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Best states for a transportation engineer
Quoted expert
Adeeba Raheem Ph.D.
- 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 transportation engineer jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for transportation engineers.In fact, our research shows that California is the best state for transportation engineers in America. The best city in America for transportation engineers with the highest pay is San Francisco, CA.
California is the best state for jobs for transportation engineers, and South Carolina is the worst. The most common pay in California is $89,524, while the median pay in South Carolina is $60,143.California is the best state, and Eureka is the city with the highest pay for transportation engineers.
10 best states for transportation engineers in 2025
1. California
Total transportation engineer jobs: 2,143 Average annual salary: $89,524 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000 Location Quotient: 1.322. Oregon
Total transportation engineer jobs: 330 Average annual salary: $77,018 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $100,000 Location Quotient: 1.433. Vermont
Total transportation engineer jobs: 41 Average annual salary: $75,412 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Location Quotient: 0.964. Pennsylvania
Total transportation engineer jobs: 497 Average annual salary: $78,985 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $100,000 Location Quotient: 0.775. West Virginia
Total transportation engineer jobs: 82 Average annual salary: $69,737 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Location Quotient: 0.976. Minnesota
Total transportation engineer jobs: 287 Average annual salary: $75,113 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Location Quotient: 0.787. Nebraska
Total transportation engineer jobs: 127 Average annual salary: $70,567 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Location Quotient: 1.038. New Jersey
Total transportation engineer jobs: 327 Average annual salary: $81,118 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $102,000 Location Quotient: 0.749. Massachusetts
Total transportation engineer jobs: 438 Average annual salary: $76,114 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Location Quotient: 0.8610. Connecticut
Total transportation engineer jobs: 163 Average annual salary: $74,888 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Location Quotient: 0.88
Transportation engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a transportation engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a transportation engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $89,524 | $66,000 | 39,536,653 | 2,143 |
| 2 | Oregon | $77,018 | $59,000 | 4,142,776 | 330 |
| 3 | Vermont | $75,412 | $60,000 | 623,657 | 41 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $78,985 | $62,000 | 12,805,537 | 497 |
| 5 | West Virginia | $69,737 | $55,000 | 1,815,857 | 82 |
| 6 | Minnesota | $75,113 | $61,000 | 5,576,606 | 287 |
| 7 | Nebraska | $70,567 | $56,000 | 1,920,076 | 127 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $81,118 | $63,000 | 9,005,644 | 327 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $76,114 | $60,000 | 6,859,819 | 438 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $74,888 | $59,000 | 3,588,184 | 163 |
| 11 | Nevada | $71,840 | $53,000 | 2,998,039 | 99 |
| 12 | Wyoming | $67,885 | $53,000 | 579,315 | 45 |
| 13 | Colorado | $70,158 | $54,000 | 5,607,154 | 502 |
| 14 | New York | $74,912 | $59,000 | 19,849,399 | 641 |
| 15 | District of Columbia | $70,421 | $55,000 | 693,972 | 235 |
| 16 | Alaska | $69,854 | $58,000 | 739,795 | 86 |
| 17 | Washington | $69,926 | $54,000 | 7,405,743 | 549 |
| 18 | North Dakota | $66,659 | $54,000 | 755,393 | 71 |
| 19 | Kansas | $69,903 | $54,000 | 2,913,123 | 112 |
| 20 | Illinois | $69,245 | $55,000 | 12,802,023 | 643 |
| 21 | Virginia | $68,876 | $53,000 | 8,470,020 | 803 |
| 22 | Kentucky | $69,390 | $54,000 | 4,454,189 | 133 |
| 23 | Missouri | $70,340 | $55,000 | 6,113,532 | 213 |
| 24 | New Mexico | $68,916 | $51,000 | 2,088,070 | 85 |
| 25 | Oklahoma | $68,480 | $52,000 | 3,930,864 | 113 |
| 26 | Arizona | $65,733 | $48,000 | 7,016,270 | 461 |
