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Best states for a planning engineer
- 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 planning engineers in the United States. Planning 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 planning engineers.In fact, our research shows that California is the best state for planning engineers in America. The best city in America for planning engineers with the highest pay is San Francisco, CA.
We figured that the best places for planning engineer jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.We found that the Midwest is best for planning engineers, and the West is the worst. San Francisco, CA is the best city in the country for planning engineer jobs, where as California is the best state in the country.
10 best states for planning engineers in 2026
1. California
Total planning engineer jobs: 5,676 Average annual salary: $104,756 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Location Quotient: 1.65
2. Washington
Total planning engineer jobs: 1,038 Average annual salary: $94,798 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000 Location Quotient: 1.2
3. Massachusetts
Total planning engineer jobs: 1,510 Average annual salary: $93,582 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 1.39
4. Arizona
Total planning engineer jobs: 790 Average annual salary: $88,745 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Location Quotient: 1.14
5. Colorado
Total planning engineer jobs: 836 Average annual salary: $90,092 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Location Quotient: 1.19
6. Connecticut
Total planning engineer jobs: 443 Average annual salary: $88,597 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Location Quotient: 1.13
7. Utah
Total planning engineer jobs: 400 Average annual salary: $85,311 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $114,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
8. Michigan
Total planning engineer jobs: 992 Average annual salary: $84,074 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $112,000 Location Quotient: 1.08
9. Wyoming
Total planning engineer jobs: 52 Average annual salary: $88,942 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000 Location Quotient: 0.74
10. Alabama
Total planning engineer jobs: 444 Average annual salary: $84,205 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $113,000 Location Quotient: 0.85
Planning engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a planning engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a planning engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $104,756 | $76,000 | 39,536,653 | 5,676 |
| 2 | Washington | $94,798 | $71,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,038 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $93,582 | $69,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,510 |
| 4 | Arizona | $88,745 | $65,000 | 7,016,270 | 790 |
| 5 | Colorado | $90,092 | $67,000 | 5,607,154 | 836 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $88,597 | $65,000 | 3,588,184 | 443 |
| 7 | Utah | $85,311 | $63,000 | 3,101,833 | 400 |
| 8 | Michigan | $84,074 | $62,000 | 9,962,311 | 992 |
| 9 | Wyoming | $88,942 | $67,000 | 579,315 | 52 |
| 10 | Alabama | $84,205 | $62,000 | 4,874,747 | 444 |
| 11 | Idaho | $84,831 | $63,000 | 1,716,943 | 172 |
| 12 | Oregon | $83,971 | $62,000 | 4,142,776 | 602 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $82,767 | $63,000 | 5,576,606 | 916 |
| 14 | Virginia | $85,724 | $63,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,260 |
| 15 | Oklahoma | $88,189 | $65,000 | 3,930,864 | 170 |
| 16 | Texas | $83,369 | $61,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,005 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $87,680 | $65,000 | 9,005,644 | 790 |
| 18 | Arkansas | $81,364 | $60,000 | 3,004,279 | 227 |
| 19 | Maryland | $83,755 | $62,000 | 6,052,177 | 874 |
| 20 | South Carolina | $81,641 | $60,000 | 5,024,369 | 388 |
| 21 | Ohio | $77,381 | $57,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,104 |
| 22 | District of Columbia | $81,101 | $60,000 | 693,972 | 297 |
| 23 | New York | $82,222 | $61,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,476 |
| 24 | Delaware | $79,298 | $58,000 | 961,939 | 168 |
| 25 | New Mexico | $81,354 | $60,000 | 2,088,070 | 155 |
| 26 | Montana | $81,983 | $62,000 | 1,050,493 | 89 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $78,623 | $58,000 | 1,059,639 | 106 |
| 28 | Missouri | $79,539 | $59,000 | 6,113,532 | 498 |
| 29 | Kansas | $77,805 | $58,000 | 2,913,123 | 246 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $75,883 | $56,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,120 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $79,724 | $58,000 | 4,684,333 | 173 |
| 32 | Georgia | $76,499 | $56,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,010 |
| 33 | Indiana | $73,165 | $54,000 | 6,666,818 | 733 |
| 34 | Illinois | $76,570 | $57,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,332 |
| 35 | Nevada | $75,842 | $55,000 | 2,998,039 | 194 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $72,731 | $54,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,220 |
| 37 | New Hampshire | $72,146 | $53,000 | 1,342,795 | 244 |
| 38 | West Virginia | $75,041 | $55,000 | 1,815,857 | 102 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $72,925 | $54,000 | 4,454,189 | 329 |
| 40 | Alaska | $78,962 | $64,000 | 739,795 | 53 |
| 41 | Maine | $76,193 | $56,000 | 1,335,907 | 105 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $71,458 | $54,000 | 1,920,076 | 220 |
| 43 | Tennessee | $72,404 | $53,000 | 6,715,984 | 414 |
| 44 | North Dakota | $71,339 | $55,000 | 755,393 | 79 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $71,377 | $54,000 | 869,666 | 55 |
| 46 | Florida | $69,026 | $50,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,451 |
| 47 | Wisconsin | $66,004 | $49,000 | 5,795,483 | 552 |
| 48 | Iowa | $67,983 | $51,000 | 3,145,711 | 290 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $68,898 | $50,000 | 2,984,100 | 157 |
| 50 | Vermont | $65,758 | $48,000 | 623,657 | 68 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $68,004 | $53,000 | 1,427,538 | 72 |
Highest paying states for planning engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Planning Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $104,756 |
| 2 | Washington | $94,798 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $93,582 |
| 4 | Arizona | $88,745 |
| 5 | Colorado | $90,092 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $88,597 |
| 7 | Utah | $85,311 |
| 8 | Michigan | $84,074 |
| 9 | Wyoming | $88,942 |
| 10 | Alabama | $84,205 |
| 11 | Idaho | $84,831 |
| 12 | Oregon | $83,971 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $82,767 |
| 14 | Virginia | $85,724 |
| 15 | Oklahoma | $88,189 |
| 16 | Texas | $83,369 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $87,680 |
| 18 | Arkansas | $81,364 |
| 19 | Maryland | $83,755 |
| 20 | South Carolina | $81,641 |
| 21 | Ohio | $77,381 |
| 22 | District of Columbia | $81,101 |
| 23 | New York | $82,222 |
| 24 | Delaware | $79,298 |
| 25 | New Mexico | $81,354 |
| 26 | Montana | $81,983 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $78,623 |
| 28 | Missouri | $79,539 |
| 29 | Kansas | $77,805 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $75,883 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $79,724 |
| 32 | Georgia | $76,499 |
| 33 | Indiana | $73,165 |
| 34 | Illinois | $76,570 |
| 35 | Nevada | $75,842 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $72,731 |
| 37 | New Hampshire | $72,146 |
| 38 | West Virginia | $75,041 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $72,925 |
| 40 | Alaska | $78,962 |
| 41 | Maine | $76,193 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $71,458 |
| 43 | Tennessee | $72,404 |
| 44 | North Dakota | $71,339 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $71,377 |
| 46 | Florida | $69,026 |
| 47 | Wisconsin | $66,004 |
| 48 | Iowa | $67,983 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $68,898 |
| 50 | Vermont | $65,758 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $68,004 |
Planning engineer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025