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Best states for a chief design engineer
Quoted expert
Jared Wilson
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for chief design engineers? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for chief design engineer jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.In order to help you decide which state is the best for chief design engineers, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for chief design engineer jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for chief design engineers. Washington is the best state for chief design engineers, where the median salary is $113,106.We found that Washington is the best state for chief design engineer jobs, whereas Arkansas is the worst.
10 best states for chief design engineers in 2026
1. Washington
Total chief design engineer jobs: 1,783 Average annual salary: $113,106 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $159,000 Location Quotient: 1.54
2. California
Total chief design engineer jobs: 8,662 Average annual salary: $111,802 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $167,000 Location Quotient: 1.87
3. Oregon
Total chief design engineer jobs: 1,140 Average annual salary: $105,289 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000 Location Quotient: 1.73
4. Nevada
Total chief design engineer jobs: 261 Average annual salary: $114,636 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $172,000 Location Quotient: 0.79
5. New York
Total chief design engineer jobs: 2,299 Average annual salary: $100,928 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000 Location Quotient: 1.13
6. Arizona
Total chief design engineer jobs: 1,090 Average annual salary: $93,688 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $141,000 Location Quotient: 1.17
7. District of Columbia
Total chief design engineer jobs: 526 Average annual salary: $103,146 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $151,000 Location Quotient: 1.97
8. New Mexico
Total chief design engineer jobs: 219 Average annual salary: $100,747 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000 Location Quotient: 0.7
9. Illinois
Total chief design engineer jobs: 1,530 Average annual salary: $95,275 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000 Location Quotient: 0.81
10. Texas
Total chief design engineer jobs: 3,256 Average annual salary: $90,228 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000 Location Quotient: 1.01
Chief design engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a chief design engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a chief design engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $113,106 | $80,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,783 |
| 2 | California | $111,802 | $74,000 | 39,536,653 | 8,662 |
| 3 | Oregon | $105,289 | $73,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,140 |
| 4 | Nevada | $114,636 | $76,000 | 2,998,039 | 261 |
| 5 | New York | $100,928 | $70,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,299 |
| 6 | Arizona | $93,688 | $61,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,090 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $103,146 | $70,000 | 693,972 | 526 |
| 8 | New Mexico | $100,747 | $65,000 | 2,088,070 | 219 |
| 9 | Illinois | $95,275 | $65,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,530 |
| 10 | Texas | $90,228 | $55,000 | 28,304,596 | 3,256 |
| 11 | Idaho | $94,003 | $64,000 | 1,716,943 | 207 |
| 12 | Maryland | $96,039 | $65,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,121 |
| 13 | Colorado | $93,030 | $62,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,132 |
| 14 | Ohio | $94,813 | $64,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,111 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | $91,784 | $64,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,809 |
| 16 | Utah | $86,632 | $58,000 | 3,101,833 | 533 |
| 17 | Alaska | $95,782 | $80,000 | 739,795 | 116 |
| 18 | Georgia | $89,140 | $55,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,220 |
| 19 | Michigan | $82,849 | $57,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,215 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $89,029 | $59,000 | 1,815,857 | 121 |
| 21 | Virginia | $86,182 | $58,000 | 8,470,020 | 2,071 |
| 22 | Wyoming | $81,275 | $56,000 | 579,315 | 100 |
| 23 | New Jersey | $93,042 | $64,000 | 9,005,644 | 964 |
| 24 | Rhode Island | $82,909 | $58,000 | 1,059,639 | 174 |
| 25 | Delaware | $82,046 | $56,000 | 961,939 | 232 |
| 26 | Tennessee | $85,247 | $54,000 | 6,715,984 | 462 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $85,735 | $55,000 | 3,930,864 | 226 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $84,756 | $55,000 | 4,454,189 | 256 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $80,995 | $55,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,392 |
| 30 | Alabama | $79,993 | $49,000 | 4,874,747 | 556 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $79,439 | $58,000 | 755,393 | 112 |
| 32 | Connecticut | $81,637 | $56,000 | 3,588,184 | 547 |
| 33 | Kansas | $82,032 | $54,000 | 2,913,123 | 303 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $84,249 | $51,000 | 4,684,333 | 244 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $76,670 | $50,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,292 |
| 36 | Nebraska | $79,449 | $54,000 | 1,920,076 | 246 |
| 37 | Minnesota | $76,371 | $55,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,009 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | $77,127 | $54,000 | 1,342,795 | 234 |
| 39 | Indiana | $77,548 | $52,000 | 6,666,818 | 717 |
| 40 | Montana | $75,424 | $53,000 | 1,050,493 | 163 |
| 41 | Florida | $77,386 | $47,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,896 |
| 42 | Iowa | $75,840 | $52,000 | 3,145,711 | 404 |
| 43 | Missouri | $78,439 | $52,000 | 6,113,532 | 552 |
| 44 | Maine | $76,215 | $54,000 | 1,335,907 | 138 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $75,218 | $47,000 | 5,024,369 | 448 |
| 46 | Vermont | $70,494 | $50,000 | 623,657 | 120 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $74,058 | $52,000 | 869,666 | 91 |
| 48 | Wisconsin | $72,255 | $50,000 | 5,795,483 | 614 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $58,176 | $47,000 | 1,427,538 | 110 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $70,776 | $43,000 | 2,984,100 | 129 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $67,276 | $42,000 | 3,004,279 | 207 |
Highest paying states for chief design engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Chief Design Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $113,106 |
| 2 | California | $111,802 |
| 3 | Oregon | $105,289 |
| 4 | Nevada | $114,636 |
| 5 | New York | $100,928 |
| 6 | Arizona | $93,688 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $103,146 |
| 8 | New Mexico | $100,747 |
| 9 | Illinois | $95,275 |
| 10 | Texas | $90,228 |
| 11 | Idaho | $94,003 |
| 12 | Maryland | $96,039 |
| 13 | Colorado | $93,030 |
| 14 | Ohio | $94,813 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | $91,784 |
| 16 | Utah | $86,632 |
| 17 | Alaska | $95,782 |
| 18 | Georgia | $89,140 |
| 19 | Michigan | $82,849 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $89,029 |
| 21 | Virginia | $86,182 |
| 22 | Wyoming | $81,275 |
| 23 | New Jersey | $93,042 |
| 24 | Rhode Island | $82,909 |
| 25 | Delaware | $82,046 |
| 26 | Tennessee | $85,247 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $85,735 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $84,756 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $80,995 |
| 30 | Alabama | $79,993 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $79,439 |
| 32 | Connecticut | $81,637 |
| 33 | Kansas | $82,032 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $84,249 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $76,670 |
| 36 | Nebraska | $79,449 |
| 37 | Minnesota | $76,371 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | $77,127 |
| 39 | Indiana | $77,548 |
| 40 | Montana | $75,424 |
| 41 | Florida | $77,386 |
| 42 | Iowa | $75,840 |
| 43 | Missouri | $78,439 |
| 44 | Maine | $76,215 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $75,218 |
| 46 | Vermont | $70,494 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $74,058 |
| 48 | Wisconsin | $72,255 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $58,176 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $70,776 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $67,276 |
Expert opinions on the best states for chief design engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for chief design engineers to find work opportunities?
Jared Wilson
Assistant Professor and Faculty Coordinator, East Tennessee State University
Within the field of land surveying and related employment opportunities, work is available. However, in my experience, work may not be in the exact location a person wishes to live. So, a move may be necessary, or potentially traveling to where the work is located. Should a graduate, or person for that matter, want to work, work is available.
Chief design engineer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025