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Best states for a flight test engineer
Quoted expert
Bruce Carroll Ph.D.
- Rank 1 - 10
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Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for flight test engineers? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for flight test engineer jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.In fact, our research shows that Arizona is the best state for flight test engineers in America. The best city in America for flight test engineers with the highest pay is Palo Alto, CA.
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 flight test engineers.Arizona is the best state, and Carbondale is the city with the highest pay for flight test engineers.
10 best states for flight test engineers in 2025
1. Arizona
Total flight test engineer jobs: 471 Average annual salary: $108,834 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000 Location Quotient: 1.15
2. Rhode Island
Total flight test engineer jobs: 72 Average annual salary: $105,922 Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 0.85
3. Colorado
Total flight test engineer jobs: 719 Average annual salary: $103,407 Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000 Location Quotient: 1.73
4. Texas
Total flight test engineer jobs: 1,345 Average annual salary: $102,526 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $141,000 Location Quotient: 0.95
5. Illinois
Total flight test engineer jobs: 568 Average annual salary: $109,244 Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 0.68
6. Massachusetts
Total flight test engineer jobs: 763 Average annual salary: $103,329 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000 Location Quotient: 1.19
7. California
Total flight test engineer jobs: 3,561 Average annual salary: $104,602 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 1.74
8. Utah
Total flight test engineer jobs: 338 Average annual salary: $97,219 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000 Location Quotient: 1.51
9. Idaho
Total flight test engineer jobs: 90 Average annual salary: $101,540 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000 Location Quotient: 0.78
10. Nevada
Total flight test engineer jobs: 126 Average annual salary: $99,471 Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000 Location Quotient: 0.86
Flight test engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a flight test engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a flight test engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | $108,834 | $79,000 | 7,016,270 | 471 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $105,922 | $77,000 | 1,059,639 | 72 |
| 3 | Colorado | $103,407 | $77,000 | 5,607,154 | 719 |
| 4 | Texas | $102,526 | $74,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,345 |
| 5 | Illinois | $109,244 | $82,000 | 12,802,023 | 568 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $103,329 | $75,000 | 6,859,819 | 763 |
| 7 | California | $104,602 | $75,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,561 |
| 8 | Utah | $97,219 | $71,000 | 3,101,833 | 338 |
| 9 | Idaho | $101,540 | $74,000 | 1,716,943 | 90 |
| 10 | Nevada | $99,471 | $72,000 | 2,998,039 | 126 |
| 11 | Minnesota | $102,780 | $77,000 | 5,576,606 | 373 |
| 12 | District of Columbia | $104,169 | $77,000 | 693,972 | 285 |
| 13 | Alabama | $93,730 | $68,000 | 4,874,747 | 369 |
| 14 | Maryland | $98,547 | $72,000 | 6,052,177 | 852 |
| 15 | Washington | $97,194 | $71,000 | 7,405,743 | 761 |
| 16 | New Mexico | $94,719 | $69,000 | 2,088,070 | 137 |
| 17 | Vermont | $93,774 | $69,000 | 623,657 | 56 |
| 18 | Wyoming | $92,445 | $68,000 | 579,315 | 38 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $95,843 | $70,000 | 3,588,184 | 239 |
| 20 | New Jersey | $100,852 | $74,000 | 9,005,644 | 374 |
| 21 | Michigan | $89,590 | $67,000 | 9,962,311 | 527 |
| 22 | Oregon | $91,384 | $67,000 | 4,142,776 | 336 |
| 23 | Alaska | $93,818 | $72,000 | 739,795 | 45 |
| 24 | North Dakota | $89,929 | $68,000 | 755,393 | 45 |
| 25 | West Virginia | $92,296 | $68,000 | 1,815,857 | 53 |
| 26 | Louisiana | $94,299 | $67,000 | 4,684,333 | 129 |
| 27 | Montana | $94,148 | $70,000 | 1,050,493 | 49 |
| 28 | Georgia | $94,177 | $68,000 | 10,429,379 | 452 |
| 29 | South Dakota | $88,521 | $66,000 | 869,666 | 48 |
