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Best states for an optical engineer
Quoted expert
Paul Feit
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
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- 41 - 51
It seems like optical engineers are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for optical engineers aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. We wanted to look at the best states for optical engineers -- where there are plenty of optical engineer jobs to go around and optical engineers get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
In order to get you the best states for optical engineers, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.We found that New Mexico is the best state for optical engineer jobs, whereas Tennessee is the worst.
10 best states for optical engineers in 2025
1. New Mexico
Total optical engineer jobs: 179 Average annual salary: $119,359 Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $167,000 Location Quotient: 1.08
2. Washington
Total optical engineer jobs: 956 Average annual salary: $116,571 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $161,000 Location Quotient: 1.55
3. Arizona
Total optical engineer jobs: 654 Average annual salary: $112,023 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $157,000 Location Quotient: 1.32
4. California
Total optical engineer jobs: 4,856 Average annual salary: $119,729 Lowest 10 percent earn: $84,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $169,000 Location Quotient: 1.97
5. Nevada
Total optical engineer jobs: 128 Average annual salary: $119,579 Lowest 10 percent earn: $84,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $169,000 Location Quotient: 0.72
6. Idaho
Total optical engineer jobs: 109 Average annual salary: $114,467 Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $160,000 Location Quotient: 0.79
7. Utah
Total optical engineer jobs: 253 Average annual salary: $105,454 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000 Location Quotient: 0.94
8. Vermont
Total optical engineer jobs: 54 Average annual salary: $109,475 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $151,000 Location Quotient: 0.83
9. Texas
Total optical engineer jobs: 1,427 Average annual salary: $100,359 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000 Location Quotient: 0.83
10. Arkansas
Total optical engineer jobs: 109 Average annual salary: $107,409 Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000 Location Quotient: 0.49
Optical engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an optical engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an optical engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | $119,359 | $85,000 | 2,088,070 | 179 |
| 2 | Washington | $116,571 | $83,000 | 7,405,743 | 956 |
| 3 | Arizona | $112,023 | $79,000 | 7,016,270 | 654 |
| 4 | California | $119,729 | $84,000 | 39,536,653 | 4,856 |
| 5 | Nevada | $119,579 | $84,000 | 2,998,039 | 128 |
| 6 | Idaho | $114,467 | $81,000 | 1,716,943 | 109 |
| 7 | Utah | $105,454 | $75,000 | 3,101,833 | 253 |
| 8 | Vermont | $109,475 | $79,000 | 623,657 | 54 |
| 9 | Texas | $100,359 | $71,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,427 |
| 10 | Arkansas | $107,409 | $77,000 | 3,004,279 | 109 |
| 11 | Kansas | $104,035 | $75,000 | 2,913,123 | 154 |
| 12 | Colorado | $100,359 | $71,000 | 5,607,154 | 734 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $99,368 | $71,000 | 1,342,795 | 150 |
| 14 | Delaware | $100,248 | $72,000 | 961,939 | 128 |
| 15 | Iowa | $100,943 | $74,000 | 3,145,711 | 207 |
| 16 | Maine | $102,020 | $73,000 | 1,335,907 | 68 |
| 17 | Illinois | $101,364 | $74,000 | 12,802,023 | 782 |
| 18 | Wyoming | $95,545 | $68,000 | 579,315 | 54 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $100,559 | $72,000 | 1,059,639 | 67 |
| 20 | Connecticut | $100,384 | $72,000 | 3,588,184 | 229 |
| 21 | Alaska | $102,550 | $78,000 | 739,795 | 54 |
| 22 | District of Columbia | $99,204 | $71,000 | 693,972 | 299 |
| 23 | Maryland | $99,020 | $71,000 | 6,052,177 | 759 |
| 24 | Massachusetts | $97,008 | $69,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,050 |
| 25 | Montana | $99,050 | $71,000 | 1,050,493 | 64 |
| 26 | Virginia | $93,856 | $68,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,182 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $98,422 | $70,000 | 4,684,333 | 120 |
