UI/UX Engineer Salary In All 50 States

2018-05-30

UI/UX Engineer salary information is hard to find. Look no further. I did some research and gathered data for the most populated cities in each US state.

The national average salary for a UI/UX Engineer in the US is:

(Updated 3/31/2024)

Some states pay well above the national average and some states pay well below it. Refer to the tables at the bottom of this post to find out whether your state is above or below the mark.

US States with a UX Engineer Salary Above $100,000

Let’s just jump straight into what you’re wondering about. What is the upper limit for a UX Engineer salary in my state?

  1. Alabama - $206,000
  2. Alaska - $162,000
  3. Arizona - $203,000
  4. Arkansas - $300,000
  5. California - $230,000
  6. Colorado - $221,000
  7. Connecticut - $169,000
  8. Delaware - $170,000
  9. Florida - $161,000
  10. Georgia - $164,000
  11. Hawaii - $225,000
  12. Idaho - $225,000
  13. Illinois - $196,000
  14. Indiana - $161,000
  15. Iowa
  16. Kansas - $155,000
  17. Kentucky
  18. Louisiana - $160,000
  19. Maine - $170,000
  20. Maryland - $205,000
  21. Massachusetts - $205,000
  22. Michigan - $162,000
  23. Minnesota - $200,000
  24. Mississippi
  25. Missouri - $240,000
  26. Montana
  27. Nebraska - $160,000
  28. Nevada - $180,000
  29. New Hampshire - $180,000
  30. New Jersey - $175,000
  31. New Mexico - $170,000
  32. New York - $208,000
  33. North Carolina - $188,000
  34. North Dakota
  35. Ohio - $200,000
  36. Oklahoma - $142,000
  37. Oregon - $180,000
  38. Pennsylvania - $160,000
  39. Rhode Island - $140,000
  40. South Carolina - $160,000
  41. South Dakota - $142,000
  42. Tennessee - $231,000
  43. Texas - $167,000
  44. Utah - $200,000
  45. Vermont
  46. Virginia - $192,000
  47. Washington
  48. West Virginia
  49. Wisconsin - $170,000
  50. Wyoming - $153,000

The numbers reported in each table are for the position’s base salary only. The actual average amount is likely much higher after factoring in the value of benefits, bonuses, profit sharing etc.

Not surprisingly, the majority of the highest earning UX Engineers are on the east and west coasts of the US.

One thing that DID surprise me is where Los Angeles, CA fall on this list. I assumed they would rank #1 or #2, but not #6. However, one of the faults in my approach to this research was starting with the “most populated” cities, which does not necessarily equate to the “highest paying” cities. After digging a bit deeper, I learned that the towns that make up Silicon Valley (San Jose, Cupertino, Mountain View etc.) pay $115,093 for UX Engineers in the 75th percentile, making this location #2 on the list, just below New York, NY.

Don’t Forget Cost of Living Expenses

The opportunity to earn $115,000 sounds great, but don’t forget about the cost of living in each of these locations. Although New York, NY has the highest average salary for UX Engineers, they likely also have the highest cost of living.

To Illustrate, let’s compare salaries in the 75th percentile for Little Rock, AR with New York, NY.

  • Little Rock, AR ($88,940)
  • New York, NY ($115,478)

With a difference of $26,538, it seems like New York is the clear winner until you compare the cost of living.

cost of living comparison for Little Rock, Arkansas and Manhattan, New York

Unfortunately, I don’t have the cost of living data for each state. However, you can use a Cost of Living Calculator to easily find this information on your own.

UX Engineer Salary: 4-7 Years of Experience

UX Engineers with 4-7 years of experience make between $62,988 (Sioux Falls, SD) to $115,478 (New York, NY).

UX Engineer Salary: 2 - 4 Years of Experience

After 2-4 years of experience, UX Engineers make between $47,467 (Des Moines, IA) to $92,050 (New York, NY).

UX Engineer Salary: 0 - 2 Years of Experience

The starting salary for UX Engineers with 0-2 years of experience ranges from $43,241 (Sioux Falls, SD) to $79,271 (New York, NY).

How do I interpret this data?

Each row contains the salary information for the most populated cities (according to Wikipedia) in each US state. The salary information for each city was collected from Salary.com.

You’ll notice that there are three salaries (a range) listed in each row, under the columns 25%, 50%, and 75%. These columns represent the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile. It may help to think of these numbers in terms of a bell curve.

Bell curve for the UX Engineer salary in New York City, New York

As illustrated, you can see that the 50th percentile represents the majority of UX Engineer salaries in a particular location. In the case illustrated above (New York, NY), the majority of UX Engineers earn an average of $101,321.

It’s also important to point out that the 25th percentile and 75th percentiles, do not represent the lowest and highest salaries. It’s possible to earn less than the 25th percentile and more than the 75th percentile.

However, both cases occur less frequently, as illustrated above.

What if my city isn’t listed in the tables above?

You may be interested in finding the UX Engineer salary for the location you currently reside. If so, you can go to Salary.com to find the exact information you are looking for. You will need to use the search term “User Experience Developer,” as “UX Engineer” is not listed as an option. However, the two positions are practically the same, just expressed in different terms. They offer some additional filters too, such as “education” and “performance.”

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