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Best states for a senior engineer/scientist
Quoted expert
Sami Mejri Ph.D.
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Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for senior engineers/scientist? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for senior engineer/scientist jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of senior engineers/scientist in America is $140,000.
Rhode Island is the best state for jobs for senior engineers/scientist, and Arkansas is the worst. The most common pay in Rhode Island is $120,776, while the median pay in Arkansas is $81,806.Rhode Island is the best state, and Pacifica is the city with the highest pay for senior engineers/scientist.
10 best states for senior engineers/scientist in 2026
1. Rhode Island
Total senior engineer/scientist jobs: 154 Average annual salary: $120,776 Lowest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000 Location Quotient: 0.94
2. California
Total senior engineer/scientist jobs: 5,170 Average annual salary: $122,450 Lowest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $166,000 Location Quotient: 1.32
3. District of Columbia
Total senior engineer/scientist jobs: 333 Average annual salary: $119,107 Lowest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000 Location Quotient: 1.48
4. Arizona
Total senior engineer/scientist jobs: 844 Average annual salary: $110,758 Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000 Location Quotient: 1.08
5. Nevada
Total senior engineer/scientist jobs: 215 Average annual salary: $113,274 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000 Location Quotient: 0.77
6. Washington
Total senior engineer/scientist jobs: 1,116 Average annual salary: $111,822 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000 Location Quotient: 1.14
7. Nebraska
Total senior engineer/scientist jobs: 227 Average annual salary: $113,113 Lowest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000 Location Quotient: 0.76
8. Ohio
Total senior engineer/scientist jobs: 906 Average annual salary: $113,262 Lowest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000 Location Quotient: 0.66
9. Vermont
Total senior engineer/scientist jobs: 111 Average annual salary: $109,032 Lowest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 1.08
10. New Mexico
Total senior engineer/scientist jobs: 236 Average annual salary: $108,171 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000 Location Quotient: 0.9
Senior engineer/scientist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a senior engineer/scientist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a senior engineer/scientist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $120,776 | $94,000 | 1,059,639 | 154 |
| 2 | California | $122,450 | $89,000 | 39,536,653 | 5,170 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $119,107 | $91,000 | 693,972 | 333 |
| 4 | Arizona | $110,758 | $82,000 | 7,016,270 | 844 |
| 5 | Nevada | $113,274 | $83,000 | 2,998,039 | 215 |
| 6 | Washington | $111,822 | $83,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,116 |
| 7 | Nebraska | $113,113 | $87,000 | 1,920,076 | 227 |
| 8 | Ohio | $113,262 | $87,000 | 11,658,609 | 906 |
| 9 | Vermont | $109,032 | $87,000 | 623,657 | 111 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $108,171 | $80,000 | 2,088,070 | 236 |
| 11 | Hawaii | $116,893 | $91,000 | 1,427,538 | 125 |
| 12 | Alabama | $106,739 | $80,000 | 4,874,747 | 460 |
| 13 | Texas | $106,582 | $80,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,293 |
| 14 | Michigan | $106,470 | $82,000 | 9,962,311 | 807 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | $107,785 | $85,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,286 |
| 16 | Idaho | $105,789 | $79,000 | 1,716,943 | 198 |
| 17 | North Dakota | $103,024 | $82,000 | 755,393 | 113 |
| 18 | Montana | $104,486 | $80,000 | 1,050,493 | 156 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $100,788 | $77,000 | 579,315 | 96 |
| 20 | Missouri | $105,684 | $80,000 | 6,113,532 | 611 |
| 21 | Maine | $104,523 | $84,000 | 1,335,907 | 143 |
| 22 | Colorado | $102,330 | $77,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,118 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $102,349 | $80,000 | 5,576,606 | 827 |
| 24 | West Virginia | $103,684 | $79,000 | 1,815,857 | 125 |
| 25 | Oregon | $100,949 | $74,000 | 4,142,776 | 728 |
| 26 | South Dakota | $100,213 | $78,000 | 869,666 | 128 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $105,219 | $79,000 | 4,684,333 | 226 |
| 28 | Maryland | $102,181 | $78,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,726 |
| 29 | Illinois | $101,709 | $78,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,615 |
| 30 | Delaware | $98,310 | $75,000 | 961,939 | 260 |
