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Best states for a mechanical engineering internship
Quoted expert
Jared Wilson
- Rank 1 - 10
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Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for mechanical engineering interns? 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 mechanical engineering internship jobs.We wanted to look at the best states for mechanical engineering interns -- where there are plenty of mechanical engineering internship jobs to go around and mechanical engineering interns 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 mechanical engineering interns. Washington is the best state for mechanical engineering interns, where the median salary is $49,884.We found that Washington is the best state for mechanical engineering internship jobs, whereas Mississippi is the worst.
10 best states for mechanical engineering interns in 2025
1. Washington
Total mechanical engineering internship jobs: 1,277 Average annual salary: $49,884 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Location Quotient: 1.53
2. Arizona
Total mechanical engineering internship jobs: 885 Average annual salary: $47,546 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Location Quotient: 1.33
3. West Virginia
Total mechanical engineering internship jobs: 155 Average annual salary: $49,350 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Location Quotient: 0.89
4. District of Columbia
Total mechanical engineering internship jobs: 248 Average annual salary: $54,335 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Location Quotient: 1.29
5. Michigan
Total mechanical engineering internship jobs: 963 Average annual salary: $47,019 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Location Quotient: 1.09
6. Illinois
Total mechanical engineering internship jobs: 1,185 Average annual salary: $50,510 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Location Quotient: 0.87
7. Delaware
Total mechanical engineering internship jobs: 202 Average annual salary: $47,208 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Location Quotient: 1.41
8. Massachusetts
Total mechanical engineering internship jobs: 1,360 Average annual salary: $48,568 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Location Quotient: 1.3
9. Alaska
Total mechanical engineering internship jobs: 130 Average annual salary: $48,612 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Location Quotient: 1.36
10. New Mexico
Total mechanical engineering internship jobs: 230 Average annual salary: $45,389 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Location Quotient: 1.03
Mechanical engineering internship jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a mechanical engineering internship
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a mechanical engineering internship
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $49,884 | $36,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,277 |
| 2 | Arizona | $47,546 | $33,000 | 7,016,270 | 885 |
| 3 | West Virginia | $49,350 | $36,000 | 1,815,857 | 155 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $54,335 | $40,000 | 693,972 | 248 |
| 5 | Michigan | $47,019 | $35,000 | 9,962,311 | 963 |
| 6 | Illinois | $50,510 | $37,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,185 |
| 7 | Delaware | $47,208 | $35,000 | 961,939 | 202 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $48,568 | $39,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,360 |
| 9 | Alaska | $48,612 | $42,000 | 739,795 | 130 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $45,389 | $32,000 | 2,088,070 | 230 |
| 11 | Ohio | $45,371 | $33,000 | 11,658,609 | 966 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $45,823 | $35,000 | 5,576,606 | 807 |
| 13 | Maryland | $49,368 | $36,000 | 6,052,177 | 769 |
| 14 | Indiana | $45,668 | $33,000 | 6,666,818 | 618 |
| 15 | Oregon | $45,300 | $31,000 | 4,142,776 | 731 |
| 16 | Connecticut | $46,025 | $36,000 | 3,588,184 | 579 |
| 17 | Virginia | $46,585 | $33,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,342 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $43,410 | $33,000 | 5,795,483 | 812 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $44,567 | $36,000 | 1,342,795 | 276 |
| 20 | Nebraska | $44,271 | $32,000 | 1,920,076 | 253 |
| 21 | Arkansas | $42,936 | $31,000 | 3,004,279 | 310 |
| 22 | Tennessee | $44,331 | $32,000 | 6,715,984 | 473 |
| 23 | Texas | $44,129 | $31,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,191 |
| 24 | Colorado | $43,727 | $32,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,005 |
