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Best states for a materials engineering technician
Quoted expert
Mohammad Modarres Ph.D.
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We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for materials engineering technicians in the United States. Materials engineering technician 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 materials engineering technicians.We wanted to look at the best states for materials engineering technicians -- where there are plenty of materials engineering technician jobs to go around and materials engineering technicians get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for materials engineering technicians. Washington is the best state for materials engineering technicians, where the median salary is $84,410.Washington is the best state, and Windsor is the city with the highest pay for materials engineering technicians.
10 best states for materials engineering technicians in 2026
1. Washington
Total materials engineering technician jobs: 2,146 Average annual salary: $84,410 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000 Location Quotient: 1.29
2. Utah
Total materials engineering technician jobs: 979 Average annual salary: $78,900 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $122,000 Location Quotient: 1.34
3. North Dakota
Total materials engineering technician jobs: 235 Average annual salary: $82,480 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000 Location Quotient: 1.11
4. Michigan
Total materials engineering technician jobs: 2,000 Average annual salary: $77,273 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000 Location Quotient: 1.13
5. Texas
Total materials engineering technician jobs: 4,336 Average annual salary: $83,440 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000 Location Quotient: 0.94
6. Idaho
Total materials engineering technician jobs: 399 Average annual salary: $78,701 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
7. New Mexico
Total materials engineering technician jobs: 418 Average annual salary: $80,444 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
8. Nebraska
Total materials engineering technician jobs: 512 Average annual salary: $77,585 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000 Location Quotient: 1.01
9. Maine
Total materials engineering technician jobs: 383 Average annual salary: $73,972 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $112,000 Location Quotient: 1.26
10. Mississippi
Total materials engineering technician jobs: 419 Average annual salary: $81,960 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000 Location Quotient: 0.86
Materials engineering technician jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a materials engineering technician
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a materials engineering technician
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $84,410 | $57,000 | 7,405,743 | 2,146 |
| 2 | Utah | $78,900 | $50,000 | 3,101,833 | 979 |
| 3 | North Dakota | $82,480 | $56,000 | 755,393 | 235 |
| 4 | Michigan | $77,273 | $50,000 | 9,962,311 | 2,000 |
| 5 | Texas | $83,440 | $55,000 | 28,304,596 | 4,336 |
| 6 | Idaho | $78,701 | $51,000 | 1,716,943 | 399 |
| 7 | New Mexico | $80,444 | $53,000 | 2,088,070 | 418 |
| 8 | Nebraska | $77,585 | $51,000 | 1,920,076 | 512 |
| 9 | Maine | $73,972 | $48,000 | 1,335,907 | 383 |
| 10 | Mississippi | $81,960 | $55,000 | 2,984,100 | 419 |
| 11 | California | $89,394 | $57,000 | 39,536,653 | 6,151 |
| 12 | Alaska | $84,019 | $72,000 | 739,795 | 237 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $73,964 | $48,000 | 1,815,857 | 322 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $86,045 | $56,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,530 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | $73,267 | $48,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,284 |
| 16 | Missouri | $78,080 | $51,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,139 |
| 17 | New York | $77,062 | $50,000 | 19,849,399 | 3,150 |
| 18 | Delaware | $72,261 | $47,000 | 961,939 | 360 |
| 19 | Indiana | $72,867 | $47,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,428 |
| 20 | Oregon | $70,835 | $48,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,295 |
| 21 | Connecticut | $71,958 | $47,000 | 3,588,184 | 948 |
| 22 | Tennessee | $74,196 | $49,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,109 |
| 23 | Maryland | $71,652 | $47,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,745 |
| 24 | Nevada | $72,333 | $46,000 | 2,998,039 | 430 |
| 25 | Massachusetts | $70,228 | $46,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,669 |
