Pay by state · 53 areas
Automotive Engineer Salary by State (2026)
Automotive Engineers earn the most in New Mexico at $157,710 a year and the least in Arkansas at $80,180 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $104,110. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico and Guam, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $157,710New Mexico
- National median
- $104,110BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $80,180Arkansas
- Areas reporting
- 53of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for automotive engineers
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1New Mexico$157,710
- 2District of Columbia$133,300
- 3California$130,900
- 4Delaware$125,130
- 5Colorado$124,430
Lowest median pay
- 1Arkansas$80,180
- 2Kansas$86,260
- 3North Dakota$86,330
- 4Nebraska$88,060
- 5South Dakota$88,380
All states
Automotive Engineer salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of automotive engineers OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NMNew Mexico | $157,710 | $128,080 | $162,880 | 2,710 | $171,030 |
| 2 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $133,300 | $107,300 | $166,360 | 510 | $121,291 |
| 3 | CACalifornia | $130,900 | $102,360 | $166,580 | 30,530 | $118,226 |
| 4 | DEDelaware | $125,130 | $97,920 | $128,140 | 610 | $125,371 |
| 5 | COColorado | $124,430 | $95,710 | $149,790 | 7,190 | $120,745 |
| 6 | AKAlaska | $124,340 | $92,280 | $157,610 | 380 | $121,474 |
| 7 | MDMaryland | $122,870 | $98,300 | $156,560 | 6,550 | $117,065 |
| 8 | LALouisiana | $119,540 | $81,790 | $147,560 | 1,890 | $135,522 |
| 9 | MAMassachusetts | $119,300 | $96,440 | $140,590 | 7,680 | $112,806 |
| 10 | WYWyoming | $117,750 | $100,060 | $140,600 | 230 | $127,035 |
| 11 | RIRhode Island | $116,230 | $99,350 | $154,690 | 1,560 | $113,639 |
| 12 | TXTexas | $112,410 | $91,420 | $145,090 | 22,080 | $115,819 |
| 13 | NJNew Jersey | $112,300 | $92,750 | $136,910 | 4,180 | $103,212 |
| 14 | WAWashington | $110,430 | $94,560 | $139,870 | 8,240 | $103,193 |
| 15 | VTVermont | $107,330 | $87,360 | $127,100 | 530 | $109,567 |
| 16 | CTConnecticut | $105,090 | $86,170 | $133,540 | 4,600 | $101,428 |
| 17 | MIMichigan | $104,890 | $87,640 | $132,160 | 34,630 | $109,014 |
| 18 | SCSouth Carolina | $104,580 | $84,810 | $133,480 | 5,780 | $111,553 |
| 19 | VAVirginia | $104,180 | $85,410 | $131,250 | 7,470 | $103,042 |
| 20 | NHNew Hampshire | $103,660 | $84,210 | $130,120 | 2,760 | $99,515 |
| 21 | OROregon | $103,470 | $91,270 | $130,230 | 2,920 | $100,105 |
| 22 | ILIllinois | $102,680 | $83,800 | $130,730 | 11,790 | $102,723 |
| 23 | NVNevada | $102,680 | $86,030 | $130,390 | 1,410 | $102,702 |
| 24 | UTUtah | $102,500 | $84,500 | $127,780 | 3,370 | $103,678 |
| 25 | NYNew York | $102,440 | $84,400 | $129,410 | 8,590 | $94,921 |
| 26 | MEMaine | $102,430 | $83,740 | $127,300 | 890 | $105,544 |
| 27 | OKOklahoma | $101,850 | $82,960 | $128,320 | 2,270 | $115,945 |
| 28 | KYKentucky | $101,050 | $80,350 | $120,690 | 4,170 | $112,080 |
| 29 | NCNorth Carolina | $100,720 | $82,490 | $125,050 | 9,560 | $106,779 |
| 30 | GAGeorgia | $100,620 | $80,040 | $128,350 | 5,290 | $104,494 |
| 31 | AZArizona | $100,270 | $82,430 | $128,880 | 5,050 | $99,596 |
| 32 | ALAlabama | $100,230 | $83,800 | $128,100 | N/A | $112,842 |
| 33 | FLFlorida | $99,980 | $79,090 | $128,320 | 10,740 | $96,679 |
| 34 | INIndiana | $99,590 | $80,630 | $127,700 | 8,690 | $106,709 |
| 35 | TNTennessee | $99,550 | $78,730 | $127,500 | 3,930 | $108,360 |
| 36 | MOMissouri | $99,330 | $79,540 | $120,990 | 4,870 | $109,374 |
| 37 | MNMinnesota | $99,140 | $81,860 | $128,690 | 5,890 | $100,526 |
| 38 | OHOhio | $99,100 | $79,390 | $115,770 | 14,390 | $106,819 |
| 39 | HIHawaii | $98,740 | $85,820 | $119,700 | 530 | $89,804 |
| 40 | MSMississippi | $98,000 | $75,510 | $127,410 | 1,570 | $112,705 |
| 41 | PAPennsylvania | $97,920 | $79,090 | $125,270 | 13,550 | $100,357 |
| 42 | IAIowa | $97,700 | $79,770 | $108,580 | 3,470 | $111,324 |
| 43 | WVWest Virginia | $97,390 | $82,910 | $118,490 | 760 | $108,819 |
| 44 | WIWisconsin | $95,870 | $77,920 | $106,950 | 7,470 | $101,886 |
| 45 | MTMontana | $94,190 | $79,240 | $119,820 | 500 | $99,519 |
| 46 | IDIdaho | $93,190 | $76,540 | $108,570 | 1,070 | $97,587 |
| 47 | SDSouth Dakota | $88,380 | $77,160 | $106,850 | 560 | $99,767 |
| 48 | NENebraska | $88,060 | $74,820 | $108,900 | 950 | $97,733 |
| 49 | NDNorth Dakota | $86,330 | $77,990 | $114,830 | 790 | $97,045 |
| 50 | KSKansas | $86,260 | $79,350 | $104,890 | 4,630 | $95,772 |
| 51 | ARArkansas | $80,180 | $65,620 | $103,850 | 1,410 | $92,228 |
| 52 | PRPuerto Rico | $72,240 | $50,630 | $100,190 | 490 | N/A |
| 53 | GUGuam | $61,510 | $51,790 | $75,440 | 140 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For automotive engineers, the adjustment does not change the leader: New Mexico is first on raw pay and still first once prices are taken into account, at $171,030.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Automotive Engineer pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays automotive engineers the most?
New Mexico reports the highest median wage for automotive engineers at $157,710 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by District of Columbia ($133,300) and California ($130,900).
Which state pays automotive engineers the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Arkansas reports the lowest median for automotive engineers at $80,180 a year, $77,530 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, Puerto Rico reports $72,240 and Guam reports $61,510.
In which states do automotive engineers earn over $100,000?
32 of the 50 states and DC have a median of $100,000 or more (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The highest is New Mexico; the lowest of them is Alabama at $100,230. The rest report less, down to $80,180 in Arkansas.
Is the highest-paying state the best for automotive engineers after cost of living?
Yes. New Mexico stays first after dividing each state median by its BEA Regional Price Parity, at $171,030 in national-average dollars from a raw $157,710. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.