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Best states for a senior design engineer
Quoted expert
Andy Gerrick
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for senior design engineers in the United States. Senior design 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 senior design engineers.In order to help you decide which state is the best for senior design engineers, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for senior design engineer jobs.
California is the best state for jobs for senior design engineers, and South Dakota is the worst. The most common pay in California is $127,433, while the median pay in South Dakota is $73,111.We found that California is the best state for senior design engineer jobs, whereas South Dakota is the worst.
10 best states for senior design engineers in 2025
1. California
Total senior design engineer jobs: 9,750 Average annual salary: $127,433 Lowest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $172,000 Location Quotient: 2.07
2. Arizona
Total senior design engineer jobs: 1,297 Average annual salary: $107,101 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Location Quotient: 1.38
3. District of Columbia
Total senior design engineer jobs: 449 Average annual salary: $116,103 Lowest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000 Location Quotient: 1.66
4. Washington
Total senior design engineer jobs: 1,833 Average annual salary: $106,620 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $142,000 Location Quotient: 1.56
5. Idaho
Total senior design engineer jobs: 231 Average annual salary: $111,392 Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000 Location Quotient: 0.87
6. Oregon
Total senior design engineer jobs: 1,034 Average annual salary: $104,382 Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000 Location Quotient: 1.55
7. Massachusetts
Total senior design engineer jobs: 1,899 Average annual salary: $104,222 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $134,000 Location Quotient: 1.29
8. Texas
Total senior design engineer jobs: 3,081 Average annual salary: $101,963 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 0.95
9. New Mexico
Total senior design engineer jobs: 206 Average annual salary: $110,469 Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000 Location Quotient: 0.65
10. Utah
Total senior design engineer jobs: 585 Average annual salary: $97,214 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $131,000 Location Quotient: 1.14
Senior design engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a senior design engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a senior design engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $127,433 | $94,000 | 39,536,653 | 9,750 |
| 2 | Arizona | $107,101 | $79,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,297 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $116,103 | $89,000 | 693,972 | 449 |
| 4 | Washington | $106,620 | $79,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,833 |
| 5 | Idaho | $111,392 | $82,000 | 1,716,943 | 231 |
| 6 | Oregon | $104,382 | $77,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,034 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $104,222 | $80,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,899 |
| 8 | Texas | $101,963 | $76,000 | 28,304,596 | 3,081 |
| 9 | New Mexico | $110,469 | $82,000 | 2,088,070 | 206 |
| 10 | Utah | $97,214 | $71,000 | 3,101,833 | 585 |
| 11 | Wyoming | $97,964 | $73,000 | 579,315 | 92 |
| 12 | Nevada | $103,548 | $76,000 | 2,998,039 | 236 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $98,741 | $76,000 | 3,588,184 | 578 |
| 14 | West Virginia | $101,784 | $78,000 | 1,815,857 | 132 |
| 15 | Alaska | $101,441 | $87,000 | 739,795 | 118 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $96,344 | $74,000 | 1,342,795 | 246 |
| 17 | Louisiana | $103,472 | $77,000 | 4,684,333 | 239 |
| 18 | Montana | $93,795 | $71,000 | 1,050,493 | 148 |
| 19 | North Dakota | $93,843 | $74,000 | 755,393 | 114 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $92,611 | $71,000 | 1,059,639 | 172 |
| 21 | Delaware | $91,340 | $70,000 | 961,939 | 240 |
| 22 | Colorado | $92,088 | $69,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,282 |
| 23 | Hawaii | $100,727 | $85,000 | 1,427,538 | 121 |
| 24 | Alabama | $88,965 | $67,000 | 4,874,747 | 630 |
| 25 | Florida | $93,433 | $69,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,983 |
| 26 | Maryland | $93,190 | $71,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,087 |
| 27 | Virginia | $90,486 | $69,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,883 |
| 28 | Illinois | $91,204 | $70,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,630 |
| 29 | New York | $91,872 | $70,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,951 |
| 30 | Michigan | $84,551 | $66,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,124 |
| 31 | Maine | $91,084 | $71,000 | 1,335,907 | 136 |
| 32 | New Jersey | $93,928 | $72,000 | 9,005,644 | 854 |
| 33 | Georgia | $88,292 | $67,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,282 |
| 34 | Vermont | $83,187 | $65,000 | 623,657 | 124 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $86,217 | $66,000 | 6,715,984 | 420 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $82,393 | $63,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,215 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $82,335 | $64,000 | 5,795,483 | 665 |
| 38 | Minnesota | $81,783 | $64,000 | 5,576,606 | 940 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $82,503 | $63,000 | 1,920,076 | 227 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $83,322 | $63,000 | 5,024,369 | 390 |
| 41 | Indiana | $76,999 | $59,000 | 6,666,818 | 793 |
| 42 | Iowa | $76,543 | $59,000 | 3,145,711 | 456 |
| 43 | Ohio | $77,776 | $60,000 | 11,658,609 | 997 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $80,988 | $61,000 | 3,930,864 | 219 |
| 45 | Pennsylvania | $76,175 | $58,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,235 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $75,782 | $58,000 | 4,454,189 | 290 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $76,733 | $58,000 | 2,984,100 | 128 |
| 48 | Kansas | $73,946 | $56,000 | 2,913,123 | 336 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $73,384 | $56,000 | 3,004,279 | 232 |
| 50 | Missouri | $75,021 | $57,000 | 6,113,532 | 530 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $73,111 | $56,000 | 869,666 | 88 |
Highest paying states for senior design engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Senior Design Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $127,433 |
| 2 | Arizona | $107,101 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $116,103 |
| 4 | Washington | $106,620 |
| 5 | Idaho | $111,392 |
| 6 | Oregon | $104,382 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $104,222 |
| 8 | Texas | $101,963 |
| 9 | New Mexico | $110,469 |
| 10 | Utah | $97,214 |
| 11 | Wyoming | $97,964 |
| 12 | Nevada | $103,548 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $98,741 |
| 14 | West Virginia | $101,784 |
| 15 | Alaska | $101,441 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $96,344 |
| 17 | Louisiana | $103,472 |
| 18 | Montana | $93,795 |
| 19 | North Dakota | $93,843 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $92,611 |
| 21 | Delaware | $91,340 |
| 22 | Colorado | $92,088 |
| 23 | Hawaii | $100,727 |
| 24 | Alabama | $88,965 |
| 25 | Florida | $93,433 |
| 26 | Maryland | $93,190 |
| 27 | Virginia | $90,486 |
| 28 | Illinois | $91,204 |
| 29 | New York | $91,872 |
| 30 | Michigan | $84,551 |
| 31 | Maine | $91,084 |
| 32 | New Jersey | $93,928 |
| 33 | Georgia | $88,292 |
| 34 | Vermont | $83,187 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $86,217 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $82,393 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $82,335 |
| 38 | Minnesota | $81,783 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $82,503 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $83,322 |
| 41 | Indiana | $76,999 |
| 42 | Iowa | $76,543 |
| 43 | Ohio | $77,776 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $80,988 |
| 45 | Pennsylvania | $76,175 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $75,782 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $76,733 |
| 48 | Kansas | $73,946 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $73,384 |
| 50 | Missouri | $75,021 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $73,111 |
Expert opinions on the best states for senior design engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for senior 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.
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Updated January 8, 2025