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Best states for an engineering internship
Quoted expert
Klaus Dölle
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Do you want to become an engineering internship at NASA, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for engineering interns that you can check out, before you begin your journey. As engineering interns are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for engineering interns. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as an engineering internship, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for engineering interns. District of Columbia is the best state for engineering interns, where the median salary is $60,561.We found that the Midwest is best for engineering interns, and the West is the worst. Washington, DC is the best city in the country for engineering internship jobs, where as District of Columbia is the best state in the country.
10 best states for engineering interns in 2025
1. District of Columbia
Total engineering internship jobs: 325 Average annual salary: $60,561 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $104,000 Location Quotient: 1.61
2. Alaska
Total engineering internship jobs: 129 Average annual salary: $51,509 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $90,000 Location Quotient: 1.28
3. Idaho
Total engineering internship jobs: 247 Average annual salary: $49,654 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Location Quotient: 1.25
4. Arizona
Total engineering internship jobs: 762 Average annual salary: $50,102 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Location Quotient: 1.08
5. Oregon
Total engineering internship jobs: 835 Average annual salary: $47,392 Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $84,000 Location Quotient: 1.67
6. California
Total engineering internship jobs: 3,351 Average annual salary: $57,753 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Location Quotient: 0.95
7. Washington
Total engineering internship jobs: 1,360 Average annual salary: $46,925 Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Location Quotient: 1.55
8. Alabama
Total engineering internship jobs: 508 Average annual salary: $46,728 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
9. Oklahoma
Total engineering internship jobs: 231 Average annual salary: $51,985 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $84,000 Location Quotient: 0.62
10. Mississippi
Total engineering internship jobs: 195 Average annual salary: $48,603 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Location Quotient: 0.76
Engineering internship jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an engineering internship
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an engineering internship
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $60,561 | $35,000 | 693,972 | 325 |
| 2 | Alaska | $51,509 | $29,000 | 739,795 | 129 |
| 3 | Idaho | $49,654 | $28,000 | 1,716,943 | 247 |
| 4 | Arizona | $50,102 | $31,000 | 7,016,270 | 762 |
| 5 | Oregon | $47,392 | $26,000 | 4,142,776 | 835 |
| 6 | California | $57,753 | $35,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,351 |
| 7 | Washington | $46,925 | $25,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,360 |
| 8 | Alabama | $46,728 | $28,000 | 4,874,747 | 508 |
| 9 | Oklahoma | $51,985 | $31,000 | 3,930,864 | 231 |
| 10 | Mississippi | $48,603 | $29,000 | 2,984,100 | 195 |
| 11 | North Carolina | $45,585 | $27,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,132 |
| 12 | Louisiana | $48,939 | $29,000 | 4,684,333 | 279 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $44,369 | $26,000 | 3,588,184 | 478 |
| 14 | New Mexico | $45,044 | $27,000 | 2,088,070 | 223 |
| 15 | Ohio | $45,643 | $26,000 | 11,658,609 | 946 |
| 16 | New Jersey | $48,168 | $28,000 | 9,005,644 | 782 |
| 17 | Vermont | $42,938 | $26,000 | 623,657 | 107 |
| 18 | West Virginia | $44,053 | $25,000 | 1,815,857 | 156 |
| 19 | Nevada | $44,609 | $26,000 | 2,998,039 | 204 |
| 20 | Florida | $44,591 | $27,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,689 |
| 21 | Illinois | $44,532 | $25,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,315 |
| 22 | Maryland | $43,481 | $25,000 | 6,052,177 | 982 |
| 23 | Arkansas | $42,257 | $25,000 | 3,004,279 | 297 |
