San Jose Tops 2026 Metro Rankings for Electrical Engineers as High Pay and Large Markets Diverge

Across the top 10 metros for electrical engineers, LaborCove’s data shows that high salaries and larger employment counts do not always move in lockstep, and neither automatically guarantees the highest overall ranking. Some metros stand out for pay relative to national levels, others for the size of their electrical engineer workforce, and several balance both dimensions. For career planning, this means the “best” metro depends on whether an individual cares more about salary levels compared with the national median, the number of employed electrical engineers in a region, or the combination of metrics summarized in LaborCove’s Geography Score. The metros in this ranking span a range of profiles along all three dimensions.

Before comparing metros, it helps to understand the national baseline for electrical engineers in 2026. Nationally, the median annual salary for electrical engineers is $120,630, with 198,750 people employed in this occupation. At the national level, employment for electrical engineers is projected to grow by 7.2%. This projection describes the occupation across the entire country and does not specify how employment might change in any particular metro area. Against this backdrop, the top 10 metros identified by LaborCove show how specific regions compare with national pay levels and how many electrical engineers each metro currently employs.

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ranks #1 in LaborCove’s metro list for electrical engineers, with the highest Geography Score among the supplied metros at 72.61. Its median annual salary of $187,060 is higher than the national median of $120,630. Within the top 10 metros, San Jose also has the highest median salary: its $187,060 median is higher than Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA at $139,780 and higher than San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA at $166,030. San Jose’s employment count of 4,160 electrical engineers is smaller than Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA at 8,970 but larger than San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA at 2,470. This combination of the top Geography Score, the highest median salary among the listed metros, and a mid‑range employment count within the top 10 distinguishes San Jose in LaborCove’s 2026 metro rankings for electrical engineers.

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA holds the #2 rank in LaborCove’s metro list, with a Geography Score of 70.46. Its employment count of 8,970 electrical engineers is the largest in the top 10, exceeding New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ at 6,290 and Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA at 4,930. Los Angeles also has a higher median salary than the national figure: its $139,780 median salary is above the national median of $120,630. Compared with other top metros, Los Angeles’ median salary is lower than San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $187,060 but higher than Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX at $124,390. This profile shows a metro with the largest employment count among the listed areas and a median salary that sits above the national benchmark and between several other top‑ranked metros.

Several metros in the top 10 combine relatively high salaries with smaller employment counts than Los Angeles or New York. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA ranks #4 with a Geography Score of 58.37 and a median salary of $166,030. Its employment count of 2,470 electrical engineers is smaller than San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at 4,160 and smaller than Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH at 4,030. Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX ranks #7 with a Geography Score of 53.89 and a median salary of $145,360. Austin’s median salary is higher than Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX at $131,070 and higher than Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX at $124,390. At the same time, Austin’s employment count of 4,070 electrical engineers is smaller than Houston at 5,770 and smaller than Dallas-Fort Worth at 5,720. These metros illustrate that higher median salaries within the top 10 do not always coincide with the largest employment counts, even among regions that share the same state.

Three Texas metros appear in the top 10: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX at #6, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX at #7, and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX at #8. Houston’s employment count of 5,770 electrical engineers is larger than Austin’s 4,070 and larger than Dallas-Fort Worth’s 5,720 by the supplied figures. In salary terms, Austin’s median salary of $145,360 is higher than Houston’s $131,070 and higher than Dallas-Fort Worth’s $124,390. Houston’s median salary of $131,070 is higher than Dallas-Fort Worth’s $124,390. Their Geography Scores also differ: Houston’s score of 54.20 is higher than Dallas-Fort Worth’s 53.12 but lower than Austin’s 53.89, while their rankings follow the order of #6 for Houston, #7 for Austin, and #8 for Dallas-Fort Worth.

Beyond California and Texas, several other large metros round out the top 10. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ ranks #3 with a Geography Score of 61.19, a median salary of $128,340, and employment of 6,290 electrical engineers. Its employment count is larger than Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH at 4,030 and larger than Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV at 4,450. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ranks #5 with a Geography Score of 56.43, a median salary of $140,210, and employment of 4,930. Seattle’s median salary is higher than New York’s $128,340 and higher than Boston’s $128,610. Its employment count of 4,930 is larger than Boston’s 4,030 and larger than Washington’s 4,450. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH at #9 has a Geography Score of 50.19, a median salary of $128,610, and 4,030 employed electrical engineers. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV rounds out the top 10 at #10 with a Geography Score of 49.48, a median salary of $126,420, and employment of 4,450. These figures highlight a cluster of metros where median salaries exceed the national median, but employment counts vary within a relatively narrow band compared with the gap between them and Los Angeles.

LaborCove builds its metro rankings for electrical engineers using authoritative labor‑market data combined with its proprietary Geography Score. For each metro, the data provided for this Insight include median annual salary, employment counts, and a LaborCove Geography Score, which are then used to create the ranking shown. National data provide additional context, including a national median annual salary, a national employment total for electrical engineers, and a national projected employment growth rate of 7.2%. This growth figure applies to the occupation nationally and is not a projection for any individual state or metro. Because individual priorities vary, LaborCove’s rankings should be considered alongside personal factors such as location preferences and career goals. The Geography Score is a summary measure and does not represent a prediction of any individual’s employment outcomes in a given metro.