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Best states for a junior mechanical engineer
Quoted expert
Andy Gerrick
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Do you want to become a junior mechanical engineer at Maxtena, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for junior mechanical engineers that you can check out, before you begin your journey. Although there are abundant junior mechanical engineer jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the Midwest. California is the best state in the country for junior mechanical engineer jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for junior mechanical engineers. California is the best state for junior mechanical engineers, where the median salary is $80,860.California is the best state, and Windsor is the city with the highest pay for junior mechanical engineers.
10 best states for junior mechanical engineers in 2025
1. California
Total junior mechanical engineer jobs: 7,775 Average annual salary: $80,860 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $103,000 Location Quotient: 1.612. Massachusetts
Total junior mechanical engineer jobs: 1,739 Average annual salary: $78,016 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Location Quotient: 1.153. Washington
Total junior mechanical engineer jobs: 1,618 Average annual salary: $75,462 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Location Quotient: 1.344. New York
Total junior mechanical engineer jobs: 2,068 Average annual salary: $77,703 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Location Quotient: 0.985. Texas
Total junior mechanical engineer jobs: 3,200 Average annual salary: $73,653 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $90,000 Location Quotient: 0.966. District of Columbia
Total junior mechanical engineer jobs: 435 Average annual salary: $78,436 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Location Quotient: 1.577. Oregon
Total junior mechanical engineer jobs: 999 Average annual salary: $69,289 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Location Quotient: 1.468. Nevada
Total junior mechanical engineer jobs: 287 Average annual salary: $72,567 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Location Quotient: 0.839. Illinois
Total junior mechanical engineer jobs: 1,712 Average annual salary: $72,104 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Location Quotient: 0.8710. New Mexico
Total junior mechanical engineer jobs: 278 Average annual salary: $70,205 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $86,000 Location Quotient: 0.86
Junior mechanical engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a junior mechanical engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a junior mechanical engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $80,860 | $63,000 | 39,536,653 | 7,775 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $78,016 | $62,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,739 |
| 3 | Washington | $75,462 | $60,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,618 |
| 4 | New York | $77,703 | $62,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,068 |
| 5 | Texas | $73,653 | $60,000 | 28,304,596 | 3,200 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $78,436 | $62,000 | 693,972 | 435 |
| 7 | Oregon | $69,289 | $54,000 | 4,142,776 | 999 |
| 8 | Nevada | $72,567 | $57,000 | 2,998,039 | 287 |
| 9 | Illinois | $72,104 | $58,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,712 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $70,205 | $56,000 | 2,088,070 | 278 |
| 11 | Maryland | $72,916 | $58,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,511 |
| 12 | Alabama | $64,502 | $52,000 | 4,874,747 | 682 |
| 13 | Michigan | $63,742 | $51,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,252 |
| 14 | West Virginia | $67,840 | $54,000 | 1,815,857 | 131 |
| 15 | Tennessee | $66,501 | $54,000 | 6,715,984 | 562 |
| 16 | Louisiana | $68,754 | $56,000 | 4,684,333 | 289 |
| 17 | Virginia | $66,035 | $53,000 | 8,470,020 | 2,222 |
| 18 | Colorado | $65,839 | $53,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,223 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $65,425 | $52,000 | 1,059,639 | 165 |
| 20 | Arizona | $64,076 | $51,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,100 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $71,361 | $57,000 | 9,005,644 | 957 |
| 22 | Kentucky | $65,487 | $53,000 | 4,454,189 | 354 |
| 23 | Georgia | $64,025 | $52,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,468 |
