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Best states for an engineer and geologist
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Engineer and geologist opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for engineers and geologist, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for engineers and geologist.We wanted to look at the best states for engineers and geologist -- where there are plenty of engineer and geologist jobs to go around and engineers and geologist get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
The median salary for engineers and geologist in Texas is $122,345. Compare that to the median salary in Wisconsin of $56,200, which ranked worst for engineers and geologist, and you can see how your location is important for your career.We found that Texas is the best state for engineer and geologist jobs, whereas Wisconsin is the worst.
10 best states for engineers and geologist in 2026
1. Texas
Total engineer and geologist jobs: 751 Average annual salary: $122,345 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $198,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
2. California
Total engineer and geologist jobs: 1,719 Average annual salary: $109,591 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $175,000 Location Quotient: 1.54
3. Arizona
Total engineer and geologist jobs: 223 Average annual salary: $100,397 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $163,000 Location Quotient: 1
4. Virginia
Total engineer and geologist jobs: 679 Average annual salary: $97,036 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $162,000 Location Quotient: 1.89
5. Washington
Total engineer and geologist jobs: 461 Average annual salary: $93,953 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $151,000 Location Quotient: 1.65
6. Nevada
Total engineer and geologist jobs: 81 Average annual salary: $93,034 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 1.01
7. Maine
Total engineer and geologist jobs: 74 Average annual salary: $91,070 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000 Location Quotient: 1.46
8. Alaska
Total engineer and geologist jobs: 52 Average annual salary: $97,851 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000 Location Quotient: 1.63
9. Idaho
Total engineer and geologist jobs: 56 Average annual salary: $94,066 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000 Location Quotient: 0.89
10. Oklahoma
Total engineer and geologist jobs: 86 Average annual salary: $106,489 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $179,000 Location Quotient: 0.73
Engineer and geologist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an engineer and geologist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an engineer and geologist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | $122,345 | $75,000 | 28,304,596 | 751 |
| 2 | California | $109,591 | $68,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,719 |
| 3 | Arizona | $100,397 | $61,000 | 7,016,270 | 223 |
| 4 | Virginia | $97,036 | $57,000 | 8,470,020 | 679 |
| 5 | Washington | $93,953 | $58,000 | 7,405,743 | 461 |
| 6 | Nevada | $93,034 | $56,000 | 2,998,039 | 81 |
| 7 | Maine | $91,070 | $56,000 | 1,335,907 | 74 |
| 8 | Alaska | $97,851 | $70,000 | 739,795 | 52 |
| 9 | Idaho | $94,066 | $57,000 | 1,716,943 | 56 |
| 10 | Oklahoma | $106,489 | $63,000 | 3,930,864 | 86 |
| 11 | Colorado | $89,248 | $53,000 | 5,607,154 | 279 |
| 12 | New Mexico | $91,405 | $54,000 | 2,088,070 | 54 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $84,835 | $49,000 | 1,815,857 | 53 |
| 14 | South Carolina | $89,188 | $52,000 | 5,024,369 | 121 |
| 15 | Alabama | $86,412 | $50,000 | 4,874,747 | 121 |
| 16 | Montana | $84,842 | $52,000 | 1,050,493 | 35 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $82,920 | $50,000 | 3,588,184 | 143 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $84,029 | $51,000 | 1,059,639 | 40 |
