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Best states for a chief systems engineer
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
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- 41 - 51
It seems like chief systems engineers are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for chief systems engineers aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. As chief systems engineers are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for chief systems engineers. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a chief systems engineer, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
District of Columbia is the best state for jobs for chief systems engineers, and Kentucky is the worst. The most common pay in District of Columbia is $158,145, while the median pay in Kentucky is $88,714.We found that District of Columbia is the best state for chief systems engineer jobs, whereas Kentucky is the worst.
10 best states for chief systems engineers in 2025
1. District of Columbia
Total chief systems engineer jobs: 655 Average annual salary: $158,145 Lowest 10 percent earn: $111,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $223,000 Location Quotient: 2.542. Virginia
Total chief systems engineer jobs: 2,777 Average annual salary: $133,953 Lowest 10 percent earn: $93,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $192,000 Location Quotient: 1.923. Rhode Island
Total chief systems engineer jobs: 179 Average annual salary: $152,976 Lowest 10 percent earn: $107,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $216,000 Location Quotient: 0.964. California
Total chief systems engineer jobs: 6,068 Average annual salary: $146,308 Lowest 10 percent earn: $102,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $209,000 Location Quotient: 1.355. Texas
Total chief systems engineer jobs: 3,296 Average annual salary: $127,625 Lowest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $185,000 Location Quotient: 1.066. Arizona
Total chief systems engineer jobs: 1,223 Average annual salary: $124,647 Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $180,000 Location Quotient: 1.367. Washington
Total chief systems engineer jobs: 1,580 Average annual salary: $125,764 Lowest 10 percent earn: $86,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $183,000 Location Quotient: 1.418. Nevada
Total chief systems engineer jobs: 262 Average annual salary: $133,492 Lowest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $192,000 Location Quotient: 0.829. Alabama
Total chief systems engineer jobs: 640 Average annual salary: $125,924 Lowest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $181,000 Location Quotient: 0.9510. Massachusetts
Total chief systems engineer jobs: 1,828 Average annual salary: $123,917 Lowest 10 percent earn: $86,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $178,000 Location Quotient: 1.3
Chief systems engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a chief systems engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a chief systems engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $158,145 | $111,000 | 693,972 | 655 |
| 2 | Virginia | $133,953 | $93,000 | 8,470,020 | 2,777 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $152,976 | $107,000 | 1,059,639 | 179 |
| 4 | California | $146,308 | $102,000 | 39,536,653 | 6,068 |
| 5 | Texas | $127,625 | $88,000 | 28,304,596 | 3,296 |
| 6 | Arizona | $124,647 | $85,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,223 |
| 7 | Washington | $125,764 | $86,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,580 |
| 8 | Nevada | $133,492 | $92,000 | 2,998,039 | 262 |
| 9 | Alabama | $125,924 | $87,000 | 4,874,747 | 640 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $123,917 | $86,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,828 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $124,755 | $86,000 | 3,588,184 | 554 |
| 12 | New Mexico | $120,628 | $82,000 | 2,088,070 | 328 |
| 13 | Delaware | $120,535 | $83,000 | 961,939 | 222 |
| 14 | Maryland | $123,975 | $85,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,632 |
| 15 | Michigan | $116,371 | $79,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,131 |
| 16 | Maine | $119,431 | $83,000 | 1,335,907 | 157 |
