Electrical Engineer Salary by State (2026): EE / PE Pay Compared Across All 50 States

Electrical engineer salary by state varies more than for most engineering occupations because state employer mix differs sharply — some states concentrate semiconductor fab construction and chip design, others FAANG hardware engineering, others utility / power systems, others controls and automation engineering. The national median for Electrical Engineers sits at $125,033, but state-by-state pay across the 52 states tracked here ranges widely — from $80,315 in Puerto Rico to $162,555 in New Hampshire. That spread reflects state-level cost of living, the regional density of FAANG / semiconductor / aerospace defense employers, IIJA / IRA / CHIPS Act federal investment distribution, utility / ISO engineering concentration, and state PE adoption.

This page compares the average electrical engineer salary by state across 1676+ metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas — drawing on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for SOC 17-2071. If you're an EE evaluating relocation or remote opportunities, an ABET-accredited program graduate planning your first role, or a director of engineering benchmarking pay across states, the state-level comparison below is the central reference point.

How Electrical Engineer Salary by State Is Measured

The BLS reports state-level EE salary through three numbers (base pay; RSU / equity not included):

• Annual median (50th percentile) — used to rank state-level pay in the table below.
• Annual mean (average) — typically runs 8–15% above median; states with strong FAANG hardware engineering, chip design, and aerospace defense concentration show wide mean-median spreads.
• Percentile distribution (P10 / P25 / P75 / P90) — P10 reflects entry-level engineers at smaller manufacturers; P90 reflects principal / staff / senior staff engineers at FAANG-tier hardware employers (Apple, Google, Meta, Amazon Devices, Tesla), semiconductor giants (Nvidia, AMD, Intel, Qualcomm, Broadcom, Marvell, Micron, Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, NXP), aerospace defense (Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, BAE, L3Harris, Boeing), and senior utility / ISO / RTO engineers and PE-licensed power systems specialists.

The state-comparison table below applies BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) adjustment so both nominal pay and real purchasing power are visible.

1. State Semiconductor and FAANG Hardware Concentration

State semiconductor / FAANG hardware concentration is the single largest driver of state-level EE pay:

• California (Silicon Valley) — Apple (Cupertino), Google (Mountain View), Meta (Menlo Park), Nvidia (Santa Clara), AMD (Santa Clara), Qualcomm (San Diego), Intel California offices, Marvell, Broadcom (San Jose / Irvine), Tesla (Palo Alto / Fremont), Cisco (San Jose), Applied Materials (Santa Clara), Lam Research (Fremont), KLA (Milpitas). Highest nominal EE pay in U.S. but high cost of living and 13.3% top income tax.
• Texas — Texas Instruments (Dallas), Apple (Austin chip design), Tesla (Austin), AMD (Austin), Samsung Austin Semiconductor, NXP (Austin), Silicon Labs (Austin), Cirrus Logic (Austin). Massive Samsung Taylor fab construction. No state income tax + rapid growth.
• Washington — Amazon Devices (Seattle / Bellevue), Microsoft Azure hardware (Redmond), Apple AI/ML, T-Mobile (Bellevue), Boeing (Everett, Renton). No state income tax + strong tech concentration.
• Oregon — Intel (Hillsboro — largest Intel fab campus globally), Lattice Semiconductor (Hillsboro), Mentor Graphics / Siemens EDA (Wilsonville).
• Arizona — TSMC Phoenix fab construction (multiple fab phases), Intel Chandler, ON Semiconductor (Phoenix), Microchip Technology (Chandler). CHIPS Act megaproject site.
• New York — Micron Mohawk Valley fab construction (Clay, NY), GlobalFoundries (Saratoga), IBM Research (Yorktown Heights), Wolfspeed (Marcy NY fab). Massive CHIPS Act investment.
• Ohio — Intel New Albany / Licking County fab construction (multiple fab phases — $20B+ initial investment). CHIPS Act megaproject site.
• Massachusetts — Analog Devices (Wilmington), MathWorks (Natick), Raytheon (Waltham). Strong defense electronics.
• Idaho — Micron (Boise HQ + new fab).
• Other strong markets — Colorado (Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin Space, Ball Aerospace), Florida (Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control, Harris / L3Harris), New Mexico (Sandia National Labs, Los Alamos), Alabama (Huntsville aerospace).