| 26 | Arkansas | $71,507 | $47,000 | 3,004,279 | 520 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $71,399 | $47,000 | 4,454,189 | 715 |
| 28 | New Hampshire | $68,500 | $45,000 | 1,342,795 | 476 |
| 29 | District of Columbia | $71,533 | $47,000 | 693,972 | 416 |
| 30 | Iowa | $68,723 | $45,000 | 3,145,711 | 803 |
| 31 | Illinois | $70,445 | $46,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,588 |
| 32 | Rhode Island | $71,635 | $47,000 | 1,059,639 | 169 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $67,475 | $45,000 | 5,024,369 | 1,061 |
| 34 | Ohio | $68,445 | $44,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,131 |
| 35 | Pennsylvania | $69,747 | $45,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,314 |
| 36 | Montana | $67,276 | $44,000 | 1,050,493 | 255 |
| 37 | Alabama | $64,592 | $43,000 | 4,874,747 | 1,010 |
| 38 | Virginia | $64,982 | $43,000 | 8,470,020 | 2,514 |
| 39 | Colorado | $64,131 | $42,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,710 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $68,060 | $45,000 | 4,684,333 | 496 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $62,713 | $42,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,382 |
| 42 | Kansas | $65,538 | $43,000 | 2,913,123 | 602 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $64,958 | $43,000 | 869,666 | 187 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $58,196 | $46,000 | 1,427,538 | 189 |
| 45 | Arizona | $60,727 | $40,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,471 |
| 46 | Georgia | $64,788 | $43,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,139 |
| 47 | Florida | $65,444 | $44,000 | 20,984,400 | 3,182 |
| 48 | Minnesota | $60,896 | $41,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,613 |
| 49 | Vermont | $65,317 | $42,000 | 623,657 | 130 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $61,030 | $40,000 | 3,930,864 | 529 |
| 51 | Wyoming | $56,097 | $36,000 | 579,315 | 73 |
Highest paying states for materials engineering technicians
| Rank | State | Avg. Materials Engineering Technician Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $84,410 |
| 2 | Utah | $78,900 |
| 3 | North Dakota | $82,480 |
| 4 | Michigan | $77,273 |
| 5 | Texas | $83,440 |
| 6 | Idaho | $78,701 |
| 7 | New Mexico | $80,444 |
| 8 | Nebraska | $77,585 |
| 9 | Maine | $73,972 |
| 10 | Mississippi | $81,960 |
| 11 | California | $89,394 |
| 12 | Alaska | $84,019 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $73,964 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $86,045 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | $73,267 |
| 16 | Missouri | $78,080 |
| 17 | New York | $77,062 |
| 18 | Delaware | $72,261 |
| 19 | Indiana | $72,867 |
| 20 | Oregon | $70,835 |
| 21 | Connecticut | $71,958 |
| 22 | Tennessee | $74,196 |
| 23 | Maryland | $71,652 |
| 24 | Nevada | $72,333 |
| 25 | Massachusetts | $70,228 |
| 26 | Arkansas | $71,507 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $71,399 |
| 28 | New Hampshire | $68,500 |
| 29 | District of Columbia | $71,533 |
| 30 | Iowa | $68,723 |
| 31 | Illinois | $70,445 |
| 32 | Rhode Island | $71,635 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $67,475 |
| 34 | Ohio | $68,445 |
| 35 | Pennsylvania | $69,747 |
| 36 | Montana | $67,276 |
| 37 | Alabama | $64,592 |
| 38 | Virginia | $64,982 |
| 39 | Colorado | $64,131 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $68,060 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $62,713 |
| 42 | Kansas | $65,538 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $64,958 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $58,196 |
| 45 | Arizona | $60,727 |
| 46 | Georgia | $64,788 |
| 47 | Florida | $65,444 |
| 48 | Minnesota | $60,896 |
| 49 | Vermont | $65,317 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $61,030 |
| 51 | Wyoming | $56,097 |
Expert opinions on the best states for materials engineering technicians
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for materials engineering technicians to find work opportunities?
Mohammad Modarres Ph.D.
Professor of Nuclear Engineering, University of Maryland
The nuclear power workforce is aging, and utilities that own nuclear plants have been the primary employer, followed by DOE (including national labs.), NRC, Navy, and Radiation (health) facility manufacturers. As nuclear plants age and are decommissioned, the utility owners would need fewer atomic engineers. But, I expect employment at the governmental, nuclear facility vendors, and other institutions will remain unchanged.
Materials engineering technician best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025