Blog  /  What are the Best Cities to be a Circuit Board Designer?

What are the Best Cities to be a Circuit Board Designer?

The employment marketplace ZipRecruiter.com defines a printed circuit board (PCB) designer as an individual who "uses computer software programs to design the layout for … printed circuit boards, collaborates with engineers to create 3D models of circuit boards, develops PCB design guidelines, and drafts plans for manufacturers."
Quote Form
check whiteFast Turnaround check whiteISO Certified
1 2 3

Without PCB designers, you wouldn't be able to read this article online, watch television, or chat with a friend using a mobile phone.

Our growing reliance on technology has increased the demand for PCB design skills. A 2020 survey found that the biggest challenge for 59% of PCB design engineers was keeping up with the workload.

Another survey concluded, "Within the next 15 years, 78 percent of PCB designers will no longer work in the field due to retirement."

These statistics testify to the reality that PCB designers will be in high demand in the future. Those looking to join the profession will be drawn to cities that provide the best overall experience for people with such skills.

But which are the best cities to be a printed circuit board designer? We spent some time crunching the numbers to answer this question. Here is what we discovered:

Our Rankings at a Glance 

Want to know where your city is located in the list of 200 cities? See our summary table of the best city to work in as a PCB designer.

Overall Ranking (1 = Best) City State Rank by Salary (COLI Adjusted) Rank by Job Openings / Pop Rank by Google Trends Rank by School Count / Pop
1 Pasadena TX 9 25 10 30
2 Warren MI 30 9 7 26
3 Mesquite TX 16 20 10 41
4 Grand Prairie TX 12 29 10 44
5 Hayward CA 78 2 1 10
6 Irving TX 15 34 10 51
7 Sunnyvale CA 79 1 1 17
8 Fremont CA 80 3 1 21
9 Garland TX 17 35 10 72
10 Arlington TX 13 79 10 43
11 Plano TX 19 39 10 74
12 Oakland CA 75 27 1 36
13 Killeen TX 4 58 10 99
14 Thornton CO 65 15 4 58
15 Naperville IL 73 21 7 12
16 Lakewood CO 62 22 4 67
17 Frisco TX 22 32 10 103
18 McKinney TX 23 38 10 96
19 Detroit MI 32 45 7 93
20 Bellevue WA 60 6 13 15
21 Denton TX 21 89 10 77
22 Waco TX 6 119 10 91
23 San Jose CA 82 12 1 104
24 Aurora IL 74 51 7 33
25 San Francisco CA 72 59 1 97
26 Atlanta GA 38 73 8 111
27 Austin TX 3 64 10 192
28 Glendale CA 135 11 1 6
29 Joliet IL 77 71 7 34
30 Torrance CA 140 7 1 4
31 Tempe AZ 91 30 9 40
32 Aurora CO 63 57 4 127
33 Santa Rosa CA 69 87 1 109
34 Alexandria VA 68 17 15 64
35 Peoria AZ 89 40 9 42
36 Surprise AZ 86 41 9 50
37 Dallas TX 14 101 10 155
38 Pomona CA 143 24 1 2
39 Roseville CA 98 107 1 24
40 Grand Rapids MI 33 144 7 94
41 Glendale AZ 88 42 9 57
42 Huntington Beach CA 152 8 1 8
43 Anaheim CA 149 13 1 13
44 Fort Worth TX 10 133 10 146
45 Corona CA 154 10 1 5
46 Huntsville AL 31 78 11 150
47 San Antonio TX 2 142 10 162
48 Scottsdale AZ 96 37 9 54
49 Santa Ana CA 151 16 1 14
50 Long Beach CA 145 23 1 23
51 Houston TX 8 116 10 181
52 Elk Grove CA 87 98 1 86
53 Chandler AZ 92 43 9 66
54 Santa Clarita CA 133 56 1 27
55 Fort Wayne IN 40 145 6 116
56 Seattle WA 59 46 13 117
57 Irvine CA 156 19 1 16
58 Tacoma WA 58 124 13 37
59 Ontario CA 148 47 1 7
60 Denver CO 64 84 4 160
61 Escondido CA 160 18 1 22
62 Macon GA 39 165 8 102
63 Vancouver WA 55 28 13 175
64 Salinas CA 101 130 1 55
65 Lubbock TX 7 200 10 156
66 Birmingham AL 29 158 11 115
67 Fort Collins CO 66 120 4 131
68 Rancho Cucamonga CA 147 75 1 9
69 Rockford IL 70 139 7 76
70 McAllen TX 25 200 10 121
71 Providence RI 51 60 23 68
72 Sacramento CA 84 129 1 113
73 Chula Vista CA 163 14 1 48
74 Colorado Springs CO 61 112 4 167
75 Corpus Christi TX 18 200 10 147
76 Fullerton CA 146 4 1 1
77 Paterson NJ 117 33 14 28
