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Best states for a protection engineer
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for protection engineers? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for protection engineer jobs.We wanted to look at the best states for protection engineers -- where there are plenty of protection engineer jobs to go around and protection engineers get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for protection engineers.We found that the Midwest is best for protection engineers, and the West is the worst. Sunnyvale, CA is the best city in the country for protection engineer jobs, where as California is the best state in the country.
10 best states for protection engineers in 2026
1. California
Total protection engineer jobs: 3,639 Average annual salary: $125,076 Lowest 10 percent earn: $86,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $181,000 Location Quotient: 1.66
2. Nevada
Total protection engineer jobs: 161 Average annual salary: $120,829 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $175,000 Location Quotient: 1.03
3. New Mexico
Total protection engineer jobs: 123 Average annual salary: $124,559 Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $180,000 Location Quotient: 0.84
4. Oregon
Total protection engineer jobs: 527 Average annual salary: $110,740 Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $157,000 Location Quotient: 1.7
5. Washington
Total protection engineer jobs: 850 Average annual salary: $111,650 Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $157,000 Location Quotient: 1.55
6. Texas
Total protection engineer jobs: 1,544 Average annual salary: $107,436 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $161,000 Location Quotient: 1.02
7. Idaho
Total protection engineer jobs: 117 Average annual salary: $108,290 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $155,000 Location Quotient: 0.95
8. Arizona
Total protection engineer jobs: 457 Average annual salary: $106,305 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 1.04
9. West Virginia
Total protection engineer jobs: 61 Average annual salary: $116,619 Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $167,000 Location Quotient: 0.53
10. Utah
Total protection engineer jobs: 241 Average annual salary: $101,649 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000 Location Quotient: 1.01
Protection engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a protection engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a protection engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $125,076 | $86,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,639 |
| 2 | Nevada | $120,829 | $83,000 | 2,998,039 | 161 |
| 3 | New Mexico | $124,559 | $85,000 | 2,088,070 | 123 |
| 4 | Oregon | $110,740 | $77,000 | 4,142,776 | 527 |
| 5 | Washington | $111,650 | $78,000 | 7,405,743 | 850 |
| 6 | Texas | $107,436 | $71,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,544 |
| 7 | Idaho | $108,290 | $75,000 | 1,716,943 | 117 |
| 8 | Arizona | $106,305 | $73,000 | 7,016,270 | 457 |
| 9 | West Virginia | $116,619 | $81,000 | 1,815,857 | 61 |
| 10 | Utah | $101,649 | $70,000 | 3,101,833 | 241 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $110,510 | $77,000 | 693,972 | 292 |
| 12 | Michigan | $109,469 | $76,000 | 9,962,311 | 446 |
| 13 | Tennessee | $109,436 | $74,000 | 6,715,984 | 269 |
| 14 | Kentucky | $113,705 | $79,000 | 4,454,189 | 118 |
| 15 | Arkansas | $110,154 | $74,000 | 3,004,279 | 115 |
| 16 | Delaware | $99,404 | $69,000 | 961,939 | 127 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $96,859 | $68,000 | 1,342,795 | 126 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $102,926 | $72,000 | 9,005,644 | 475 |
| 19 | Massachusetts | $98,251 | $69,000 | 6,859,819 | 678 |
| 20 | Alabama | $92,593 | $60,000 | 4,874,747 | 290 |
| 21 | Indiana | $96,479 | $67,000 | 6,666,818 | 332 |
