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Best states for a design release engineer
Quoted expert
Jared Wilson
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
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- 41 - 51
It seems like design release engineers are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for design release engineers aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. Our research found that California is the best state for design release engineers, while California and Washington are ranked highest in terms of median salary. California has a median salary of $132,437 and California has the highest median salary among all 50 states for design release engineers.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for design release engineers. California is the best state for design release engineers, where the median salary is $132,437.We found that California is the best state for design release engineer jobs, whereas Arkansas is the worst.
10 best states for design release engineers in 2026
1. California
Total design release engineer jobs: 9,072 Average annual salary: $132,437 Lowest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $184,000 Location Quotient: 1.93
2. Washington
Total design release engineer jobs: 1,855 Average annual salary: $111,674 Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 1.58
3. Oregon
Total design release engineer jobs: 1,119 Average annual salary: $102,792 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000 Location Quotient: 1.68
4. Idaho
Total design release engineer jobs: 226 Average annual salary: $101,444 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000 Location Quotient: 0.86
5. Arizona
Total design release engineer jobs: 1,114 Average annual salary: $97,308 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Location Quotient: 1.19
6. Delaware
Total design release engineer jobs: 222 Average annual salary: $97,665 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 1.1
7. Rhode Island
Total design release engineer jobs: 187 Average annual salary: $97,833 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
8. Maryland
Total design release engineer jobs: 1,119 Average annual salary: $100,963 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $134,000 Location Quotient: 1.1
9. Alaska
Total design release engineer jobs: 109 Average annual salary: $101,042 Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 0.81
10. New Mexico
Total design release engineer jobs: 250 Average annual salary: $96,533 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $131,000 Location Quotient: 0.79
Design release engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a design release engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a design release engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $132,437 | $94,000 | 39,536,653 | 9,072 |
| 2 | Washington | $111,674 | $81,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,855 |
| 3 | Oregon | $102,792 | $75,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,119 |
| 4 | Idaho | $101,444 | $73,000 | 1,716,943 | 226 |
| 5 | Arizona | $97,308 | $70,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,114 |
| 6 | Delaware | $97,665 | $73,000 | 961,939 | 222 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $97,833 | $73,000 | 1,059,639 | 187 |
| 8 | Maryland | $100,963 | $75,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,119 |
| 9 | Alaska | $101,042 | $78,000 | 739,795 | 109 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $96,533 | $70,000 | 2,088,070 | 250 |
| 11 | Maine | $97,157 | $73,000 | 1,335,907 | 131 |
| 12 | Texas | $91,381 | $67,000 | 28,304,596 | 3,281 |
| 13 | Iowa | $93,253 | $70,000 | 3,145,711 | 421 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $92,406 | $69,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,841 |
| 15 | District of Columbia | $95,150 | $71,000 | 693,972 | 444 |
| 16 | New York | $93,953 | $70,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,073 |
| 17 | Nevada | $94,171 | $67,000 | 2,998,039 | 238 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $91,441 | $68,000 | 1,342,795 | 250 |
| 19 | Utah | $88,744 | $64,000 | 3,101,833 | 555 |
| 20 | Colorado | $90,128 | $65,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,184 |
| 21 | Indiana | $92,002 | $69,000 | 6,666,818 | 726 |
| 22 | New Jersey | $94,778 | $70,000 | 9,005,644 | 966 |
| 23 | Michigan | $85,462 | $65,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,289 |
| 24 | Wyoming | $85,660 | $62,000 | 579,315 | 100 |
| 25 | Alabama | $87,916 | $65,000 | 4,874,747 | 548 |
| 26 | Connecticut | $88,720 | $66,000 | 3,588,184 | 507 |
| 27 | Montana | $85,908 | $62,000 | 1,050,493 | 158 |
| 28 | Virginia | $85,367 | $64,000 | 8,470,020 | 2,076 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $88,495 | $66,000 | 1,815,857 | 107 |
| 30 | Vermont | $84,912 | $64,000 | 623,657 | 121 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $89,958 | $66,000 | 4,684,333 | 215 |
| 32 | Pennsylvania | $81,900 | $61,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,408 |
| 33 | Illinois | $80,315 | $61,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,520 |
| 34 | Ohio | $77,743 | $58,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,168 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $81,770 | $61,000 | 5,024,369 | 422 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $79,601 | $60,000 | 5,795,483 | 631 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $80,538 | $60,000 | 3,930,864 | 228 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $79,830 | $63,000 | 1,427,538 | 109 |
| 39 | South Dakota | $77,456 | $58,000 | 869,666 | 88 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $77,682 | $58,000 | 6,715,984 | 426 |
| 41 | North Dakota | $75,753 | $57,000 | 755,393 | 117 |
| 42 | Minnesota | $74,215 | $56,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,030 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $73,531 | $55,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,329 |
| 44 | Missouri | $78,037 | $58,000 | 6,113,532 | 566 |
| 45 | Georgia | $74,567 | $56,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,245 |
| 46 | Florida | $73,834 | $53,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,839 |
| 47 | Kentucky | $74,490 | $56,000 | 4,454,189 | 273 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $74,298 | $55,000 | 2,984,100 | 133 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $70,351 | $52,000 | 1,920,076 | 248 |
| 50 | Kansas | $68,216 | $51,000 | 2,913,123 | 328 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $64,521 | $48,000 | 3,004,279 | 205 |
Highest paying states for design release engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Design Release Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $132,437 |
| 2 | Washington | $111,674 |
| 3 | Oregon | $102,792 |
| 4 | Idaho | $101,444 |
| 5 | Arizona | $97,308 |
| 6 | Delaware | $97,665 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $97,833 |
| 8 | Maryland | $100,963 |
| 9 | Alaska | $101,042 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $96,533 |
| 11 | Maine | $97,157 |
| 12 | Texas | $91,381 |
| 13 | Iowa | $93,253 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $92,406 |
| 15 | District of Columbia | $95,150 |
| 16 | New York | $93,953 |
| 17 | Nevada | $94,171 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $91,441 |
| 19 | Utah | $88,744 |
| 20 | Colorado | $90,128 |
| 21 | Indiana | $92,002 |
| 22 | New Jersey | $94,778 |
| 23 | Michigan | $85,462 |
| 24 | Wyoming | $85,660 |
| 25 | Alabama | $87,916 |
| 26 | Connecticut | $88,720 |
| 27 | Montana | $85,908 |
| 28 | Virginia | $85,367 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $88,495 |
| 30 | Vermont | $84,912 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $89,958 |
| 32 | Pennsylvania | $81,900 |
| 33 | Illinois | $80,315 |
| 34 | Ohio | $77,743 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $81,770 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $79,601 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $80,538 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $79,830 |
| 39 | South Dakota | $77,456 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $77,682 |
| 41 | North Dakota | $75,753 |
| 42 | Minnesota | $74,215 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $73,531 |
| 44 | Missouri | $78,037 |
| 45 | Georgia | $74,567 |
| 46 | Florida | $73,834 |
| 47 | Kentucky | $74,490 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $74,298 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $70,351 |
| 50 | Kansas | $68,216 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $64,521 |
Expert opinions on the best states for design release engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for design release 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.
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Updated January 8, 2025