| 27 | Montana | $65,047 | $52,000 | 1,050,493 | 131 |
| 28 | Delaware | $67,311 | $52,000 | 961,939 | 89 |
| 29 | South Dakota | $65,369 | $52,000 | 869,666 | 48 |
| 30 | Arkansas | $67,097 | $51,000 | 3,004,279 | 88 |
| 31 | North Carolina | $65,305 | $50,000 | 10,273,419 | 480 |
| 32 | Idaho | $64,962 | $50,000 | 1,716,943 | 102 |
| 33 | Ohio | $65,136 | $51,000 | 11,658,609 | 412 |
| 34 | Alabama | $63,787 | $48,000 | 4,874,747 | 212 |
| 35 | Texas | $64,584 | $48,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,009 |
| 36 | New Hampshire | $67,682 | $53,000 | 1,342,795 | 60 |
| 37 | Iowa | $63,999 | $51,000 | 3,145,711 | 174 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $65,048 | $52,000 | 5,795,483 | 221 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $64,913 | $48,000 | 4,684,333 | 135 |
| 40 | Rhode Island | $66,586 | $52,000 | 1,059,639 | 44 |
| 41 | Maine | $63,190 | $50,000 | 1,335,907 | 90 |
| 42 | Florida | $63,886 | $48,000 | 20,984,400 | 827 |
| 43 | Indiana | $63,009 | $49,000 | 6,666,818 | 296 |
| 44 | Michigan | $61,305 | $48,000 | 9,962,311 | 503 |
| 45 | Utah | $62,435 | $47,000 | 3,101,833 | 172 |
| 46 | Maryland | $62,638 | $49,000 | 6,052,177 | 451 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $56,621 | $44,000 | 1,427,538 | 73 |
| 48 | Georgia | $60,131 | $46,000 | 10,429,379 | 548 |
| 49 | Tennessee | $60,603 | $46,000 | 6,715,984 | 217 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $59,951 | $45,000 | 2,984,100 | 81 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $60,143 | $46,000 | 5,024,369 | 189 |
Highest paying states for transportation engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Transportation Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $89,524 |
| 2 | Oregon | $77,018 |
| 3 | Vermont | $75,412 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $78,985 |
| 5 | West Virginia | $69,737 |
| 6 | Minnesota | $75,113 |
| 7 | Nebraska | $70,567 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $81,118 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $76,114 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $74,888 |
| 11 | Nevada | $71,840 |
| 12 | Wyoming | $67,885 |
| 13 | Colorado | $70,158 |
| 14 | New York | $74,912 |
| 15 | District of Columbia | $70,421 |
| 16 | Alaska | $69,854 |
| 17 | Washington | $69,926 |
| 18 | North Dakota | $66,659 |
| 19 | Kansas | $69,903 |
| 20 | Illinois | $69,245 |
| 21 | Virginia | $68,876 |
| 22 | Kentucky | $69,390 |
| 23 | Missouri | $70,340 |
| 24 | New Mexico | $68,916 |
| 25 | Oklahoma | $68,480 |
| 26 | Arizona | $65,733 |
| 27 | Montana | $65,047 |
| 28 | Delaware | $67,311 |
| 29 | South Dakota | $65,369 |
| 30 | Arkansas | $67,097 |
| 31 | North Carolina | $65,305 |
| 32 | Idaho | $64,962 |
| 33 | Ohio | $65,136 |
| 34 | Alabama | $63,787 |
| 35 | Texas | $64,584 |
| 36 | New Hampshire | $67,682 |
| 37 | Iowa | $63,999 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $65,048 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $64,913 |
| 40 | Rhode Island | $66,586 |
| 41 | Maine | $63,190 |
| 42 | Florida | $63,886 |
| 43 | Indiana | $63,009 |
| 44 | Michigan | $61,305 |
| 45 | Utah | $62,435 |
| 46 | Maryland | $62,638 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $56,621 |
| 48 | Georgia | $60,131 |
| 49 | Tennessee | $60,603 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $59,951 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $60,143 |
Expert opinions on the best states for transportation engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for transportation engineers to find work opportunities?
Adeeba Raheem Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, University of Texas
In my opinion, career fairs are viewed as the best platform for students to get hired for entry-level jobs. They should also access campus and community resources for employment support. It is highly suggested that students should gain work-based learning experiences during their time at their academic institute. These experiences not only help them to develop their work-readiness skills but also provide significant networking opportunities. My message would be: "Don't wait until you graduate."
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Updated January 8, 2025