| 22 | Colorado | $96,597 | $66,000 | 5,607,154 | 580 |
| 23 | Alaska | $98,868 | $74,000 | 739,795 | 53 |
| 24 | Connecticut | $99,186 | $69,000 | 3,588,184 | 199 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $96,934 | $68,000 | 5,795,483 | 233 |
| 26 | Louisiana | $93,999 | $60,000 | 4,684,333 | 190 |
| 27 | New York | $95,371 | $66,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,095 |
| 28 | Rhode Island | $95,102 | $67,000 | 1,059,639 | 64 |
| 29 | Mississippi | $94,098 | $61,000 | 2,984,100 | 103 |
| 30 | Vermont | $93,923 | $66,000 | 623,657 | 49 |
| 31 | Maine | $94,879 | $67,000 | 1,335,907 | 66 |
| 32 | Pennsylvania | $92,937 | $65,000 | 12,805,537 | 610 |
| 33 | Florida | $92,469 | $57,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,117 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | $95,398 | $64,000 | 3,930,864 | 125 |
| 35 | Virginia | $89,757 | $62,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,104 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $86,789 | $61,000 | 579,315 | 53 |
| 37 | Montana | $92,147 | $65,000 | 1,050,493 | 72 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $91,173 | $60,000 | 5,024,369 | 223 |
| 39 | Ohio | $89,046 | $62,000 | 11,658,609 | 480 |
| 40 | North Dakota | $89,727 | $65,000 | 755,393 | 41 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $88,477 | $62,000 | 1,920,076 | 123 |
| 42 | Maryland | $84,542 | $59,000 | 6,052,177 | 674 |
| 43 | Georgia | $86,412 | $56,000 | 10,429,379 | 732 |
| 44 | South Dakota | $86,790 | $62,000 | 869,666 | 39 |
| 45 | North Carolina | $86,108 | $58,000 | 10,273,419 | 565 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $70,657 | $52,000 | 1,427,538 | 88 |
| 47 | Minnesota | $83,403 | $60,000 | 5,576,606 | 403 |
| 48 | Kansas | $84,895 | $59,000 | 2,913,123 | 131 |
| 49 | Illinois | $75,649 | $53,000 | 12,802,023 | 780 |
| 50 | Iowa | $83,119 | $59,000 | 3,145,711 | 121 |
| 51 | Missouri | $79,466 | $55,000 | 6,113,532 | 287 |
Highest paying states for protection engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Protection Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $125,076 |
| 2 | Nevada | $120,829 |
| 3 | New Mexico | $124,559 |
| 4 | Oregon | $110,740 |
| 5 | Washington | $111,650 |
| 6 | Texas | $107,436 |
| 7 | Idaho | $108,290 |
| 8 | Arizona | $106,305 |
| 9 | West Virginia | $116,619 |
| 10 | Utah | $101,649 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $110,510 |
| 12 | Michigan | $109,469 |
| 13 | Tennessee | $109,436 |
| 14 | Kentucky | $113,705 |
| 15 | Arkansas | $110,154 |
| 16 | Delaware | $99,404 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $96,859 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $102,926 |
| 19 | Massachusetts | $98,251 |
| 20 | Alabama | $92,593 |
| 21 | Indiana | $96,479 |
| 22 | Colorado | $96,597 |
| 23 | Alaska | $98,868 |
| 24 | Connecticut | $99,186 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $96,934 |
| 26 | Louisiana | $93,999 |
| 27 | New York | $95,371 |
| 28 | Rhode Island | $95,102 |
| 29 | Mississippi | $94,098 |
| 30 | Vermont | $93,923 |
| 31 | Maine | $94,879 |
| 32 | Pennsylvania | $92,937 |
| 33 | Florida | $92,469 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | $95,398 |
| 35 | Virginia | $89,757 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $86,789 |
| 37 | Montana | $92,147 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $91,173 |
| 39 | Ohio | $89,046 |
| 40 | North Dakota | $89,727 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $88,477 |
| 42 | Maryland | $84,542 |
| 43 | Georgia | $86,412 |
| 44 | South Dakota | $86,790 |
| 45 | North Carolina | $86,108 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $70,657 |
| 47 | Minnesota | $83,403 |
| 48 | Kansas | $84,895 |
| 49 | Illinois | $75,649 |
| 50 | Iowa | $83,119 |
| 51 | Missouri | $79,466 |
Protection engineer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025