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Best states for a construction engineer
Quoted expert
Adeeba Raheem Ph.D.
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Construction engineer opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for construction engineers, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for construction engineers.In order to help you decide which state is the best for construction engineers, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for construction 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 construction engineers. Oregon is the best state for construction engineers, where the median salary is $82,228.Oregon is the best state, and Southampton is the city with the highest pay for construction engineers.
10 best states for construction engineers in 2026
1. Oregon
Total construction engineer jobs: 511 Average annual salary: $82,228 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $112,000 Location Quotient: 1.49
2. Washington
Total construction engineer jobs: 816 Average annual salary: $83,599 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $114,000 Location Quotient: 1.35
3. Alaska
Total construction engineer jobs: 99 Average annual salary: $82,868 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $103,000 Location Quotient: 1.43
4. California
Total construction engineer jobs: 3,045 Average annual salary: $86,524 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000 Location Quotient: 1.26
5. Maine
Total construction engineer jobs: 119 Average annual salary: $77,521 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $103,000 Location Quotient: 1.09
6. Delaware
Total construction engineer jobs: 130 Average annual salary: $78,201 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $107,000 Location Quotient: 1.25
7. Tennessee
Total construction engineer jobs: 403 Average annual salary: $80,616 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $108,000 Location Quotient: 0.83
8. New York
Total construction engineer jobs: 881 Average annual salary: $86,600 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000 Location Quotient: 0.83
9. Kentucky
Total construction engineer jobs: 203 Average annual salary: $82,082 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $110,000 Location Quotient: 0.67
10. Virginia
Total construction engineer jobs: 1,224 Average annual salary: $76,928 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Location Quotient: 1.57
Construction engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a construction engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a construction engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $82,228 | $60,000 | 4,142,776 | 511 |
| 2 | Washington | $83,599 | $60,000 | 7,405,743 | 816 |
| 3 | Alaska | $82,868 | $66,000 | 739,795 | 99 |
| 4 | California | $86,524 | $63,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,045 |
| 5 | Maine | $77,521 | $58,000 | 1,335,907 | 119 |
| 6 | Delaware | $78,201 | $56,000 | 961,939 | 130 |
| 7 | Tennessee | $80,616 | $59,000 | 6,715,984 | 403 |
| 8 | New York | $86,600 | $63,000 | 19,849,399 | 881 |
| 9 | Kentucky | $82,082 | $61,000 | 4,454,189 | 203 |
| 10 | Virginia | $76,928 | $55,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,224 |
| 11 | Louisiana | $78,164 | $55,000 | 4,684,333 | 209 |
| 12 | Oklahoma | $79,496 | $58,000 | 3,930,864 | 175 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $76,789 | $55,000 | 12,805,537 | 798 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $77,512 | $56,000 | 693,972 | 249 |
| 15 | North Carolina | $74,372 | $54,000 | 10,273,419 | 816 |
| 16 | Vermont | $74,029 | $55,000 | 623,657 | 70 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $77,596 | $56,000 | 3,588,184 | 244 |
| 18 | North Dakota | $69,561 | $52,000 | 755,393 | 112 |
| 19 | Alabama | $72,190 | $52,000 | 4,874,747 | 340 |
| 20 | Mississippi | $74,442 | $54,000 | 2,984,100 | 126 |
| 21 | Idaho | $70,550 | $51,000 | 1,716,943 | 154 |
| 22 | New Jersey | $78,986 | $57,000 | 9,005,644 | 444 |
| 23 | Iowa | $69,985 | $52,000 | 3,145,711 | 316 |
| 24 | Massachusetts | $76,130 | $55,000 | 6,859,819 | 585 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $72,646 | $54,000 | 5,576,606 | 427 |
| 26 | Nevada | $69,542 | $50,000 | 2,998,039 | 184 |
| 27 | Colorado | $70,788 | $52,000 | 5,607,154 | 691 |
