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Best states for a material engineer
Quoted expert
Dr. Maria Benavides Ph.D.
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We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for material engineers in the United States. Material 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 material engineers.We wanted to look at the best states for material engineers -- where there are plenty of material engineer jobs to go around and material engineers get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
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 material engineers.We found that New Hampshire is the best state for material engineer jobs, whereas Arkansas is the worst.
10 best states for material engineers in 2026
1. New Hampshire
Total material engineer jobs: 320 Average annual salary: $101,534 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000 Location Quotient: 1.13
2. Massachusetts
Total material engineer jobs: 1,864 Average annual salary: $99,857 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 1.25
3. Minnesota
Total material engineer jobs: 1,233 Average annual salary: $92,615 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000 Location Quotient: 1.14
4. Arizona
Total material engineer jobs: 1,106 Average annual salary: $92,217 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $122,000 Location Quotient: 1.16
5. Maryland
Total material engineer jobs: 1,252 Average annual salary: $95,384 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 1.22
6. Washington
Total material engineer jobs: 1,403 Average annual salary: $94,154 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
7. Oregon
Total material engineer jobs: 988 Average annual salary: $92,390 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000 Location Quotient: 1.47
8. Vermont
Total material engineer jobs: 109 Average annual salary: $95,883 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 0.87
9. California
Total material engineer jobs: 7,530 Average annual salary: $94,311 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 1.59
10. Maine
Total material engineer jobs: 122 Average annual salary: $97,549 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000 Location Quotient: 0.57
Material engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a material engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a material engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | $101,534 | $74,000 | 1,342,795 | 320 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $99,857 | $73,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,864 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $92,615 | $70,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,233 |
| 4 | Arizona | $92,217 | $69,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,106 |
| 5 | Maryland | $95,384 | $71,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,252 |
| 6 | Washington | $94,154 | $70,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,403 |
| 7 | Oregon | $92,390 | $68,000 | 4,142,776 | 988 |
| 8 | Vermont | $95,883 | $70,000 | 623,657 | 109 |
| 9 | California | $94,311 | $70,000 | 39,536,653 | 7,530 |
| 10 | Maine | $97,549 | $71,000 | 1,335,907 | 122 |
| 11 | New Mexico | $94,540 | $71,000 | 2,088,070 | 221 |
| 12 | Colorado | $91,949 | $69,000 | 5,607,154 | 997 |
| 13 | North Dakota | $91,603 | $70,000 | 755,393 | 118 |
| 14 | Virginia | $89,231 | $66,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,676 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $89,378 | $66,000 | 3,588,184 | 490 |
| 16 | New York | $91,685 | $67,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,909 |
| 17 | Texas | $86,820 | $65,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,980 |
| 18 | Wyoming | $90,393 | $68,000 | 579,315 | 56 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $90,324 | $68,000 | 1,815,857 | 123 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $84,933 | $63,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,660 |
| 21 | Kentucky | $84,880 | $64,000 | 4,454,189 | 481 |
| 22 | Rhode Island | $85,863 | $63,000 | 1,059,639 | 162 |
| 23 | Delaware | $84,607 | $62,000 | 961,939 | 203 |
| 24 | Tennessee | $81,353 | $62,000 | 6,715,984 | 826 |
| 25 | Mississippi | $84,161 | $64,000 | 2,984,100 | 268 |
| 26 | District of Columbia | $83,728 | $62,000 | 693,972 | 323 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $86,820 | $65,000 | 4,684,333 | 213 |
| 28 | Nevada | $82,491 | $61,000 | 2,998,039 | 280 |
| 29 | Montana | $84,835 | $64,000 | 1,050,493 | 112 |
| 30 | Michigan | $75,898 | $57,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,364 |
| 31 | Iowa | $78,029 | $59,000 | 3,145,711 | 526 |
| 32 | Ohio | $74,767 | $56,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,693 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $82,046 | $62,000 | 869,666 | 83 |
| 34 | North Carolina | $76,479 | $58,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,588 |
| 35 | Idaho | $79,125 | $59,000 | 1,716,943 | 234 |
| 36 | Utah | $73,521 | $55,000 | 3,101,833 | 623 |
| 37 | Georgia | $77,868 | $60,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,478 |
| 38 | Illinois | $78,269 | $59,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,737 |
| 39 | Alabama | $73,130 | $56,000 | 4,874,747 | 654 |
| 40 | New Jersey | $82,536 | $61,000 | 9,005,644 | 903 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $72,938 | $55,000 | 5,795,483 | 901 |
| 42 | Indiana | $70,968 | $54,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,118 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $82,394 | $65,000 | 1,427,538 | 76 |
| 44 | Alaska | $79,587 | $63,000 | 739,795 | 73 |
| 45 | Kansas | $74,197 | $56,000 | 2,913,123 | 377 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $74,344 | $56,000 | 3,930,864 | 264 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $69,213 | $53,000 | 5,024,369 | 658 |
| 48 | Florida | $74,325 | $56,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,773 |
| 49 | Missouri | $70,683 | $53,000 | 6,113,532 | 674 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $61,786 | $47,000 | 1,920,076 | 292 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $53,049 | $40,000 | 3,004,279 | 275 |
Highest paying states for material engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Material Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | $101,534 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $99,857 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $92,615 |
| 4 | Arizona | $92,217 |
| 5 | Maryland | $95,384 |
| 6 | Washington | $94,154 |
| 7 | Oregon | $92,390 |
| 8 | Vermont | $95,883 |
| 9 | California | $94,311 |
| 10 | Maine | $97,549 |
| 11 | New Mexico | $94,540 |
| 12 | Colorado | $91,949 |
| 13 | North Dakota | $91,603 |
| 14 | Virginia | $89,231 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $89,378 |
| 16 | New York | $91,685 |
| 17 | Texas | $86,820 |
| 18 | Wyoming | $90,393 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $90,324 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $84,933 |
| 21 | Kentucky | $84,880 |
| 22 | Rhode Island | $85,863 |
| 23 | Delaware | $84,607 |
| 24 | Tennessee | $81,353 |
| 25 | Mississippi | $84,161 |
| 26 | District of Columbia | $83,728 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $86,820 |
| 28 | Nevada | $82,491 |
| 29 | Montana | $84,835 |
| 30 | Michigan | $75,898 |
| 31 | Iowa | $78,029 |
| 32 | Ohio | $74,767 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $82,046 |
| 34 | North Carolina | $76,479 |
| 35 | Idaho | $79,125 |
| 36 | Utah | $73,521 |
| 37 | Georgia | $77,868 |
| 38 | Illinois | $78,269 |
| 39 | Alabama | $73,130 |
| 40 | New Jersey | $82,536 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $72,938 |
| 42 | Indiana | $70,968 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $82,394 |
| 44 | Alaska | $79,587 |
| 45 | Kansas | $74,197 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $74,344 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $69,213 |
| 48 | Florida | $74,325 |
| 49 | Missouri | $70,683 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $61,786 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $53,049 |
Expert opinions on the best states for material engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for material engineers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Maria Benavides Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Chemistry Program Coordinator, Assistant Chair, University of Houston - Downtown
Texas is a good place for Chemistry graduates, particularly the city of Houston, which houses the largest medical center in the world, and the largest petroleum industry hub in the world. Most of our graduates find employment in the oil industry but also in those companies that provide services to the petroleum industry, such as chemical supply, waste disposal, chemical safety, etc. Our graduates also find employment in the medical research field, in research labs such as the famous UT Anderson Cancer Center.
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Updated January 8, 2025