| 31 | New Jersey | $100,089 | $77,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,419 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $99,871 | $78,000 | 5,795,483 | 564 |
| 33 | Utah | $94,470 | $70,000 | 3,101,833 | 556 |
| 34 | Virginia | $96,785 | $74,000 | 8,470,020 | 2,376 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $100,978 | $76,000 | 3,930,864 | 165 |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | $96,364 | $74,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,319 |
| 37 | North Carolina | $93,563 | $71,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,458 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | $94,686 | $75,000 | 1,342,795 | 263 |
| 39 | Connecticut | $95,357 | $74,000 | 3,588,184 | 480 |
| 40 | New York | $92,912 | $72,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,106 |
| 41 | Alaska | $92,143 | $78,000 | 739,795 | 110 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $94,816 | $72,000 | 6,715,984 | 372 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $94,734 | $72,000 | 5,024,369 | 386 |
| 44 | Georgia | $91,565 | $69,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,035 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $90,684 | $68,000 | 2,984,100 | 117 |
| 46 | Kansas | $87,845 | $67,000 | 2,913,123 | 280 |
| 47 | Kentucky | $87,905 | $67,000 | 4,454,189 | 226 |
| 48 | Iowa | $87,025 | $67,000 | 3,145,711 | 261 |
| 49 | Florida | $85,125 | $64,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,611 |
| 50 | Indiana | $80,616 | $62,000 | 6,666,818 | 673 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $81,806 | $61,000 | 3,004,279 | 176 |
Highest paying states for senior engineers/scientist
| Rank | State | Avg. Senior Engineer/Scientist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $120,776 |
| 2 | California | $122,450 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $119,107 |
| 4 | Arizona | $110,758 |
| 5 | Nevada | $113,274 |
| 6 | Washington | $111,822 |
| 7 | Nebraska | $113,113 |
| 8 | Ohio | $113,262 |
| 9 | Vermont | $109,032 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $108,171 |
| 11 | Hawaii | $116,893 |
| 12 | Alabama | $106,739 |
| 13 | Texas | $106,582 |
| 14 | Michigan | $106,470 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | $107,785 |
| 16 | Idaho | $105,789 |
| 17 | North Dakota | $103,024 |
| 18 | Montana | $104,486 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $100,788 |
| 20 | Missouri | $105,684 |
| 21 | Maine | $104,523 |
| 22 | Colorado | $102,330 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $102,349 |
| 24 | West Virginia | $103,684 |
| 25 | Oregon | $100,949 |
| 26 | South Dakota | $100,213 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $105,219 |
| 28 | Maryland | $102,181 |
| 29 | Illinois | $101,709 |
| 30 | Delaware | $98,310 |
| 31 | New Jersey | $100,089 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $99,871 |
| 33 | Utah | $94,470 |
| 34 | Virginia | $96,785 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $100,978 |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | $96,364 |
| 37 | North Carolina | $93,563 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | $94,686 |
| 39 | Connecticut | $95,357 |
| 40 | New York | $92,912 |
| 41 | Alaska | $92,143 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $94,816 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $94,734 |
| 44 | Georgia | $91,565 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $90,684 |
| 46 | Kansas | $87,845 |
| 47 | Kentucky | $87,905 |
| 48 | Iowa | $87,025 |
| 49 | Florida | $85,125 |
| 50 | Indiana | $80,616 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $81,806 |
Expert opinions on the best states for senior engineers/scientist
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for senior engineer/scientists to find work opportunities?
Sami Mejri Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Science, Assistant Dean, Graduate Programs, Tiffin University
With the rising cost of living, a college graduate's ideal first job may not be in their home state or favorite vacation town. According to Business Insider, MidWestern cities like Columbus-Ohio, Cincinnati-Ohio, Madison-Wisconsin, Milwaukee-Wisconsin, and Indianapolis-Indiana were some of the best geographical areas to live for college graduates. The cost of living in these Midwestern states remains relatively lower than coastal areas, making these locations ideal for college graduates entering the workforce. However, college graduates with degrees in healthcare, computer science, and data analytics may not be limited to these geographical areas, given employers' incentives to these in-demand jobs.
Senior engineer/scientist best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025