Pay by state · 53 states
Photonics Engineer Salary by State (2026)
Photonics Engineers earn the most in New Mexico at $162,070 a year and the least in Kansas at $76,100 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $122,930. All 53 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $162,070New Mexico
- National median
- $122,930BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $76,100Kansas
- States reporting
- 53of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Photonics Engineer salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of photonics engineers OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NMNew Mexico | $162,070 | $119,430 | $180,190 | 2,190 | $175,758 |
| 2 | ALAlabama | $152,550 | $116,040 | $183,040 | 3,460 | $171,746 |
| 3 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $151,920 | $101,990 | $185,220 | 3,560 | $138,234 |
| 4 | VAVirginia | $148,160 | $116,920 | $181,660 | 5,060 | $146,542 |
| 5 | AKAlaska | $142,390 | $123,120 | $164,260 | 200 | $139,108 |
| 6 | WAWashington | $134,570 | $109,550 | $168,550 | 3,580 | $125,751 |
| 7 | COColorado | $132,590 | $105,050 | $164,800 | 2,540 | $128,663 |
| 8 | NJNew Jersey | $132,450 | $93,670 | $170,460 | 4,540 | $121,732 |
| 9 | MAMassachusetts | $131,260 | $103,010 | $162,470 | 2,850 | $124,115 |
| 10 | IDIdaho | $130,970 | $100,430 | $153,570 | 560 | $137,150 |
| 11 | CACalifornia | $130,850 | $98,520 | $169,830 | 28,610 | $118,181 |
| 12 | MDMaryland | $129,770 | $83,840 | $172,580 | 7,340 | $123,639 |
| 13 | NHNew Hampshire | $128,130 | $97,960 | $157,300 | 610 | $123,007 |
| 14 | VTVermont | $126,550 | $96,340 | $174,900 | 390 | $129,188 |
| 15 | CTConnecticut | $124,110 | $93,360 | $153,670 | 2,430 | $119,786 |
| 16 | OROregon | $123,220 | $96,210 | $157,000 | 2,030 | $119,213 |
| 17 | HIHawaii | $122,800 | $104,290 | $159,570 | 1,100 | $111,686 |
| 18 | MIMichigan | $121,000 | $95,760 | $135,410 | 7,700 | $125,757 |
| 19 | INIndiana | $120,880 | $86,820 | $139,410 | 1,540 | $129,520 |
| 20 | OHOhio | $120,470 | $88,100 | $155,510 | 7,000 | $129,853 |
| 21 | MEMaine | $120,430 | $99,620 | $135,260 | 590 | $124,091 |
| 22 | OKOklahoma | $119,810 | $95,040 | $138,400 | 860 | $136,391 |
| 23 | WVWest Virginia | $118,800 | $81,730 | $136,990 | 660 | $132,742 |
| 24 | NYNew York | $117,600 | $94,400 | $154,310 | 5,760 | $108,969 |
| 25 | RIRhode Island | $117,080 | $84,200 | $166,300 | 380 | $114,470 |
| 26 | TXTexas | $115,810 | $93,380 | $153,940 | 10,820 | $119,322 |
| 27 | WYWyoming | $113,050 | $88,610 | $136,660 | 110 | $121,964 |
| 28 | NCNorth Carolina | $112,450 | $85,240 | $140,790 | 4,270 | $119,214 |
| 29 | GAGeorgia | $112,260 | $79,160 | $135,040 | 4,120 | $116,582 |
| 30 | SDSouth Dakota | $112,260 | $99,300 | $129,960 | 110 | $126,724 |
| 31 | ILIllinois | $111,930 | $80,960 | $139,170 | 2,520 | $111,977 |
| 32 | MSMississippi | $111,030 | $75,890 | $141,130 | 480 | $127,690 |
| 33 | SCSouth Carolina | $110,490 | $88,750 | $139,760 | 1,280 | $117,857 |
| 34 | WIWisconsin | $110,360 | $90,640 | $129,960 | 690 | $117,286 |
| 35 | UTUtah | $110,320 | $83,760 | $136,990 | 1,750 | $111,588 |
| 36 | PAPennsylvania | $108,950 | $79,890 | $138,580 | 3,250 | $111,661 |
| 37 | MNMinnesota | $108,850 | $87,840 | $132,410 | 1,290 | $110,372 |
| 38 | FLFlorida | $105,410 | $76,400 | $138,920 | 8,600 | $101,930 |
| 39 | NVNevada | $103,780 | $77,390 | $133,370 | 870 | $103,802 |
| 40 | DEDelaware | $103,580 | $95,510 | $120,120 | N/A | $103,779 |
| 41 | IAIowa | $103,090 | $83,510 | $125,440 | 1,100 | $117,465 |
| 42 | MOMissouri | $102,980 | $73,730 | $136,240 | 1,850 | $113,393 |
| 43 | AZArizona | $102,280 | $76,960 | $137,730 | 1,720 | $101,592 |
| 44 | NDNorth Dakota | $100,250 | $67,850 | $127,920 | 220 | $112,692 |
| 45 | GUGuam | $100,010 | $77,750 | $129,960 | 80 | N/A |
| 46 | KYKentucky | $99,830 | $82,300 | $124,790 | 500 | $110,727 |
| 47 | LALouisiana | $99,070 | $80,630 | $131,330 | 6,310 | $112,315 |
| 48 | MTMontana | $97,470 | $79,750 | $124,990 | 240 | $102,985 |
| 49 | TNTennessee | $96,640 | $72,560 | $125,420 | 4,400 | $105,192 |
| 50 | NENebraska | $88,490 | $48,340 | $119,600 | 300 | $98,210 |
| 51 | PRPuerto Rico | $81,370 | $48,970 | $123,880 | 890 | N/A |
| 52 | ARArkansas | $76,940 | $60,070 | $103,380 | 820 | $88,501 |
| 53 | KSKansas | $76,100 | $60,210 | $101,790 | 780 | $84,492 |
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 Photonics Engineers, that changes the ranking: New Mexico leads on raw pay at $162,070, while New Mexico leads once prices are taken into account at $175,758.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Photonics Engineer pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Photonics Engineers the most?
New Mexico reports the highest median wage for Photonics Engineers at $162,070 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Alabama ($152,550) and District of Columbia ($151,920).
Which state pays Photonics Engineers the least?
Kansas reports the lowest median for Photonics Engineers at $76,100 a year, $85,970 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Photonics 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 $175,758 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $162,070. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.