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Best states for a product development engineer
Quoted expert
Andy Gerrick
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Product development engineer opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for product development engineers, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for product development engineers.In fact, our research shows that Washington is the best state for product development engineers in America. The best city in America for product development engineers with the highest pay is Sunnyvale, CA.
In order to get you the best states for product development 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 Washington is the best state for product development engineer jobs, whereas Mississippi is the worst.
10 best states for product development engineers in 2026
1. Washington
Total product development engineer jobs: 3,777 Average annual salary: $106,591 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Location Quotient: 1.88
2. California
Total product development engineer jobs: 10,482 Average annual salary: $109,365 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000 Location Quotient: 1.3
3. Arizona
Total product development engineer jobs: 1,839 Average annual salary: $88,698 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000 Location Quotient: 1.14
4. New Mexico
Total product development engineer jobs: 577 Average annual salary: $88,609 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000 Location Quotient: 1.07
5. Idaho
Total product development engineer jobs: 397 Average annual salary: $93,330 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000 Location Quotient: 0.88
6. Virginia
Total product development engineer jobs: 3,065 Average annual salary: $87,503 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $112,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
7. Alaska
Total product development engineer jobs: 255 Average annual salary: $85,950 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $108,000 Location Quotient: 1.11
8. Massachusetts
Total product development engineer jobs: 1,980 Average annual salary: $93,374 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000 Location Quotient: 0.78
9. District of Columbia
Total product development engineer jobs: 356 Average annual salary: $103,760 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $134,000 Location Quotient: 0.77
10. Illinois
Total product development engineer jobs: 4,059 Average annual salary: $83,660 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $106,000 Location Quotient: 1.23
Product development engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a product development engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a product development engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $106,591 | $79,000 | 7,405,743 | 3,777 |
| 2 | California | $109,365 | $79,000 | 39,536,653 | 10,482 |
| 3 | Arizona | $88,698 | $66,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,839 |
| 4 | New Mexico | $88,609 | $66,000 | 2,088,070 | 577 |
| 5 | Idaho | $93,330 | $69,000 | 1,716,943 | 397 |
| 6 | Virginia | $87,503 | $67,000 | 8,470,020 | 3,065 |
| 7 | Alaska | $85,950 | $68,000 | 739,795 | 255 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $93,374 | $71,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,980 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $103,760 | $80,000 | 693,972 | 356 |
| 10 | Illinois | $83,660 | $65,000 | 12,802,023 | 4,059 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $81,403 | $62,000 | 1,342,795 | 684 |
| 12 | Michigan | $81,274 | $63,000 | 9,962,311 | 2,345 |
| 13 | Texas | $84,581 | $63,000 | 28,304,596 | 5,243 |
| 14 | Oregon | $88,611 | $65,000 | 4,142,776 | 956 |
| 15 | Maine | $86,886 | $67,000 | 1,335,907 | 230 |
| 16 | Colorado | $83,300 | $62,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,994 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $84,160 | $65,000 | 1,815,857 | 320 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $78,906 | $60,000 | 12,805,537 | 3,472 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $87,332 | $66,000 | 3,588,184 | 557 |
| 20 | Utah | $82,846 | $61,000 | 3,101,833 | 583 |
| 21 | Maryland | $86,354 | $66,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,557 |
| 22 | Tennessee | $77,312 | $60,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,401 |
| 23 | New York | $86,507 | $66,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,141 |
| 24 | Nevada | $76,482 | $56,000 | 2,998,039 | 596 |
| 25 | Iowa | $76,609 | $59,000 | 3,145,711 | 823 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $73,128 | $57,000 | 10,273,419 | 3,227 |
| 27 | Minnesota | $76,695 | $59,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,781 |
| 28 | Ohio | $73,430 | $57,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,696 |
| 29 | Delaware | $81,508 | $62,000 | 961,939 | 232 |
| 30 | Georgia | $75,362 | $58,000 | 10,429,379 | 3,044 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $78,982 | $59,000 | 4,684,333 | 527 |
| 32 | Alabama | $73,163 | $56,000 | 4,874,747 | 1,121 |
| 33 | Indiana | $72,275 | $56,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,738 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $71,446 | $55,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,863 |
| 35 | New Jersey | $83,729 | $64,000 | 9,005,644 | 950 |
| 36 | North Dakota | $70,995 | $55,000 | 755,393 | 280 |
| 37 | Vermont | $71,266 | $54,000 | 623,657 | 273 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $72,010 | $56,000 | 4,454,189 | 800 |
| 39 | Rhode Island | $74,842 | $57,000 | 1,059,639 | 182 |
| 40 | Kansas | $69,448 | $54,000 | 2,913,123 | 771 |
| 41 | Florida | $69,589 | $51,000 | 20,984,400 | 4,220 |
| 42 | Hawaii | $70,800 | $56,000 | 1,427,538 | 221 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $69,925 | $54,000 | 5,024,369 | 1,010 |
| 44 | Montana | $73,243 | $54,000 | 1,050,493 | 124 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $65,116 | $50,000 | 1,920,076 | 619 |
| 46 | Wyoming | $68,756 | $51,000 | 579,315 | 132 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $61,786 | $48,000 | 3,004,279 | 790 |
| 48 | Missouri | $69,152 | $53,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,318 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $69,147 | $53,000 | 3,930,864 | 522 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $62,187 | $48,000 | 869,666 | 256 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $64,514 | $49,000 | 2,984,100 | 369 |
Highest paying states for product development engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Product Development Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $106,591 |
| 2 | California | $109,365 |
| 3 | Arizona | $88,698 |
| 4 | New Mexico | $88,609 |
| 5 | Idaho | $93,330 |
| 6 | Virginia | $87,503 |
| 7 | Alaska | $85,950 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $93,374 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $103,760 |
| 10 | Illinois | $83,660 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $81,403 |
| 12 | Michigan | $81,274 |
| 13 | Texas | $84,581 |
| 14 | Oregon | $88,611 |
| 15 | Maine | $86,886 |
| 16 | Colorado | $83,300 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $84,160 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $78,906 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $87,332 |
| 20 | Utah | $82,846 |
| 21 | Maryland | $86,354 |
| 22 | Tennessee | $77,312 |
| 23 | New York | $86,507 |
| 24 | Nevada | $76,482 |
| 25 | Iowa | $76,609 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $73,128 |
| 27 | Minnesota | $76,695 |
| 28 | Ohio | $73,430 |
| 29 | Delaware | $81,508 |
| 30 | Georgia | $75,362 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $78,982 |
| 32 | Alabama | $73,163 |
| 33 | Indiana | $72,275 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $71,446 |
| 35 | New Jersey | $83,729 |
| 36 | North Dakota | $70,995 |
| 37 | Vermont | $71,266 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $72,010 |
| 39 | Rhode Island | $74,842 |
| 40 | Kansas | $69,448 |
| 41 | Florida | $69,589 |
| 42 | Hawaii | $70,800 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $69,925 |
| 44 | Montana | $73,243 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $65,116 |
| 46 | Wyoming | $68,756 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $61,786 |
| 48 | Missouri | $69,152 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $69,147 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $62,187 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $64,514 |
Expert opinions on the best states for product development engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for product development 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 development engineer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025