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Best states for a product design engineer
Quoted expert
Andy Gerrick
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Do you want to become a product design engineer at Apple, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for product design engineers that you can check out, before you begin your journey. Our research shows that California is the best state in the country for product design engineers.
California is the best state for jobs for product design engineers, and Mississippi is the worst. The most common pay in California is $135,540, while the median pay in Mississippi is $67,670.California is the best state, and Pacifica is the city with the highest pay for product design engineers.
10 best states for product design engineers in 2026
1. California
Total product design engineer jobs: 10,748 Average annual salary: $135,540 Lowest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $188,000 Location Quotient: 1.53
2. Colorado
Total product design engineer jobs: 2,064 Average annual salary: $108,485 Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 1.45
3. Washington
Total product design engineer jobs: 2,022 Average annual salary: $109,903 Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000 Location Quotient: 1.15
4. Arizona
Total product design engineer jobs: 1,900 Average annual salary: $96,114 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000 Location Quotient: 1.35
5. Nevada
Total product design engineer jobs: 508 Average annual salary: $98,544 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000 Location Quotient: 1.01
6. New Mexico
Total product design engineer jobs: 442 Average annual salary: $96,104 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 0.94
7. Oregon
Total product design engineer jobs: 1,327 Average annual salary: $91,931 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000 Location Quotient: 1.33
8. Massachusetts
Total product design engineer jobs: 2,235 Average annual salary: $96,009 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000 Location Quotient: 1.01
9. Alaska
Total product design engineer jobs: 186 Average annual salary: $97,900 Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
10. Texas
Total product design engineer jobs: 5,988 Average annual salary: $87,330 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000 Location Quotient: 1.23
Product design engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a product design engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a product design engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $135,540 | $97,000 | 39,536,653 | 10,748 |
| 2 | Colorado | $108,485 | $81,000 | 5,607,154 | 2,064 |
| 3 | Washington | $109,903 | $81,000 | 7,405,743 | 2,022 |
| 4 | Arizona | $96,114 | $69,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,900 |
| 5 | Nevada | $98,544 | $71,000 | 2,998,039 | 508 |
| 6 | New Mexico | $96,104 | $70,000 | 2,088,070 | 442 |
| 7 | Oregon | $91,931 | $67,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,327 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $96,009 | $73,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,235 |
| 9 | Alaska | $97,900 | $81,000 | 739,795 | 186 |
| 10 | Texas | $87,330 | $64,000 | 28,304,596 | 5,988 |
| 11 | Maine | $90,486 | $69,000 | 1,335,907 | 274 |
| 12 | Utah | $87,395 | $63,000 | 3,101,833 | 673 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $90,879 | $70,000 | 1,815,857 | 201 |
| 14 | Idaho | $90,976 | $66,000 | 1,716,943 | 255 |
| 15 | District of Columbia | $90,525 | $69,000 | 693,972 | 415 |
| 16 | Michigan | $79,083 | $61,000 | 9,962,311 | 2,140 |
| 17 | South Dakota | $83,921 | $65,000 | 869,666 | 172 |
| 18 | Maryland | $83,263 | $64,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,846 |
| 19 | Virginia | $83,551 | $64,000 | 8,470,020 | 2,104 |
| 20 | Vermont | $84,444 | $64,000 | 623,657 | 129 |
| 21 | Louisiana | $86,399 | $63,000 | 4,684,333 | 383 |
| 22 | Alabama | $78,603 | $60,000 | 4,874,747 | 870 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $80,969 | $62,000 | 1,342,795 | 325 |
| 24 | Ohio | $74,944 | $58,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,397 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $81,141 | $62,000 | 1,059,639 | 207 |
| 26 | Wyoming | $75,066 | $56,000 | 579,315 | 156 |
