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Best states for a game engineer
Quoted expert
Dr. Stephen Frezza Ph.D.
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It seems like game engineers are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for game engineers aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. Our research found that California is the best state for game engineers, while California and Arizona are ranked highest in terms of median salary. California has a median salary of $119,825 and California has the highest median salary among all 50 states for game engineers.
California is the best state for jobs for game engineers, and South Dakota is the worst. The most common pay in California is $119,825, while the median pay in South Dakota is $70,988.California is the best state, and Windsor is the city with the highest pay for game engineers.
10 best states for game engineers in 2025
1. California
Total game engineer jobs: 12,217 Average annual salary: $119,825 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $178,000 Location Quotient: 1.72. Oregon
Total game engineer jobs: 1,593 Average annual salary: $110,813 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $163,000 Location Quotient: 1.563. Utah
Total game engineer jobs: 1,078 Average annual salary: $105,693 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $158,000 Location Quotient: 1.374. Arizona
Total game engineer jobs: 1,292 Average annual salary: $115,491 Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $172,000 Location Quotient: 0.95. Nevada
Total game engineer jobs: 379 Average annual salary: $114,562 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $171,000 Location Quotient: 0.746. Idaho
Total game engineer jobs: 342 Average annual salary: $103,924 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000 Location Quotient: 0.857. Washington
Total game engineer jobs: 4,705 Average annual salary: $99,069 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000 Location Quotient: 2.628. New Hampshire
Total game engineer jobs: 389 Average annual salary: $97,637 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Location Quotient: 0.99. North Carolina
Total game engineer jobs: 2,146 Average annual salary: $94,997 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000 Location Quotient: 0.9110. New York
Total game engineer jobs: 3,445 Average annual salary: $100,464 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000 Location Quotient: 1.09
Game engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a game engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a game engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $119,825 | $80,000 | 39,536,653 | 12,217 |
| 2 | Oregon | $110,813 | $75,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,593 |
| 3 | Utah | $105,693 | $70,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,078 |
| 4 | Arizona | $115,491 | $77,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,292 |
| 5 | Nevada | $114,562 | $76,000 | 2,998,039 | 379 |
| 6 | Idaho | $103,924 | $70,000 | 1,716,943 | 342 |
| 7 | Washington | $99,069 | $67,000 | 7,405,743 | 4,705 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $97,637 | $66,000 | 1,342,795 | 389 |
| 9 | North Carolina | $94,997 | $66,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,146 |
| 10 | New York | $100,464 | $68,000 | 19,849,399 | 3,445 |
| 11 | Delaware | $96,419 | $65,000 | 961,939 | 421 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $97,533 | $66,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,795 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $100,427 | $68,000 | 693,972 | 763 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $92,550 | $63,000 | 1,059,639 | 410 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $97,937 | $66,000 | 3,588,184 | 713 |
| 16 | Virginia | $93,411 | $64,000 | 8,470,020 | 3,522 |
| 17 | Texas | $91,200 | $62,000 | 28,304,596 | 5,087 |
| 18 | Georgia | $93,577 | $64,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,998 |
| 19 | Maine | $92,777 | $63,000 | 1,335,907 | 233 |
| 20 | South Carolina | $96,075 | $66,000 | 5,024,369 | 463 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $93,080 | $62,000 | 2,088,070 | 311 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $93,150 | $63,000 | 4,684,333 | 359 |
| 23 | Vermont | $88,970 | $60,000 | 623,657 | 234 |
| 24 | Michigan | $87,587 | $60,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,380 |
| 25 | Alaska | $93,009 | $67,000 | 739,795 | 143 |
| 26 | Colorado | $88,754 | $59,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,678 |
| 27 | Maryland | $88,706 | $60,000 | 6,052,177 | 2,116 |
| 28 | Alabama | $85,715 | $58,000 | 4,874,747 | 760 |
| 29 | New Jersey | $88,016 | $59,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,806 |
| 30 | Oklahoma | $88,205 | $59,000 | 3,930,864 | 296 |
| 31 | Wisconsin | $87,641 | $61,000 | 5,795,483 | 751 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $83,607 | $57,000 | 3,004,279 | 457 |
| 33 | Ohio | $84,332 | $58,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,581 |
| 34 | Montana | $82,654 | $56,000 | 1,050,493 | 264 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $83,575 | $58,000 | 6,715,984 | 659 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $85,068 | $58,000 | 2,984,100 | 184 |
| 37 | Pennsylvania | $82,330 | $56,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,007 |
| 38 | North Dakota | $81,834 | $57,000 | 755,393 | 156 |
| 39 | Indiana | $78,942 | $55,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,202 |
| 40 | Minnesota | $79,682 | $56,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,437 |
| 41 | Illinois | $80,421 | $56,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,473 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $78,790 | $55,000 | 1,920,076 | 415 |
| 43 | Missouri | $82,569 | $57,000 | 6,113,532 | 925 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $75,469 | $51,000 | 579,315 | 144 |
| 45 | West Virginia | $78,308 | $54,000 | 1,815,857 | 182 |
| 46 | Kansas | $77,249 | $53,000 | 2,913,123 | 508 |
| 47 | Kentucky | $77,867 | $54,000 | 4,454,189 | 420 |
| 48 | Florida | $78,354 | $53,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,567 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $68,495 | $50,000 | 1,427,538 | 167 |
| 50 | Iowa | $75,011 | $52,000 | 3,145,711 | 573 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $70,988 | $49,000 | 869,666 | 172 |
Highest paying states for game engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Game Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $119,825 |
| 2 | Oregon | $110,813 |
| 3 | Utah | $105,693 |
| 4 | Arizona | $115,491 |
| 5 | Nevada | $114,562 |
| 6 | Idaho | $103,924 |
| 7 | Washington | $99,069 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $97,637 |
| 9 | North Carolina | $94,997 |
| 10 | New York | $100,464 |
| 11 | Delaware | $96,419 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $97,533 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $100,427 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $92,550 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $97,937 |
| 16 | Virginia | $93,411 |
| 17 | Texas | $91,200 |
| 18 | Georgia | $93,577 |
| 19 | Maine | $92,777 |
| 20 | South Carolina | $96,075 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $93,080 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $93,150 |
| 23 | Vermont | $88,970 |
| 24 | Michigan | $87,587 |
| 25 | Alaska | $93,009 |
| 26 | Colorado | $88,754 |
| 27 | Maryland | $88,706 |
| 28 | Alabama | $85,715 |
| 29 | New Jersey | $88,016 |
| 30 | Oklahoma | $88,205 |
| 31 | Wisconsin | $87,641 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $83,607 |
| 33 | Ohio | $84,332 |
| 34 | Montana | $82,654 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $83,575 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $85,068 |
| 37 | Pennsylvania | $82,330 |
| 38 | North Dakota | $81,834 |
| 39 | Indiana | $78,942 |
| 40 | Minnesota | $79,682 |
| 41 | Illinois | $80,421 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $78,790 |
| 43 | Missouri | $82,569 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $75,469 |
| 45 | West Virginia | $78,308 |
| 46 | Kansas | $77,249 |
| 47 | Kentucky | $77,867 |
| 48 | Florida | $78,354 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $68,495 |
| 50 | Iowa | $75,011 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $70,988 |
Expert opinions on the best states for game engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for game engineers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Stephen Frezza Ph.D.
Chair, Professor of Software Engineering, Gannon University
Computing is ubiquitous, and with more industries moving to remote work, location is becoming less critical. If the internet reaches a place reliably, computing jobs can be located there.
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Updated January 8, 2025