| 28 | Ohio | $92,849 | $67,000 | 11,658,609 | 598 |
| 29 | Oregon | $91,969 | $66,000 | 4,142,776 | 538 |
| 30 | New Jersey | $99,003 | $71,000 | 9,005,644 | 462 |
| 31 | West Virginia | $93,359 | $67,000 | 1,815,857 | 63 |
| 32 | Mississippi | $93,670 | $67,000 | 2,984,100 | 93 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $91,896 | $66,000 | 10,273,419 | 655 |
| 34 | South Carolina | $93,893 | $67,000 | 5,024,369 | 215 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $91,951 | $67,000 | 869,666 | 46 |
| 36 | Minnesota | $89,648 | $66,000 | 5,576,606 | 551 |
| 37 | North Dakota | $90,693 | $67,000 | 755,393 | 50 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $90,060 | $65,000 | 1,920,076 | 138 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $91,184 | $66,000 | 4,454,189 | 153 |
| 40 | New York | $85,824 | $61,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,071 |
| 41 | Missouri | $89,442 | $65,000 | 6,113,532 | 301 |
| 42 | Wisconsin | $86,745 | $63,000 | 5,795,483 | 325 |
| 43 | Georgia | $85,733 | $61,000 | 10,429,379 | 644 |
| 44 | Michigan | $79,376 | $57,000 | 9,962,311 | 647 |
| 45 | Alabama | $78,873 | $56,000 | 4,874,747 | 367 |
| 46 | Florida | $83,502 | $58,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,043 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $87,462 | $63,000 | 3,930,864 | 122 |
| 48 | Hawaii | $79,458 | $59,000 | 1,427,538 | 62 |
| 49 | Pennsylvania | $80,674 | $58,000 | 12,805,537 | 557 |
| 50 | Indiana | $64,120 | $46,000 | 6,666,818 | 407 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $78,280 | $56,000 | 6,715,984 | 209 |
Highest paying states for optical engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Optical Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | $119,359 |
| 2 | Washington | $116,571 |
| 3 | Arizona | $112,023 |
| 4 | California | $119,729 |
| 5 | Nevada | $119,579 |
| 6 | Idaho | $114,467 |
| 7 | Utah | $105,454 |
| 8 | Vermont | $109,475 |
| 9 | Texas | $100,359 |
| 10 | Arkansas | $107,409 |
| 11 | Kansas | $104,035 |
| 12 | Colorado | $100,359 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $99,368 |
| 14 | Delaware | $100,248 |
| 15 | Iowa | $100,943 |
| 16 | Maine | $102,020 |
| 17 | Illinois | $101,364 |
| 18 | Wyoming | $95,545 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $100,559 |
| 20 | Connecticut | $100,384 |
| 21 | Alaska | $102,550 |
| 22 | District of Columbia | $99,204 |
| 23 | Maryland | $99,020 |
| 24 | Massachusetts | $97,008 |
| 25 | Montana | $99,050 |
| 26 | Virginia | $93,856 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $98,422 |
| 28 | Ohio | $92,849 |
| 29 | Oregon | $91,969 |
| 30 | New Jersey | $99,003 |
| 31 | West Virginia | $93,359 |
| 32 | Mississippi | $93,670 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $91,896 |
| 34 | South Carolina | $93,893 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $91,951 |
| 36 | Minnesota | $89,648 |
| 37 | North Dakota | $90,693 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $90,060 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $91,184 |
| 40 | New York | $85,824 |
| 41 | Missouri | $89,442 |
| 42 | Wisconsin | $86,745 |
| 43 | Georgia | $85,733 |
| 44 | Michigan | $79,376 |
| 45 | Alabama | $78,873 |
| 46 | Florida | $83,502 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $87,462 |
| 48 | Hawaii | $79,458 |
| 49 | Pennsylvania | $80,674 |
| 50 | Indiana | $64,120 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $78,280 |
Expert opinions on the best states for optical engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for optical engineers to find work opportunities?
Paul Feit
Professor and Chair, University of Texas of the Permian Basin
A bachelor's or minor in Mathematics is sort-of a 'vanilla' degree. It is a boost in many careers; it tells potential employers that the graduate is ready for the quantitative needs in any position. Just about every position has some quantitative need. A minor in Mathematics alerts employers that the candidate brings computational finesse to whatever his/her major.
Jobs for higher degrees are in academic institutions and companies big enough to need analysis of their proprietary data. Computer companies appreciate mathematical credentials, but may expect these to be in addition to a computer science background.
Optical engineer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025