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Best states for a student engineer
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 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 student engineer jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for student engineers.In fact, our research shows that Washington is the best state for student engineers in America. The best city in America for student engineers with the highest pay is Yakima, WA.
In order to get you the best states for student engineers, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.We found that Washington is the best state for student engineer jobs, whereas Mississippi is the worst.
10 best states for student engineers in 2025
1. Washington
Total student engineer jobs: 1,523 Average annual salary: $87,462 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $122,000 Location Quotient: 1.35
2. Massachusetts
Total student engineer jobs: 1,674 Average annual salary: $82,909 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $109,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
3. Oregon
Total student engineer jobs: 924 Average annual salary: $79,703 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $112,000 Location Quotient: 1.44
4. Connecticut
Total student engineer jobs: 565 Average annual salary: $81,007 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $108,000 Location Quotient: 1.1
5. District of Columbia
Total student engineer jobs: 438 Average annual salary: $84,804 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $114,000 Location Quotient: 1.69
6. New Mexico
Total student engineer jobs: 270 Average annual salary: $78,959 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $109,000 Location Quotient: 0.89
7. West Virginia
Total student engineer jobs: 147 Average annual salary: $85,309 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $114,000 Location Quotient: 0.62
8. New York
Total student engineer jobs: 2,082 Average annual salary: $82,748 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $111,000 Location Quotient: 1.05
9. California
Total student engineer jobs: 7,451 Average annual salary: $81,665 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000 Location Quotient: 1.65
10. Virginia
Total student engineer jobs: 1,931 Average annual salary: $78,318 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Location Quotient: 1.33
Student engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a student engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a student engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $87,462 | $62,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,523 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $82,909 | $63,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,674 |
| 3 | Oregon | $79,703 | $56,000 | 4,142,776 | 924 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $81,007 | $60,000 | 3,588,184 | 565 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $84,804 | $62,000 | 693,972 | 438 |
| 6 | New Mexico | $78,959 | $56,000 | 2,088,070 | 270 |
| 7 | West Virginia | $85,309 | $63,000 | 1,815,857 | 147 |
| 8 | New York | $82,748 | $61,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,082 |
| 9 | California | $81,665 | $56,000 | 39,536,653 | 7,451 |
| 10 | Virginia | $78,318 | $58,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,931 |
| 11 | Arizona | $75,234 | $53,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,090 |
| 12 | Maryland | $79,678 | $59,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,228 |
| 13 | Maine | $79,635 | $62,000 | 1,335,907 | 151 |
| 14 | Texas | $76,210 | $55,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,769 |
| 15 | Michigan | $72,942 | $54,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,339 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $76,360 | $56,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,349 |
| 17 | Vermont | $75,130 | $58,000 | 623,657 | 134 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $74,802 | $56,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,006 |
| 19 | Illinois | $76,324 | $57,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,662 |
| 20 | New Jersey | $80,632 | $59,000 | 9,005,644 | 952 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $73,581 | $56,000 | 1,342,795 | 262 |
| 22 | Alaska | $78,776 | $67,000 | 739,795 | 109 |
| 23 | Delaware | $73,077 | $54,000 | 961,939 | 268 |
| 24 | Rhode Island | $73,391 | $55,000 | 1,059,639 | 165 |
| 25 | South Dakota | $74,329 | $55,000 | 869,666 | 96 |
| 26 | Georgia | $74,768 | $55,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,219 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $75,469 | $55,000 | 4,684,333 | 272 |
| 28 | Idaho | $71,257 | $51,000 | 1,716,943 | 248 |
| 29 | Nevada | $71,670 | $50,000 | 2,998,039 | 270 |
| 30 | Colorado | $71,447 | $52,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,127 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $72,049 | $53,000 | 6,715,984 | 529 |
| 32 | Ohio | $70,939 | $52,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,164 |
| 33 | Florida | $73,818 | $54,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,799 |
| 34 | Hawaii | $71,315 | $56,000 | 1,427,538 | 135 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $69,430 | $51,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,339 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $69,469 | $52,000 | 5,795,483 | 688 |
| 37 | Alabama | $67,373 | $49,000 | 4,874,747 | 617 |
| 38 | North Dakota | $66,592 | $50,000 | 755,393 | 142 |
| 39 | Utah | $66,881 | $48,000 | 3,101,833 | 519 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $69,622 | $51,000 | 3,930,864 | 256 |
| 41 | Missouri | $70,273 | $52,000 | 6,113,532 | 671 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $67,797 | $50,000 | 1,920,076 | 292 |
| 43 | Iowa | $64,719 | $48,000 | 3,145,711 | 490 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $61,599 | $45,000 | 579,315 | 102 |
| 45 | Indiana | $64,257 | $48,000 | 6,666,818 | 856 |
| 46 | Montana | $64,207 | $47,000 | 1,050,493 | 157 |
| 47 | Kansas | $61,922 | $45,000 | 2,913,123 | 366 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $63,897 | $47,000 | 5,024,369 | 440 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $62,494 | $46,000 | 4,454,189 | 366 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $58,303 | $43,000 | 3,004,279 | 311 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $61,386 | $45,000 | 2,984,100 | 183 |
Highest paying states for student engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Student Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $87,462 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $82,909 |
| 3 | Oregon | $79,703 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $81,007 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $84,804 |
| 6 | New Mexico | $78,959 |
| 7 | West Virginia | $85,309 |
| 8 | New York | $82,748 |
| 9 | California | $81,665 |
| 10 | Virginia | $78,318 |
| 11 | Arizona | $75,234 |
| 12 | Maryland | $79,678 |
| 13 | Maine | $79,635 |
| 14 | Texas | $76,210 |
| 15 | Michigan | $72,942 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $76,360 |
| 17 | Vermont | $75,130 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $74,802 |
| 19 | Illinois | $76,324 |
| 20 | New Jersey | $80,632 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $73,581 |
| 22 | Alaska | $78,776 |
| 23 | Delaware | $73,077 |
| 24 | Rhode Island | $73,391 |
| 25 | South Dakota | $74,329 |
| 26 | Georgia | $74,768 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $75,469 |
| 28 | Idaho | $71,257 |
| 29 | Nevada | $71,670 |
| 30 | Colorado | $71,447 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $72,049 |
| 32 | Ohio | $70,939 |
| 33 | Florida | $73,818 |
| 34 | Hawaii | $71,315 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $69,430 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $69,469 |
| 37 | Alabama | $67,373 |
| 38 | North Dakota | $66,592 |
| 39 | Utah | $66,881 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $69,622 |
| 41 | Missouri | $70,273 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $67,797 |
| 43 | Iowa | $64,719 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $61,599 |
| 45 | Indiana | $64,257 |
| 46 | Montana | $64,207 |
| 47 | Kansas | $61,922 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $63,897 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $62,494 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $58,303 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $61,386 |
Student engineer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025