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Best states for a water resources engineer
Quoted expert
Murray Borrello
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to water resources engineer jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for water resources engineer jobs.
Idaho is the best state for jobs for water resources engineers, and Missouri is the worst. The most common pay in Idaho is $95,708, while the median pay in Missouri is $62,800.We found that Idaho is the best state for water resources engineer jobs, whereas Missouri is the worst.
10 best states for water resources engineers in 2025
1. Idaho
Total water resources engineer jobs: 136 Average annual salary: $95,708 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 1.12. California
Total water resources engineer jobs: 3,078 Average annual salary: $101,711 Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Location Quotient: 1.43. Maine
Total water resources engineer jobs: 85 Average annual salary: $95,719 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 0.854. District of Columbia
Total water resources engineer jobs: 272 Average annual salary: $93,797 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 2.165. Washington
Total water resources engineer jobs: 730 Average annual salary: $87,530 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $116,000 Location Quotient: 1.336. New Hampshire
Total water resources engineer jobs: 135 Average annual salary: $85,740 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $116,000 Location Quotient: 1.037. Texas
Total water resources engineer jobs: 1,443 Average annual salary: $86,932 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000 Location Quotient: 0.958. Arizona
Total water resources engineer jobs: 559 Average annual salary: $85,174 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Location Quotient: 1.279. Nevada
Total water resources engineer jobs: 154 Average annual salary: $85,821 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000 Location Quotient: 0.9810. Vermont
Total water resources engineer jobs: 67 Average annual salary: $84,837 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $114,000 Location Quotient: 1.16
Water resources engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a water resources engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a water resources engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Idaho | $95,708 | $71,000 | 1,716,943 | 136 |
| 2 | California | $101,711 | $72,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,078 |
| 3 | Maine | $95,719 | $71,000 | 1,335,907 | 85 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $93,797 | $69,000 | 693,972 | 272 |
| 5 | Washington | $87,530 | $65,000 | 7,405,743 | 730 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $85,740 | $63,000 | 1,342,795 | 135 |
| 7 | Texas | $86,932 | $62,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,443 |
| 8 | Arizona | $85,174 | $60,000 | 7,016,270 | 559 |
| 9 | Nevada | $85,821 | $61,000 | 2,998,039 | 154 |
| 10 | Vermont | $84,837 | $63,000 | 623,657 | 67 |
| 11 | Oregon | $85,015 | $62,000 | 4,142,776 | 418 |
| 12 | Alaska | $87,540 | $69,000 | 739,795 | 57 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $86,191 | $63,000 | 6,859,819 | 659 |
| 14 | Louisiana | $87,302 | $62,000 | 4,684,333 | 162 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $86,429 | $63,000 | 3,588,184 | 225 |
| 16 | North Dakota | $82,780 | $64,000 | 755,393 | 60 |
| 17 | Michigan | $81,348 | $60,000 | 9,962,311 | 514 |
| 18 | Delaware | $79,630 | $58,000 | 961,939 | 155 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $80,867 | $59,000 | 1,815,857 | 85 |
| 20 | Colorado | $79,939 | $59,000 | 5,607,154 | 591 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $83,494 | $60,000 | 2,088,070 | 84 |
| 22 | Virginia | $78,853 | $57,000 | 8,470,020 | 958 |
| 23 | Maryland | $79,576 | $58,000 | 6,052,177 | 536 |
| 24 | Nebraska | $76,982 | $58,000 | 1,920,076 | 157 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $80,141 | $59,000 | 1,059,639 | 64 |
| 26 | Oklahoma | $79,730 | $58,000 | 3,930,864 | 146 |
| 27 | Arkansas | $78,033 | $57,000 | 3,004,279 | 147 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $78,771 | $58,000 | 4,454,189 | 185 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $76,174 | $56,000 | 12,805,537 | 728 |
| 30 | New York | $77,592 | $57,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,017 |
| 31 | Illinois | $75,565 | $56,000 | 12,802,023 | 909 |
| 32 | New Jersey | $80,108 | $59,000 | 9,005,644 | 443 |
| 33 | Iowa | $75,093 | $56,000 | 3,145,711 | 231 |
| 34 | Utah | $71,355 | $52,000 | 3,101,833 | 234 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $73,982 | $54,000 | 6,715,984 | 314 |
| 36 | Kansas | $74,496 | $55,000 | 2,913,123 | 177 |
| 37 | Georgia | $71,266 | $52,000 | 10,429,379 | 775 |
| 38 | Florida | $71,859 | $50,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,104 |
