Best states for an aerospace engineer

Q: What is the best state for aerospace engineers?

The best state to be an aerospace engineer is Washington based on aerospace engineer salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for aerospace engineers?

The highest paying state for aerospace engineers is Wisconsin based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for aerospace engineers?

The worst state for aerospace engineers is Arkansas, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Bruce Carroll Ph.D.

Rank 1 - 10
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Are you thinking of becoming an aerospace engineer and really want to work at CTS? Turns out, your chances to become an aerospace engineer are better in some states than others.In order to help you decide which state is the best for aerospace engineers, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for aerospace engineer jobs.

To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for aerospace engineers.If you are currently seeking employment as an aerospace engineer, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for aerospace engineers in 2025

1. Washington
Total aerospace engineer jobs: 606
Average annual salary: $115,567
Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $161,000
Location Quotient:
1.38
Aerospace engineer jobs in Washington
2. Arizona
Total aerospace engineer jobs: 395
Average annual salary: $115,785
Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $162,000
Location Quotient:
1.12
Aerospace engineer jobs in Arizona
3. Utah
Total aerospace engineer jobs: 238
Average annual salary: $102,458
Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000
Location Quotient:
1.24
Aerospace engineer jobs in Utah
4. California
Total aerospace engineer jobs: 2,951
Average annual salary: $108,806
Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000
Location Quotient:
1.68
Aerospace engineer jobs in California
5. Nevada
Total aerospace engineer jobs: 86
Average annual salary: $109,581
Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $155,000
Location Quotient:
0.69
Aerospace engineer jobs in Nevada
6. District of Columbia
Total aerospace engineer jobs: 240
Average annual salary: $107,525
Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000
Location Quotient:
2.38
Aerospace engineer jobs in District of Columbia
7. Massachusetts
Total aerospace engineer jobs: 639
Average annual salary: $99,633
Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000
Location Quotient:
1.16
Aerospace engineer jobs in Massachusetts
8. Colorado
Total aerospace engineer jobs: 479
Average annual salary: $98,829
Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000
Location Quotient:
1.34
Aerospace engineer jobs in Colorado
9. Wyoming
Total aerospace engineer jobs: 32
Average annual salary: $95,879
Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000
Location Quotient:
0.89
Aerospace engineer jobs in Wyoming
10. Maryland
Total aerospace engineer jobs: 584
Average annual salary: $98,978
Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000
Location Quotient:
1.53
Aerospace engineer jobs in Maryland

Aerospace engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be an aerospace engineer

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for an aerospace engineer

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Washington	$115,567	$82,000	7,405,743	606
2	Arizona	$115,785	$82,000	7,016,270	395
3	Utah	$102,458	$72,000	3,101,833	238
4	California	$108,806	$76,000	39,536,653	2,951
5	Nevada	$109,581	$77,000	2,998,039	86
6	District of Columbia	$107,525	$78,000	693,972	240
7	Massachusetts	$99,633	$72,000	6,859,819	639
8	Colorado	$98,829	$71,000	5,607,154	479
9	Wyoming	$95,879	$69,000	579,315	32
10	Maryland	$98,978	$72,000	6,052,177	584
11	Idaho	$101,937	$72,000	1,716,943	54
12	Oregon	$96,415	$68,000	4,142,776	337
13	New Mexico	$100,071	$71,000	2,088,070	74
14	Virginia	$94,189	$68,000	8,470,020	1,037
15	Alabama	$91,156	$66,000	4,874,747	318
16	Michigan	$91,863	$67,000	9,962,311	459
17	Vermont	$97,049	$71,000	623,657	34
18	Rhode Island	$98,375	$71,000	1,059,639	41
19	Montana	$97,753	$70,000	1,050,493	41
20	North Dakota	$92,113	$68,000	755,393	42
21	Tennessee	$92,938	$68,000	6,715,984	175
22	Louisiana	$96,194	$69,000	4,684,333	83
23	West Virginia	$93,553	$68,000	1,815,857	26
24	Texas	$89,216	$64,000	28,304,596	1,241
25	Ohio	$87,890	$64,000	11,658,609	557
26	North Carolina	$89,630	$65,000	10,273,419	467
27	Indiana	$88,889	$65,000	6,666,818	309
28	Delaware	$88,914	$64,000	961,939	88
29	Illinois	$91,874	$67,000	12,802,023	534
30	Maine	$92,764	$68,000	1,335,907	30
31	South Carolina	$88,134	$64,000	5,024,369	237
32	South Dakota	$91,069	$67,000	869,666	16
33	Minnesota	$88,428	$65,000	5,576,606	361
34	Georgia	$88,212	$64,000	10,429,379	550
35	Alaska	$89,269	$68,000	739,795	41
36	Pennsylvania	$86,595	$63,000	12,805,537	465
37	Connecticut	$86,060	$62,000	3,588,184	196
38	New Hampshire	$85,294	$62,000	1,342,795	88
39	New Jersey	$88,960	$64,000	9,005,644	283
40	Nebraska	$80,121	$58,000	1,920,076	95
41	Mississippi	$83,155	$60,000	2,984,100	53
42	New York	$78,681	$57,000	19,849,399	664
43	Missouri	$83,427	$61,000	6,113,532	199
44	Florida	$77,076	$54,000	20,984,400	806
45	Kentucky	$80,384	$59,000	4,454,189	107
46	Wisconsin	$64,176	$47,000	5,795,483	302
47	Kansas	$77,330	$56,000	2,913,123	117
48	Hawaii	$73,134	$54,000	1,427,538	43
49	Iowa	$74,354	$54,000	3,145,711	153
50	Oklahoma	$77,727	$56,000	3,930,864	99
51	Arkansas	$75,837	$55,000	3,004,279	77