| 30 | Virginia | $86,691 | $64,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,127 |
| 31 | Delaware | $86,603 | $64,000 | 961,939 | 100 |
| 32 | Maine | $89,684 | $66,000 | 1,335,907 | 55 |
| 33 | Ohio | $83,324 | $62,000 | 11,658,609 | 490 |
| 34 | New Hampshire | $82,265 | $60,000 | 1,342,795 | 124 |
| 35 | New York | $87,584 | $64,000 | 19,849,399 | 736 |
| 36 | South Carolina | $87,151 | $63,000 | 5,024,369 | 169 |
| 37 | Pennsylvania | $84,162 | $62,000 | 12,805,537 | 485 |
| 38 | Kansas | $80,940 | $60,000 | 2,913,123 | 160 |
| 39 | Missouri | $82,595 | $61,000 | 6,113,532 | 280 |
| 40 | Hawaii | $82,694 | $62,000 | 1,427,538 | 49 |
| 41 | Mississippi | $82,183 | $59,000 | 2,984,100 | 80 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $78,701 | $59,000 | 1,920,076 | 118 |
| 43 | Indiana | $79,480 | $59,000 | 6,666,818 | 288 |
| 44 | North Carolina | $78,282 | $57,000 | 10,273,419 | 502 |
| 45 | Florida | $72,934 | $51,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,057 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $79,380 | $59,000 | 4,454,189 | 131 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $74,842 | $55,000 | 3,004,279 | 121 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $76,246 | $56,000 | 3,930,864 | 134 |
| 49 | Iowa | $73,030 | $55,000 | 3,145,711 | 162 |
| 50 | Tennessee | $75,143 | $55,000 | 6,715,984 | 164 |
| 51 | Wisconsin | $62,480 | $47,000 | 5,795,483 | 247 |
Highest paying states for flight test engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Flight Test Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | $108,834 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $105,922 |
| 3 | Colorado | $103,407 |
| 4 | Texas | $102,526 |
| 5 | Illinois | $109,244 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $103,329 |
| 7 | California | $104,602 |
| 8 | Utah | $97,219 |
| 9 | Idaho | $101,540 |
| 10 | Nevada | $99,471 |
| 11 | Minnesota | $102,780 |
| 12 | District of Columbia | $104,169 |
| 13 | Alabama | $93,730 |
| 14 | Maryland | $98,547 |
| 15 | Washington | $97,194 |
| 16 | New Mexico | $94,719 |
| 17 | Vermont | $93,774 |
| 18 | Wyoming | $92,445 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $95,843 |
| 20 | New Jersey | $100,852 |
| 21 | Michigan | $89,590 |
| 22 | Oregon | $91,384 |
| 23 | Alaska | $93,818 |
| 24 | North Dakota | $89,929 |
| 25 | West Virginia | $92,296 |
| 26 | Louisiana | $94,299 |
| 27 | Montana | $94,148 |
| 28 | Georgia | $94,177 |
| 29 | South Dakota | $88,521 |
| 30 | Virginia | $86,691 |
| 31 | Delaware | $86,603 |
| 32 | Maine | $89,684 |
| 33 | Ohio | $83,324 |
| 34 | New Hampshire | $82,265 |
| 35 | New York | $87,584 |
| 36 | South Carolina | $87,151 |
| 37 | Pennsylvania | $84,162 |
| 38 | Kansas | $80,940 |
| 39 | Missouri | $82,595 |
| 40 | Hawaii | $82,694 |
| 41 | Mississippi | $82,183 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $78,701 |
| 43 | Indiana | $79,480 |
| 44 | North Carolina | $78,282 |
| 45 | Florida | $72,934 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $79,380 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $74,842 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $76,246 |
| 49 | Iowa | $73,030 |
| 50 | Tennessee | $75,143 |
| 51 | Wisconsin | $62,480 |
Expert opinions on the best states for flight test engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for flight test engineers to find work opportunities?
Bruce Carroll Ph.D.
Undergraduate Coordinator and Associate Professor, University of Florida
Aerospace jobs are available all across the US. Some pockets are well known, e.g. the locations of the large aerospace companies. There are also many startup companies in fields related to unmanned vehicles, drones, and personal urban aircraft. Companies in Florida and Georgia have been actively hiring graduates from our programs in recent years, and I think this will continue.
There is a strong demand in these two states related to military aircraft and armaments. This includes the maintenance of existing airframes and the development and production of new platforms. The commercial space industry is coming on strong with a large presence in Florida. There is also strong demand from both spacecraft and aircraft propulsion companies. The overall employment market continues to be strong for our region.
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Updated January 8, 2025