Pay by state · 51 areas
Electrical Engineer Salary by State (2026)
Electrical Engineers earn the most in New Mexico at $158,520 a year and the least in Montana at $87,360 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $120,630. The table below covers 48 states, DC, Puerto Rico and Guam, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $158,520New Mexico
- National median
- $120,630BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $87,360Montana
- Areas reporting
- 51of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for electrical engineers
Ranked on the state median among the 48 reporting states and DC. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1New Mexico$158,520
- 2California$144,040
- 3District of Columbia$143,000
- 4New Hampshire$135,710
- 5Washington$132,710
Lowest median pay
- 1Montana$87,360
- 2Arkansas$96,860
- 3South Carolina$98,440
- 4Kentucky$98,550
- 5South Dakota$98,980
All states
Electrical Engineer salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of electrical engineers OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NMNew Mexico | $158,520 | $127,540 | $196,240 | 2,560 | $171,908 |
| 2 | CACalifornia | $144,040 | $106,100 | $185,520 | 24,230 | $130,094 |
| 3 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $143,000 | $111,530 | $173,790 | 330 | $130,117 |
| 4 | NHNew Hampshire | $135,710 | $103,460 | $169,020 | 1,600 | $130,284 |
| 5 | WAWashington | $132,710 | $103,910 | $166,160 | 7,610 | $124,013 |
| 6 | TXTexas | $129,450 | $95,130 | $164,730 | 20,870 | $133,375 |
| 7 | IDIdaho | $129,340 | $101,160 | $154,900 | 1,000 | $135,443 |
| 8 | MAMassachusetts | $127,720 | $100,010 | $160,910 | 5,040 | $120,767 |
| 9 | DEDelaware | $126,970 | $100,430 | $141,150 | 660 | $127,214 |
| 10 | AKAlaska | $125,970 | $96,210 | $137,840 | 350 | $123,067 |
| 11 | ALAlabama | $125,630 | $98,220 | $153,280 | 4,600 | $141,439 |
| 12 | NJNew Jersey | $125,370 | $98,510 | $147,640 | 2,940 | $115,224 |
| 13 | OROregon | $125,160 | $100,460 | $141,010 | 2,540 | $121,090 |
| 14 | MDMaryland | $125,150 | $96,740 | $164,080 | 4,650 | $119,237 |
| 15 | LALouisiana | $123,710 | $92,930 | $157,970 | 990 | $140,250 |
| 16 | COColorado | $120,760 | $98,090 | $147,040 | 4,200 | $117,184 |
| 17 | VAVirginia | $119,030 | $95,450 | $148,320 | 7,260 | $117,730 |
| 18 | NYNew York | $119,010 | $91,580 | $144,250 | 8,770 | $110,275 |
| 19 | MOMissouri | $118,670 | $94,230 | $157,990 | 2,410 | $130,669 |
| 20 | MEMaine | $114,620 | $97,590 | $133,580 | 1,150 | $118,104 |
| 21 | WVWest Virginia | $113,420 | $88,610 | $132,720 | 500 | $126,731 |
| 22 | WYWyoming | $111,740 | $93,440 | $127,290 | 280 | $120,551 |
| 23 | VTVermont | $111,310 | $91,960 | $138,270 | 820 | $113,630 |
| 24 | PAPennsylvania | $110,820 | $91,390 | $136,300 | 6,970 | $113,578 |
| 25 | NDNorth Dakota | $110,810 | $83,380 | $129,640 | 260 | $124,563 |
| 26 | NCNorth Carolina | $110,130 | $79,370 | $148,330 | 7,090 | $116,755 |
| 27 | MNMinnesota | $109,510 | $94,100 | $137,970 | 3,150 | $111,041 |
| 28 | ILIllinois | $107,860 | $87,360 | $131,960 | 5,460 | $107,905 |
| 29 | OKOklahoma | $107,760 | $89,250 | $134,190 | 2,080 | $122,673 |
| 30 | NVNevada | $107,400 | $86,390 | $135,660 | 1,100 | $107,423 |
| 31 | NENebraska | $107,260 | $83,790 | $125,830 | 1,060 | $119,042 |
| 32 | HIHawaii | $106,350 | $78,810 | $130,360 | 1,080 | $96,725 |
| 33 | MIMichigan | $106,070 | $87,080 | $132,440 | 10,840 | $110,240 |
| 34 | IAIowa | $105,820 | $93,980 | $127,530 | 1,280 | $120,576 |
| 35 | UTUtah | $105,720 | $86,850 | $141,020 | 1,680 | $106,935 |
| 36 | MSMississippi | $104,990 | $80,760 | $130,490 | 1,130 | $120,743 |
| 37 | FLFlorida | $104,780 | $80,860 | $131,550 | 9,220 | $101,321 |
| 38 | TNTennessee | $104,450 | $84,220 | $132,050 | 2,830 | $113,693 |
| 39 | CTConnecticut | $104,160 | $85,930 | $135,230 | 2,930 | $100,531 |
| 40 | INIndiana | $102,670 | $81,690 | $127,190 | 4,000 | $110,009 |
| 41 | KSKansas | $102,630 | $82,900 | $128,920 | 2,100 | $113,947 |
| 42 | OHOhio | $100,620 | $82,240 | $126,730 | 6,360 | $108,457 |
| 43 | AZArizona | $100,550 | $82,420 | $134,300 | 5,370 | $99,874 |
| 44 | WIWisconsin | $99,700 | $82,200 | $123,120 | 3,550 | $105,957 |
| 45 | SDSouth Dakota | $98,980 | $89,260 | $108,640 | 530 | $111,733 |
| 46 | KYKentucky | $98,550 | $77,290 | $117,150 | 1,540 | $109,307 |
| 47 | SCSouth Carolina | $98,440 | $75,540 | $128,060 | 3,490 | $105,004 |
| 48 | ARArkansas | $96,860 | $79,520 | $115,810 | 900 | $111,414 |
| 49 | MTMontana | $87,360 | $76,400 | $112,760 | 790 | $92,303 |
| 50 | PRPuerto Rico | $74,250 | $59,300 | $98,540 | 330 | N/A |
| 51 | GUGuam | $64,190 | $55,910 | $81,670 | 200 | 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 electrical 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 $171,908.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Electrical Engineer pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays electrical engineers the most?
New Mexico reports the highest median wage for electrical engineers at $158,520 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by California ($144,040) and District of Columbia ($143,000).
Which state pays electrical engineers the least?
Among the 48 reporting states and DC, Montana reports the lowest median for electrical engineers at $87,360 a year, $71,160 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, Puerto Rico reports $74,250 and Guam reports $64,190.
In which states do electrical engineers earn over $100,000?
43 of the 48 reporting 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 Arizona at $100,550. The rest report less, down to $87,360 in Montana.
Is the highest-paying state the best for electrical engineers after cost of living?
Yes. New Mexico stays first after dividing each state median by its BEA Regional Price Parity, at $171,908 in national-average dollars from a raw $158,520. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.