78 Indianapolis IN 46 118 6 184
79 El Paso TX 1 177 10 195
80 St. Paul MN 110 48 12 52
81 Amarillo TX 24 200 10 143
82 Mesa AZ 95 66 9 106
83 Oceanside CA 159 31 1 59
84 Laredo TX 11 200 10 185
85 Mobile AL 27 200 11 136
86 Garden Grove CA 194 5 1 3
87 Columbus GA 36 146 8 180
88 Brownsville TX 26 138 10 197
89 Montgomery AL 28 200 11 142
90 Jersey City NJ 119 50 14 39
91 Oklahoma OK 5 161 23 119
92 Fontana CA 150 109 1 18
93 Palmdale CA 134 49 1 130
94 Minneapolis MN 111 63 12 73
95 Newark NJ 120 54 14 45
96 Savannah GA 47 163 8 163
97 Olathe KS 41 61 23 161
98 Akron OH 113 86 15 32
99 Riverside CA 155 117 1 19
100 Knoxville TN 54 102 21 112
101 Kansas City KS 44 62 23 164
102 Tulsa OK 20 147 23 129
103 Oxnard CA 130 93 1 118
104 San Bernardino CA 153 125 1 25
105 Durham NC 139 53 9 69
106 Cleveland OH 109 92 15 47
107 Chicago IL 71 127 7 176
108 Dayton OH 126 81 15 20
109 Albuquerque NM 34 97 23 159
110 St. Louis MO 57 105 22 108
111 Visalia CA 121 148 1 92
112 Yonkers NY 195 44 3 11
113 Pittsburgh PA 112 69 19 49
114 Boston MA 185 26 2 70
115 Overland Park KS 42 77 23 178
116 Augusta GA 45 200 8 198
117 Spokane WA 81 128 13 125
118 Hampton VA 103 137 15 46
119 Moreno Valley CA 157 123 1 53
120 Stockton CA 97 173 1 149
121 Chattanooga TN 52 169 21 88
122 Worcester MA 184 36 2 80
123 Phoenix AZ 90 110 9 171
124 Richmond VA 85 149 15 87
125 Los Angeles CA 136 108 1 133
126 Kansas City MO 56 106 22 154
127 Boise City ID 76 96 23 110
128 Modesto CA 107 171 1 152
129 Jackson MS 35 200 23 123
130 Newport News VA 102 156 15 63
131 San Diego CA 162 67 1 141
132 Winston-Salem NC 137 113 9 81
133 Raleigh NC 144 83 9 100
134 Lancaster CA 132 168 1 107
135 Wichita KS 37 135 23 179
136 Springfield MO 53 200 22 105
137 Springfield MA 182 88 2 65
138 Greensboro NC 138 114 9 84
139 Tucson AZ 94 121 9 187
140 West Valley City UT 115 52 23 90
141 Norfolk VA 105 151 15 78
142 Fresno CA 118 172 1 151
143 Clarksville TN 48 153 21 169
144 Hollywood FL 178 65 12 31
145 Salt Lake City UT 116 68 23 79
146 Chesapeake VA 108 152 15 82
147 Pembroke Pines FL 175 70 12 35
148 Philadelphia PA 99 91 19 140
149 Baltimore MD 181 85 5 71
150 Nashville TN 49 200 21 153
151 Murfreesboro TN 50 166 21 165
152 Gilbert town AZ 93 200 9 158
153 Syracuse NY 198 82 3 60
154 Bakersfield CA 124 200 1 157
155 Memphis TN 43 176 21 182
156 Fort Lauderdale FL 177 80 12 38
157 Rochester NY 199 72 3 83
158 Cincinnati OH 129 100 15 126
159 Cary town NC 142 200 9 61
160 Little Rock AR 67 159 23 144
161 Reno NV 83 136 23 135
162 Virginia Beach VA 106 164 15 124
163 Bridgeport CT 173 90 17 29
164 Hialeah FL 179 99 12 56
165 Buffalo NY 197 104 3 89
166 Charlotte NC 141 140 9 139
167 Orlando FL 168 94 12 98
168 Toledo OH 114 160 15 134
169 Tampa FL 167 111 12 85
170 Fayetteville NC 158 141 9 101
171 Tallahassee FL 131 200 12 114
172 Charleston SC 123 150 20 95
173 St. Petersburg FL 166 95 12 132
174 Miami FL 180 126 12 75
175 Lincoln NE 100 157 23 138
176 Columbus OH 122 155 15 172
177 Portland OR 188 74 13 128
178 Milwaukee WI 170 76 18 137
179 Salem OR 187 154 13 62
180 Cape Coral FL 169 131 12 145
181 Gainesville FL 161 200 12 120
182 Henderson NV 128 122 23 166
183 North Las Vegas NV 127 115 23 199
184 Omaha NE 104 175 23 196
185 Las Vegas NV 125 143 23 194
186 New York NY 196 162 3 188
187 Madison WI 171 103 18 186
188 Jacksonville FL 165 174 12 191
189 Port St. Lucie FL 172 170 12 183
190 Des Moines IA 164 132 23 148
191 Washington DC 192 55 23 168
192 Eugene OR 183 134 13 200
193 Baton Rouge LA 190 200 16 122
194 Shreveport LA 189 200 16 173
195 New Orleans LA 191 200 16 174
196 Lexington KY 176 167 20 193
197 Louisille KY 174 200 20 190
198 Anchorage municipality AK 186 200 23 189
199 Sioux Falls SD 193 200 23 177
200 Honolulu HI 200 200 23 170

