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Best states for a business owner/engineer
Quoted expert
Dr. Giovanni Vincenti
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It seems like business owner/engineers are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for business owner/engineers aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. We wanted to look at the best states for business owner/engineers -- where there are plenty of business owner/engineer jobs to go around and business owner/engineers get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
We figured that the best places for business owner/engineer jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.If you are currently seeking employment as a business owner/engineer, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for business owner/engineers in 2026
1. Nevada
Total business owner/engineer jobs: 671 Average annual salary: $103,280 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 2.15
2. California
Total business owner/engineer jobs: 7,967 Average annual salary: $114,865 Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $160,000 Location Quotient: 1.83
3. Arizona
Total business owner/engineer jobs: 1,386 Average annual salary: $98,870 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000 Location Quotient: 1.59
4. Washington
Total business owner/engineer jobs: 1,262 Average annual salary: $102,243 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000 Location Quotient: 1.16
5. Tennessee
Total business owner/engineer jobs: 849 Average annual salary: $93,579 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
6. Idaho
Total business owner/engineer jobs: 116 Average annual salary: $104,106 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $141,000 Location Quotient: 0.47
7. New York
Total business owner/engineer jobs: 1,479 Average annual salary: $103,570 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $142,000 Location Quotient: 0.77
8. Indiana
Total business owner/engineer jobs: 945 Average annual salary: $90,212 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $122,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
9. Virginia
Total business owner/engineer jobs: 1,705 Average annual salary: $94,955 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
10. Texas
Total business owner/engineer jobs: 2,034 Average annual salary: $95,638 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $131,000 Location Quotient: 0.67
Business owner/engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a business owner/engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a business owner/engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $103,280 | $74,000 | 2,998,039 | 671 |
| 2 | California | $114,865 | $82,000 | 39,536,653 | 7,967 |
| 3 | Arizona | $98,870 | $71,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,386 |
| 4 | Washington | $102,243 | $74,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,262 |
| 5 | Tennessee | $93,579 | $69,000 | 6,715,984 | 849 |
| 6 | Idaho | $104,106 | $76,000 | 1,716,943 | 116 |
| 7 | New York | $103,570 | $75,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,479 |
| 8 | Indiana | $90,212 | $66,000 | 6,666,818 | 945 |
| 9 | Virginia | $94,955 | $69,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,705 |
| 10 | Texas | $95,638 | $69,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,034 |
| 11 | Delaware | $90,627 | $66,000 | 961,939 | 389 |
| 12 | District of Columbia | $96,845 | $70,000 | 693,972 | 515 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $96,679 | $70,000 | 3,588,184 | 422 |
| 14 | Oregon | $93,837 | $68,000 | 4,142,776 | 575 |
| 15 | Minnesota | $89,137 | $66,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,278 |
| 16 | Alabama | $88,200 | $65,000 | 4,874,747 | 597 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $97,482 | $71,000 | 9,005,644 | 822 |
| 18 | New Mexico | $88,779 | $64,000 | 2,088,070 | 267 |
| 19 | Ohio | $84,900 | $62,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,690 |
| 20 | Massachusetts | $93,613 | $68,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,148 |
| 21 | Georgia | $91,652 | $67,000 | 10,429,379 | 842 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $90,388 | $66,000 | 10,273,419 | 811 |
| 23 | Maryland | $90,150 | $65,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,227 |
| 24 | West Virginia | $86,845 | $63,000 | 1,815,857 | 183 |
| 25 | Oklahoma | $87,483 | $64,000 | 3,930,864 | 376 |
| 26 | Kansas | $85,358 | $63,000 | 2,913,123 | 467 |
| 27 | South Carolina | $87,128 | $64,000 | 5,024,369 | 556 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $88,844 | $64,000 | 12,805,537 | 834 |
