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Best states for a manufacturing engineer
Quoted expert
Dr. Giovanni Vincenti
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for manufacturing engineers in the United States. Manufacturing engineer positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for manufacturing engineers.As manufacturing engineers are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for manufacturing engineers. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a manufacturing engineer, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
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 manufacturing engineers.California is the best state, and San Rafael is the city with the highest pay for manufacturing engineers.
10 best states for manufacturing engineers in 2025
1. California
Total manufacturing engineer jobs: 8,302 Average annual salary: $95,324 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 1.72. Arizona
Total manufacturing engineer jobs: 1,110 Average annual salary: $87,875 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $116,000 Location Quotient: 1.133. Massachusetts
Total manufacturing engineer jobs: 2,124 Average annual salary: $87,080 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $112,000 Location Quotient: 1.384. Maryland
Total manufacturing engineer jobs: 1,250 Average annual salary: $88,632 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $114,000 Location Quotient: 1.185. Delaware
Total manufacturing engineer jobs: 219 Average annual salary: $85,945 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $110,000 Location Quotient: 1.046. Connecticut
Total manufacturing engineer jobs: 595 Average annual salary: $86,134 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $111,000 Location Quotient: 1.077. Idaho
Total manufacturing engineer jobs: 241 Average annual salary: $86,340 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000 Location Quotient: 0.888. Texas
Total manufacturing engineer jobs: 3,098 Average annual salary: $83,692 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $109,000 Location Quotient: 0.919. Virginia
Total manufacturing engineer jobs: 1,630 Average annual salary: $84,682 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $108,000 Location Quotient: 1.0310. New Mexico
Total manufacturing engineer jobs: 230 Average annual salary: $88,164 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $116,000 Location Quotient: 0.7
Manufacturing engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a manufacturing engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a manufacturing engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $95,324 | $70,000 | 39,536,653 | 8,302 |
| 2 | Arizona | $87,875 | $66,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,110 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $87,080 | $67,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,124 |
| 4 | Maryland | $88,632 | $68,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,250 |
| 5 | Delaware | $85,945 | $66,000 | 961,939 | 219 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $86,134 | $66,000 | 3,588,184 | 595 |
| 7 | Idaho | $86,340 | $63,000 | 1,716,943 | 241 |
| 8 | Texas | $83,692 | $64,000 | 28,304,596 | 3,098 |
| 9 | Virginia | $84,682 | $66,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,630 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $88,164 | $66,000 | 2,088,070 | 230 |
| 11 | Alabama | $77,263 | $61,000 | 4,874,747 | 735 |
| 12 | Washington | $80,791 | $59,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,352 |
| 13 | Oregon | $77,492 | $57,000 | 4,142,776 | 835 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $75,285 | $58,000 | 1,342,795 | 317 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $81,304 | $62,000 | 1,059,639 | 160 |
| 16 | New Jersey | $86,195 | $66,000 | 9,005,644 | 878 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $73,752 | $56,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,300 |
| 18 | Colorado | $75,774 | $56,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,112 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $74,110 | $57,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,578 |
| 20 | North Carolina | $71,591 | $56,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,745 |
| 21 | Ohio | $71,550 | $55,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,561 |
| 22 | Maine | $76,458 | $59,000 | 1,335,907 | 146 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $71,625 | $55,000 | 1,815,857 | 204 |
| 24 | Utah | $70,974 | $51,000 | 3,101,833 | 556 |
| 25 | Illinois | $73,916 | $57,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,788 |
| 26 | Michigan | $67,890 | $52,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,620 |
| 27 | District of Columbia | $78,893 | $61,000 | 693,972 | 236 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $69,386 | $54,000 | 4,454,189 | 589 |
| 29 | South Carolina | $71,031 | $56,000 | 5,024,369 | 606 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $69,139 | $53,000 | 5,795,483 | 873 |
| 31 | New York | $75,718 | $58,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,657 |
| 32 | Georgia | $71,305 | $56,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,475 |
| 33 | Vermont | $71,221 | $55,000 | 623,657 | 108 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $69,028 | $51,000 | 579,315 | 77 |
| 35 | Nevada | $70,910 | $52,000 | 2,998,039 | 242 |
| 36 | Florida | $68,137 | $52,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,076 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $65,356 | $51,000 | 6,715,984 | 705 |
| 38 | Montana | $69,310 | $51,000 | 1,050,493 | 106 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $67,773 | $52,000 | 4,684,333 | 311 |
| 40 | Iowa | $62,991 | $48,000 | 3,145,711 | 528 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $64,765 | $49,000 | 1,920,076 | 260 |
| 42 | Missouri | $64,912 | $50,000 | 6,113,532 | 688 |
| 43 | Indiana | $55,710 | $43,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,116 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $63,214 | $49,000 | 2,984,100 | 249 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $62,265 | $47,000 | 869,666 | 73 |
| 46 | Alaska | $64,291 | $51,000 | 739,795 | 66 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $59,512 | $47,000 | 3,004,279 | 303 |
| 48 | North Dakota | $54,638 | $41,000 | 755,393 | 121 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $60,370 | $47,000 | 3,930,864 | 249 |
| 50 | Kansas | $54,074 | $42,000 | 2,913,123 | 376 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $61,560 | $50,000 | 1,427,538 | 65 |
Highest paying states for manufacturing engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Manufacturing Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $95,324 |
| 2 | Arizona | $87,875 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $87,080 |
| 4 | Maryland | $88,632 |
| 5 | Delaware | $85,945 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $86,134 |
| 7 | Idaho | $86,340 |
| 8 | Texas | $83,692 |
| 9 | Virginia | $84,682 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $88,164 |
| 11 | Alabama | $77,263 |
| 12 | Washington | $80,791 |
| 13 | Oregon | $77,492 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $75,285 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $81,304 |
| 16 | New Jersey | $86,195 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $73,752 |
| 18 | Colorado | $75,774 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $74,110 |
| 20 | North Carolina | $71,591 |
| 21 | Ohio | $71,550 |
| 22 | Maine | $76,458 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $71,625 |
| 24 | Utah | $70,974 |
| 25 | Illinois | $73,916 |
| 26 | Michigan | $67,890 |
| 27 | District of Columbia | $78,893 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $69,386 |
| 29 | South Carolina | $71,031 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $69,139 |
| 31 | New York | $75,718 |
| 32 | Georgia | $71,305 |
| 33 | Vermont | $71,221 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $69,028 |
| 35 | Nevada | $70,910 |
| 36 | Florida | $68,137 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $65,356 |
| 38 | Montana | $69,310 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $67,773 |
| 40 | Iowa | $62,991 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $64,765 |
| 42 | Missouri | $64,912 |
| 43 | Indiana | $55,710 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $63,214 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $62,265 |
| 46 | Alaska | $64,291 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $59,512 |
| 48 | North Dakota | $54,638 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $60,370 |
| 50 | Kansas | $54,074 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $61,560 |
Expert opinions on the best states for manufacturing engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for manufacturing engineers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Giovanni Vincenti
Associate Professor, University of Baltimore
Cities that are typically associated with technology will probably remain hubs of innovation, especially if they have local administrations that are favorable towards entrepreneurship. However, the recent need for companies to leverage the ability to work remotely has opened up the possibilities of workers who may not otherwise be willing to relocate. This trend is probably here to stay for a while, so the ability of graduates to work with virtual collaborators will bring tech jobs to parts of the country that are not typically known for innovation. Even though there probably will not be clusters that will identify new equivalents of Silicon Valley out of nowhere, the fact that the reach of potential employees has extended beyond their geographical immediacy will create major opportunities for any location.
Manufacturing engineer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025