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Best states for a data engineer
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Paul Feit
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Do you want to become a data engineer at Amazon, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for data engineers that you can check out, before you begin your journey. Our research shows that California is the best state in the country for data engineers.
The median salary for data engineers in California is $122,671. Compare that to the median salary in Kansas of $79,762, which ranked worst for data engineers, and you can see how your location is important for your career.We found that the Midwest is best for data engineers, and the Northeast is the worst. San Francisco, CA is the best city in the country for data engineer jobs, where as California is the best state in the country.
10 best states for data engineers in 2025
1. California
Total data engineer jobs: 13,637 Average annual salary: $122,671 Lowest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $170,000 Location Quotient: 1.42
2. Washington
Total data engineer jobs: 5,265 Average annual salary: $109,774 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000 Location Quotient: 2.19
3. Oregon
Total data engineer jobs: 1,841 Average annual salary: $100,261 Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000 Location Quotient: 1.35
4. Rhode Island
Total data engineer jobs: 477 Average annual salary: $98,249 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 1.19
5. New York
Total data engineer jobs: 5,098 Average annual salary: $105,791 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $141,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
6. Massachusetts
Total data engineer jobs: 3,974 Average annual salary: $99,706 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000 Location Quotient: 1.32
7. New Hampshire
Total data engineer jobs: 553 Average annual salary: $98,765 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
8. Nevada
Total data engineer jobs: 554 Average annual salary: $97,762 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 0.81
9. Connecticut
Total data engineer jobs: 1,101 Average annual salary: $98,578 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $131,000 Location Quotient: 1.01
10. Montana
Total data engineer jobs: 378 Average annual salary: $93,730 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000 Location Quotient: 1
Data engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a data engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a data engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $122,671 | $88,000 | 39,536,653 | 13,637 |
| 2 | Washington | $109,774 | $80,000 | 7,405,743 | 5,265 |
| 3 | Oregon | $100,261 | $72,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,841 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $98,249 | $74,000 | 1,059,639 | 477 |
| 5 | New York | $105,791 | $79,000 | 19,849,399 | 5,098 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $99,706 | $75,000 | 6,859,819 | 3,974 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $98,765 | $74,000 | 1,342,795 | 553 |
| 8 | Nevada | $97,762 | $70,000 | 2,998,039 | 554 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $98,578 | $73,000 | 3,588,184 | 1,101 |
| 10 | Montana | $93,730 | $70,000 | 1,050,493 | 378 |
| 11 | Arizona | $94,626 | $69,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,839 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $94,827 | $70,000 | 12,805,537 | 3,052 |
| 13 | North Carolina | $90,638 | $68,000 | 10,273,419 | 3,103 |
| 14 | Delaware | $93,187 | $69,000 | 961,939 | 484 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $96,169 | $72,000 | 9,005,644 | 2,745 |
| 16 | Texas | $90,441 | $67,000 | 28,304,596 | 6,939 |
| 17 | Maryland | $95,070 | $71,000 | 6,052,177 | 2,832 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $93,681 | $70,000 | 693,972 | 943 |
| 19 | Virginia | $91,870 | $68,000 | 8,470,020 | 4,082 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $90,518 | $68,000 | 1,815,857 | 309 |
| 21 | Idaho | $89,175 | $65,000 | 1,716,943 | 490 |
| 22 | Maine | $89,316 | $68,000 | 1,335,907 | 344 |
| 23 | Ohio | $89,735 | $67,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,323 |
| 24 | Alaska | $90,912 | $70,000 | 739,795 | 241 |
| 25 | New Mexico | $89,770 | $66,000 | 2,088,070 | 478 |
| 26 | Michigan | $87,670 | $66,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,923 |
| 27 | Utah | $84,148 | $62,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,413 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $88,188 | $67,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,124 |
| 29 | Georgia | $86,944 | $65,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,853 |
| 30 | Vermont | $86,072 | $65,000 | 623,657 | 276 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $83,995 | $65,000 | 755,393 | 253 |
| 32 | Minnesota | $86,507 | $66,000 | 5,576,606 | 2,030 |
| 33 | Illinois | $86,877 | $66,000 | 12,802,023 | 3,727 |
| 34 | Colorado | $84,459 | $63,000 | 5,607,154 | 2,201 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $86,974 | $65,000 | 5,024,369 | 694 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $82,556 | $62,000 | 3,004,279 | 660 |
| 37 | South Dakota | $82,480 | $63,000 | 869,666 | 273 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $82,798 | $63,000 | 1,920,076 | 605 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $82,077 | $62,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,037 |
| 40 | Iowa | $81,786 | $62,000 | 3,145,711 | 882 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $82,219 | $62,000 | 4,454,189 | 707 |
| 42 | Missouri | $83,893 | $63,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,419 |
| 43 | Wyoming | $80,613 | $61,000 | 579,315 | 184 |
| 44 | Florida | $84,297 | $62,000 | 20,984,400 | 3,654 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $80,240 | $62,000 | 1,427,538 | 269 |
| 46 | Indiana | $80,495 | $61,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,618 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $82,544 | $61,000 | 4,684,333 | 557 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $81,576 | $61,000 | 2,984,100 | 310 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $81,181 | $61,000 | 3,930,864 | 475 |
| 50 | Alabama | $79,954 | $60,000 | 4,874,747 | 992 |
| 51 | Kansas | $79,762 | $60,000 | 2,913,123 | 731 |
Highest paying states for data engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Data Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $122,671 |
| 2 | Washington | $109,774 |
| 3 | Oregon | $100,261 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $98,249 |
| 5 | New York | $105,791 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $99,706 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $98,765 |
| 8 | Nevada | $97,762 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $98,578 |
| 10 | Montana | $93,730 |
| 11 | Arizona | $94,626 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $94,827 |
| 13 | North Carolina | $90,638 |
| 14 | Delaware | $93,187 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $96,169 |
| 16 | Texas | $90,441 |
| 17 | Maryland | $95,070 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $93,681 |
| 19 | Virginia | $91,870 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $90,518 |
| 21 | Idaho | $89,175 |
| 22 | Maine | $89,316 |
| 23 | Ohio | $89,735 |
| 24 | Alaska | $90,912 |
| 25 | New Mexico | $89,770 |
| 26 | Michigan | $87,670 |
| 27 | Utah | $84,148 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $88,188 |
| 29 | Georgia | $86,944 |
| 30 | Vermont | $86,072 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $83,995 |
| 32 | Minnesota | $86,507 |
| 33 | Illinois | $86,877 |
| 34 | Colorado | $84,459 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $86,974 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $82,556 |
| 37 | South Dakota | $82,480 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $82,798 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $82,077 |
| 40 | Iowa | $81,786 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $82,219 |
| 42 | Missouri | $83,893 |
| 43 | Wyoming | $80,613 |
| 44 | Florida | $84,297 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $80,240 |
| 46 | Indiana | $80,495 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $82,544 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $81,576 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $81,181 |
| 50 | Alabama | $79,954 |
| 51 | Kansas | $79,762 |
Expert opinions on the best states for data engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for data engineers to find work opportunities?
Paul Feit
Professor and Chair, University of Texas of the Permian Basin
A bachelor's or minor in Mathematics is sort-of a 'vanilla' degree. It is a boost in many careers; it tells potential employers that the graduate is ready for the quantitative needs in any position. Just about every position has some quantitative need. A minor in Mathematics alerts employers that the candidate brings computational finesse to whatever his/her major.
Jobs for higher degrees are in academic institutions and companies big enough to need analysis of their proprietary data. Computer companies appreciate mathematical credentials, but may expect these to be in addition to a computer science background.
Data engineer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025