Highest paying states for aerospace engineers

Rank	State	Avg. Aerospace Engineer Salary
1	Washington	$115,567
2	Arizona	$115,785
3	Utah	$102,458
4	California	$108,806
5	Nevada	$109,581
6	District of Columbia	$107,525
7	Massachusetts	$99,633
8	Colorado	$98,829
9	Wyoming	$95,879
10	Maryland	$98,978
11	Idaho	$101,937
12	Oregon	$96,415
13	New Mexico	$100,071
14	Virginia	$94,189
15	Alabama	$91,156
16	Michigan	$91,863
17	Vermont	$97,049
18	Rhode Island	$98,375
19	Montana	$97,753
20	North Dakota	$92,113
21	Tennessee	$92,938
22	Louisiana	$96,194
23	West Virginia	$93,553
24	Texas	$89,216
25	Ohio	$87,890
26	North Carolina	$89,630
27	Indiana	$88,889
28	Delaware	$88,914
29	Illinois	$91,874
30	Maine	$92,764
31	South Carolina	$88,134
32	South Dakota	$91,069
33	Minnesota	$88,428
34	Georgia	$88,212
35	Alaska	$89,269
36	Pennsylvania	$86,595
37	Connecticut	$86,060
38	New Hampshire	$85,294
39	New Jersey	$88,960
40	Nebraska	$80,121
41	Mississippi	$83,155
42	New York	$78,681
43	Missouri	$83,427
44	Florida	$77,076
45	Kentucky	$80,384
46	Wisconsin	$64,176
47	Kansas	$77,330
48	Hawaii	$73,134
49	Iowa	$74,354
50	Oklahoma	$77,727
51	Arkansas	$75,837

Expert opinions on the best states for aerospace engineers

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for aerospace engineers to find work opportunities?
Bruce Carroll Ph.D.
Undergraduate Coordinator and Associate Professor, University of Florida
Aerospace jobs are available all across the US. Some pockets are well known, e.g. the locations of the large aerospace companies. There are also many startup companies in fields related to unmanned vehicles, drones, and personal urban aircraft. Companies in Florida and Georgia have been actively hiring graduates from our programs in recent years, and I think this will continue.

There is a strong demand in these two states related to military aircraft and armaments. This includes the maintenance of existing airframes and the development and production of new platforms. The commercial space industry is coming on strong with a large presence in Florida. There is also strong demand from both spacecraft and aircraft propulsion companies. The overall employment market continues to be strong for our region.

Aerospace engineer best states FAQs

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Search for aerospace engineer jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse architecture and engineering jobs

Total aerospace engineer jobs:	606
Average annual salary:	$115,567
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$82,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$161,000
Location Quotient:	1.38

Best states for an aerospace engineer

10 best states for aerospace engineers in 2025

1. Washington

2. Arizona

3. Utah

4. California

5. Nevada

6. District of Columbia

7. Massachusetts

8. Colorado

9. Wyoming

10. Maryland