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Best states for an aircraft engineer
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
It seems like aircraft engineers are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for aircraft engineers aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. As aircraft engineers are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for aircraft engineers. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as an aircraft engineer, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
In order to get you the best states for aircraft engineers, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.Arizona is the best state, and Windsor is the city with the highest pay for aircraft engineers.
10 best states for aircraft engineers in 2026
1. Arizona
Total aircraft engineer jobs: 241 Average annual salary: $93,713 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 1.17
2. California
Total aircraft engineer jobs: 1,632 Average annual salary: $94,358 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 1.58
3. Washington
Total aircraft engineer jobs: 398 Average annual salary: $84,917 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $113,000 Location Quotient: 1.54
4. Nebraska
Total aircraft engineer jobs: 65 Average annual salary: $86,205 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $113,000 Location Quotient: 0.83
5. Nevada
Total aircraft engineer jobs: 85 Average annual salary: $82,765 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $111,000 Location Quotient: 1.15
6. District of Columbia
Total aircraft engineer jobs: 187 Average annual salary: $89,599 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000 Location Quotient: 3.15
7. Wyoming
Total aircraft engineer jobs: 22 Average annual salary: $78,443 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $104,000 Location Quotient: 1.04
8. New Mexico
Total aircraft engineer jobs: 57 Average annual salary: $81,575 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $110,000 Location Quotient: 0.82
9. Delaware
Total aircraft engineer jobs: 67 Average annual salary: $78,602 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Location Quotient: 1.51
10. Rhode Island
Total aircraft engineer jobs: 23 Average annual salary: $85,341 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $112,000 Location Quotient: 0.54
Aircraft engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an aircraft engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an aircraft engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | $93,713 | $69,000 | 7,016,270 | 241 |
| 2 | California | $94,358 | $70,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,632 |
| 3 | Washington | $84,917 | $63,000 | 7,405,743 | 398 |
| 4 | Nebraska | $86,205 | $65,000 | 1,920,076 | 65 |
| 5 | Nevada | $82,765 | $61,000 | 2,998,039 | 85 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $89,599 | $66,000 | 693,972 | 187 |
| 7 | Wyoming | $78,443 | $58,000 | 579,315 | 22 |
| 8 | New Mexico | $81,575 | $60,000 | 2,088,070 | 57 |
| 9 | Delaware | $78,602 | $58,000 | 961,939 | 67 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $85,341 | $64,000 | 1,059,639 | 23 |
| 11 | Texas | $77,806 | $57,000 | 28,304,596 | 889 |
| 12 | Maryland | $82,209 | $61,000 | 6,052,177 | 438 |
| 13 | Colorado | $79,855 | $59,000 | 5,607,154 | 268 |
| 14 | Idaho | $82,246 | $61,000 | 1,716,943 | 31 |
| 15 | Michigan | $76,791 | $58,000 | 9,962,311 | 219 |
| 16 | Alabama | $74,852 | $56,000 | 4,874,747 | 191 |
| 17 | Virginia | $77,276 | $57,000 | 8,470,020 | 715 |
| 18 | Montana | $78,669 | $58,000 | 1,050,493 | 24 |
| 19 | Oregon | $75,650 | $56,000 | 4,142,776 | 191 |
| 20 | Utah | $73,249 | $54,000 | 3,101,833 | 146 |
| 21 | Massachusetts | $76,645 | $58,000 | 6,859,819 | 318 |
