkansas remains the state with the lowest mechanical engineer salary at $60,121
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The national average salary for mechanical engineers is $75,352
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The national hourly pay for mechanical engineers is $36.23
You can read more on the specific methodology.
Background
Salary remains a key factor for job seekers across all demographics. In fact, surveys consistently show that one of the most pressing questions for aspiring mechanical engineers is: how much can I expect to earn in my area?
While many factors influence your specific salary, robust data on average salaries for mechanical engineers by state is available, broken down by seniority level. While your local salary may vary slightly from the state average, these figures provide a valuable benchmark for what you can anticipate earning.
As of 2026, Washington is the state offering the best salary for mechanical engineers.
Here’s a snapshot of the top ten states for mechanical engineer salaries:
Let’s take a look at how we got here and see a full ranking of all the states.
Highest-Paid Mechanical Engineers By State
| Rank | State | Average Mechanical Engineer Salary | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $90,626 | $69,000 | $118,000 |
| 2 | Idaho | $89,318 | $67,000 | $117,000 |
| 3 | California | $88,872 | $67,000 | $117,000 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $86,527 | $67,000 | $111,000 |
| 5 | New Mexico | $86,101 | $65,000 | $112,000 |
| 6 | Oregon | $84,644 | $64,000 | $111,000 |
| 7 | Nevada | $82,625 | $62,000 | $109,000 |
| 8 | Maine | $81,837 | $63,000 | $105,000 |
| 9 | Maryland | $81,814 | $64,000 | $104,000 |
| 10 | Louisiana | $81,441 | $61,000 | $107,000 |
| 11 | Delaware | $79,913 | $62,000 | $102,000 |
| 12 | Texas | $79,901 | $60,000 | $105,000 |
| 13 | Arizona | $79,627 | $61,000 | $103,000 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $79,312 | $61,000 | $101,000 |
| 15 | Alaska | $79,016 | $67,000 | $92,000 |
| 16 | Connecticut | $78,851 | $61,000 | $101,000 |
| 17 | New York | $78,640 | $61,000 | $100,000 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $78,630 | $61,000 | $101,000 |
| 19 | Colorado | $78,006 | $59,000 | $101,000 |
| 20 | New Jersey | $76,734 | $59,000 | $98,000 |
| 21 | Utah | $76,175 | $57,000 | $100,000 |
| 22 | Virginia | $75,667 | $59,000 | $96,000 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $74,821 | $58,000 | $94,000 |
| 24 | Illinois | $74,398 | $58,000 | $94,000 |
| 25 | Oklahoma | $74,107 | $57,000 | $95,000 |
| 26 | Tennessee | $74,065 | $58,000 | $94,000 |
| 27 | Montana | $72,506 | $55,000 | $95,000 |
| 28 | Michigan | $72,424 | $57,000 | $91,000 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $71,336 | $55,000 | $91,000 |
| 30 | Georgia | $70,961 | $55,000 | $90,000 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $69,983 | $55,000 | $88,000 |
| 32 | Ohio | $69,924 | $55,000 | $88,000 |
| 33 | Indiana | $69,800 | $55,000 | $88,000 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $68,846 | $52,000 | $90,000 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $68,608 | $53,000 | $87,000 |
| 36 | Alabama | $68,543 | $53,000 | $88,000 |
| 37 | Vermont | $68,245 | $53,000 | $87,000 |
| 38 | North Carolina | $67,986 | $53,000 | $86,000 |
| 39 | Iowa | $67,765 | $53,000 | $85,000 |
| 40 | Missouri | $67,239 | $53,000 | $85,000 |
| 41 | North Dakota | $66,192 | $52,000 | $83,000 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $66,085 | $52,000 | $83,000 |
| 43 | Kansas | $65,737 | $51,000 | $83,000 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $65,692 | $51,000 | $83,000 |
| 45 | Florida | $65,658 | $48,000 | $89,000 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $65,186 | $53,000 | $80,000 |
| 47 | Wisconsin | $65,131 | $51,000 | $82,000 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $64,475 | $49,000 | $84,000 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $62,658 | $49,000 | $79,000 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $60,121 | $47,000 | $76,000 |
Methodology: Mechanical Engineer Salary By State
To better understand mechanical engineer pay by state, Zippia has aggregated data from various sources, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Federal Labor Commission (FLC), and Office of Personnel Management (OPM). We supplement this data with real salaries from job postings. Our data science team then calculates a weighted average of these inputs to establish an average pay for mechanical engineers by state.
We ranked each state based on this average annual salary data for mechanical engineers, with the highest salary ranked first.
Mechanical Engineer Salary By State FAQs
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What is the highest-paid state for mechanical engineers?
The highest-paid state for mechanical engineers is Washington, with an average salary of $90,626 per year.
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What city pays mechanical engineers the most?
San Francisco, CA offers the highest average salary for mechanical engineers at $96,117 per year.
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What is the worst state for mechanical engineers?
The worst state for mechanical engineers is Arkansas, with an average salary of $60,121 per year.
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
