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Best states for an engineer
Quoted expert
Jared Wilson
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Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for engineers? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for engineer jobs.Our research found that New Hampshire is the best state for engineers, while New Hampshire and Massachusetts are ranked highest in terms of median salary. New Hampshire has a median salary of $97,046 and New Hampshire has the highest median salary among all 50 states for engineers.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for engineers.We found that New Hampshire is the best state for engineer jobs, whereas South Dakota is the worst.
10 best states for engineers in 2025
1. New Hampshire
Total engineer jobs: 1,343 Average annual salary: $97,046 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $134,000 Location Quotient: 0.952. Oregon
Total engineer jobs: 4,880 Average annual salary: $94,286 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Location Quotient: 1.463. Massachusetts
Total engineer jobs: 9,976 Average annual salary: $94,651 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $131,000 Location Quotient: 1.354. Pennsylvania
Total engineer jobs: 6,647 Average annual salary: $93,864 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 0.715. Maryland
Total engineer jobs: 8,071 Average annual salary: $92,244 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 1.586. Vermont
Total engineer jobs: 639 Average annual salary: $89,074 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000 Location Quotient: 1.037. New York
Total engineer jobs: 9,830 Average annual salary: $93,391 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 0.958. North Dakota
Total engineer jobs: 669 Average annual salary: $87,795 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000 Location Quotient: 0.899. Texas
Total engineer jobs: 14,169 Average annual salary: $89,407 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000 Location Quotient: 0.8710. Virginia
Total engineer jobs: 11,246 Average annual salary: $86,648 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Location Quotient: 1.48
Engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | $97,046 | $69,000 | 1,342,795 | 1,343 |
| 2 | Oregon | $94,286 | $66,000 | 4,142,776 | 4,880 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $94,651 | $68,000 | 6,859,819 | 9,976 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $93,864 | $67,000 | 12,805,537 | 6,647 |
| 5 | Maryland | $92,244 | $66,000 | 6,052,177 | 8,071 |
| 6 | Vermont | $89,074 | $64,000 | 623,657 | 639 |
| 7 | New York | $93,391 | $67,000 | 19,849,399 | 9,830 |
| 8 | North Dakota | $87,795 | $65,000 | 755,393 | 669 |
| 9 | Texas | $89,407 | $63,000 | 28,304,596 | 14,169 |
| 10 | Virginia | $86,648 | $62,000 | 8,470,020 | 11,246 |
| 11 | Nevada | $88,635 | $61,000 | 2,998,039 | 1,336 |
| 12 | West Virginia | $90,701 | $66,000 | 1,815,857 | 680 |
| 13 | California | $87,957 | $61,000 | 39,536,653 | 41,765 |
| 14 | Delaware | $85,112 | $61,000 | 961,939 | 1,045 |
| 15 | Washington | $83,605 | $59,000 | 7,405,743 | 10,859 |
| 16 | Arizona | $83,199 | $59,000 | 7,016,270 | 5,235 |
| 17 | Maine | $86,128 | $62,000 | 1,335,907 | 735 |
| 18 | New Mexico | $84,814 | $60,000 | 2,088,070 | 1,284 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $85,718 | $62,000 | 5,795,483 | 2,908 |
| 20 | Kansas | $84,508 | $61,000 | 2,913,123 | 1,717 |
| 21 | Idaho | $82,316 | $58,000 | 1,716,943 | 1,129 |
| 22 | Utah | $77,455 | $54,000 | 3,101,833 | 3,395 |
| 23 | Oklahoma | $84,153 | $61,000 | 3,930,864 | 1,140 |