| 22 | Arkansas | $75,300 | $56,000 | 3,004,279 | 50 |
| 23 | Alaska | $73,621 | $58,000 | 739,795 | 42 |
| 24 | North Dakota | $74,304 | $56,000 | 755,393 | 18 |
| 25 | South Dakota | $74,491 | $56,000 | 869,666 | 20 |
| 26 | Hawaii | $78,497 | $64,000 | 1,427,538 | 31 |
| 27 | Illinois | $75,145 | $57,000 | 12,802,023 | 299 |
| 28 | Minnesota | $74,718 | $56,000 | 5,576,606 | 161 |
| 29 | Ohio | $72,892 | $55,000 | 11,658,609 | 244 |
| 30 | Vermont | $72,898 | $56,000 | 623,657 | 23 |
| 31 | New Jersey | $75,887 | $56,000 | 9,005,644 | 158 |
| 32 | Oklahoma | $71,098 | $53,000 | 3,930,864 | 60 |
| 33 | Georgia | $70,118 | $53,000 | 10,429,379 | 328 |
| 34 | Kansas | $69,661 | $52,000 | 2,913,123 | 78 |
| 35 | Pennsylvania | $71,076 | $53,000 | 12,805,537 | 195 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $70,868 | $53,000 | 5,795,483 | 97 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $68,615 | $52,000 | 5,024,369 | 114 |
| 38 | New York | $69,130 | $51,000 | 19,849,399 | 409 |
| 39 | New Hampshire | $69,627 | $53,000 | 1,342,795 | 40 |
| 40 | Missouri | $70,020 | $53,000 | 6,113,532 | 98 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $68,904 | $52,000 | 6,715,984 | 73 |
| 42 | Indiana | $66,328 | $50,000 | 6,666,818 | 153 |
| 43 | Florida | $65,508 | $49,000 | 20,984,400 | 554 |
| 44 | Connecticut | $68,274 | $51,000 | 3,588,184 | 88 |
| 45 | North Carolina | $66,896 | $50,000 | 10,273,419 | 268 |
| 46 | West Virginia | $66,070 | $49,000 | 1,815,857 | 19 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $65,742 | $49,000 | 2,984,100 | 41 |
| 48 | Maine | $68,181 | $52,000 | 1,335,907 | 18 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $60,051 | $44,000 | 4,684,333 | 91 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $63,144 | $48,000 | 4,454,189 | 64 |
| 51 | Iowa | $62,570 | $47,000 | 3,145,711 | 51 |
Highest paying states for aircraft engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Aircraft Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | $93,713 |
| 2 | California | $94,358 |
| 3 | Washington | $84,917 |
| 4 | Nebraska | $86,205 |
| 5 | Nevada | $82,765 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $89,599 |
| 7 | Wyoming | $78,443 |
| 8 | New Mexico | $81,575 |
| 9 | Delaware | $78,602 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $85,341 |
| 11 | Texas | $77,806 |
| 12 | Maryland | $82,209 |
| 13 | Colorado | $79,855 |
| 14 | Idaho | $82,246 |
| 15 | Michigan | $76,791 |
| 16 | Alabama | $74,852 |
| 17 | Virginia | $77,276 |
| 18 | Montana | $78,669 |
| 19 | Oregon | $75,650 |
| 20 | Utah | $73,249 |
| 21 | Massachusetts | $76,645 |
| 22 | Arkansas | $75,300 |
| 23 | Alaska | $73,621 |
| 24 | North Dakota | $74,304 |
| 25 | South Dakota | $74,491 |
| 26 | Hawaii | $78,497 |
| 27 | Illinois | $75,145 |
| 28 | Minnesota | $74,718 |
| 29 | Ohio | $72,892 |
| 30 | Vermont | $72,898 |
| 31 | New Jersey | $75,887 |
| 32 | Oklahoma | $71,098 |
| 33 | Georgia | $70,118 |
| 34 | Kansas | $69,661 |
| 35 | Pennsylvania | $71,076 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $70,868 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $68,615 |
| 38 | New York | $69,130 |
| 39 | New Hampshire | $69,627 |
| 40 | Missouri | $70,020 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $68,904 |
| 42 | Indiana | $66,328 |
| 43 | Florida | $65,508 |
| 44 | Connecticut | $68,274 |
| 45 | North Carolina | $66,896 |
| 46 | West Virginia | $66,070 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $65,742 |
| 48 | Maine | $68,181 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $60,051 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $63,144 |
| 51 | Iowa | $62,570 |
Aircraft engineer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025