Best Cities for Mechanical Engineerss

Cities ranked by purchasing power — where mechanical 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	1.65	$157,710	$171,424	8%
2	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CAMetro	1.34	$168,030	$139,792	22%
3	LouisianaState	1.27	$119,540	$132,675	11%
4	WyomingState	1.22	$117,750	$126,613	10%
5	DelawareState	1.19	$125,130	$123,891	13%
6	AlaskaState	1.15	$124,340	$119,214	13%
7	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MIMetro	1.15	$109,470	$120,033	13%
8	CaliforniaState	1.14	$130,900	$118,248	21%
9	ColoradoState	1.13	$124,430	$118,055	18%
10	TexasState	1.13	$112,410	$117,584	15%
11	District of ColumbiaState	1.12	$133,300	$116,623	19%
12	AlabamaState	1.11	$100,230	$115,075	11%
13	MississippiState	1.11	$98,000	$115,566	11%
14	OklahomaState	1.11	$101,850	$115,085	11%
15	Rhode IslandState	1.11	$116,230	$115,652	16%
16	West VirginiaState	1.11	$97,390	$115,665	10%
17	KentuckyState	1.10	$101,050	$114,181	11%
18	MichiganState	1.09	$104,890	$113,640	13%
19	South CarolinaState	1.09	$104,580	$113,674	14%
20	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TXMetro	1.09	$104,620	$113,717	15%
21	MarylandState	1.08	$122,870	$112,518	16%
22	MissouriState	1.08	$99,330	$112,111	13%
23	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WVMetro	1.08	$126,990	$112,580	19%
24	IndianaState	1.06	$99,590	$110,044	13%
25	MassachusettsState	1.06	$119,300	$109,954	23%
26	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MDMetro	1.06	$116,700	$110,302	17%
27	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WAMetro	1.06	$126,590	$110,752	21%
28	IowaState	1.05	$97,700	$109,529	12%
29	OhioState	1.05	$99,100	$109,624	13%
30	TennesseeState	1.05	$99,550	$108,798	15%
31	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TXMetro	1.04	$105,420	$108,457	18%
32	GeorgiaState	1.03	$100,620	$107,730	17%
33	Columbus, OHMetro	1.03	$100,730	$107,733	15%
34	Kansas City, MO-KSMetro	1.03	$99,630	$107,360	15%
35	North CarolinaState	1.02	$100,720	$106,695	16%
36	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SCMetro	1.02	$101,950	$106,420	18%
37	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CAMetro	1.02	$123,900	$106,352	22%
38	Pittsburgh, PAMetro	1.02	$98,050	$106,000	14%
39	IllinoisState	1.01	$102,680	$105,421	15%
40	VermontState	1.01	$107,330	$104,712	16%
41	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GAMetro	1.01	$102,020	$105,393	19%
42	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NHMetro	1.01	$119,300	$105,110	26%
43	WisconsinState	1.00	$95,870	$103,868	14%
44	MaineState	0.99	$102,430	$102,635	15%
45	New JerseyState	0.99	$112,300	$103,217	19%
46	WashingtonState	0.99	$110,430	$102,917	21%
47	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TNMetro	0.99	$99,440	$103,368	19%
48	NevadaState	0.98	$102,680	$102,475	17%
49	UtahState	0.98	$102,500	$102,295	17%
50	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WIMetro	0.98	$101,180	$101,688	18%
51	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FLMetro	0.98	$100,290	$101,817	21%
52	MinnesotaState	0.97	$99,140	$101,163	15%
53	PennsylvaniaState	0.97	$97,920	$100,948	16%
54	VirginiaState	0.97	$104,180	$100,657	18%
55	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MDMetro	0.97	$104,410	$100,879	18%
56	OregonState	0.96	$103,470	$100,456	18%
57	ArizonaState	0.95	$100,270	$99,376	18%
58	FloridaState	0.95	$99,980	$98,502	21%
59	ConnecticutState	0.94	$105,090	$97,667	18%
60	MontanaState	0.94	$94,190	$97,707	14%
61	New HampshireState	0.94	$103,660	$97,792	18%
62	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WAMetro	0.94	$105,020	$97,421	20%
63	IdahoState	0.93	$93,190	$96,570	15%
64	South DakotaState	0.93	$88,380	$97,335	13%
65	KansasState	0.92	$86,260	$95,844	14%
66	NebraskaState	0.92	$88,060	$96,240	14%
67	North DakotaState	0.90	$86,330	$93,229	14%
68	ArkansasState	0.89	$80,180	$92,908	13%
69	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FLMetro	0.88	$99,660	$91,853	25%
70	New YorkState	0.87	$102,440	$91,058	22%
71	HawaiiState	0.86	$98,740	$89,764	29%

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