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Best states for an instrumentation engineer
Quoted expert
Dr. Ramanarayanan "Vish" Viswanathan Ph.D.
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Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for instrumentation 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 instrumentation engineer jobs.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of instrumentation engineers in America is $119,000.
California is the best state for jobs for instrumentation engineers, and South Carolina is the worst. The most common pay in California is $109,744, while the median pay in South Carolina is $64,520.If you are currently seeking employment as an instrumentation engineer, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for instrumentation engineers in 2026
1. California
Total instrumentation engineer jobs: 3,713 Average annual salary: $109,744 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000 Location Quotient: 1.54
2. Alaska
Total instrumentation engineer jobs: 70 Average annual salary: $106,424 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 1.02
3. New Mexico
Total instrumentation engineer jobs: 143 Average annual salary: $101,952 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000 Location Quotient: 0.88
4. Washington
Total instrumentation engineer jobs: 891 Average annual salary: $95,509 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 1.48
5. Texas
Total instrumentation engineer jobs: 1,605 Average annual salary: $93,836 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
6. Vermont
Total instrumentation engineer jobs: 60 Average annual salary: $95,211 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 0.95
7. District of Columbia
Total instrumentation engineer jobs: 357 Average annual salary: $99,250 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000 Location Quotient: 2.58
8. Utah
Total instrumentation engineer jobs: 279 Average annual salary: $89,100 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
9. Louisiana
Total instrumentation engineer jobs: 164 Average annual salary: $102,755 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000 Location Quotient: 0.62
10. New Jersey
Total instrumentation engineer jobs: 435 Average annual salary: $106,666 Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 0.66
Instrumentation engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an instrumentation engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an instrumentation engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $109,744 | $80,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,713 |
| 2 | Alaska | $106,424 | $83,000 | 739,795 | 70 |
| 3 | New Mexico | $101,952 | $75,000 | 2,088,070 | 143 |
| 4 | Washington | $95,509 | $71,000 | 7,405,743 | 891 |
| 5 | Texas | $93,836 | $69,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,605 |
| 6 | Vermont | $95,211 | $69,000 | 623,657 | 60 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $99,250 | $74,000 | 693,972 | 357 |
| 8 | Utah | $89,100 | $65,000 | 3,101,833 | 279 |
| 9 | Louisiana | $102,755 | $76,000 | 4,684,333 | 164 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $106,666 | $78,000 | 9,005,644 | 435 |
| 11 | Maryland | $92,760 | $69,000 | 6,052,177 | 791 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $90,999 | $66,000 | 6,859,819 | 878 |
| 13 | Delaware | $88,570 | $65,000 | 961,939 | 136 |
| 14 | Arizona | $87,701 | $65,000 | 7,016,270 | 558 |
| 15 | Idaho | $92,816 | $68,000 | 1,716,943 | 104 |
| 16 | Oregon | $88,212 | $65,000 | 4,142,776 | 497 |
| 17 | Colorado | $86,535 | $65,000 | 5,607,154 | 671 |
| 18 | Hawaii | $93,635 | $73,000 | 1,427,538 | 91 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $82,490 | $61,000 | 579,315 | 62 |
| 20 | North Dakota | $84,924 | $65,000 | 755,393 | 61 |
| 21 | Virginia | $84,232 | $62,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,424 |
| 22 | Michigan | $81,297 | $61,000 | 9,962,311 | 642 |
| 23 | Oklahoma | $86,788 | $65,000 | 3,930,864 | 143 |
| 24 | Georgia | $85,476 | $64,000 | 10,429,379 | 720 |
| 25 | Mississippi | $86,994 | $65,000 | 2,984,100 | 82 |
| 26 | Maine | $84,174 | $61,000 | 1,335,907 | 91 |
