GeraJobs / US Real Pay Index / Engineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other
Best States to Be a Engineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other
After 2025 state income tax and 2024 cost of living, a engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other salary goes furthest in New Mexico — a $101,750 BLS median worth $106,322 in real terms (Gera US Real Pay Index 138.1).
Which US states are best for a engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other after cost of living and tax?
For a engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other, the Gera US Real Pay Index ranks New Mexico #1: a $101,750 BLS median becomes $106,322 in cost-of-living-and-tax-adjusted terms (index 138.1). Vermont ranks last ($52,493, index 68.2). Real BLS OEWS May 2025 across 49 states; re-dated annually.
Gera US Real Pay Index
New Mexico ranks #1 of 49 states for a engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other. Index 100 = the average state; 138.1 means pay goes 38.1% further after tax and cost of living.
How this is calculatedEngineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other — real pay by state (best first)
| # | State | BLS median | State tax | Cost (RPP) | Real pay | Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | $101,750 | $3,709 | 92.2 | $106,322 | 138.1 |
| 2 | Maine | $107,060 | $5,706 | 97.0 | $104,435 | 135.7 |
| 3 | Nevada | $93,670 | — | 100.0 | $93,690 | 121.7 |
| 4 | Washington | $99,720 | — | 107.0 | $93,185 | 121.0 |
| 5 | Virginia | $98,410 | $4,859 | 101.1 | $92,530 | 120.2 |
| 6 | Indiana | $88,880 | $2,636 | 93.3 | $92,408 | 120.0 |
| 7 | Maryland | $99,970 | $4,416 | 105.0 | $91,040 | 118.3 |
| 8 | North Dakota | $80,990 | $342 | 89.0 | $90,658 | 117.8 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $94,570 | $2,946 | 102.3 | $89,581 | 116.4 |
| 10 | Oklahoma | $81,330 | $3,326 | 87.8 | $88,800 | 115.3 |
| 11 | Mississippi | $79,350 | $2,686 | 87.0 | $88,167 | 114.5 |
| 12 | Alaska | $89,810 | — | 102.4 | $87,740 | 114.0 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $81,330 | $2,985 | 89.5 | $87,539 | 113.7 |
| 14 | Wyoming | $79,440 | — | 92.7 | $85,704 | 111.3 |
| 15 | South Carolina | $80,540 | $3,386 | 93.7 | $82,298 | 106.9 |
| 16 | Ohio | $77,590 | $1,351 | 92.8 | $82,177 | 106.7 |
| 17 | Alabama | $74,650 | $3,468 | 88.8 | $80,140 | 104.1 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $81,290 | $4,039 | 98.6 | $78,331 | 101.7 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $87,450 | $3,381 | 108.8 | $77,266 | 100.4 |
| 20 | Hawaii | $90,040 | $5,313 | 110.0 | $77,059 | 100.1 |
| 21 | Missouri | $72,320 | $2,518 | 90.8 | $76,860 | 99.8 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | $74,940 | $2,820 | 94.1 | $76,646 | 99.6 |
| 23 | Utah | $79,370 | $3,611 | 98.9 | $76,629 | 99.5 |
| 24 | Texas | $73,860 | — | 97.1 | $76,100 | 98.9 |
| 25 | Illinois | $79,800 | $3,809 | 100.0 | $76,023 | 98.8 |
| 26 | Arkansas | $68,060 | $2,446 | 86.9 | $75,473 | 98.0 |
| 27 | Michigan | $73,960 | $2,897 | 96.2 | $73,857 | 95.9 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $72,070 | $2,521 | 94.3 | $73,732 | 95.8 |
| 29 | New Hampshire | $76,720 | — | 104.2 | $73,652 | 95.7 |
| 30 | Delaware | $75,780 | $3,660 | 99.8 | $72,258 | 93.9 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $67,200 | $2,398 | 90.1 | $71,920 | 93.4 |
| 32 | Colorado | $76,110 | $2,689 | 103.1 | $71,247 | 92.5 |
| 33 | Kentucky | $65,660 | $2,496 | 90.2 | $70,059 | 91.0 |
| 34 | Connecticut | $74,870 | $2,543 | 103.6 | $69,807 | 90.7 |
| 35 | California | $80,480 | $3,363 | 110.7 | $69,651 | 90.5 |
| 36 | Iowa | $63,120 | $2,359 | 87.8 | $69,234 | 89.9 |
| 37 | Oregon | $76,960 | $5,930 | 103.4 | $68,720 | 89.3 |
| 38 | Pennsylvania | $68,930 | $2,116 | 97.6 | $68,476 | 88.9 |
| 39 | Florida | $70,500 | — | 103.4 | $68,173 | 88.6 |
| 40 | Georgia | $68,370 | $3,038 | 96.3 | $67,847 | 88.1 |
| 41 | Montana | $65,730 | $2,740 | 94.6 | $66,554 | 86.5 |
| 42 | Idaho | $65,790 | $2,626 | 95.5 | $66,144 | 85.9 |
| 43 | Kansas | $61,710 | $2,644 | 90.1 | $65,580 | 85.2 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $58,960 | $1,394 | 88.2 | $65,263 | 84.8 |
