14. New Mexico
IM Score: 91
Annual median wage: $107,050
Job growth: 5.9%
Cost of living index: 95.7
If you want to earn big as a mechanical engineer, then New Mexico is the state for you. It offers the biggest annual median wage on our list. There are, however, few downsides. The state will see only 40 average annual job openings in the future and has the biggest unemployment rate in the nation with the figure currently standing at 6.7%.
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