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Best states for a senior mechanical designer
Quoted expert
Andy Gerrick
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Do you want to become a senior mechanical designer at Tesla, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for senior mechanical designers that you can check out, before you begin your journey. Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of senior mechanical designers in America is $131,000.
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 senior mechanical designers.Washington is the best state, and Pacifica is the city with the highest pay for senior mechanical designers.
10 best states for senior mechanical designers in 2026
1. Washington
Total senior mechanical designer jobs: 1,445 Average annual salary: $122,753 Lowest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $158,000 Location Quotient: 1.47
2. California
Total senior mechanical designer jobs: 7,073 Average annual salary: $126,050 Lowest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $165,000 Location Quotient: 1.8
3. District of Columbia
Total senior mechanical designer jobs: 370 Average annual salary: $129,214 Lowest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $163,000 Location Quotient: 1.64
4. Arizona
Total senior mechanical designer jobs: 826 Average annual salary: $110,809 Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Location Quotient: 1.05
5. Massachusetts
Total senior mechanical designer jobs: 1,593 Average annual salary: $107,520 Lowest 10 percent earn: $86,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Location Quotient: 1.29
6. Nevada
Total senior mechanical designer jobs: 224 Average annual salary: $113,850 Lowest 10 percent earn: $86,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000 Location Quotient: 0.8
7. New Mexico
Total senior mechanical designer jobs: 209 Average annual salary: $109,560 Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000 Location Quotient: 0.79
8. Texas
Total senior mechanical designer jobs: 2,386 Average annual salary: $106,357 Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000 Location Quotient: 0.88
9. Oregon
Total senior mechanical designer jobs: 826 Average annual salary: $101,588 Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000 Location Quotient: 1.49
10. Connecticut
Total senior mechanical designer jobs: 415 Average annual salary: $105,728 Lowest 10 percent earn: $84,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
Senior mechanical designer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a senior mechanical designer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a senior mechanical designer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $122,753 | $95,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,445 |
| 2 | California | $126,050 | $95,000 | 39,536,653 | 7,073 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $129,214 | $101,000 | 693,972 | 370 |
| 4 | Arizona | $110,809 | $85,000 | 7,016,270 | 826 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $107,520 | $86,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,593 |
| 6 | Nevada | $113,850 | $86,000 | 2,998,039 | 224 |
| 7 | New Mexico | $109,560 | $85,000 | 2,088,070 | 209 |
| 8 | Texas | $106,357 | $82,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,386 |
| 9 | Oregon | $101,588 | $77,000 | 4,142,776 | 826 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $105,728 | $84,000 | 3,588,184 | 415 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $99,430 | $80,000 | 1,342,795 | 293 |
| 12 | Maine | $106,373 | $87,000 | 1,335,907 | 126 |
| 13 | Idaho | $108,576 | $84,000 | 1,716,943 | 135 |
| 14 | Utah | $96,964 | $74,000 | 3,101,833 | 510 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $105,040 | $83,000 | 1,815,857 | 107 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $96,420 | $76,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,164 |
| 17 | Maryland | $102,372 | $80,000 | 6,052,177 | 941 |
| 18 | Delaware | $100,943 | $79,000 | 961,939 | 130 |
| 19 | Illinois | $98,296 | $78,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,506 |
| 20 | New York | $99,471 | $79,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,164 |
| 21 | Louisiana | $102,379 | $79,000 | 4,684,333 | 226 |
| 22 | Tennessee | $100,858 | $79,000 | 6,715,984 | 387 |
| 23 | Colorado | $96,909 | $76,000 | 5,607,154 | 878 |
| 24 | Virginia | $96,630 | $76,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,426 |
| 25 | Iowa | $96,153 | $76,000 | 3,145,711 | 315 |
| 26 | Alabama | $93,851 | $73,000 | 4,874,747 | 459 |
| 27 | Georgia | $93,727 | $74,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,402 |
| 28 | Alaska | $100,007 | $85,000 | 739,795 | 59 |
| 29 | Florida | $96,602 | $74,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,440 |
| 30 | Rhode Island | $91,411 | $73,000 | 1,059,639 | 155 |
| 31 | Michigan | $88,715 | $70,000 | 9,962,311 | 952 |
| 32 | Minnesota | $90,161 | $72,000 | 5,576,606 | 976 |
| 33 | Kansas | $89,305 | $70,000 | 2,913,123 | 339 |
| 34 | New Jersey | $94,847 | $75,000 | 9,005,644 | 878 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $91,192 | $71,000 | 3,930,864 | 223 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $90,814 | $71,000 | 4,454,189 | 265 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $90,946 | $71,000 | 5,024,369 | 351 |
| 38 | North Dakota | $86,348 | $70,000 | 755,393 | 93 |
| 39 | Vermont | $87,100 | $71,000 | 623,657 | 90 |
| 40 | Missouri | $88,318 | $70,000 | 6,113,532 | 559 |
| 41 | Indiana | $86,913 | $69,000 | 6,666,818 | 584 |
| 42 | Ohio | $83,324 | $66,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,047 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $91,940 | $75,000 | 1,427,538 | 65 |
| 44 | Pennsylvania | $82,725 | $65,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,285 |
| 45 | Montana | $86,181 | $68,000 | 1,050,493 | 113 |
| 46 | Wisconsin | $79,829 | $64,000 | 5,795,483 | 669 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $82,998 | $65,000 | 579,315 | 48 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $84,269 | $66,000 | 2,984,100 | 114 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $82,712 | $65,000 | 1,920,076 | 215 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $80,251 | $63,000 | 3,004,279 | 193 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $77,458 | $62,000 | 869,666 | 69 |
Highest paying states for senior mechanical designers
| Rank | State | Avg. Senior Mechanical Designer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $122,753 |
| 2 | California | $126,050 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $129,214 |
| 4 | Arizona | $110,809 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $107,520 |
| 6 | Nevada | $113,850 |
| 7 | New Mexico | $109,560 |
| 8 | Texas | $106,357 |
| 9 | Oregon | $101,588 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $105,728 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $99,430 |
| 12 | Maine | $106,373 |
| 13 | Idaho | $108,576 |
| 14 | Utah | $96,964 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $105,040 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $96,420 |
| 17 | Maryland | $102,372 |
| 18 | Delaware | $100,943 |
| 19 | Illinois | $98,296 |
| 20 | New York | $99,471 |
| 21 | Louisiana | $102,379 |
| 22 | Tennessee | $100,858 |
| 23 | Colorado | $96,909 |
| 24 | Virginia | $96,630 |
| 25 | Iowa | $96,153 |
| 26 | Alabama | $93,851 |
| 27 | Georgia | $93,727 |
| 28 | Alaska | $100,007 |
| 29 | Florida | $96,602 |
| 30 | Rhode Island | $91,411 |
| 31 | Michigan | $88,715 |
| 32 | Minnesota | $90,161 |
| 33 | Kansas | $89,305 |
| 34 | New Jersey | $94,847 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $91,192 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $90,814 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $90,946 |
| 38 | North Dakota | $86,348 |
| 39 | Vermont | $87,100 |
| 40 | Missouri | $88,318 |
| 41 | Indiana | $86,913 |
| 42 | Ohio | $83,324 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $91,940 |
| 44 | Pennsylvania | $82,725 |
| 45 | Montana | $86,181 |
| 46 | Wisconsin | $79,829 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $82,998 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $84,269 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $82,712 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $80,251 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $77,458 |
Expert opinions on the best states for senior mechanical designers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for senior mechanical designers 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