| 39 | Wisconsin | $67,496 | $50,000 | 5,795,483 | 428 |
| 40 | Montana | $72,877 | $55,000 | 1,050,493 | 71 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $69,102 | $50,000 | 10,273,419 | 647 |
| 42 | Wyoming | $66,287 | $50,000 | 579,315 | 43 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $70,841 | $54,000 | 869,666 | 51 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $63,300 | $44,000 | 1,427,538 | 71 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $70,101 | $50,000 | 2,984,100 | 97 |
| 46 | Indiana | $66,549 | $49,000 | 6,666,818 | 390 |
| 47 | Minnesota | $67,161 | $51,000 | 5,576,606 | 448 |
| 48 | Ohio | $65,591 | $48,000 | 11,658,609 | 622 |
| 49 | Alabama | $66,296 | $48,000 | 4,874,747 | 243 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $64,929 | $47,000 | 5,024,369 | 262 |
| 51 | Missouri | $62,800 | $47,000 | 6,113,532 | 290 |
Highest paying states for water resources engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Water Resources Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Idaho | $95,708 |
| 2 | California | $101,711 |
| 3 | Maine | $95,719 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $93,797 |
| 5 | Washington | $87,530 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $85,740 |
| 7 | Texas | $86,932 |
| 8 | Arizona | $85,174 |
| 9 | Nevada | $85,821 |
| 10 | Vermont | $84,837 |
| 11 | Oregon | $85,015 |
| 12 | Alaska | $87,540 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $86,191 |
| 14 | Louisiana | $87,302 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $86,429 |
| 16 | North Dakota | $82,780 |
| 17 | Michigan | $81,348 |
| 18 | Delaware | $79,630 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $80,867 |
| 20 | Colorado | $79,939 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $83,494 |
| 22 | Virginia | $78,853 |
| 23 | Maryland | $79,576 |
| 24 | Nebraska | $76,982 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $80,141 |
| 26 | Oklahoma | $79,730 |
| 27 | Arkansas | $78,033 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $78,771 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $76,174 |
| 30 | New York | $77,592 |
| 31 | Illinois | $75,565 |
| 32 | New Jersey | $80,108 |
| 33 | Iowa | $75,093 |
| 34 | Utah | $71,355 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $73,982 |
| 36 | Kansas | $74,496 |
| 37 | Georgia | $71,266 |
| 38 | Florida | $71,859 |
| 39 | Wisconsin | $67,496 |
| 40 | Montana | $72,877 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $69,102 |
| 42 | Wyoming | $66,287 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $70,841 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $63,300 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $70,101 |
| 46 | Indiana | $66,549 |
| 47 | Minnesota | $67,161 |
| 48 | Ohio | $65,591 |
| 49 | Alabama | $66,296 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $64,929 |
| 51 | Missouri | $62,800 |
Expert opinions on the best states for water resources engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for water resources engineers to find work opportunities?
Murray Borrello
Director and Chair, Alma College
I would say that this question may be asked, "are there any good places in the U.S. or good areas in the job market..." First, let's look at places...I am finding that students who are looking in areas that are "high-quality living" regions, like in the Rocky Mountains (Boulder, Denver, Colorado Springs) or coastal areas such as Portland, OR, Seattle, WA, San Francisco - there are jobs, but there is also a lot of competition for those jobs. Where openings occur changes quite a bit, depending on population migration and the area that the work entails. For example, if you are interested in water resources (finding water, water quality issues), the Plains States and Southwest U.S. is where you are likely to find work. Actually, larger communities anywhere along the Colorado or Rio Grande River systems are pretty good bets. But in general, the kind of work will determine where you find employment. My advice to students ready to graduate is this:
Make a list of areas you want to work in. The list should be divided into three tiers - where you absolutely would love to live, where you wouldn't mind living, and an area or region where the job dictates where you live. Remember, most "first" jobs are not long-term commitments. Employees move around a lot now.
But, for those graduates who are looking for work in 2021 - 2023, I would say that environmental health is going to be the area with the most positions. Anything that can be tied with the Coronavirus, tracking infections, general statistics, and epidemiology - these skill sets and knowledge will be hugely beneficial in getting employment. Even those students who are finishing up their senior year, it might be wise to explore environmental health classes or public health classes.
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Updated January 8, 2025