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Best states for a staff engineer
Quoted expert
Jared Wilson
- Rank 1 - 10
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Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for staff engineers? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for staff engineer jobs.Although there are abundant staff engineer jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the Midwest. California is the best state in the country for staff engineer jobs.
In order to get you the best states for staff engineers, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.California is the best state, and Pacifica is the city with the highest pay for staff engineers.
10 best states for staff engineers in 2025
1. California
Total staff engineer jobs: 13,957 Average annual salary: $118,226 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $191,000 Location Quotient: 1.83
2. Massachusetts
Total staff engineer jobs: 3,417 Average annual salary: $99,704 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000 Location Quotient: 1.43
3. Arizona
Total staff engineer jobs: 1,750 Average annual salary: $100,076 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $163,000 Location Quotient: 1.15
4. New Mexico
Total staff engineer jobs: 412 Average annual salary: $108,301 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $175,000 Location Quotient: 0.81
5. District of Columbia
Total staff engineer jobs: 640 Average annual salary: $99,590 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000 Location Quotient: 1.46
6. Rhode Island
Total staff engineer jobs: 350 Average annual salary: $89,431 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 1.1
7. Oregon
Total staff engineer jobs: 1,493 Average annual salary: $87,924 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000 Location Quotient: 1.38
8. Washington
Total staff engineer jobs: 2,532 Average annual salary: $88,631 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000 Location Quotient: 1.33
9. Maine
Total staff engineer jobs: 259 Average annual salary: $97,023 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 0.75
10. Delaware
Total staff engineer jobs: 286 Average annual salary: $93,212 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Location Quotient: 0.87
Staff engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a staff engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a staff engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $118,226 | $73,000 | 39,536,653 | 13,957 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $99,704 | $65,000 | 6,859,819 | 3,417 |
| 3 | Arizona | $100,076 | $61,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,750 |
| 4 | New Mexico | $108,301 | $67,000 | 2,088,070 | 412 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $99,590 | $64,000 | 693,972 | 640 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $89,431 | $58,000 | 1,059,639 | 350 |
| 7 | Oregon | $87,924 | $52,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,493 |
| 8 | Washington | $88,631 | $53,000 | 7,405,743 | 2,532 |
| 9 | Maine | $97,023 | $65,000 | 1,335,907 | 259 |
| 10 | Delaware | $93,212 | $60,000 | 961,939 | 286 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $87,110 | $57,000 | 1,342,795 | 445 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $89,704 | $58,000 | 3,588,184 | 781 |
| 13 | Nevada | $86,077 | $52,000 | 2,998,039 | 470 |
| 14 | Maryland | $90,594 | $58,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,839 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $94,659 | $60,000 | 1,815,857 | 219 |
| 16 | Colorado | $84,950 | $52,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,810 |
| 17 | Utah | $78,629 | $47,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,099 |
| 18 | Virginia | $82,420 | $53,000 | 8,470,020 | 2,899 |
| 19 | Michigan | $78,570 | $50,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,899 |
| 20 | Texas | $80,433 | $49,000 | 28,304,596 | 4,874 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $80,628 | $51,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,654 |
| 22 | New York | $84,067 | $54,000 | 19,849,399 | 3,252 |
| 23 | Illinois | $81,470 | $52,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,730 |
| 24 | Louisiana | $81,772 | $50,000 | 4,684,333 | 485 |
| 25 | New Jersey | $82,154 | $53,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,838 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $77,291 | $49,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,104 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $80,416 | $50,000 | 3,930,864 | 396 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $77,552 | $49,000 | 6,715,984 | 909 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $73,607 | $47,000 | 12,805,537 | 3,081 |
| 30 | Alabama | $73,299 | $46,000 | 4,874,747 | 1,049 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $78,234 | $50,000 | 755,393 | 127 |
| 32 | Indiana | $74,116 | $47,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,271 |
| 33 | Ohio | $71,537 | $46,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,164 |
| 34 | Idaho | $73,894 | $45,000 | 1,716,943 | 311 |
| 35 | Vermont | $72,248 | $47,000 | 623,657 | 195 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $72,156 | $46,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,076 |
| 37 | Iowa | $72,256 | $46,000 | 3,145,711 | 594 |
| 38 | Alaska | $76,280 | $48,000 | 739,795 | 119 |
| 39 | Wyoming | $71,763 | $44,000 | 579,315 | 104 |
| 40 | Missouri | $72,112 | $45,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,074 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $71,115 | $45,000 | 4,454,189 | 533 |
| 42 | Georgia | $71,005 | $45,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,018 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $70,040 | $44,000 | 5,024,369 | 789 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $70,125 | $44,000 | 2,984,100 | 238 |
| 45 | Florida | $68,246 | $42,000 | 20,984,400 | 3,095 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $68,452 | $43,000 | 1,920,076 | 399 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $67,650 | $43,000 | 869,666 | 100 |
| 48 | Kansas | $66,352 | $41,000 | 2,913,123 | 539 |
| 49 | Montana | $59,959 | $37,000 | 1,050,493 | 213 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $49,119 | $36,000 | 1,427,538 | 157 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $59,131 | $37,000 | 3,004,279 | 436 |
Highest paying states for staff engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Staff Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $118,226 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $99,704 |
| 3 | Arizona | $100,076 |
| 4 | New Mexico | $108,301 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $99,590 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $89,431 |
| 7 | Oregon | $87,924 |
| 8 | Washington | $88,631 |
| 9 | Maine | $97,023 |
| 10 | Delaware | $93,212 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $87,110 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $89,704 |
| 13 | Nevada | $86,077 |
| 14 | Maryland | $90,594 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $94,659 |
| 16 | Colorado | $84,950 |
| 17 | Utah | $78,629 |
| 18 | Virginia | $82,420 |
| 19 | Michigan | $78,570 |
| 20 | Texas | $80,433 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $80,628 |
| 22 | New York | $84,067 |
| 23 | Illinois | $81,470 |
| 24 | Louisiana | $81,772 |
| 25 | New Jersey | $82,154 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $77,291 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $80,416 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $77,552 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $73,607 |
| 30 | Alabama | $73,299 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $78,234 |
| 32 | Indiana | $74,116 |
| 33 | Ohio | $71,537 |
| 34 | Idaho | $73,894 |
| 35 | Vermont | $72,248 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $72,156 |
| 37 | Iowa | $72,256 |
| 38 | Alaska | $76,280 |
| 39 | Wyoming | $71,763 |
| 40 | Missouri | $72,112 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $71,115 |
| 42 | Georgia | $71,005 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $70,040 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $70,125 |
| 45 | Florida | $68,246 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $68,452 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $67,650 |
| 48 | Kansas | $66,352 |
| 49 | Montana | $59,959 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $49,119 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $59,131 |
Expert opinions on the best states for staff engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for staff 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.
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Updated January 8, 2025