Special Offer: Get $100 off your order!

Enjoy $100 off your order! No hidden fees and no minimum order quantity required.
Email [email protected] to get started!

Which Cities Make the Top and Bottom of Each Index?

People choose to settle in different places for different reasons. For example, some people tend to be attracted to cities with great nightlife, more work opportunities, and systems that support entrepreneurship, while others are happy in small and quiet ones.

For others, the most important factor is money. For example, Fortune.com's Sophie Mellor reports, "Gen Z—people born after 1997—said they needed the highest salary of all generations to feel financially secure, with the average respondent between the ages of 18 and 25 seeking a $171,633 annual salary to stay afloat."

At OurPcb.com, we spent some time researching the factors that make a city an excellent place for PCB designers.

We discovered four leading factors:  salary, job openings per population, engineering schools per population, and Google search trends.

Our study includes 200 cities in the United States. Here are the cities that make the top and bottom five in each category:

Best by Cost-of-Living Index Adjusted Salary

Best by Cost-of-Living Index Adjusted Salary Circuit Board Designer salaries vary substantially between cities

 

Suppose individuals in Gen Z represent the group that's pursuing the highest salaries. In that case, those that want a career as a PCB designer should be heading to these top five cities in the US. These cities pay the highest average cost-of-living index (COLI) adjusted salary to PCB designers.

  1. El Paso, Texas
  2. San Antonio, Texas
  3. Austin, Texas
  4. Killeen, Texas
  5. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Why are no cities in California in the top 5 for salary? If you look at basic salaries (salaries that have not been adjusted for the Cost of Living Index), California sweeps the top 41 spots. However, the Cost of Living in California is substantially higher than the average COLI in the United States. So, when considering the Cost of living, California salaries don't rank in the top 5.

Don't shed too many tears for California-based PCB designers, though. Regarding our Overall ranking, 3 California cities rank in the top 10, and Hayward, CA, ranks in the top 5.

The real question is not why cities in California fail to make the top 5 list but why 4 cities in New York rank in the bottom 5.

  1. New York, New York
  2. Buffalo, New York
  3. Syracuse, New York
  4. Rochester, New York
  5. Honolulu, Hawaii

New York can explain part and Hawaii having high living costs – but part of the explanation is that there's nowhere near as much demand for PCB designers in New York as in California.

Best by Job Openings/Population 

What encourages employers to pay high salaries and provide good benefits and a desirable workplace? One factor is how easy it is for their current employees to jump ship and find a different job. And how can we measure the ease of changing careers? By looking at the number of job openings.

The idea of job openings/population denotes the number of job openings compared to the number of people looking for work within a specific population.

Here are the cities with the highest job openings/population:

  1. Sunnyvale, CA
  2. Hayward, CA
  3. Fremont, CA
  4. Fullerton, CA
  5. Garden Grove, CA

For job openings/population, we will skip the bottom five because we have almost 20 cities vying for the bottom spot.