| 24 | Tennessee | $82,354 | $60,000 | 6,715,984 | 2,256 |
| 25 | Wyoming | $77,540 | $55,000 | 579,315 | 431 |
| 26 | District of Columbia | $79,098 | $57,000 | 693,972 | 2,532 |
| 27 | Arkansas | $79,907 | $58,000 | 3,004,279 | 1,254 |
| 28 | Alabama | $76,867 | $55,000 | 4,874,747 | 3,024 |
| 29 | Rhode Island | $76,628 | $54,000 | 1,059,639 | 996 |
| 30 | Mississippi | $80,873 | $58,000 | 2,984,100 | 748 |
| 31 | Kentucky | $78,545 | $57,000 | 4,454,189 | 1,604 |
| 32 | Minnesota | $75,504 | $55,000 | 5,576,606 | 4,977 |
| 33 | Georgia | $76,574 | $55,000 | 10,429,379 | 6,419 |
| 34 | Montana | $75,309 | $53,000 | 1,050,493 | 810 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $78,256 | $56,000 | 5,024,369 | 1,977 |
| 36 | Illinois | $76,205 | $55,000 | 12,802,023 | 7,688 |
| 37 | North Carolina | $71,590 | $52,000 | 10,273,419 | 6,939 |
| 38 | Colorado | $71,342 | $51,000 | 5,607,154 | 6,703 |
| 39 | Connecticut | $72,447 | $52,000 | 3,588,184 | 2,510 |
| 40 | Indiana | $73,188 | $53,000 | 6,666,818 | 3,686 |
| 41 | New Jersey | $74,480 | $53,000 | 9,005,644 | 5,471 |
| 42 | Iowa | $72,526 | $53,000 | 3,145,711 | 1,896 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $67,412 | $54,000 | 1,427,538 | 632 |
| 44 | Florida | $70,393 | $48,000 | 20,984,400 | 8,773 |
| 45 | Ohio | $68,590 | $50,000 | 11,658,609 | 5,678 |
| 46 | Missouri | $70,645 | $51,000 | 6,113,532 | 3,192 |
| 47 | Michigan | $61,400 | $44,000 | 9,962,311 | 5,503 |
| 48 | Alaska | $65,498 | $52,000 | 739,795 | 535 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $65,123 | $47,000 | 1,920,076 | 1,321 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $67,027 | $47,000 | 4,684,333 | 1,226 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $62,823 | $46,000 | 869,666 | 496 |
Highest paying states for engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | $97,046 |
| 2 | Oregon | $94,286 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $94,651 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $93,864 |
| 5 | Maryland | $92,244 |
| 6 | Vermont | $89,074 |
| 7 | New York | $93,391 |
| 8 | North Dakota | $87,795 |
| 9 | Texas | $89,407 |
| 10 | Virginia | $86,648 |
| 11 | Nevada | $88,635 |
| 12 | West Virginia | $90,701 |
| 13 | California | $87,957 |
| 14 | Delaware | $85,112 |
| 15 | Washington | $83,605 |
| 16 | Arizona | $83,199 |
| 17 | Maine | $86,128 |
| 18 | New Mexico | $84,814 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $85,718 |
| 20 | Kansas | $84,508 |
| 21 | Idaho | $82,316 |
| 22 | Utah | $77,455 |
| 23 | Oklahoma | $84,153 |
| 24 | Tennessee | $82,354 |
| 25 | Wyoming | $77,540 |
| 26 | District of Columbia | $79,098 |
| 27 | Arkansas | $79,907 |
| 28 | Alabama | $76,867 |
| 29 | Rhode Island | $76,628 |
| 30 | Mississippi | $80,873 |
| 31 | Kentucky | $78,545 |
| 32 | Minnesota | $75,504 |
| 33 | Georgia | $76,574 |
| 34 | Montana | $75,309 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $78,256 |
| 36 | Illinois | $76,205 |
| 37 | North Carolina | $71,590 |
| 38 | Colorado | $71,342 |
| 39 | Connecticut | $72,447 |
| 40 | Indiana | $73,188 |
| 41 | New Jersey | $74,480 |
| 42 | Iowa | $72,526 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $67,412 |
| 44 | Florida | $70,393 |
| 45 | Ohio | $68,590 |
| 46 | Missouri | $70,645 |
| 47 | Michigan | $61,400 |
| 48 | Alaska | $65,498 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $65,123 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $67,027 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $62,823 |
Expert opinions on the best states for engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for 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