These Are The 10 States With The Highest Staff Engineer Salaries For 2026

Top 10 States for Staff Engineer Salaries in 2026

In today’s job market, salary remains a key factor for professionals evaluating their career options. For staff engineers, knowing the average salary in your state can provide valuable insights into your earning potential.

While individual salaries can vary based on experience and specific roles, we have compiled comprehensive data on average salaries for staff engineers across the United States, broken down by state and adjusted for seniority level. This can help you gauge what to expect based on your location.

To illustrate how salaries fluctuate across the nation, we analyzed the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics regarding average pay for staff engineers by state.

It’s also essential to consider the cost of living in each state, as this can significantly impact how far your salary stretches. For instance, your salary in North Carolina provides more purchasing power compared to a similar salary in California.

After adjusting for cost of living, here are the states offering the highest average salaries for staff engineers:

Now, let’s delve into the details of how we calculated these salaries and present a complete ranking of all states.

For further insights into the job market, explore our articles:

How We Calculated Pay by State

To determine the average annual salaries for staff engineers, we relied on the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, specifically their ‘Occupational Employment Statistics.’

To ensure a fair comparison of salaries across states, we factored in the cost of living in each state.

We created an index comparing the average wage for each state against the average cost of living. For example, if California has a cost of living index of 135.9 and an average salary of $107,280, the adjusted salary would be calculated as follows:

$107,280 * (100 / 135.9) = $78,940

States are then ranked according to this index, with the highest ranking reflecting the best average salary for staff engineers.

Detailed List of Staff Engineer Salaries by State

Rank	State	Adjusted Salary	Average Wage	Cost Of Living
1	Alabama	$126,271	$115,160	91.2
2	Texas	$124,928	$113,310	90.7
3	Virginia	$112,212	$113,110	100.8
4	Idaho	$111,292	$102,500	92.1
5	Mississippi	$108,451	$93,160	85.9
6	New Mexico	$106,974	$103,230	96.5
7	Colorado	$103,227	$107,150	103.8
8	West Virginia	$102,633	$95,860	93.4
9	Michigan	$102,078	$90,850	89.0
10	South Carolina	$100,282	$99,480	99.2
11	Nevada	$100,203	$103,510	103.3
12	Minnesota	$99,930	$100,730	100.8
13	Georgia	$99,529	$90,970	91.4
14	North Carolina	$98,966	$92,930	93.9
15	Oklahoma	$98,856	$88,180	89.2
16	Wyoming	$96,122	$88,240	91.8
17	Florida	$95,707	$94,080	98.3
18	Utah	$95,602	$88,910	93.0
19	Ohio	$95,255	$89,350	93.8
20	Tennessee	$94,116	$84,140	89.4
21	Maryland	$93,490	$117,330	125.5
22	Pennsylvania	$93,402	$94,710	101.4
23	Kentucky	$93,292	$84,430	90.5
24	Illinois	$92,811	$87,800	94.6
25	Missouri	$91,272	$82,510	90.4
26	Louisiana	$91,181	$86,440	94.8
27	Washington	$90,655	$95,370	105.2
28	New Jersey	$88,080	$107,370	121.9
29	Arizona	$87,887	$86,130	98.0
30	Kansas	$87,786	$78,920	89.9
31	Wisconsin	$86,539	$83,770	96.8
32	Maine	$85,839	$95,110	110.8
33	Nebraska	$85,545	$78,360	91.6
34	Alaska	$85,003	$111,440	131.1
35	Massachusetts	$84,842	$113,180	133.4
36	Oregon	$84,230	$97,370	115.6
37	Indiana	$81,474	$72,920	89.5
38	Iowa	$80,989	$73,700	91.0
39	North Dakota	$80,985	$80,500	99.4
40	Connecticut	$80,751	$103,120	127.7
41	California	$78,940	$107,280	135.9
42	Montana	$78,898	$79,530	100.8
43	Rhode Island	$77,953	$94,090	120.7
44	Arkansas	$77,003	$67,070	87.1
45	New Hampshire	$76,880	$89,950	117.0
46	New York	$76,068	$99,650	131.0
47	Vermont	$69,058	$83,630	121.1
48	Hawaii	$54,431	$91,390	167.9

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Author

Chris Kolmar

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.

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