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Best states for a plant engineer
Quoted expert
Charles Jenckes
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to plant engineer jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. In order to help you decide which state is the best for plant engineers, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for plant engineer jobs.
The median salary for plant engineers in Arizona is $98,687. Compare that to the median salary in Maine of $81,451, which ranked worst for plant engineers, and you can see how your location is important for your career.We found that Arizona is the best state for plant engineer jobs, whereas Maine is the worst.
10 best states for plant engineers in 2025
1. Arizona
Total plant engineer jobs: 614 Average annual salary: $98,687 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
2. Oregon
Total plant engineer jobs: 463 Average annual salary: $100,345 Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000 Location Quotient: 1.29
3. Nevada
Total plant engineer jobs: 150 Average annual salary: $100,616 Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000 Location Quotient: 0.83
4. California
Total plant engineer jobs: 3,806 Average annual salary: $102,803 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Location Quotient: 1.5
5. Washington
Total plant engineer jobs: 737 Average annual salary: $98,476 Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $134,000 Location Quotient: 1.16
6. Utah
Total plant engineer jobs: 314 Average annual salary: $93,398 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 1.13
7. Texas
Total plant engineer jobs: 1,710 Average annual salary: $94,029 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
8. New Mexico
Total plant engineer jobs: 126 Average annual salary: $96,303 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $134,000 Location Quotient: 0.74
9. Ohio
Total plant engineer jobs: 894 Average annual salary: $90,875 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 1.01
10. Virginia
Total plant engineer jobs: 1,122 Average annual salary: $92,906 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 1.37
Plant engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a plant engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a plant engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | $98,687 | $70,000 | 7,016,270 | 614 |
| 2 | Oregon | $100,345 | $72,000 | 4,142,776 | 463 |
| 3 | Nevada | $100,616 | $72,000 | 2,998,039 | 150 |
| 4 | California | $102,803 | $73,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,806 |
| 5 | Washington | $98,476 | $72,000 | 7,405,743 | 737 |
| 6 | Utah | $93,398 | $67,000 | 3,101,833 | 314 |
| 7 | Texas | $94,029 | $66,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,710 |
| 8 | New Mexico | $96,303 | $68,000 | 2,088,070 | 126 |
| 9 | Ohio | $90,875 | $64,000 | 11,658,609 | 894 |
| 10 | Virginia | $92,906 | $66,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,122 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $92,086 | $65,000 | 12,805,537 | 802 |
| 12 | Delaware | $92,500 | $66,000 | 961,939 | 117 |
| 13 | Idaho | $94,048 | $68,000 | 1,716,943 | 115 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $92,039 | $65,000 | 10,273,419 | 815 |
| 15 | District of Columbia | $92,687 | $66,000 | 693,972 | 230 |
| 16 | Maryland | $92,555 | $66,000 | 6,052,177 | 654 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $91,685 | $65,000 | 1,815,857 | 75 |
| 18 | Alabama | $90,063 | $63,000 | 4,874,747 | 402 |
| 19 | Michigan | $89,649 | $63,000 | 9,962,311 | 730 |
| 20 | Indiana | $90,032 | $64,000 | 6,666,818 | 554 |
| 21 | Kentucky | $90,498 | $64,000 | 4,454,189 | 253 |
| 22 | Wyoming | $89,652 | $65,000 | 579,315 | 52 |
| 23 | Oklahoma | $91,111 | $65,000 | 3,930,864 | 168 |
