Best states for a hardware test engineer

Q: What is the best state for hardware test engineers?

The best state to be a hardware test engineer is Washington based on hardware test engineer salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for hardware test engineers?

The highest paying state for hardware test engineers is Tennessee based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for hardware test engineers?

The worst state for hardware test engineers is Tennessee, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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Job opportunities vary from state to state, and architecture and engineering careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to hardware test engineer jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for hardware test engineers.We wanted to look at the best states for hardware test engineers -- where there are plenty of hardware test engineer jobs to go around and hardware test engineers get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.

Washington is the best state for jobs for hardware test engineers, and Tennessee is the worst. The most common pay in Washington is $137,879, while the median pay in Tennessee is $65,712.We found that the Midwest is best for hardware test engineers, and the Northeast is the worst. Bellevue, WA is the best city in the country for hardware test engineer jobs, where as Washington is the best state in the country.

10 best states for hardware test engineers in 2026

1. Washington
Total hardware test engineer jobs: 1,496
Average annual salary: $137,879
Lowest 10 percent earn: $100,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $189,000
Location Quotient:
1.6
Hardware test engineer jobs in Washington
2. California
Total hardware test engineer jobs: 7,044
Average annual salary: $124,284
Lowest 10 percent earn: $90,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $171,000
Location Quotient:
1.88
Hardware test engineer jobs in California
3. Oregon
Total hardware test engineer jobs: 711
Average annual salary: $106,425
Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000
Location Quotient:
1.34
Hardware test engineer jobs in Oregon
4. Maryland
Total hardware test engineer jobs: 1,523
Average annual salary: $110,074
Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000
Location Quotient:
1.88
Hardware test engineer jobs in Maryland
5. New Mexico
Total hardware test engineer jobs: 233
Average annual salary: $105,334
Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $142,000
Location Quotient:
0.93
Hardware test engineer jobs in New Mexico
6. Vermont
Total hardware test engineer jobs: 90
Average annual salary: $107,462
Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $141,000
Location Quotient:
0.92
Hardware test engineer jobs in Vermont
7. Maine
Total hardware test engineer jobs: 104
Average annual salary: $116,265
Lowest 10 percent earn: $88,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000
Location Quotient:
0.61
Hardware test engineer jobs in Maine
8. New York
Total hardware test engineer jobs: 1,357
Average annual salary: $112,090
Lowest 10 percent earn: $84,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000
Location Quotient:
0.83
Hardware test engineer jobs in New York
9. Connecticut
Total hardware test engineer jobs: 340
Average annual salary: $110,108
Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000
Location Quotient:
0.8
Hardware test engineer jobs in Connecticut
10. Idaho
Total hardware test engineer jobs: 154
Average annual salary: $105,399
Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000
Location Quotient:
0.73
Hardware test engineer jobs in Idaho

Hardware test engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a hardware test engineer

