Best states for a security engineer

Q: What is the best state for security engineers?

The best state to be a security engineer is Washington based on security engineer salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for security engineers?

The highest paying state for security engineers is Arkansas based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for security engineers?

The worst state for security engineers is South Carolina, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Jared Wilson

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We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for security engineers in the United States. Security 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 security engineers.In order to help you decide which state is the best for security engineers, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for security engineer jobs.

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 security engineers.We found that Washington is the best state for security engineer jobs, whereas South Carolina is the worst.

10 best states for security engineers in 2025

1. Washington
Total security engineer jobs: 1,460
Average annual salary: $114,711
Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000
Location Quotient:
1.26
Security engineer jobs in Washington
2. California
Total security engineer jobs: 4,669
Average annual salary: $129,113
Lowest 10 percent earn: $92,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $180,000
Location Quotient:
1.01
Security engineer jobs in California
3. Arizona
Total security engineer jobs: 1,126
Average annual salary: $103,511
Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $142,000
Location Quotient:
1.21
Security engineer jobs in Arizona
4. Delaware
Total security engineer jobs: 264
Average annual salary: $102,268
Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000
Location Quotient:
1.33
Security engineer jobs in Delaware
5. Nevada
Total security engineer jobs: 308
Average annual salary: $109,997
Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000
Location Quotient:
0.93
Security engineer jobs in Nevada
6. Oregon
Total security engineer jobs: 663
Average annual salary: $103,489
Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $142,000
Location Quotient:
1.01
Security engineer jobs in Oregon
7. New York
Total security engineer jobs: 2,097
Average annual salary: $105,949
Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000
Location Quotient:
1.03
Security engineer jobs in New York
8. Texas
Total security engineer jobs: 3,148
Average annual salary: $95,888
Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000
Location Quotient:
0.98
Security engineer jobs in Texas
9. District of Columbia
Total security engineer jobs: 714
Average annual salary: $99,800
Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000
Location Quotient:
2.68
Security engineer jobs in District of Columbia
10. Maryland
Total security engineer jobs: 1,607
Average annual salary: $97,919
Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000
Location Quotient:
1.6
Security engineer jobs in Maryland

Security engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a security engineer

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a security engineer

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Washington	$114,711	$83,000	7,405,743	1,460
2	California	$129,113	$92,000	39,536,653	4,669
3	Arizona	$103,511	$74,000	7,016,270	1,126
4	Delaware	$102,268	$75,000	961,939	264
5	Nevada	$109,997	$78,000	2,998,039	308
6	Oregon	$103,489	$75,000	4,142,776	663
7	New York	$105,949	$78,000	19,849,399	2,097
8	Texas	$95,888	$70,000	28,304,596	3,148
9	District of Columbia	$99,800	$73,000	693,972	714
10	Maryland	$97,919	$72,000	6,052,177	1,607
11	Virginia	$95,824	$70,000	8,470,020	2,775
12	Pennsylvania	$94,837	$69,000	12,805,537	1,680
13	Connecticut	$97,764	$72,000	3,588,184	526
14	New Hampshire	$96,212	$71,000	1,342,795	254
15	North Carolina	$93,682	$69,000	10,273,419	1,494
16	Idaho	$96,095	$70,000	1,716,943	210
17	Vermont	$93,480	$70,000	623,657	129
18	New Jersey	$98,066	$72,000	9,005,644	1,253
19	Georgia	$93,321	$69,000	10,429,379	1,644
20	Wyoming	$91,839	$68,000	579,315	90
21	Utah	$94,082	$69,000	3,101,833	452
22	Mississippi	$89,882	$67,000	2,984,100	351
23	Rhode Island	$91,747	$68,000	1,059,639	194
24	Massachusetts	$97,362	$72,000	6,859,819	1,189
25	Alaska	$91,199	$71,000	739,795	182
26	Illinois	$91,130	$67,000	12,802,023	2,281
27	West Virginia	$89,707	$66,000	1,815,857	202
28	Maine	$92,995	$69,000	1,335,907	166
29	Ohio	$89,236	$65,000	11,658,609	1,311
30	Hawaii	$90,623	$70,000	1,427,538	142
31	Michigan	$88,136	$65,000	9,962,311	1,115
32	Indiana	$87,383	$65,000	6,666,818	950
33	New Mexico	$90,305	$66,000	2,088,070	256
34	South Dakota	$89,289	$67,000	869,666	105
35	North Dakota	$89,295	$69,000	755,393	107
36	Alabama	$83,845	$62,000	4,874,747	865
37	Colorado	$87,014	$65,000	5,607,154	1,112
38	Minnesota	$85,818	$65,000	5,576,606	1,209
39	Kansas	$87,342	$65,000	2,913,123	357
40	Tennessee	$85,333	$63,000	6,715,984	588
41	Wisconsin	$84,314	$63,000	5,795,483	744
42	Kentucky	$84,889	$63,000	4,454,189	444
43	Louisiana	$86,132	$63,000	4,684,333	399
44	Montana	$85,640	$64,000	1,050,493	154
45	Iowa	$83,959	$63,000	3,145,711	455
46	Nebraska	$83,004	$62,000	1,920,076	326
47	Arkansas	$82,728	$62,000	3,004,279	318
48	Florida	$86,678	$62,000	20,984,400	1,561
49	Missouri	$83,007	$62,000	6,113,532	835
50	Oklahoma	$82,755	$62,000	3,930,864	341
51	South Carolina	$83,530	$61,000	5,024,369	498