| 45 | Tennessee | $58,700 | — | 91.9 | $63,895 | 83.0 |
| 46 | Massachusetts | $67,450 | $3,153 | 105.8 | $60,797 | 79.0 |
| 47 | Arizona | $59,580 | $1,015 | 100.7 | $58,172 | 75.6 |
| 48 | New York | $65,530 | $2,999 | 107.9 | $57,941 | 75.3 |
| 49 | Vermont | $52,770 | $1,349 | 98.0 | $52,493 | 68.2 |
"Real pay" = BLS median − 2025 state income tax, divided by the state's 2024 BEA cost of living (US = 100). Only the 49 states for which BLS publishes a median for this occupation are ranked; suppressed cells are excluded, never set to zero.
Where does your salary go furthest?
Enter a salary and a state. We adjust for 2025 state income tax and the 2024 BEA cost of living to show your real, purchasing-power-equivalent pay — then rank every state.
In New Mexico, a $101,750 salary is worth about $103,833 in cost-of-living-and-tax-adjusted terms.
State income tax $6,003 (≈ top marginal 5.90% (upper bound)) · take-home $95,747 · BEA cost of living 92.2 (US = 100).
The same salary goes furthest in South Dakota — worth $114,860, a $11,027 gain over New Mexico.
| # | State | Real value | Cost (RPP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota | $114,860 | 88.6 |
| 2 | Arkansas | $112,474 | 86.9 |
| 3 | Louisiana | $111,893 | 88.2 |
| 4 | Mississippi | $111,868 | 87.0 |
| 5 | Iowa | $111,533 | 87.8 |
| 6 | North Dakota | $111,519 | 89.0 |
| 7 | Tennessee | $110,754 | 91.9 |
| 8 | Oklahoma | $110,330 | 87.8 |
| 9 | Wyoming | $109,773 | 92.7 |
| 10 | Alabama | $108,826 | 88.8 |
| 11 | Kentucky | $108,342 | 90.2 |
| 12 | West Virginia | $108,211 | 89.5 |
Estimate only. State income tax is approximated from each state's 2025 flat rate (or top marginal rate as an upper bound for graduated states) and ignores federal tax, deductions and credits. The pre-published occupation and state pages use exact 2025 bracket math. Cost of living is the 2024 BEA Regional Price Parity (All Items).
Engineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other — real pay FAQ
- What is the best state to be a engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other?
- By the Gera US Real Pay Index, New Mexico is the best state for a engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other: a BLS median of $101,750 is worth $106,322 after the 2025 state income tax ($3,709) and the 2024 BEA cost-of-living adjustment (RPP 92.2), an index of 138.1 where the average state is 100.
- Does the highest-paying state also leave you best off?
- Not necessarily. Maine has the highest headline BLS median for a engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other at $107,060, but after state tax and cost of living it ranks #2 of 49 on real pay (index 135.7). That gap is exactly what the Gera US Real Pay Index reveals.
- Where does a engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other salary go least far?
- Vermont ranks last of 49 states for a engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other: a $52,770 BLS median is worth only $52,493 after tax and cost of living (index 68.2). Higher local prices and/or income tax less far than the national average erode the headline pay.
Compare other occupations
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- Stockers and Order FillersWyoming
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- Office Clerks, GeneralNorth Dakota
- Waiters and WaitressesVermont
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Related on GeraJobs
- Gera US Real Pay Index — all states ranked — and how the index is calculated.
- Methodology — the exact BLS + BEA + tax computation.
- Browse US jobs with salary ranges — roles hiring now.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) (May 2025 state estimates, US federal public domain); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (All Items), by state (2024 (US = 100)); Tax Foundation — 2025 State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets. The Gera US Real Pay Index for a engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other is computed by GeraJobs from these figures; no figure is modelled or interpolated.