Engineering · 25 Cities Ranked

Highest Paying Cities for Electrical Engineer (2024)

The median Electrical Engineer salary is $186,920 in San Jose, CA, the highest-paying city for this role. After adjusting for cost of living, Raleigh, NC offers the best purchasing power at $131,162 adjusted.

$121,110

National Median

$186,920

Highest City

$103,380

Lowest City

Cities Ranked

Ranked by Median Salary

Rank	City	Median	Range (10th–90th)	COL Index	COL-Adjusted	Jobs
1	San Jose, CA	$186,920	$114,800 – $270,088	195.8	$95,465	4,750
2	San Francisco, CA	$163,840	$97,450 – $215,690	179.6	$91,225	2,860
3	Washington, DC	$136,820	$88,540 – $191,880	152.8	$89,542	3,660
4	Seattle, WA	$135,480	$93,440 – $180,880	149.4	$90,683	6,580
5	Los Angeles, CA	$134,900	$78,570 – $207,490	166	$81,265	7,870
6	Raleigh, NC	$130,900	$75,030 – $214,920	99.8	$131,162	1,590
7	San Diego, CA	$128,750	$79,550 – $209,470	160.2	$80,368	2,200
8	Boston, MA	$127,520	$83,450 – $195,390	152.1	$83,840	3,920
9	New York, NY	$127,160	$77,500 – $169,020	187.2	$67,927	5,960
10	Philadelphia, PA	$125,350	$79,060 – $205,070	118.4	$105,870	3,720
11	Austin, TX	$117,420	$65,360 – $204,030	103	$114,000	1,850
12	Charlotte, NC	$114,450	$76,390 – $182,430	96.7	$118,356	1,590
13	Portland, OR	$114,130	$79,340 – $161,130	130.1	$87,725	3,050
14	Denver, CO	$110,570	$80,320 – $165,210	112.8	$98,023	2,840
15	Houston, TX	$110,210	$62,960 – $173,840	96.5	$114,207	4,910
16	Phoenix, AZ	$109,820	$78,530 – $174,020	100.7	$109,057	2,980
17	Nashville, TN	$109,400	$73,310 – $172,150	100.3	$109,073	560
18	Chicago, IL	$109,010	$76,070 – $168,580	107.3	$101,594	4,340
19	Minneapolis, MN	$106,960	$76,740 – $165,460	106.2	$100,716	2,630
20	Atlanta, GA	$106,340	$75,410 – $169,860	99.2	$107,198	2,450
21	Detroit, MI	$105,500	$79,640 – $158,120	95.1	$110,936	6,300
22	Tampa, FL	$104,440	$73,250 – $162,680	99.6	$104,859	1,100
23	Dallas, TX	$104,380	$64,880 – $169,310	104.1	$100,269	4,460
24	Miami, FL	$104,100	$62,910 – $166,430	123.1	$84,565	1,510
25	Salt Lake City, UT	$103,380	$77,060 – $165,850	101.4	$101,953	920

Ranked by Purchasing Power (COL-Adjusted)

Cost-of-living adjusted salaries show where your Electrical Engineer paycheck goes furthest. A lower COL index means your dollars stretch further.

Rank	City	COL-Adjusted	Raw Median	COL Index
1	Raleigh, NC	$131,162	$130,900	99.8
2	Charlotte, NC	$118,356	$114,450	96.7
3	Houston, TX	$114,207	$110,210	96.5
4	Austin, TX	$114,000	$117,420	103
5	Detroit, MI	$110,936	$105,500	95.1
6	Nashville, TN	$109,073	$109,400	100.3
7	Phoenix, AZ	$109,057	$109,820	100.7
8	Atlanta, GA	$107,198	$106,340	99.2
9	Philadelphia, PA	$105,870	$125,350	118.4
10	Tampa, FL	$104,859	$104,440	99.6
11	Salt Lake City, UT	$101,953	$103,380	101.4
12	Chicago, IL	$101,594	$109,010	107.3
13	Minneapolis, MN	$100,716	$106,960	106.2
14	Dallas, TX	$100,269	$104,380	104.1
15	Denver, CO	$98,023	$110,570	112.8
16	San Jose, CA	$95,465	$186,920	195.8
17	San Francisco, CA	$91,225	$163,840	179.6
18	Seattle, WA	$90,683	$135,480	149.4
19	Washington, DC	$89,542	$136,820	152.8
20	Portland, OR	$87,725	$114,130	130.1
21	Miami, FL	$84,565	$104,100	123.1
22	Boston, MA	$83,840	$127,520	152.1
23	Los Angeles, CA	$81,265	$134,900	166
24	San Diego, CA	$80,368	$128,750	160.2
25	New York, NY	$67,927	$127,160	187.2

Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose, CA pays the highest median Electrical Engineer salary at $186,920. However, after cost-of-living adjustment, Raleigh, NC offers the most purchasing power at $131,162 adjusted.

The national median Electrical Engineer salary is $121,110 based on BLS data. Salaries range from $103,380 to $186,920 depending on city.

Not necessarily. A city with higher nominal pay may have a higher cost of living that offsets the salary difference. Compare the "COL-Adjusted" column in both tables above — cities with lower costs of living often offer better real purchasing power.