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Best states for an automotive engineer
Quoted expert
Craig Carignan
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
It seems like automotive engineers are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for automotive engineers aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. Pay, benefits, and opportunities vary greatly by state, and it's no different for automotive engineers. We found that California is the best state in the nation for automotive engineers, and people in Windsor earn the most in the field.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for automotive engineers. California is the best state for automotive engineers, where the median salary is $114,965.California is the best state, and Windsor is the city with the highest pay for automotive engineers.
10 best states for automotive engineers in 2025
1. California
Total automotive engineer jobs: 6,350 Average annual salary: $114,965 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $166,000 Location Quotient: 1.542. Arizona
Total automotive engineer jobs: 843 Average annual salary: $94,227 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 1.023. Washington
Total automotive engineer jobs: 1,483 Average annual salary: $90,195 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 1.444. New York
Total automotive engineer jobs: 2,117 Average annual salary: $92,604 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Location Quotient: 1.175. District of Columbia
Total automotive engineer jobs: 447 Average annual salary: $92,631 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000 Location Quotient: 1.896. Nevada
Total automotive engineer jobs: 213 Average annual salary: $94,003 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000 Location Quotient: 0.727. Oregon
Total automotive engineer jobs: 829 Average annual salary: $83,270 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000 Location Quotient: 1.428. Texas
Total automotive engineer jobs: 2,836 Average annual salary: $82,515 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000 Location Quotient: 0.999. Maryland
Total automotive engineer jobs: 1,151 Average annual salary: $86,345 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000 Location Quotient: 1.2910. Michigan
Total automotive engineer jobs: 1,033 Average annual salary: $81,674 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $115,000 Location Quotient: 0.94
Automotive engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an automotive engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an automotive engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $114,965 | $79,000 | 39,536,653 | 6,350 |
| 2 | Arizona | $94,227 | $65,000 | 7,016,270 | 843 |
| 3 | Washington | $90,195 | $63,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,483 |
| 4 | New York | $92,604 | $64,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,117 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $92,631 | $64,000 | 693,972 | 447 |
| 6 | Nevada | $94,003 | $64,000 | 2,998,039 | 213 |
| 7 | Oregon | $83,270 | $58,000 | 4,142,776 | 829 |
| 8 | Texas | $82,515 | $56,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,836 |
| 9 | Maryland | $86,345 | $60,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,151 |
| 10 | Michigan | $81,674 | $57,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,033 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $84,112 | $58,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,367 |
| 12 | New Jersey | $85,271 | $59,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,076 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $82,637 | $59,000 | 5,795,483 | 638 |
| 14 | Indiana | $82,200 | $58,000 | 6,666,818 | 751 |
| 15 | Georgia | $80,747 | $55,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,359 |
| 16 | New Mexico | $85,069 | $59,000 | 2,088,070 | 180 |
| 17 | Florida | $78,751 | $52,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,064 |
| 18 | Virginia | $78,093 | $54,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,901 |
| 19 | Alaska | $85,169 | $63,000 | 739,795 | 82 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $77,093 | $53,000 | 1,059,639 | 159 |
| 21 | Colorado | $76,988 | $54,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,047 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $79,224 | $53,000 | 4,684,333 | 324 |
| 23 | Ohio | $76,270 | $53,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,094 |
| 24 | Illinois | $76,825 | $54,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,526 |
| 25 | West Virginia | $77,908 | $54,000 | 1,815,857 | 116 |
| 26 | Connecticut | $75,475 | $52,000 | 3,588,184 | 476 |
| 27 | Delaware | $74,391 | $51,000 | 961,939 | 202 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $73,304 | $50,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,349 |
| 29 | Alabama | $72,289 | $49,000 | 4,874,747 | 536 |
| 30 | Idaho | $74,978 | $52,000 | 1,716,943 | 172 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $73,680 | $51,000 | 6,715,984 | 513 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $72,757 | $50,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,209 |
| 33 | Kentucky | $72,828 | $51,000 | 4,454,189 | 346 |
| 34 | Utah | $70,993 | $49,000 | 3,101,833 | 409 |
| 35 | New Hampshire | $71,519 | $49,000 | 1,342,795 | 227 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $67,021 | $47,000 | 579,315 | 72 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $71,533 | $50,000 | 3,930,864 | 227 |
| 38 | North Dakota | $67,486 | $49,000 | 755,393 | 97 |
| 39 | Maine | $70,627 | $49,000 | 1,335,907 | 109 |
| 40 | Kansas | $68,526 | $48,000 | 2,913,123 | 254 |
| 41 | Vermont | $65,079 | $45,000 | 623,657 | 100 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $66,795 | $47,000 | 1,920,076 | 237 |
| 43 | Minnesota | $65,844 | $47,000 | 5,576,606 | 768 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $68,224 | $46,000 | 5,024,369 | 447 |
| 45 | Iowa | $65,038 | $46,000 | 3,145,711 | 394 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $63,461 | $47,000 | 1,427,538 | 107 |
| 47 | Missouri | $66,013 | $46,000 | 6,113,532 | 472 |
| 48 | Montana | $62,139 | $44,000 | 1,050,493 | 119 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $63,757 | $43,000 | 2,984,100 | 177 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $62,556 | $45,000 | 869,666 | 63 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $57,178 | $40,000 | 3,004,279 | 217 |
Highest paying states for automotive engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Automotive Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $114,965 |
| 2 | Arizona | $94,227 |
| 3 | Washington | $90,195 |
| 4 | New York | $92,604 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $92,631 |
| 6 | Nevada | $94,003 |
| 7 | Oregon | $83,270 |
| 8 | Texas | $82,515 |
| 9 | Maryland | $86,345 |
| 10 | Michigan | $81,674 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $84,112 |
| 12 | New Jersey | $85,271 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $82,637 |
| 14 | Indiana | $82,200 |
| 15 | Georgia | $80,747 |
| 16 | New Mexico | $85,069 |
| 17 | Florida | $78,751 |
| 18 | Virginia | $78,093 |
| 19 | Alaska | $85,169 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $77,093 |
| 21 | Colorado | $76,988 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $79,224 |
| 23 | Ohio | $76,270 |
| 24 | Illinois | $76,825 |
| 25 | West Virginia | $77,908 |
| 26 | Connecticut | $75,475 |
| 27 | Delaware | $74,391 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $73,304 |
| 29 | Alabama | $72,289 |
| 30 | Idaho | $74,978 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $73,680 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $72,757 |
| 33 | Kentucky | $72,828 |
| 34 | Utah | $70,993 |
| 35 | New Hampshire | $71,519 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $67,021 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $71,533 |
| 38 | North Dakota | $67,486 |
| 39 | Maine | $70,627 |
| 40 | Kansas | $68,526 |
| 41 | Vermont | $65,079 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $66,795 |
| 43 | Minnesota | $65,844 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $68,224 |
| 45 | Iowa | $65,038 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $63,461 |
| 47 | Missouri | $66,013 |
| 48 | Montana | $62,139 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $63,757 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $62,556 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $57,178 |
Expert opinions on the best states for automotive engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for automotive engineers to find work opportunities?
Craig Carignan
Associate Research Scientist, University of Maryland
My bet would be in remote sensing, automated delivery systems (e.g., quadcopters), and robotics. These fields were all doing well before the pandemic, and the current situation has just increased demand for these services. The telecommunications satellite industry is probably also going to be a strong area due to the heightened need for satellite TV and other communications services. I also think the automotive industry will be great for aerospace engineers because of their skills in vehicle design and development of autonomous technology.
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Updated January 8, 2025