Pay by state · 52 areas
Telecommunications Engineering Specialist Salary by State (2026)
Telecommunications Engineering Specialists earn the most in Washington at $168,070 a year and the least in Mississippi at $90,990 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $134,050. The table below covers all 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $168,070Washington
- National median
- $134,050BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $90,990Mississippi
- Areas reporting
- 52of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for telecommunications engineering specialists
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, South Dakota comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1Washington$168,070
- 2New Jersey$162,350
- 3Maryland$159,460
- 4California$158,870
- 5Massachusetts$155,060
Lowest median pay
- 1Mississippi$90,990
- 2Wyoming$100,520
- 3Kansas$100,610
- 4Iowa$103,050
- 5Missouri$103,130
All states
Telecommunications Engineering Specialist salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of telecommunications engineering specialists OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WAWashington | $168,070 | $126,470 | $200,940 | 4,730 | $157,056 |
| 2 | NJNew Jersey | $162,350 | $129,110 | $185,710 | 5,660 | $149,212 |
| 3 | MDMaryland | $159,460 | $124,700 | $176,240 | 5,860 | $151,926 |
| 4 | CACalifornia | $158,870 | $127,610 | $197,100 | 14,870 | $143,488 |
| 5 | MAMassachusetts | $155,060 | $120,020 | $172,800 | 6,270 | $146,619 |
| 6 | SDSouth Dakota | $153,390 | $116,770 | $199,420 | 420 | $173,154 |
| 7 | DEDelaware | $148,390 | $113,060 | $170,220 | 760 | $148,675 |
| 8 | CTConnecticut | $143,890 | $126,070 | $173,920 | 1,570 | $138,877 |
| 9 | VAVirginia | $141,340 | $109,760 | $174,510 | 9,380 | $139,797 |
| 10 | NYNew York | $140,390 | $108,230 | $173,220 | 9,800 | $130,086 |
| 11 | COColorado | $139,230 | $123,640 | $168,880 | 16,380 | $135,107 |
| 12 | NVNevada | $138,060 | $105,770 | $151,570 | 1,010 | $138,089 |
| 13 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $137,670 | $112,320 | $171,280 | 1,490 | $125,267 |
| 14 | OROregon | $135,660 | $105,750 | $161,020 | 1,540 | $131,249 |
| 15 | SCSouth Carolina | $134,990 | $107,970 | $168,620 | 1,950 | $143,991 |
| 16 | GAGeorgia | $133,890 | $97,240 | $166,580 | 7,690 | $139,044 |
| 17 | TXTexas | $133,310 | $100,390 | $166,220 | 13,650 | $137,352 |
| 18 | MNMinnesota | $133,270 | $104,140 | $157,130 | 2,040 | $135,133 |
| 19 | FLFlorida | $132,800 | $103,920 | $166,910 | 9,370 | $128,416 |
| 20 | ILIllinois | $132,790 | $105,410 | $166,720 | 7,810 | $132,846 |
| 21 | PAPennsylvania | $131,840 | $102,230 | $165,880 | 6,080 | $135,121 |
| 22 | WIWisconsin | $131,720 | $105,190 | $159,690 | 2,170 | $139,986 |
| 23 | RIRhode Island | $131,320 | $107,310 | $167,320 | 460 | $128,393 |
| 24 | OHOhio | $131,070 | $102,630 | $162,400 | 5,150 | $141,279 |
| 25 | AZArizona | $130,890 | $101,660 | $164,990 | 3,990 | $130,010 |
| 26 | ALAlabama | $130,810 | $99,660 | $157,900 | 4,200 | $147,270 |
| 27 | NCNorth Carolina | $127,320 | $104,220 | $161,840 | 8,350 | $134,979 |
| 28 | NHNew Hampshire | $125,420 | $94,770 | $169,430 | 560 | $120,405 |
| 29 | INIndiana | $124,190 | $93,120 | $150,100 | 2,030 | $133,067 |
| 30 | TNTennessee | $123,860 | $102,050 | $148,060 | 4,330 | $134,821 |
| 31 | WVWest Virginia | $122,520 | $90,760 | $131,210 | 360 | $136,898 |
| 32 | UTUtah | $121,000 | $99,180 | $150,170 | 1,330 | $122,390 |
| 33 | AKAlaska | $119,720 | $102,790 | $156,440 | 120 | $116,961 |
| 34 | NENebraska | $116,420 | $88,720 | $139,070 | 1,350 | $129,208 |
| 35 | MIMichigan | $112,040 | $87,100 | $145,040 | 3,210 | $116,445 |
| 36 | VTVermont | $110,930 | $95,000 | $131,630 | 130 | $113,242 |
| 37 | ARArkansas | $110,400 | $97,780 | $137,770 | 910 | $126,989 |
| 38 | OKOklahoma | $109,450 | $85,440 | $133,690 | 1,320 | $124,597 |
| 39 | NMNew Mexico | $109,080 | $85,400 | $126,550 | 420 | $118,293 |
| 40 | NDNorth Dakota | $108,990 | $93,950 | $133,480 | 230 | $122,517 |
| 41 | MEMaine | $108,570 | $99,130 | $128,390 | 570 | $111,870 |
| 42 | HIHawaii | $108,000 | $81,610 | $135,310 | 320 | $98,226 |
| 43 | IDIdaho | $107,620 | $81,560 | $137,770 | 720 | $112,698 |
| 44 | LALouisiana | $106,620 | $96,270 | $128,380 | 470 | $120,875 |
| 45 | MTMontana | $104,300 | $89,830 | $130,710 | 250 | $110,201 |
| 46 | KYKentucky | $103,740 | $78,640 | $130,330 | 1,710 | $115,063 |
| 47 | MOMissouri | $103,130 | $78,830 | $136,170 | 3,360 | $113,558 |
| 48 | IAIowa | $103,050 | $80,120 | $131,440 | 1,170 | $117,420 |
| 49 | KSKansas | $100,610 | $76,440 | $129,870 | 1,770 | $111,704 |
| 50 | WYWyoming | $100,520 | $82,800 | $102,060 | 50 | $108,446 |
| 51 | MSMississippi | $90,990 | $74,710 | $132,600 | N/A | $104,643 |
| 52 | PRPuerto Rico | $78,200 | $60,070 | $98,680 | 240 | 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 telecommunications engineering specialists, that changes the ranking: Washington leads on raw pay at $168,070, while South Dakota leads once prices are taken into account at $173,154.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Telecommunications Engineering Specialist pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays telecommunications engineering specialists the most?
Washington reports the highest median wage for telecommunications engineering specialists at $168,070 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by New Jersey ($162,350) and Maryland ($159,460).
Which state pays telecommunications engineering specialists the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Mississippi reports the lowest median for telecommunications engineering specialists at $90,990 a year, $77,080 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, Puerto Rico reports $78,200.
In which states do telecommunications engineering specialists earn over $100,000?
50 of the 50 states and DC have a median of $100,000 or more (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The highest is Washington; the lowest of them is Wyoming at $100,520. The rest report less, down to $90,990 in Mississippi.
Is the highest-paying state the best for telecommunications engineering specialists after cost of living?
Not on this data. Washington pays the most on paper ($168,070) but ranks 2nd of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($157,056). South Dakota leads after that adjustment at $173,154, from a raw median of $153,390. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.