| 24 | Florida | $65,624 | $54,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,986 |
| 25 | Alaska | $68,688 | $62,000 | 739,795 | 83 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $62,619 | $50,000 | 1,342,795 | 331 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $63,930 | $52,000 | 3,930,864 | 292 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $61,690 | $49,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,605 |
| 29 | Kansas | $62,207 | $50,000 | 2,913,123 | 407 |
| 30 | Connecticut | $63,548 | $50,000 | 3,588,184 | 549 |
| 31 | Maine | $64,135 | $52,000 | 1,335,907 | 118 |
| 32 | Delaware | $62,417 | $49,000 | 961,939 | 226 |
| 33 | North Dakota | $60,236 | $50,000 | 755,393 | 130 |
| 34 | Idaho | $62,225 | $49,000 | 1,716,943 | 218 |
| 35 | Indiana | $59,841 | $48,000 | 6,666,818 | 879 |
| 36 | Nebraska | $60,936 | $49,000 | 1,920,076 | 282 |
| 37 | North Carolina | $59,530 | $48,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,359 |
| 38 | Utah | $57,625 | $46,000 | 3,101,833 | 660 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $60,375 | $49,000 | 5,024,369 | 554 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $58,878 | $47,000 | 579,315 | 84 |
| 41 | Ohio | $57,549 | $46,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,446 |
| 42 | Minnesota | $59,077 | $48,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,141 |
| 43 | Iowa | $59,161 | $48,000 | 3,145,711 | 462 |
| 44 | Missouri | $60,333 | $49,000 | 6,113,532 | 652 |
| 45 | Vermont | $58,385 | $47,000 | 623,657 | 117 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $61,058 | $52,000 | 1,427,538 | 95 |
| 47 | Wisconsin | $55,956 | $45,000 | 5,795,483 | 782 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $56,482 | $46,000 | 869,666 | 75 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $56,692 | $46,000 | 2,984,100 | 161 |
| 50 | Montana | $53,292 | $43,000 | 1,050,493 | 136 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $51,401 | $42,000 | 3,004,279 | 264 |
Highest paying states for junior mechanical engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Junior Mechanical Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $80,860 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $78,016 |
| 3 | Washington | $75,462 |
| 4 | New York | $77,703 |
| 5 | Texas | $73,653 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $78,436 |
| 7 | Oregon | $69,289 |
| 8 | Nevada | $72,567 |
| 9 | Illinois | $72,104 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $70,205 |
| 11 | Maryland | $72,916 |
| 12 | Alabama | $64,502 |
| 13 | Michigan | $63,742 |
| 14 | West Virginia | $67,840 |
| 15 | Tennessee | $66,501 |
| 16 | Louisiana | $68,754 |
| 17 | Virginia | $66,035 |
| 18 | Colorado | $65,839 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $65,425 |
| 20 | Arizona | $64,076 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $71,361 |
| 22 | Kentucky | $65,487 |
| 23 | Georgia | $64,025 |
| 24 | Florida | $65,624 |
| 25 | Alaska | $68,688 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $62,619 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $63,930 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $61,690 |
| 29 | Kansas | $62,207 |
| 30 | Connecticut | $63,548 |
| 31 | Maine | $64,135 |
| 32 | Delaware | $62,417 |
| 33 | North Dakota | $60,236 |
| 34 | Idaho | $62,225 |
| 35 | Indiana | $59,841 |
| 36 | Nebraska | $60,936 |
| 37 | North Carolina | $59,530 |
| 38 | Utah | $57,625 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $60,375 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $58,878 |
| 41 | Ohio | $57,549 |
| 42 | Minnesota | $59,077 |
| 43 | Iowa | $59,161 |
| 44 | Missouri | $60,333 |
| 45 | Vermont | $58,385 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $61,058 |
| 47 | Wisconsin | $55,956 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $56,482 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $56,692 |
| 50 | Montana | $53,292 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $51,401 |
Expert opinions on the best states for junior mechanical engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for junior mechanical engineers to find work opportunities?
Andy Gerrick
Associate Professor and Chair, Embry-Riddle, Prescott
Mechanical engineering is the most general field of engineering. Any industry that designs or produces physical products, from toys to spacecraft, hires mechanical engineers. The aerospace industry, where I spent 35 years as a mechanical engineer, hires many more mechanical engineers than aerospace engineers.
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Updated January 8, 2025