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a hardware test engineer

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Washington	$137,879	$100,000	7,405,743	1,496
2	California	$124,284	$90,000	39,536,653	7,044
3	Oregon	$106,425	$76,000	4,142,776	711
4	Maryland	$110,074	$82,000	6,052,177	1,523
5	New Mexico	$105,334	$77,000	2,088,070	233
6	Vermont	$107,462	$81,000	623,657	90
7	Maine	$116,265	$88,000	1,335,907	104
8	New York	$112,090	$84,000	19,849,399	1,357
9	Connecticut	$110,108	$82,000	3,588,184	340
10	Idaho	$105,399	$75,000	1,716,943	154
11	Virginia	$103,440	$77,000	8,470,020	2,198
12	Massachusetts	$103,810	$78,000	6,859,819	1,521
13	North Dakota	$106,111	$80,000	755,393	76
14	Alabama	$97,638	$72,000	4,874,747	619
15	Kansas	$105,366	$78,000	2,913,123	236
16	Arizona	$97,020	$71,000	7,016,270	815
17	West Virginia	$102,127	$76,000	1,815,857	100
18	Pennsylvania	$99,776	$74,000	12,805,537	948
19	North Carolina	$97,928	$73,000	10,273,419	903
20	Arkansas	$100,294	$74,000	3,004,279	164
21	Utah	$93,760	$67,000	3,101,833	545
22	Texas	$93,264	$68,000	28,304,596	2,519
23	Montana	$99,049	$72,000	1,050,493	87
24	Rhode Island	$94,564	$71,000	1,059,639	128
25	Delaware	$93,740	$70,000	961,939	150
26	New Jersey	$98,941	$74,000	9,005,644	698
27	District of Columbia	$93,125	$69,000	693,972	409
28	New Hampshire	$91,480	$69,000	1,342,795	218
29	Alaska	$95,468	$73,000	739,795	77
30	Colorado	$91,172	$66,000	5,607,154	1,318
31	South Carolina	$93,878	$70,000	5,024,369	280
32	Georgia	$93,362	$69,000	10,429,379	837
33	South Dakota	$91,626	$68,000	869,666	79
34	Louisiana	$93,101	$68,000	4,684,333	193
35	Oklahoma	$92,075	$68,000	3,930,864	195
36	Wyoming	$87,211	$63,000	579,315	70
37	Illinois	$91,175	$68,000	12,802,023	1,028
38	Florida	$88,512	$64,000	20,984,400	1,659
39	Missouri	$88,972	$66,000	6,113,532	492
40	Wisconsin	$87,603	$65,000	5,795,483	480
41	Minnesota	$86,370	$65,000	5,576,606	700
42	Iowa	$87,601	$65,000	3,145,711	281
43	Michigan	$78,756	$59,000	9,962,311	998
44	Hawaii	$84,312	$64,000	1,427,538	92
45	Nebraska	$84,343	$62,000	1,920,076	199
46	Mississippi	$86,912	$64,000	2,984,100	130
47	Ohio	$80,968	$60,000	11,658,609	851
48	Nevada	$76,913	$55,000	2,998,039	193
49	Indiana	$81,632	$60,000	6,666,818	513
50	Kentucky	$67,847	$50,000	4,454,189	204
51	Tennessee	$65,712	$49,000	6,715,984	288

Highest paying states for hardware test engineers

Rank	State	Avg. Hardware Test Engineer Salary
1	Washington	$137,879
2	California	$124,284
3	Oregon	$106,425
4	Maryland	$110,074
5	New Mexico	$105,334
6	Vermont	$107,462
7	Maine	$116,265
8	New York	$112,090
9	Connecticut	$110,108
10	Idaho	$105,399
11	Virginia	$103,440
12	Massachusetts	$103,810
13	North Dakota	$106,111
14	Alabama	$97,638
15	Kansas	$105,366
16	Arizona	$97,020
17	West Virginia	$102,127
18	Pennsylvania	$99,776
19	North Carolina	$97,928
20	Arkansas	$100,294
21	Utah	$93,760
22	Texas	$93,264
23	Montana	$99,049
24	Rhode Island	$94,564
25	Delaware	$93,740
26	New Jersey	$98,941
27	District of Columbia	$93,125
28	New Hampshire	$91,480
29	Alaska	$95,468
30	Colorado	$91,172
31	South Carolina	$93,878
32	Georgia	$93,362
33	South Dakota	$91,626
34	Louisiana	$93,101
35	Oklahoma	$92,075
36	Wyoming	$87,211
37	Illinois	$91,175
38	Florida	$88,512
39	Missouri	$88,972
40	Wisconsin	$87,603
41	Minnesota	$86,370
42	Iowa	$87,601
43	Michigan	$78,756
44	Hawaii	$84,312
45	Nebraska	$84,343
46	Mississippi	$86,912
47	Ohio	$80,968
48	Nevada	$76,913
49	Indiana	$81,632
50	Kentucky	$67,847
51	Tennessee	$65,712

Hardware test engineer best states FAQs

What is the best state for hardware test engineers?

What is the highest paying state for hardware test engineers?

What is the worst state for hardware test engineers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.

Search for hardware test engineer jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse architecture and engineering jobs

Total hardware test engineer jobs:	1,496
Average annual salary:	$137,879
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$100,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$189,000
Location Quotient:	1.6

Best states for a hardware test engineer

10 best states for hardware test engineers in 2026

1. Washington

2. California

3. Oregon

4. Maryland

5. New Mexico

6. Vermont

7. Maine

8. New York

9. Connecticut

10. Idaho