| 29 | Utah | $88,225 | $64,000 | 3,101,833 | 314 |
| 30 | Montana | $84,437 | $63,000 | 1,050,493 | 276 |
| 31 | Illinois | $89,972 | $66,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,121 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $82,030 | $60,000 | 3,004,279 | 449 |
| 33 | Iowa | $83,841 | $62,000 | 3,145,711 | 518 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $85,262 | $62,000 | 4,684,333 | 430 |
| 35 | Rhode Island | $87,211 | $63,000 | 1,059,639 | 137 |
| 36 | Alaska | $83,525 | $66,000 | 739,795 | 161 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $84,698 | $62,000 | 2,984,100 | 218 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $80,594 | $60,000 | 1,920,076 | 407 |
| 39 | South Dakota | $79,480 | $59,000 | 869,666 | 170 |
| 40 | Missouri | $81,088 | $60,000 | 6,113,532 | 916 |
| 41 | Michigan | $79,292 | $57,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,254 |
| 42 | Florida | $83,071 | $59,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,186 |
| 43 | Colorado | $84,267 | $62,000 | 5,607,154 | 638 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $78,047 | $57,000 | 4,454,189 | 546 |
| 45 | Vermont | $82,706 | $60,000 | 623,657 | 91 |
| 46 | Wyoming | $82,665 | $61,000 | 579,315 | 41 |
| 47 | Wisconsin | $77,871 | $57,000 | 5,795,483 | 848 |
| 48 | Maine | $82,522 | $60,000 | 1,335,907 | 126 |
| 49 | New Hampshire | $79,375 | $58,000 | 1,342,795 | 181 |
| 50 | North Dakota | $79,478 | $59,000 | 755,393 | 46 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $70,073 | $54,000 | 1,427,538 | 78 |
Highest paying states for business owner/engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Business Owner/Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $103,280 |
| 2 | California | $114,865 |
| 3 | Arizona | $98,870 |
| 4 | Washington | $102,243 |
| 5 | Tennessee | $93,579 |
| 6 | Idaho | $104,106 |
| 7 | New York | $103,570 |
| 8 | Indiana | $90,212 |
| 9 | Virginia | $94,955 |
| 10 | Texas | $95,638 |
| 11 | Delaware | $90,627 |
| 12 | District of Columbia | $96,845 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $96,679 |
| 14 | Oregon | $93,837 |
| 15 | Minnesota | $89,137 |
| 16 | Alabama | $88,200 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $97,482 |
| 18 | New Mexico | $88,779 |
| 19 | Ohio | $84,900 |
| 20 | Massachusetts | $93,613 |
| 21 | Georgia | $91,652 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $90,388 |
| 23 | Maryland | $90,150 |
| 24 | West Virginia | $86,845 |
| 25 | Oklahoma | $87,483 |
| 26 | Kansas | $85,358 |
| 27 | South Carolina | $87,128 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $88,844 |
| 29 | Utah | $88,225 |
| 30 | Montana | $84,437 |
| 31 | Illinois | $89,972 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $82,030 |
| 33 | Iowa | $83,841 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $85,262 |
| 35 | Rhode Island | $87,211 |
| 36 | Alaska | $83,525 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $84,698 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $80,594 |
| 39 | South Dakota | $79,480 |
| 40 | Missouri | $81,088 |
| 41 | Michigan | $79,292 |
| 42 | Florida | $83,071 |
| 43 | Colorado | $84,267 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $78,047 |
| 45 | Vermont | $82,706 |
| 46 | Wyoming | $82,665 |
| 47 | Wisconsin | $77,871 |
| 48 | Maine | $82,522 |
| 49 | New Hampshire | $79,375 |
| 50 | North Dakota | $79,478 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $70,073 |
Expert opinions on the best states for business owner/engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for business owner/engineers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Giovanni Vincenti
Associate Professor, University of Baltimore
Cities that are typically associated with technology will probably remain hubs of innovation, especially if they have local administrations that are favorable towards entrepreneurship. However, the recent need for companies to leverage the ability to work remotely has opened up the possibilities of workers who may not otherwise be willing to relocate. This trend is probably here to stay for a while, so the ability of graduates to work with virtual collaborators will bring tech jobs to parts of the country that are not typically known for innovation. Even though there probably will not be clusters that will identify new equivalents of Silicon Valley out of nowhere, the fact that the reach of potential employees has extended beyond their geographical immediacy will create major opportunities for any location.
Business owner/engineer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025