| 27 | Connecticut | $83,452 | $63,000 | 3,588,184 | 605 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $74,891 | $58,000 | 755,393 | 214 |
| 29 | Nebraska | $75,672 | $58,000 | 1,920,076 | 506 |
| 30 | Montana | $81,167 | $60,000 | 1,050,493 | 159 |
| 31 | Pennsylvania | $74,334 | $57,000 | 12,805,537 | 3,029 |
| 32 | Hawaii | $86,281 | $70,000 | 1,427,538 | 162 |
| 33 | Tennessee | $77,414 | $60,000 | 6,715,984 | 996 |
| 34 | North Carolina | $77,886 | $60,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,673 |
| 35 | Delaware | $78,531 | $60,000 | 961,939 | 252 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $73,538 | $57,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,462 |
| 37 | New York | $80,868 | $62,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,527 |
| 38 | Indiana | $73,605 | $57,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,378 |
| 39 | Iowa | $73,638 | $57,000 | 3,145,711 | 790 |
| 40 | Illinois | $78,572 | $61,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,847 |
| 41 | Georgia | $71,777 | $55,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,598 |
| 42 | Minnesota | $75,008 | $58,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,275 |
| 43 | Kansas | $71,091 | $55,000 | 2,913,123 | 654 |
| 44 | Florida | $70,774 | $51,000 | 20,984,400 | 3,504 |
| 45 | New Jersey | $76,767 | $58,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,112 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $73,559 | $56,000 | 3,930,864 | 398 |
| 47 | Missouri | $70,963 | $55,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,149 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $67,659 | $52,000 | 5,024,369 | 888 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $67,134 | $52,000 | 4,454,189 | 642 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $63,220 | $48,000 | 3,004,279 | 537 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $67,670 | $51,000 | 2,984,100 | 261 |
Highest paying states for product design engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Product Design Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $135,540 |
| 2 | Colorado | $108,485 |
| 3 | Washington | $109,903 |
| 4 | Arizona | $96,114 |
| 5 | Nevada | $98,544 |
| 6 | New Mexico | $96,104 |
| 7 | Oregon | $91,931 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $96,009 |
| 9 | Alaska | $97,900 |
| 10 | Texas | $87,330 |
| 11 | Maine | $90,486 |
| 12 | Utah | $87,395 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $90,879 |
| 14 | Idaho | $90,976 |
| 15 | District of Columbia | $90,525 |
| 16 | Michigan | $79,083 |
| 17 | South Dakota | $83,921 |
| 18 | Maryland | $83,263 |
| 19 | Virginia | $83,551 |
| 20 | Vermont | $84,444 |
| 21 | Louisiana | $86,399 |
| 22 | Alabama | $78,603 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $80,969 |
| 24 | Ohio | $74,944 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $81,141 |
| 26 | Wyoming | $75,066 |
| 27 | Connecticut | $83,452 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $74,891 |
| 29 | Nebraska | $75,672 |
| 30 | Montana | $81,167 |
| 31 | Pennsylvania | $74,334 |
| 32 | Hawaii | $86,281 |
| 33 | Tennessee | $77,414 |
| 34 | North Carolina | $77,886 |
| 35 | Delaware | $78,531 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $73,538 |
| 37 | New York | $80,868 |
| 38 | Indiana | $73,605 |
| 39 | Iowa | $73,638 |
| 40 | Illinois | $78,572 |
| 41 | Georgia | $71,777 |
| 42 | Minnesota | $75,008 |
| 43 | Kansas | $71,091 |
| 44 | Florida | $70,774 |
| 45 | New Jersey | $76,767 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $73,559 |
| 47 | Missouri | $70,963 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $67,659 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $67,134 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $63,220 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $67,670 |
Expert opinions on the best states for product design engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for product design engineers to find work opportunities?
Andy Gerrick
Associate Professor and Chair, Embry-Riddle, Prescott
Mechanical engineering is the most general field of engineering. Any industry that designs or produces physical products, from toys to spacecraft, hires mechanical engineers. The aerospace industry, where I spent 35 years as a mechanical engineer, hires many more mechanical engineers than aerospace engineers.
Product design engineer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025