| 27 | New York | $83,541 | $61,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,040 |
| 28 | Iowa | $83,931 | $64,000 | 3,145,711 | 171 |
| 29 | Alabama | $78,291 | $58,000 | 4,874,747 | 315 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $81,466 | $61,000 | 6,715,984 | 258 |
| 31 | Rhode Island | $82,693 | $60,000 | 1,059,639 | 70 |
| 32 | Nebraska | $78,437 | $59,000 | 1,920,076 | 159 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $80,856 | $61,000 | 869,666 | 47 |
| 34 | New Hampshire | $78,774 | $57,000 | 1,342,795 | 126 |
| 35 | Minnesota | $76,913 | $58,000 | 5,576,606 | 523 |
| 36 | Missouri | $78,953 | $59,000 | 6,113,532 | 358 |
| 37 | Illinois | $75,867 | $57,000 | 12,802,023 | 857 |
| 38 | North Carolina | $73,707 | $55,000 | 10,273,419 | 659 |
| 39 | Florida | $74,787 | $55,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,059 |
| 40 | Pennsylvania | $73,549 | $54,000 | 12,805,537 | 687 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $74,065 | $56,000 | 4,454,189 | 163 |
| 42 | Kansas | $73,121 | $55,000 | 2,913,123 | 171 |
| 43 | Connecticut | $74,486 | $54,000 | 3,588,184 | 224 |
| 44 | West Virginia | $72,689 | $54,000 | 1,815,857 | 67 |
| 45 | Nevada | $68,431 | $50,000 | 2,998,039 | 157 |
| 46 | Montana | $71,064 | $53,000 | 1,050,493 | 80 |
| 47 | Indiana | $66,820 | $50,000 | 6,666,818 | 419 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $70,880 | $53,000 | 3,004,279 | 113 |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $66,940 | $51,000 | 5,795,483 | 311 |
| 50 | Ohio | $64,164 | $48,000 | 11,658,609 | 629 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $64,520 | $48,000 | 5,024,369 | 222 |
Highest paying states for instrumentation engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Instrumentation Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $109,744 |
| 2 | Alaska | $106,424 |
| 3 | New Mexico | $101,952 |
| 4 | Washington | $95,509 |
| 5 | Texas | $93,836 |
| 6 | Vermont | $95,211 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $99,250 |
| 8 | Utah | $89,100 |
| 9 | Louisiana | $102,755 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $106,666 |
| 11 | Maryland | $92,760 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $90,999 |
| 13 | Delaware | $88,570 |
| 14 | Arizona | $87,701 |
| 15 | Idaho | $92,816 |
| 16 | Oregon | $88,212 |
| 17 | Colorado | $86,535 |
| 18 | Hawaii | $93,635 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $82,490 |
| 20 | North Dakota | $84,924 |
| 21 | Virginia | $84,232 |
| 22 | Michigan | $81,297 |
| 23 | Oklahoma | $86,788 |
| 24 | Georgia | $85,476 |
| 25 | Mississippi | $86,994 |
| 26 | Maine | $84,174 |
| 27 | New York | $83,541 |
| 28 | Iowa | $83,931 |
| 29 | Alabama | $78,291 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $81,466 |
| 31 | Rhode Island | $82,693 |
| 32 | Nebraska | $78,437 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $80,856 |
| 34 | New Hampshire | $78,774 |
| 35 | Minnesota | $76,913 |
| 36 | Missouri | $78,953 |
| 37 | Illinois | $75,867 |
| 38 | North Carolina | $73,707 |
| 39 | Florida | $74,787 |
| 40 | Pennsylvania | $73,549 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $74,065 |
| 42 | Kansas | $73,121 |
| 43 | Connecticut | $74,486 |
| 44 | West Virginia | $72,689 |
| 45 | Nevada | $68,431 |
| 46 | Montana | $71,064 |
| 47 | Indiana | $66,820 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $70,880 |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $66,940 |
| 50 | Ohio | $64,164 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $64,520 |
Expert opinions on the best states for instrumentation engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for instrumentation engineers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Ramanarayanan "Vish" Viswanathan Ph.D.
Chair and Professor, University of Mississippi
In general, the whole of the United States has a variety of jobs for graduating electrical engineers. Some of our graduates have landed jobs with companies in the Western part of the US, and many have obtained jobs in companies in and around Mississippi, including those in Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, and Michigan, to name a few.
Instrumentation engineer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025