| 25 | Hawaii | $46,500 | $36,000 | 1,427,538 | 103 |
| 26 | Alabama | $42,117 | $30,000 | 4,874,747 | 581 |
| 27 | Nevada | $44,926 | $30,000 | 2,998,039 | 190 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $40,603 | $32,000 | 755,393 | 150 |
| 29 | Iowa | $42,965 | $31,000 | 3,145,711 | 422 |
| 30 | Montana | $42,980 | $32,000 | 1,050,493 | 138 |
| 31 | Georgia | $44,300 | $31,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,037 |
| 32 | New York | $45,123 | $35,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,518 |
| 33 | Louisiana | $43,945 | $31,000 | 4,684,333 | 253 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $41,159 | $30,000 | 579,315 | 98 |
| 35 | California | $48,643 | $32,000 | 39,536,653 | 2,689 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $42,548 | $31,000 | 4,454,189 | 316 |
| 37 | Maine | $41,787 | $34,000 | 1,335,907 | 172 |
| 38 | Rhode Island | $41,466 | $33,000 | 1,059,639 | 171 |
| 39 | Vermont | $39,247 | $32,000 | 623,657 | 156 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $41,701 | $30,000 | 5,024,369 | 520 |
| 41 | Missouri | $42,836 | $31,000 | 6,113,532 | 493 |
| 42 | Pennsylvania | $42,012 | $31,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,107 |
| 43 | Idaho | $41,257 | $29,000 | 1,716,943 | 218 |
| 44 | Utah | $40,232 | $28,000 | 3,101,833 | 553 |
| 45 | New Jersey | $44,242 | $34,000 | 9,005,644 | 667 |
| 46 | Florida | $42,078 | $30,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,464 |
| 47 | North Carolina | $40,514 | $29,000 | 10,273,419 | 971 |
| 48 | Kansas | $40,320 | $29,000 | 2,913,123 | 308 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $40,574 | $29,000 | 3,930,864 | 216 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $38,030 | $28,000 | 869,666 | 120 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $39,412 | $28,000 | 2,984,100 | 190 |
Highest paying states for mechanical engineering interns
| Rank | State | Avg. Mechanical Engineering Internship Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $49,884 |
| 2 | Arizona | $47,546 |
| 3 | West Virginia | $49,350 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $54,335 |
| 5 | Michigan | $47,019 |
| 6 | Illinois | $50,510 |
| 7 | Delaware | $47,208 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $48,568 |
| 9 | Alaska | $48,612 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $45,389 |
| 11 | Ohio | $45,371 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $45,823 |
| 13 | Maryland | $49,368 |
| 14 | Indiana | $45,668 |
| 15 | Oregon | $45,300 |
| 16 | Connecticut | $46,025 |
| 17 | Virginia | $46,585 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $43,410 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $44,567 |
| 20 | Nebraska | $44,271 |
| 21 | Arkansas | $42,936 |
| 22 | Tennessee | $44,331 |
| 23 | Texas | $44,129 |
| 24 | Colorado | $43,727 |
| 25 | Hawaii | $46,500 |
| 26 | Alabama | $42,117 |
| 27 | Nevada | $44,926 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $40,603 |
| 29 | Iowa | $42,965 |
| 30 | Montana | $42,980 |
| 31 | Georgia | $44,300 |
| 32 | New York | $45,123 |
| 33 | Louisiana | $43,945 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $41,159 |
| 35 | California | $48,643 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $42,548 |
| 37 | Maine | $41,787 |
| 38 | Rhode Island | $41,466 |
| 39 | Vermont | $39,247 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $41,701 |
| 41 | Missouri | $42,836 |
| 42 | Pennsylvania | $42,012 |
| 43 | Idaho | $41,257 |
| 44 | Utah | $40,232 |
| 45 | New Jersey | $44,242 |
| 46 | Florida | $42,078 |
| 47 | North Carolina | $40,514 |
| 48 | Kansas | $40,320 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $40,574 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $38,030 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $39,412 |
Expert opinions on the best states for mechanical engineering interns
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for mechanical engineering internships to find work opportunities?
Jared Wilson
Assistant Professor and Faculty Coordinator, East Tennessee State University
Within the field of land surveying and related employment opportunities, work is available. However, in my experience, work may not be in the exact location a person wishes to live. So, a move may be necessary, or potentially traveling to where the work is located. Should a graduate, or person for that matter, want to work, work is available.
Mechanical engineering internship best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025