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Best states for a staff electrical engineer
Quoted expert
Craig Carignan
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
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- 41 - 51
Job opportunities vary from state to state, and architecture and engineering careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to staff electrical engineer jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for staff electrical engineers.As staff electrical engineers are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for staff electrical engineers. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a staff electrical engineer, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
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 staff electrical engineers.We found that California is the best state for staff electrical engineer jobs, whereas South Carolina is the worst.
10 best states for staff electrical engineers in 2025
1. California
Total staff electrical engineer jobs: 9,288 Average annual salary: $151,596 Lowest 10 percent earn: $109,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $209,000 Location Quotient: 1.682. Massachusetts
Total staff electrical engineer jobs: 2,373 Average annual salary: $130,350 Lowest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $178,000 Location Quotient: 1.373. Washington
Total staff electrical engineer jobs: 1,712 Average annual salary: $123,693 Lowest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $171,000 Location Quotient: 1.244. Oregon
Total staff electrical engineer jobs: 932 Average annual salary: $115,724 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $160,000 Location Quotient: 1.195. New Mexico
Total staff electrical engineer jobs: 292 Average annual salary: $124,087 Lowest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $175,000 Location Quotient: 0.796. Vermont
Total staff electrical engineer jobs: 130 Average annual salary: $117,965 Lowest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $159,000 Location Quotient: 0.97. Maryland
Total staff electrical engineer jobs: 1,449 Average annual salary: $116,063 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $162,000 Location Quotient: 1.218. District of Columbia
Total staff electrical engineer jobs: 390 Average annual salary: $118,914 Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $166,000 Location Quotient: 1.239. Nevada
Total staff electrical engineer jobs: 377 Average annual salary: $107,428 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000 Location Quotient: 0.9610. New Hampshire
Total staff electrical engineer jobs: 255 Average annual salary: $116,704 Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $159,000 Location Quotient: 0.77
Staff electrical engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a staff electrical engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a staff electrical engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $151,596 | $109,000 | 39,536,653 | 9,288 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $130,350 | $95,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,373 |
| 3 | Washington | $123,693 | $89,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,712 |
| 4 | Oregon | $115,724 | $83,000 | 4,142,776 | 932 |
| 5 | New Mexico | $124,087 | $87,000 | 2,088,070 | 292 |
| 6 | Vermont | $117,965 | $87,000 | 623,657 | 130 |
| 7 | Maryland | $116,063 | $83,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,449 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $118,914 | $85,000 | 693,972 | 390 |
| 9 | Nevada | $107,428 | $76,000 | 2,998,039 | 377 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $116,704 | $85,000 | 1,342,795 | 255 |
| 11 | Arizona | $105,817 | $75,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,266 |
| 12 | Alaska | $125,510 | $97,000 | 739,795 | 84 |
| 13 | Idaho | $116,256 | $82,000 | 1,716,943 | 193 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $102,187 | $73,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,364 |
| 15 | Virginia | $106,439 | $76,000 | 8,470,020 | 2,003 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $107,041 | $76,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,394 |
| 17 | Maine | $103,022 | $76,000 | 1,335,907 | 230 |
| 18 | Michigan | $100,828 | $72,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,535 |
| 19 | Louisiana | $107,604 | $75,000 | 4,684,333 | 419 |
| 20 | Iowa | $103,557 | $74,000 | 3,145,711 | 544 |
| 21 | Delaware | $109,508 | $78,000 | 961,939 | 186 |
| 22 | Rhode Island | $102,666 | $74,000 | 1,059,639 | 202 |
| 23 | Alabama | $97,946 | $69,000 | 4,874,747 | 844 |
| 24 | Colorado | $100,499 | $71,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,305 |
| 25 | Connecticut | $102,433 | $74,000 | 3,588,184 | 542 |
| 26 | Texas | $96,099 | $67,000 | 28,304,596 | 3,751 |