2. State Aerospace Defense and Utility Power Systems

Aerospace defense and utility power systems drive state-level EE pay distribution:

• Aerospace defense states — California (Aerospace Corp, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Boeing Defense, SpaceX), Texas (Lockheed Aeronautics Fort Worth, Bell Textron, Raytheon McKinney), Massachusetts (Raytheon HQ, MIT Lincoln Lab), Connecticut (Pratt & Whitney, Sikorsky), Maryland (Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin Bethesda HQ), Florida (Lockheed M&FC Orlando, Harris / L3Harris Melbourne), Virginia (Northrop Grumman Falls Church, BAE), Alabama (Huntsville arsenal of weapons — Boeing, Lockheed, Northrop, Raytheon), Arizona (Raytheon Tucson), Colorado (Lockheed Martin Space, Ball Aerospace, Northrop Grumman, Boeing). Defense electrical engineers requiring clearances (Secret, TS, TS/SCI) earn premium.
• Utility / ISO / RTO concentration — every state has utility engineering employment. CAISO (California), ERCOT (Texas), PJM (multi-state northeast), MISO (multi-state midwest), SPP (multi-state south central), NYISO (New York), ISO-NE (New England). Power systems PE engineers at utilities earn stable mid-to-upper range pay with strong benefits.
• Renewable energy and transmission — Texas (wind / solar), California (solar), Iowa / Kansas / Oklahoma (wind), Arizona (solar), New York (offshore wind development). IRA-driven expansion.
• State PE in electrical engineering — required for utility / consulting work signing drawings. NCEES uniform exam.

3. State Cost of Living and Tax

State cost of living and income tax drive nominal vs real EE pay:

• State cost of living — California, Washington, Massachusetts, Hawaii, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut lead nominal EE pay rankings.
• State income tax variation — EEs in Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Nevada, Washington, Wyoming, South Dakota, Alaska, and New Hampshire keep more of every dollar. At senior staff / principal EE comp levels, state tax savings can reach $20,000–$60,000+ annually.
• RSU / equity at FAANG and semiconductor — BLS captures base only. Senior FAANG hardware and chip design EE RSU often equal or exceed base. Total comp in California / Washington / Texas Apple / Tesla can reach $400,000–$1,000,000+ at senior staff levels.

4. CHIPS Act Megaproject Talent Demand

CHIPS Act semiconductor fab construction reshapes state-level EE labor markets:

• Arizona (TSMC, Intel) — multi-phase TSMC Phoenix fabs. Intel Chandler expansion. Intense process / device / equipment / manufacturing engineer demand.
• Texas (Samsung, TI) — Samsung Taylor fab. Texas Instruments Sherman, Lehi expansions. Apple chip design Austin.
• Ohio (Intel) — Intel New Albany / Licking County fabs. Long-term $20B+ investment phase 1, additional phases.
• New York (Micron, GlobalFoundries, Wolfspeed) — Micron Mohawk Valley megaproject. GlobalFoundries Saratoga expansion.
• Oregon (Intel) — Intel Hillsboro expansion.
• Idaho (Micron) — Micron Boise expansion.
• Indiana (SkyWater) — SkyWater Technology West Lafayette.
• State EE talent migration — semiconductor fab states aggressively recruit EEs nationally with sign-on bonuses and relocation packages.

How to Compare Electrical Engineer Salary by State Effectively

When comparing the average electrical engineer salary by state, work through this checklist:

• Account for RSU / equity at FAANG and semiconductor employers — BLS captures base only. Senior hardware / chip design EE RSU often equals or exceeds base.
• Compare nominal and real (cost-adjusted) pay together — a state with the highest nominal median can have lower real purchasing power if its cost of living is higher.
• Check state income tax — at senior EE comp levels, no-tax states deliver $20,000–$60,000+ annual savings vs California / New York.
• Compare percentile distribution, not just median — FAANG hardware / semiconductor states show very wide P75–P90 spreads.
• Factor in employer mix — FAANG hardware (CA, WA, TX); semiconductor fab (CA, TX, OR, AZ, NY, OH, ID); aerospace defense (CA, TX, MA, CT, MD, FL, VA, AL, AZ, CO); utility / power systems (every state); EV / Tesla (CA, TX, NV); industrial controls (MI, OH, IN).
• Track CHIPS Act megaproject hiring — Arizona, Texas, Ohio, New York, Oregon, Idaho, Indiana have aggressive EE hiring with sign-on bonuses.
• Consider PE pursuit for utility / power systems path — PE license required for utility / consulting work signing drawings.
• Verify clearance requirement — aerospace defense EE at TS / TS/SCI level command premium.

2026 State-Level Electrical Engineer Salary Outlook

EE pay has grown at a compound annual rate of 3.65% nationally over the past five years — driven by CHIPS Act semiconductor fab construction creating multi-state EE demand, rapid FAANG hardware engineering hiring for AI / GenAI deployment infrastructure, IRA-driven utility transmission and renewable energy expansion, ongoing aerospace defense modernization, and EV / charging infrastructure deployment. States with CHIPS Act megaproject construction (Arizona, Texas, Ohio, New York, Oregon, Idaho), FAANG / semiconductor concentration leaders (California, Washington, Texas), and no-state-income-tax tech hubs are seeing the fastest state-level pay growth through 2026. The BLS projects Electrical Engineers employment growth at 9% through 2033, keeping strong upward pressure on state-level wages.

Browse the state-by-state comparison table below to see the $125,033-baseline state ranking, top 10 and bottom 10 states by projected median, regional groupings (Northeast / Midwest / South / West), and direct links to per-state pages for deeper city-level breakdown.