| 28 | Missouri | $72,862 | $54,000 | 6,113,532 | 310 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $69,944 | $51,000 | 1,815,857 | 95 |
| 30 | Florida | $71,503 | $50,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,240 |
| 31 | Rhode Island | $73,188 | $53,000 | 1,059,639 | 62 |
| 32 | Maryland | $70,942 | $51,000 | 6,052,177 | 648 |
| 33 | Ohio | $70,113 | $51,000 | 11,658,609 | 661 |
| 34 | New Hampshire | $70,227 | $51,000 | 1,342,795 | 124 |
| 35 | Hawaii | $63,185 | $54,000 | 1,427,538 | 117 |
| 36 | Illinois | $71,271 | $53,000 | 12,802,023 | 813 |
| 37 | Michigan | $66,634 | $49,000 | 9,962,311 | 603 |
| 38 | Texas | $68,130 | $49,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,692 |
| 39 | Utah | $66,029 | $47,000 | 3,101,833 | 296 |
| 40 | Arizona | $65,257 | $48,000 | 7,016,270 | 557 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $64,618 | $48,000 | 1,920,076 | 214 |
| 42 | Indiana | $65,541 | $48,000 | 6,666,818 | 483 |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $66,874 | $49,000 | 5,795,483 | 373 |
| 44 | Montana | $60,060 | $43,000 | 1,050,493 | 168 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $66,886 | $48,000 | 2,088,070 | 132 |
| 46 | Wyoming | $57,182 | $41,000 | 579,315 | 76 |
| 47 | Georgia | $65,071 | $47,000 | 10,429,379 | 829 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $64,532 | $47,000 | 5,024,369 | 343 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $64,972 | $48,000 | 3,004,279 | 138 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $60,512 | $44,000 | 869,666 | 90 |
| 51 | Kansas | $64,170 | $47,000 | 2,913,123 | 181 |
Highest paying states for construction engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Construction Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $82,228 |
| 2 | Washington | $83,599 |
| 3 | Alaska | $82,868 |
| 4 | California | $86,524 |
| 5 | Maine | $77,521 |
| 6 | Delaware | $78,201 |
| 7 | Tennessee | $80,616 |
| 8 | New York | $86,600 |
| 9 | Kentucky | $82,082 |
| 10 | Virginia | $76,928 |
| 11 | Louisiana | $78,164 |
| 12 | Oklahoma | $79,496 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $76,789 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $77,512 |
| 15 | North Carolina | $74,372 |
| 16 | Vermont | $74,029 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $77,596 |
| 18 | North Dakota | $69,561 |
| 19 | Alabama | $72,190 |
| 20 | Mississippi | $74,442 |
| 21 | Idaho | $70,550 |
| 22 | New Jersey | $78,986 |
| 23 | Iowa | $69,985 |
| 24 | Massachusetts | $76,130 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $72,646 |
| 26 | Nevada | $69,542 |
| 27 | Colorado | $70,788 |
| 28 | Missouri | $72,862 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $69,944 |
| 30 | Florida | $71,503 |
| 31 | Rhode Island | $73,188 |
| 32 | Maryland | $70,942 |
| 33 | Ohio | $70,113 |
| 34 | New Hampshire | $70,227 |
| 35 | Hawaii | $63,185 |
| 36 | Illinois | $71,271 |
| 37 | Michigan | $66,634 |
| 38 | Texas | $68,130 |
| 39 | Utah | $66,029 |
| 40 | Arizona | $65,257 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $64,618 |
| 42 | Indiana | $65,541 |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $66,874 |
| 44 | Montana | $60,060 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $66,886 |
| 46 | Wyoming | $57,182 |
| 47 | Georgia | $65,071 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $64,532 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $64,972 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $60,512 |
| 51 | Kansas | $64,170 |
Expert opinions on the best states for construction engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for construction engineers to find work opportunities?
Adeeba Raheem Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, University of Texas
In my opinion, career fairs are viewed as the best platform for students to get hired for entry-level jobs. They should also access campus and community resources for employment support. It is highly suggested that students should gain work-based learning experiences during their time at their academic institute. These experiences not only help them to develop their work-readiness skills but also provide significant networking opportunities. My message would be: "Don't wait until you graduate."
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Updated January 8, 2025