| 27 | North Dakota | $102,480 | $75,000 | 755,393 | 84 |
| 28 | Wyoming | $97,356 | $68,000 | 579,315 | 96 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | $100,188 | $71,000 | 3,930,864 | 340 |
| 30 | Hawaii | $104,080 | $81,000 | 1,427,538 | 147 |
| 31 | New York | $99,248 | $71,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,284 |
| 32 | New Jersey | $101,170 | $72,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,220 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $94,315 | $69,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,101 |
| 34 | Utah | $88,905 | $62,000 | 3,101,833 | 685 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $94,638 | $68,000 | 869,666 | 65 |
| 36 | Indiana | $89,540 | $64,000 | 6,666,818 | 954 |
| 37 | Ohio | $87,086 | $62,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,647 |
| 38 | Kansas | $89,484 | $63,000 | 2,913,123 | 433 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $89,984 | $64,000 | 4,454,189 | 403 |
| 40 | Illinois | $88,556 | $63,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,081 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $87,727 | $63,000 | 5,795,483 | 890 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $89,133 | $63,000 | 1,920,076 | 310 |
| 43 | West Virginia | $88,538 | $63,000 | 1,815,857 | 146 |
| 44 | Montana | $89,837 | $64,000 | 1,050,493 | 146 |
| 45 | Georgia | $85,917 | $61,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,690 |
| 46 | Florida | $85,411 | $58,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,455 |
| 47 | Missouri | $84,625 | $60,000 | 6,113,532 | 871 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $83,783 | $60,000 | 6,715,984 | 737 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $83,918 | $59,000 | 3,004,279 | 289 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $85,242 | $60,000 | 2,984,100 | 188 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $83,504 | $59,000 | 5,024,369 | 573 |
Highest paying states for staff electrical engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Staff Electrical Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $151,596 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $130,350 |
| 3 | Washington | $123,693 |
| 4 | Oregon | $115,724 |
| 5 | New Mexico | $124,087 |
| 6 | Vermont | $117,965 |
| 7 | Maryland | $116,063 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $118,914 |
| 9 | Nevada | $107,428 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $116,704 |
| 11 | Arizona | $105,817 |
| 12 | Alaska | $125,510 |
| 13 | Idaho | $116,256 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $102,187 |
| 15 | Virginia | $106,439 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $107,041 |
| 17 | Maine | $103,022 |
| 18 | Michigan | $100,828 |
| 19 | Louisiana | $107,604 |
| 20 | Iowa | $103,557 |
| 21 | Delaware | $109,508 |
| 22 | Rhode Island | $102,666 |
| 23 | Alabama | $97,946 |
| 24 | Colorado | $100,499 |
| 25 | Connecticut | $102,433 |
| 26 | Texas | $96,099 |
| 27 | North Dakota | $102,480 |
| 28 | Wyoming | $97,356 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | $100,188 |
| 30 | Hawaii | $104,080 |
| 31 | New York | $99,248 |
| 32 | New Jersey | $101,170 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $94,315 |
| 34 | Utah | $88,905 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $94,638 |
| 36 | Indiana | $89,540 |
| 37 | Ohio | $87,086 |
| 38 | Kansas | $89,484 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $89,984 |
| 40 | Illinois | $88,556 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $87,727 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $89,133 |
| 43 | West Virginia | $88,538 |
| 44 | Montana | $89,837 |
| 45 | Georgia | $85,917 |
| 46 | Florida | $85,411 |
| 47 | Missouri | $84,625 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $83,783 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $83,918 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $85,242 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $83,504 |
Expert opinions on the best states for staff electrical engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for staff electrical engineers to find work opportunities?
Craig Carignan
Associate Research Scientist, University of Maryland
My bet would be in remote sensing, automated delivery systems (e.g., quadcopters), and robotics. These fields were all doing well before the pandemic, and the current situation has just increased demand for these services. The telecommunications satellite industry is probably also going to be a strong area due to the heightened need for satellite TV and other communications services. I also think the automotive industry will be great for aerospace engineers because of their skills in vehicle design and development of autonomous technology.
Staff electrical engineer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025