Engineering jobs are always in demand. Some areas are hotter than others, so if you want to get a job there, you’re likely going to need to move there. It can be a good idea to consider relocating for an engineering job, but where would you be best suited to focus your search? Here are several of the top cities/states for engineering careers in America.
Criteria
The main criteria was that there had to be a lot of engineering jobs per capita and strong starting salaries. The data was compiled on Zippia.
Houston, TX
There are always a lot of engineering jobs in Houston. There are over two million people living there and there are 66 engineering jobs per capita and the average annual salary is $88, 897. Texas is becoming more of a popular destination for people seeking green jobs, which will include engineers. If you want to live in an urban area with a lot to do, you could move there.
Oakland, CA
The first of several California options. There are five engineering jobs per capital and the average salary is $113,542. After you finish work, you can do a lot of things to keep busy while you’re there. Even people who have lived there for a while can do things just like a tourist to enjoy all it has to offer. California also has a tremendously thriving economy, and there’s always Silicon Valley, which has businesses that are always on the lookout for the best and brightest engineers.
San Francisco, CA
If you can’t find anything in Oakland, you can go to its neighboring city, San Francisco, which is another hotspot for engineering jobs. It’s always open for all kinds of creative businesses, which is why there are 39 engineering jobs per capita. If you have good engineering skills, chances are good that someone will want to hire you at at least the low of $82,000 a year — the average salary is $113,768.
Austin, TX
Here’s another place where creativity and engineering often meet at an intersection. Young people are constantly flocking here in search of a good job. That includes engineers, who can make an average of $89,574 and the higher earners can get $125,000 or more. It’s a popular place too, since a lot of tech companies like Dell, IBM, and Apple have headquarters here. They are always on the lookout for engineers, as are other industries that call Austin home, like healthcare companies.
Lubbock, TX
Lubbock joins Austin and Houston as prime Texas locations for engineers. There are a lot of opportunities here, with two engineering jobs per capita. A lot of businesses here needed engineers – industries like tech companies. If you want a home in an area that’s a lot smaller than Houston – around 200,000 people instead of two million, then you’ll definitely like Lubbock, too.
Yes, as you can tell, engineers like to go to both Texas and California, but there are other states that are good options, too. They include Arizona (Gilbert), Oklahoma (Oklahoma City), and Kentucky (Lexington). All of them have excellent options in all kinds of fields that will need engineers. You may even be able to start working for the city itself.
Even though these cities are engineer-friendly, that doesn’t mean that a job is guaranteed there. Be sure to cast your net as wide as you can when looking at all of these locations. If you demonstrate enough skill and expertise, then you may even get a company to pay for your relocation costs to move there. Then you can continue your engineering career in a city that will reward you for such excellence. You’ll be glad that you did.