Highest paying states for security engineers

Rank	State	Avg. Security Engineer Salary
1	Washington	$114,711
2	California	$129,113
3	Arizona	$103,511
4	Delaware	$102,268
5	Nevada	$109,997
6	Oregon	$103,489
7	New York	$105,949
8	Texas	$95,888
9	District of Columbia	$99,800
10	Maryland	$97,919
11	Virginia	$95,824
12	Pennsylvania	$94,837
13	Connecticut	$97,764
14	New Hampshire	$96,212
15	North Carolina	$93,682
16	Idaho	$96,095
17	Vermont	$93,480
18	New Jersey	$98,066
19	Georgia	$93,321
20	Wyoming	$91,839
21	Utah	$94,082
22	Mississippi	$89,882
23	Rhode Island	$91,747
24	Massachusetts	$97,362
25	Alaska	$91,199
26	Illinois	$91,130
27	West Virginia	$89,707
28	Maine	$92,995
29	Ohio	$89,236
30	Hawaii	$90,623
31	Michigan	$88,136
32	Indiana	$87,383
33	New Mexico	$90,305
34	South Dakota	$89,289
35	North Dakota	$89,295
36	Alabama	$83,845
37	Colorado	$87,014
38	Minnesota	$85,818
39	Kansas	$87,342
40	Tennessee	$85,333
41	Wisconsin	$84,314
42	Kentucky	$84,889
43	Louisiana	$86,132
44	Montana	$85,640
45	Iowa	$83,959
46	Nebraska	$83,004
47	Arkansas	$82,728
48	Florida	$86,678
49	Missouri	$83,007
50	Oklahoma	$82,755
51	South Carolina	$83,530

Expert opinions on the best states for security engineers

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for security engineers to find work opportunities?
Jared Wilson
Assistant Professor and Faculty Coordinator, East Tennessee State University
Within the field of land surveying and related employment opportunities, work is available. However, in my experience, work may not be in the exact location a person wishes to live. So, a move may be necessary, or potentially traveling to where the work is located. Should a graduate, or person for that matter, want to work, work is available.

Security engineer best states FAQs

What is the best state for security engineers?

What is the highest paying state for security engineers?

What is the worst state for security engineers?

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Search for security engineer jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total security engineer jobs:	1,460
Average annual salary:	$114,711
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$83,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$156,000
Location Quotient:	1.26

Best states for a security engineer

10 best states for security engineers in 2025

1. Washington

2. California

3. Arizona

4. Delaware

5. Nevada

6. Oregon

7. New York

8. Texas

9. District of Columbia

10. Maryland