| 24 | Colorado | $42,132 | $25,000 | 5,607,154 | 972 |
| 25 | Pennsylvania | $43,401 | $25,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,098 |
| 26 | Virginia | $41,478 | $24,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,697 |
| 27 | Hawaii | $49,735 | $40,000 | 1,427,538 | 120 |
| 28 | Iowa | $41,556 | $24,000 | 3,145,711 | 417 |
| 29 | North Dakota | $39,094 | $22,000 | 755,393 | 141 |
| 30 | New Hampshire | $40,995 | $24,000 | 1,342,795 | 223 |
| 31 | New York | $42,592 | $24,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,683 |
| 32 | Utah | $38,084 | $22,000 | 3,101,833 | 536 |
| 33 | Wyoming | $36,964 | $21,000 | 579,315 | 98 |
| 34 | Texas | $38,917 | $23,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,427 |
| 35 | Delaware | $37,671 | $21,000 | 961,939 | 216 |
| 36 | Kansas | $40,108 | $24,000 | 2,913,123 | 279 |
| 37 | Missouri | $41,609 | $24,000 | 6,113,532 | 486 |
| 38 | Massachusetts | $38,469 | $23,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,367 |
| 39 | Michigan | $36,316 | $20,000 | 9,962,311 | 970 |
| 40 | Georgia | $38,796 | $23,000 | 10,429,379 | 961 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $36,444 | $21,000 | 1,920,076 | 260 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $36,197 | $21,000 | 869,666 | 115 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $36,736 | $22,000 | 5,024,369 | 496 |
| 44 | Maine | $35,484 | $22,000 | 1,335,907 | 168 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $37,077 | $21,000 | 4,454,189 | 316 |
| 46 | Rhode Island | $34,697 | $20,000 | 1,059,639 | 186 |
| 47 | Wisconsin | $35,789 | $20,000 | 5,795,483 | 596 |
| 48 | Minnesota | $35,827 | $20,000 | 5,576,606 | 752 |
| 49 | Montana | $32,636 | $18,000 | 1,050,493 | 148 |
| 50 | Indiana | $34,749 | $20,000 | 6,666,818 | 661 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $33,420 | $19,000 | 6,715,984 | 468 |
Highest paying states for engineering interns
| Rank | State | Avg. Engineering Internship Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $60,561 |
| 2 | Alaska | $51,509 |
| 3 | Idaho | $49,654 |
| 4 | Arizona | $50,102 |
| 5 | Oregon | $47,392 |
| 6 | California | $57,753 |
| 7 | Washington | $46,925 |
| 8 | Alabama | $46,728 |
| 9 | Oklahoma | $51,985 |
| 10 | Mississippi | $48,603 |
| 11 | North Carolina | $45,585 |
| 12 | Louisiana | $48,939 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $44,369 |
| 14 | New Mexico | $45,044 |
| 15 | Ohio | $45,643 |
| 16 | New Jersey | $48,168 |
| 17 | Vermont | $42,938 |
| 18 | West Virginia | $44,053 |
| 19 | Nevada | $44,609 |
| 20 | Florida | $44,591 |
| 21 | Illinois | $44,532 |
| 22 | Maryland | $43,481 |
| 23 | Arkansas | $42,257 |
| 24 | Colorado | $42,132 |
| 25 | Pennsylvania | $43,401 |
| 26 | Virginia | $41,478 |
| 27 | Hawaii | $49,735 |
| 28 | Iowa | $41,556 |
| 29 | North Dakota | $39,094 |
| 30 | New Hampshire | $40,995 |
| 31 | New York | $42,592 |
| 32 | Utah | $38,084 |
| 33 | Wyoming | $36,964 |
| 34 | Texas | $38,917 |
| 35 | Delaware | $37,671 |
| 36 | Kansas | $40,108 |
| 37 | Missouri | $41,609 |
| 38 | Massachusetts | $38,469 |
| 39 | Michigan | $36,316 |
| 40 | Georgia | $38,796 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $36,444 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $36,197 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $36,736 |
| 44 | Maine | $35,484 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $37,077 |
| 46 | Rhode Island | $34,697 |
| 47 | Wisconsin | $35,789 |
| 48 | Minnesota | $35,827 |
| 49 | Montana | $32,636 |
| 50 | Indiana | $34,749 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $33,420 |
Expert opinions on the best states for engineering interns
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for engineering internships to find work opportunities?
Klaus Dölle
Associate Professor, School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences Senior Sustainability Scientist, Global Institute of Sustainability, SUNY College
Our graduates have no problems finding a well-paid job in the U.S. Paper Engineers are in high demand. More Paper Engineers are needed by the industry than Universities can produce. Currently, starting salary is around $70k.
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Updated January 8, 2025