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.
Automotive Engineer Salary by State (2026)
Automotive Engineers earn the most in New Mexico at $157,710 a year and the least in Guam at $61,510 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $104,110. All 53 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $157,710
- National median
- $104,110
- Lowest median
- $61,510
- States reporting
- 53
New Mexico
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Guam
of 54 OEWS areas
Top 5 states for Automotive Engineers
- 1. New Mexico$157,710 median · $171,030 adjusted · 2,710 employed
- 2. District of Columbia$133,300 median · $121,291 adjusted · 510 employed
- 3. California$130,900 median · $118,226 adjusted · 30,530 employed
- 4. Delaware$125,130 median · $125,371 adjusted · 610 employed
- 5. Colorado$124,430 median · $120,745 adjusted · 7,190 employed
Lowest-paying states for Automotive Engineers
- 53. Guam$61,510 median · no price parity · 140 employed
- 52. Puerto Rico$72,240 median · no price parity · 490 employed
- 51. Arkansas$80,180 median · $92,228 adjusted · 1,410 employed
- 50. Kansas$86,260 median · $95,772 adjusted · 4,630 employed
- 49. North Dakota$86,330 median · $97,045 adjusted · 790 employed
Automotive Engineer salary in every state
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | $157,710 | $128,080 | $162,880 | 2,710 | $171,030 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $133,300 | $107,300 | $166,360 | 510 | $121,291 |
| 3 | California | $130,900 | $102,360 | $166,580 | 30,530 | $118,226 |
| 4 | Delaware | $125,130 | $97,920 | $128,140 | 610 | $125,371 |
| 5 | Colorado | $124,430 | $95,710 | $149,790 | 7,190 | $120,745 |
| 6 | Alaska | $124,340 | $92,280 | $157,610 | 380 | $121,474 |
| 7 | Maryland | $122,870 | $98,300 | $156,560 | 6,550 | $117,065 |
| 8 | Louisiana | $119,540 | $81,790 | $147,560 | 1,890 | $135,522 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $119,300 | $96,440 | $140,590 | 7,680 | $112,806 |
| 10 | Wyoming | $117,750 | $100,060 | $140,600 | 230 | $127,035 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $116,230 | $99,350 | $154,690 | 1,560 | $113,639 |
| 12 | Texas | $112,410 | $91,420 | $145,090 | 22,080 | $115,819 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $112,300 | $92,750 | $136,910 | 4,180 | $103,212 |
| 14 | Washington | $110,430 | $94,560 | $139,870 | 8,240 | $103,193 |
| 15 | Vermont | $107,330 | $87,360 | $127,100 | 530 | $109,567 |
| 16 | Connecticut | $105,090 | $86,170 | $133,540 | 4,600 | $101,428 |
| 17 | Michigan | $104,890 | $87,640 | $132,160 | 34,630 | $109,014 |
| 18 | South Carolina | $104,580 | $84,810 | $133,480 | 5,780 | $111,553 |
| 19 | Virginia | $104,180 | $85,410 | $131,250 | 7,470 | $103,042 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $103,660 | $84,210 | $130,120 | 2,760 | $99,515 |
| 21 | Oregon | $103,470 | $91,270 | $130,230 | 2,920 | $100,105 |
| 22 | Illinois | $102,680 | $83,800 | $130,730 | 11,790 | $102,723 |
| 23 | Nevada | $102,680 | $86,030 | $130,390 | 1,410 | $102,702 |
| 24 | Utah | $102,500 | $84,500 | $127,780 | 3,370 | $103,678 |
| 25 | New York | $102,440 | $84,400 | $129,410 | 8,590 | $94,921 |
| 26 | Maine | $102,430 | $83,740 | $127,300 | 890 | $105,544 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $101,850 | $82,960 | $128,320 | 2,270 | $115,945 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $101,050 | $80,350 | $120,690 | 4,170 | $112,080 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $100,720 | $82,490 | $125,050 | 9,560 | $106,779 |
| 30 | Georgia | $100,620 | $80,040 | $128,350 | 5,290 | $104,494 |
| 31 | Arizona | $100,270 | $82,430 | $128,880 | 5,050 | $99,596 |
| 32 | Alabama | $100,230 | $83,800 | $128,100 | N/A | $112,842 |
| 33 | Florida | $99,980 | $79,090 | $128,320 | 10,740 | $96,679 |
| 34 | Indiana | $99,590 | $80,630 | $127,700 | 8,690 | $106,709 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $99,550 | $78,730 | $127,500 | 3,930 | $108,360 |
| 36 | Missouri | $99,330 | $79,540 | $120,990 | 4,870 | $109,374 |
| 37 | Minnesota | $99,140 | $81,860 | $128,690 | 5,890 | $100,526 |
| 38 | Ohio | $99,100 | $79,390 | $115,770 | 14,390 | $106,819 |
| 39 | Hawaii | $98,740 | $85,820 | $119,700 | 530 | $89,804 |
| 40 | Mississippi | $98,000 | $75,510 | $127,410 | 1,570 | $112,705 |
| 41 | Pennsylvania | $97,920 | $79,090 | $125,270 | 13,550 | $100,357 |
| 42 | Iowa | $97,700 | $79,770 | $108,580 | 3,470 | $111,324 |
| 43 | West Virginia | $97,390 | $82,910 | $118,490 | 760 | $108,819 |
| 44 | Wisconsin | $95,870 | $77,920 | $106,950 | 7,470 | $101,886 |
| 45 | Montana | $94,190 | $79,240 | $119,820 | 500 | $99,519 |
| 46 | Idaho | $93,190 | $76,540 | $108,570 | 1,070 | $97,587 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $88,380 | $77,160 | $106,850 | 560 | $99,767 |
| 48 | Nebraska | $88,060 | $74,820 | $108,900 | 950 | $97,733 |
| 49 | North Dakota | $86,330 | $77,990 | $114,830 | 790 | $97,045 |
| 50 | Kansas | $86,260 | $79,350 | $104,890 | 4,630 | $95,772 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $80,180 | $65,620 | $103,850 | 1,410 | $92,228 |
| 52 | Puerto Rico | $72,240 | $50,630 | $100,190 | 490 | N/A |
| 53 | Guam | $61,510 | $51,790 | $75,440 | 140 | N/A |
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, that changes the ranking: New Mexico leads on raw pay at $157,710, while New Mexico leads 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.
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?
Guam reports the lowest median for Automotive Engineers at $61,510 a year, $96,200 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Automotive Engineers earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts New Mexico first at $171,030 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $157,710. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
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