| 19 | Delaware | $81,183 | $48,000 | 961,939 | 62 |
| 20 | Massachusetts | $83,477 | $51,000 | 6,859,819 | 326 |
| 21 | Ohio | $83,390 | $49,000 | 11,658,609 | 284 |
| 22 | Hawaii | $94,696 | $67,000 | 1,427,538 | 29 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $84,463 | $50,000 | 12,805,537 | 298 |
| 24 | Louisiana | $85,943 | $50,000 | 4,684,333 | 75 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $82,978 | $48,000 | 6,715,984 | 126 |
| 26 | Wyoming | $79,280 | $47,000 | 579,315 | 25 |
| 27 | New Hampshire | $82,058 | $50,000 | 1,342,795 | 53 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $76,408 | $47,000 | 755,393 | 51 |
| 29 | Maryland | $79,638 | $47,000 | 6,052,177 | 350 |
| 30 | Kentucky | $81,401 | $47,000 | 4,454,189 | 101 |
| 31 | Vermont | $77,950 | $47,000 | 623,657 | 31 |
| 32 | Michigan | $79,868 | $47,000 | 9,962,311 | 232 |
| 33 | District of Columbia | $79,479 | $46,000 | 693,972 | 201 |
| 34 | Oregon | $77,085 | $47,000 | 4,142,776 | 203 |
| 35 | New York | $80,307 | $48,000 | 19,849,399 | 448 |
| 36 | Utah | $77,048 | $46,000 | 3,101,833 | 108 |
| 37 | Florida | $74,671 | $45,000 | 20,984,400 | 664 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $78,234 | $48,000 | 869,666 | 22 |
| 39 | New Jersey | $80,276 | $48,000 | 9,005,644 | 202 |
| 40 | Mississippi | $78,767 | $45,000 | 2,984,100 | 34 |
| 41 | Minnesota | $73,511 | $44,000 | 5,576,606 | 200 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $65,059 | $39,000 | 1,920,076 | 72 |
| 43 | Illinois | $67,066 | $39,000 | 12,802,023 | 384 |
| 44 | Kansas | $70,751 | $41,000 | 2,913,123 | 54 |
| 45 | North Carolina | $61,110 | $35,000 | 10,273,419 | 306 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $62,036 | $35,000 | 3,004,279 | 78 |
| 47 | Georgia | $64,119 | $37,000 | 10,429,379 | 291 |
| 48 | Iowa | $65,085 | $39,000 | 3,145,711 | 90 |
| 49 | Indiana | $56,092 | $33,000 | 6,666,818 | 213 |
| 50 | Missouri | $66,682 | $39,000 | 6,113,532 | 125 |
| 51 | Wisconsin | $56,200 | $33,000 | 5,795,483 | 141 |
Highest paying states for engineers and geologist
| Rank | State | Avg. Engineer And Geologist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | $122,345 |
| 2 | California | $109,591 |
| 3 | Arizona | $100,397 |
| 4 | Virginia | $97,036 |
| 5 | Washington | $93,953 |
| 6 | Nevada | $93,034 |
| 7 | Maine | $91,070 |
| 8 | Alaska | $97,851 |
| 9 | Idaho | $94,066 |
| 10 | Oklahoma | $106,489 |
| 11 | Colorado | $89,248 |
| 12 | New Mexico | $91,405 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $84,835 |
| 14 | South Carolina | $89,188 |
| 15 | Alabama | $86,412 |
| 16 | Montana | $84,842 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $82,920 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $84,029 |
| 19 | Delaware | $81,183 |
| 20 | Massachusetts | $83,477 |
| 21 | Ohio | $83,390 |
| 22 | Hawaii | $94,696 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $84,463 |
| 24 | Louisiana | $85,943 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $82,978 |
| 26 | Wyoming | $79,280 |
| 27 | New Hampshire | $82,058 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $76,408 |
| 29 | Maryland | $79,638 |
| 30 | Kentucky | $81,401 |
| 31 | Vermont | $77,950 |
| 32 | Michigan | $79,868 |
| 33 | District of Columbia | $79,479 |
| 34 | Oregon | $77,085 |
| 35 | New York | $80,307 |
| 36 | Utah | $77,048 |
| 37 | Florida | $74,671 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $78,234 |
| 39 | New Jersey | $80,276 |
| 40 | Mississippi | $78,767 |
| 41 | Minnesota | $73,511 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $65,059 |
| 43 | Illinois | $67,066 |
| 44 | Kansas | $70,751 |
| 45 | North Carolina | $61,110 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $62,036 |
| 47 | Georgia | $64,119 |
| 48 | Iowa | $65,085 |
| 49 | Indiana | $56,092 |
| 50 | Missouri | $66,682 |
| 51 | Wisconsin | $56,200 |
Engineer and geologist best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025