Nuclear engineers are consistently one of the top-earning engineering occupations in all 50 U.S. … [+]
Engineering is an extremely popular occupation for Americans to pursue a career in, in part because there is such a wide variety of fields to specialize in: From aerospace and agricultural engineering to nuclear and petroleum engineering, and everything in between. Using the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), we took a look at the highest-earning engineering occupations each state. In general, engineers earn considerably more money than the average pay for all occupations: Engineers earn a mean annual wage of $100,770 versus $53,490 for all occupations. However, the various specialized fields within engineering all have different levels of compensation, with some fields paying substantially more than others.
Read on to find out the highest paying jobs in every U.S. state in 2021.
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Alabama
Occupation: Petroleum Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $62.24
Annual Mean Wage: $129,460
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Alaska
Occupation: Petroleum Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $72.18
Annual Mean Wage: $150,120
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Arizona
Occupation: Nuclear Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $69.90
Annual Mean Wage: $145,400
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Arkansas
Occupation: Nuclear Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $62.18
Annual Mean Wage: $129,330
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in California
Occupation: Nuclear Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $70.42
Annual Mean Wage: $146,470
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Colorado
Occupation: Petroleum Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $74.14
Annual Mean Wage: $154,210
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Connecticut
Occupation: Nuclear Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $55.77
Annual Mean Wage: $116,000
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Delaware
Occupation: Chemical Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $60.89
Annual Mean Wage: $126,650
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Florida
Occupation: Petroleum Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $72.00
Annual Mean Wage: $149,750
Highest Paying Engineering Job in Georgia
Occupation: Aerospace Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $54.17
Annual Mean Wage: $112,670
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Hawaii
Occupation: Computer Hardware Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $57.80
Annual Mean Wage: $120,220
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Idaho
Occupation: Nuclear Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $63.41
Annual Mean Wage: $131,900
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Illinois
Occupation: Petroleum Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $63.68
Annual Mean Wage: $132,450
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Indiana
Occupation: Petroleum Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $95.27
Annual Mean Wage: $198,170
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Iowa
Occupation: Chemical Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $53.75
Annual Mean Wage: $111,810
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Kansas
Occupation: Nuclear Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $54.08
Annual Mean Wage: $112,490
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Kentucky
Occupation: Petroleum Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $60.97
Annual Mean Wage: $126,820
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Louisiana
Occupation: Petroleum Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $63.46
Annual Mean Wage: $132,000
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Maine
Occupation: Materials Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $49.64
Annual Mean Wage: $103,260
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Maryland
Occupation: Nuclear Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $68.94
Annual Mean Wage: $143,410
Highest Paying Engineering Job in Massachusetts
Occupation: Computer Hardware Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $65.49
Annual Mean Wage: $136,220
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Michigan
Occupation: Electronics Engineers, Except Computer
Hourly Mean Wage: $49.62
Annual Mean Wage: $103,210
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Minnesota
Occupation: Petroleum Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $63.91
Annual Mean Wage: $132,920
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Mississippi
Occupation: Petroleum Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $56.99
Annual Mean Wage: $118,530
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Missouri
Occupation: Aerospace Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $53.15
Annual Mean Wage: $110,560
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Montana
Occupation: Petroleum Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $70.03
Annual Mean Wage: $145,660
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Nebraska
Occupation: Aerospace Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $57.29
Annual Mean Wage: $119,170
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Nevada
Occupation: Chemical Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $51.66
Annual Mean Wage: $107,460
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in New Hampshire
Occupation: Computer Hardware Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $58.33
Annual Mean Wage: $121,320
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in New Jersey
Occupation: Petroleum Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $88.25
Annual Mean Wage: $183,550
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in New Mexico
Occupation: Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $61.35
Annual Mean Wage: $127,600
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in New York
Occupation: Computer Hardware Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $57.85
Annual Mean Wage: $120,320
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in North Carolina
Occupation: Computer Hardware Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $53.12
Annual Mean Wage: $110,480
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in North Dakota
Occupation: Petroleum Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $60.54
Annual Mean Wage: $125,930
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Ohio
Occupation: Petroleum Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $58.34
Annual Mean Wage: $121,350
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Oklahoma
Occupation: Petroleum Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $68.82
Annual Mean Wage: $143,140
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Oregon
Occupation: Aerospace Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $56.05
Annual Mean Wage: $116,580
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Pennsylvania
Occupation: Computer Hardware Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $56.76
Annual Mean Wage: $118,050
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Rhode Island
Occupation: Electronics Engineers, Except Computer
Hourly Mean Wage: $57.92
Annual Mean Wage: $120,480
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in South Carolina
Occupation: Nuclear Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $50.65
Annual Mean Wage: $105,340
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in South Dakota
Occupation: Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $48.89
Annual Mean Wage: $101,700
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Tennessee
Occupation: Nuclear Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $62.77
Annual Mean Wage: $130,570
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Texas
Occupation: Petroleum Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $83.12
Annual Mean Wage: $172,890
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Utah
Occupation: Nuclear Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $66.80
Annual Mean Wage: $138,940
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Vermont
Occupation: Electronics Engineers, Except Computer
Hourly Mean Wage: $50.91
Annual Mean Wage: $105,880
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Virginia
Occupation: Aerospace Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $59.27
Annual Mean Wage: $123,290
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Washington
Occupation: Computer Hardware Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $76.50
Annual Mean Wage: $159,130
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in West Virginia
Occupation: Petroleum Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $57.63
Annual Mean Wage: $119,860
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Wisconsin
Occupation: Nuclear Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $58.20
Annual Mean Wage: $121,050
Highest Paying Engineering Jobs in Wyoming
Occupation: Petroleum Engineers
Hourly Mean Wage: $54.15
Annual Mean Wage: $112,640