| 17 | Colorado | $115,779 | $79,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,421 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $116,674 | $81,000 | 1,342,795 | 239 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $125,041 | $86,000 | 9,005,644 | 920 |
| 20 | North Carolina | $115,841 | $80,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,228 |
| 21 | Alaska | $113,917 | $83,000 | 739,795 | 142 |
| 22 | Oklahoma | $117,134 | $80,000 | 3,930,864 | 276 |
| 23 | Utah | $106,498 | $72,000 | 3,101,833 | 508 |
| 24 | Pennsylvania | $108,367 | $74,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,303 |
| 25 | Wyoming | $101,461 | $69,000 | 579,315 | 111 |
| 26 | Tennessee | $109,179 | $75,000 | 6,715,984 | 532 |
| 27 | Georgia | $108,126 | $75,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,215 |
| 28 | Minnesota | $108,086 | $74,000 | 5,576,606 | 803 |
| 29 | Oregon | $104,108 | $71,000 | 4,142,776 | 727 |
| 30 | Mississippi | $107,346 | $73,000 | 2,984,100 | 203 |
| 31 | Vermont | $100,874 | $69,000 | 623,657 | 132 |
| 32 | Louisiana | $108,478 | $74,000 | 4,684,333 | 257 |
| 33 | Arkansas | $104,763 | $72,000 | 3,004,279 | 252 |
| 34 | Florida | $99,724 | $69,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,449 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $98,334 | $68,000 | 755,393 | 124 |
| 36 | Kansas | $101,465 | $69,000 | 2,913,123 | 304 |
| 37 | Idaho | $100,190 | $68,000 | 1,716,943 | 196 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $101,173 | $70,000 | 5,024,369 | 493 |
| 39 | Missouri | $102,282 | $70,000 | 6,113,532 | 581 |
| 40 | New York | $99,119 | $68,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,812 |
| 41 | Ohio | $97,619 | $66,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,047 |
| 42 | Illinois | $99,138 | $67,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,384 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $91,838 | $63,000 | 1,920,076 | 275 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $99,719 | $75,000 | 1,427,538 | 79 |
| 45 | West Virginia | $87,959 | $60,000 | 1,815,857 | 168 |
| 46 | Indiana | $94,882 | $64,000 | 6,666,818 | 586 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $79,397 | $54,000 | 869,666 | 127 |
| 48 | Iowa | $82,959 | $56,000 | 3,145,711 | 376 |
| 49 | Montana | $76,315 | $52,000 | 1,050,493 | 136 |
| 50 | Wisconsin | $78,988 | $54,000 | 5,795,483 | 598 |
| 51 | Kentucky | $88,714 | $60,000 | 4,454,189 | 270 |
Highest paying states for chief systems engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Chief Systems Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $158,145 |
| 2 | Virginia | $133,953 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $152,976 |
| 4 | California | $146,308 |
| 5 | Texas | $127,625 |
| 6 | Arizona | $124,647 |
| 7 | Washington | $125,764 |
| 8 | Nevada | $133,492 |
| 9 | Alabama | $125,924 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $123,917 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $124,755 |
| 12 | New Mexico | $120,628 |
| 13 | Delaware | $120,535 |
| 14 | Maryland | $123,975 |
| 15 | Michigan | $116,371 |
| 16 | Maine | $119,431 |
| 17 | Colorado | $115,779 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $116,674 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $125,041 |
| 20 | North Carolina | $115,841 |
| 21 | Alaska | $113,917 |
| 22 | Oklahoma | $117,134 |
| 23 | Utah | $106,498 |
| 24 | Pennsylvania | $108,367 |
| 25 | Wyoming | $101,461 |
| 26 | Tennessee | $109,179 |
| 27 | Georgia | $108,126 |
| 28 | Minnesota | $108,086 |
| 29 | Oregon | $104,108 |
| 30 | Mississippi | $107,346 |
| 31 | Vermont | $100,874 |
| 32 | Louisiana | $108,478 |
| 33 | Arkansas | $104,763 |
| 34 | Florida | $99,724 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $98,334 |
| 36 | Kansas | $101,465 |
| 37 | Idaho | $100,190 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $101,173 |
| 39 | Missouri | $102,282 |
| 40 | New York | $99,119 |
| 41 | Ohio | $97,619 |
| 42 | Illinois | $99,138 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $91,838 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $99,719 |
| 45 | West Virginia | $87,959 |
| 46 | Indiana | $94,882 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $79,397 |
| 48 | Iowa | $82,959 |
| 49 | Montana | $76,315 |
| 50 | Wisconsin | $78,988 |
| 51 | Kentucky | $88,714 |
Chief systems engineer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025