| 24 | South Carolina | $90,709 | $64,000 | 5,024,369 | 358 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $90,280 | $64,000 | 6,715,984 | 362 |
| 26 | Mississippi | $90,543 | $63,000 | 2,984,100 | 134 |
| 27 | Colorado | $90,312 | $65,000 | 5,607,154 | 647 |
| 28 | New York | $91,454 | $65,000 | 19,849,399 | 994 |
| 29 | Arkansas | $90,311 | $64,000 | 3,004,279 | 147 |
| 30 | Georgia | $90,117 | $63,000 | 10,429,379 | 859 |
| 31 | Iowa | $88,352 | $63,000 | 3,145,711 | 330 |
| 32 | Louisiana | $91,372 | $63,000 | 4,684,333 | 157 |
| 33 | Montana | $91,139 | $67,000 | 1,050,493 | 74 |
| 34 | Connecticut | $90,715 | $64,000 | 3,588,184 | 235 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $88,439 | $62,000 | 5,795,483 | 512 |
| 36 | Kansas | $88,838 | $64,000 | 2,913,123 | 198 |
| 37 | New Jersey | $91,876 | $65,000 | 9,005,644 | 423 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $96,455 | $75,000 | 1,427,538 | 52 |
| 39 | Alaska | $94,091 | $74,000 | 739,795 | 51 |
| 40 | Illinois | $89,263 | $63,000 | 12,802,023 | 904 |
| 41 | South Dakota | $88,121 | $64,000 | 869,666 | 51 |
| 42 | Massachusetts | $87,703 | $62,000 | 6,859,819 | 916 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $88,229 | $63,000 | 1,920,076 | 150 |
| 44 | Missouri | $88,964 | $63,000 | 6,113,532 | 362 |
| 45 | North Dakota | $87,690 | $63,000 | 755,393 | 55 |
| 46 | Rhode Island | $89,634 | $63,000 | 1,059,639 | 57 |
| 47 | Minnesota | $87,190 | $62,000 | 5,576,606 | 539 |
| 48 | New Hampshire | $85,244 | $60,000 | 1,342,795 | 142 |
| 49 | Florida | $85,013 | $58,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,075 |
| 50 | Vermont | $82,340 | $58,000 | 623,657 | 52 |
| 51 | Maine | $81,451 | $58,000 | 1,335,907 | 53 |
Highest paying states for plant engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Plant Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | $98,687 |
| 2 | Oregon | $100,345 |
| 3 | Nevada | $100,616 |
| 4 | California | $102,803 |
| 5 | Washington | $98,476 |
| 6 | Utah | $93,398 |
| 7 | Texas | $94,029 |
| 8 | New Mexico | $96,303 |
| 9 | Ohio | $90,875 |
| 10 | Virginia | $92,906 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $92,086 |
| 12 | Delaware | $92,500 |
| 13 | Idaho | $94,048 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $92,039 |
| 15 | District of Columbia | $92,687 |
| 16 | Maryland | $92,555 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $91,685 |
| 18 | Alabama | $90,063 |
| 19 | Michigan | $89,649 |
| 20 | Indiana | $90,032 |
| 21 | Kentucky | $90,498 |
| 22 | Wyoming | $89,652 |
| 23 | Oklahoma | $91,111 |
| 24 | South Carolina | $90,709 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $90,280 |
| 26 | Mississippi | $90,543 |
| 27 | Colorado | $90,312 |
| 28 | New York | $91,454 |
| 29 | Arkansas | $90,311 |
| 30 | Georgia | $90,117 |
| 31 | Iowa | $88,352 |
| 32 | Louisiana | $91,372 |
| 33 | Montana | $91,139 |
| 34 | Connecticut | $90,715 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $88,439 |
| 36 | Kansas | $88,838 |
| 37 | New Jersey | $91,876 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $96,455 |
| 39 | Alaska | $94,091 |
| 40 | Illinois | $89,263 |
| 41 | South Dakota | $88,121 |
| 42 | Massachusetts | $87,703 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $88,229 |
| 44 | Missouri | $88,964 |
| 45 | North Dakota | $87,690 |
| 46 | Rhode Island | $89,634 |
| 47 | Minnesota | $87,190 |
| 48 | New Hampshire | $85,244 |
| 49 | Florida | $85,013 |
| 50 | Vermont | $82,340 |
| 51 | Maine | $81,451 |
Expert opinions on the best states for plant engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for plant engineers to find work opportunities?
Charles Jenckes
Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Plant engineer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025