Best Cities for Materials Engineerss

Cities ranked by purchasing power — where materials engineerss get the most value from their salary after accounting for cost of living. A score above 1.00 means better than national average.

How we calculate this: City Score = (Local Salary ÷ National Median) ÷ (Local Cost ÷ National Avg Cost). A score of 1.20 means 20% better purchasing power than average.

#	Location	Score	Raw Salary	Adjusted Salary	Rent/Income
1	New MexicoState	1.59	$165,600	$180,000	8%
2	LouisianaState	1.27	$128,670	$142,808	10%
3	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MDMetro	1.21	$144,010	$136,115	14%
4	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WAMetro	1.21	$156,130	$136,597	17%
5	South CarolinaState	1.17	$121,610	$132,185	12%
6	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CAMetro	1.16	$156,730	$130,391	24%
7	DelawareState	1.15	$131,320	$130,020	12%
8	IllinoisState	1.15	$126,620	$130,000	12%
9	WashingtonState	1.15	$139,840	$130,326	16%
10	MarylandState	1.14	$140,640	$128,791	14%
11	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WVMetro	1.10	$140,640	$124,681	17%
12	AlabamaState	1.09	$107,580	$123,513	11%
13	TexasState	1.09	$117,700	$123,117	14%
14	ArkansasState	1.07	$103,900	$120,394	10%
15	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TXMetro	1.07	$117,700	$121,091	16%
16	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MDMetro	1.07	$125,190	$120,957	15%
17	OregonState	1.06	$122,850	$119,272	16%
18	WyomingState	1.06	$110,970	$119,323	11%
19	AlaskaState	1.05	$123,360	$118,274	13%
20	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WAMetro	1.05	$128,250	$118,970	17%
21	ColoradoState	1.04	$124,030	$117,676	18%
22	FloridaState	1.04	$118,780	$117,025	17%
23	OhioState	1.04	$106,510	$117,821	12%
24	CaliforniaState	1.03	$128,470	$116,052	21%
25	ConnecticutState	1.01	$122,300	$113,662	15%
26	KentuckyState	1.01	$100,620	$113,695	11%
27	OklahomaState	1.00	$99,950	$112,938	12%
28	VirginiaState	1.00	$116,720	$112,773	16%
29	IndianaState	0.99	$101,120	$111,735	13%
30	MissouriState	0.99	$98,860	$111,580	13%
31	New YorkState	0.99	$125,900	$111,911	18%
32	Columbus, OHMetro	0.99	$104,370	$111,626	15%
33	KansasState	0.98	$100,000	$111,111	12%
34	North CarolinaState	0.98	$104,240	$110,424	15%
35	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WIMetro	0.98	$110,350	$110,905	16%
36	IdahoState	0.97	$105,820	$109,658	14%
37	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SCMetro	0.97	$104,910	$109,509	17%
38	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MIMetro	0.97	$100,070	$109,726	15%
39	Kansas City, MO-KSMetro	0.97	$101,230	$109,084	15%
40	GeorgiaState	0.96	$100,840	$107,966	17%
41	MinnesotaState	0.96	$106,220	$108,388	14%
42	NebraskaState	0.95	$98,270	$107,399	13%
43	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CAMetro	0.95	$125,200	$107,468	22%
44	ArizonaState	0.94	$106,810	$105,857	17%
45	MassachusettsState	0.93	$114,100	$105,161	24%
46	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GAMetro	0.93	$101,100	$104,442	19%
47	WisconsinState	0.92	$96,210	$104,236	14%
48	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FLMetro	0.91	$100,850	$102,386	20%
49	MichiganState	0.90	$94,050	$101,896	14%
50	PennsylvaniaState	0.90	$98,030	$101,062	16%
51	TennesseeState	0.89	$91,940	$100,481	16%
52	Pittsburgh, PAMetro	0.89	$92,740	$100,259	15%
53	NevadaState	0.88	$99,010	$98,812	18%
54	New JerseyState	0.87	$106,920	$98,272	20%
55	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NHMetro	0.87	$111,480	$98,220	28%
56	MaineState	0.86	$97,110	$97,305	16%
57	New HampshireState	0.85	$101,290	$95,557	19%
58	MississippiState	0.82	$78,700	$92,807	14%
59	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TNMetro	0.82	$89,040	$92,557	21%
60	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TXMetro	0.80	$82,800	$90,000	19%
61	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FLMetro	0.79	$96,740	$89,161	25%
62	UtahState	0.78	$88,080	$87,904	20%
63	Rhode IslandState	0.77	$87,180	$86,746	21%
64	MontanaState	0.70	$76,030	$78,869	18%
65	IowaState	0.64	$64,270	$72,052	18%

Data Sources: Salary: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS). Cost of Living: BEA Regional Price Parities (2024). Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2025).