Best by Google Trends

Best by Google TrendsGoogle trends data was analyzed for the term: PCB design

 

Five billion people (around 63 percent of the world's population) use the internet. Therefore, it's not surprising that the internet has become the number one place for people looking for talent and also for those looking for jobs.

We checked Google search trends to understand where online activity related to PCB designer jobs occurs.

According to Google, you can get an idea of where the jobs are by searching" for any job, and a dedicated section will appear with opportunities from employers and job boards across the web. Use filters to sort by title, location, date, and more."

In this case, we couldn't list the top five because over a dozen cities are in the full post. The same applies to the bottom spot.

Best by Engineering Schools/Population

For a city to support the skills development of PCB designers, it needs to have a sufficient number of engineering schools relative to its population. This provides the infrastructure required by the designers for the initial qualifications and ongoing in-service training.

Here are your top five cities with the highest number of engineering colleges/population to meet the skills development needs of PCB designers, which we believe will keep them happily performing in their jobs:

  1. Fullerton, CA
  2. Pomona, CA
  3. Garden Grove, CA
  4. Torrance, CA
  5. Corona, CA

The bottom five cities based on engineering schools/population are:

  1. Omaha, NE
  2. Brownsville, TX
  3. Augusta, GA
  4. North Las Vegas, NV
  5. Eugene, OR

Key Takeaways 

So what can we learn from our data?

Go To Texas for the Money

Our top five list consists of four Texas cities. In these cities, you'll earn a Cost of Living adjusted salary in the low $90,000 per year. It's not enough to make members of Gen Z feel secure, but it's enough for most Americans.

Suppose you decide to be a circuit designer in the number one city based on COLI-adjusted salary (El Paso, TX). In that case, you'll earn nearly three times the salary of someone in a similar position in the town that pays the lowest compensation (Honolulu, HI). Then again, the surf's a lot better in Honolulu.

The good news for those in the best cities based on COLI-adjusted salaries is that the job openings/population scores are also comparatively high. This implies that getting a job in these high-paying cities is not a huge challenge.

The data shows that cities with the lowest COLI-adjusted salaries have low job openings/population scores. For example, Honolulu ranks dead last for both COLI-adjust wages and available jobs by population.

The Jobs Are In California 

We presume that the higher the job openings/population score, the more likely you will secure a job in a specific city. Our data shows that the best cities based on the number of jobs available per population are primarily in California. One town in Washington state takes the 5th position.

In his article on CNBC.com, Jeff Fox reports that in a job market where there are more job openings than people available to fill them, employers resort to" several incentives, including pet insurance and signing bonuses, to fill those positions"

A close analysis of the data we collected supportsFox'ss assumptions. Cities with a high job opening/population score tend to pay higher salaries – especially non-COLI adjusted salaries than those with a low score. For instance, the top five cities in the list have high adjusted job population scores (16.71) and pay high salaries – averaging $85,427 per year.

If you then analyze the worst five cities, the average salary is $52,064. The average job opening/population score for such cities is 0.24. Employers in these cities know there are not many choices for PCB designers, so they are likely to accept lower salaries.

The Skills Are In California Too

California cities are the best to be a PCB designer if we use the adjusted school/population scores. The top five cities based on this measure are all in California.

If you checked the worst five cities in the adjusted school/population category, you would find a mixed bag. However, Nevada appears twice in that list.

You can see that California is among the best in the category because no single city in the state appears in the worst five.

Mechanics 

To create our list, we ranked 200 cities based on four different factors, assigning a weight to each element as follows:

  • Salary: Many people, including circuit board designers, see the amount they get paid as essential in determining job satisfaction. Consequently, we assigned 50% of our index to the cost-of-living adjusted salary.
  • Google trends: To get your hands on the money that's so important for many, you need to get the job first. We assume that internet activity is crucial for understanding where circuit design jobs are likely to be found. We, therefore, assigned a weighting of 20% to this aspect.
  • Job Openings/Population: One of the most critical factors in having peace of mind when you are in a position is flexibility. It provides confidence that the chances of getting another job are good in a specific city. To this aspect, we allocated 20% of our index.
  • Engineering schools/population: It is generally accepted that technology is changing faster than ever. This means that employees should constantly update their skills to remain relevant. Therefore, we included the number of schools per population in our rankings and gave the factor a weighting of 10 percent.

What Makes the Best Five Cities Special for PCB Designers?

Now that we know the best cities to be a PCB designer, let's look at some of the main reasons why moving to these cities could be bright.

Pasadena: The Home of International Businesses

Suppose you are wondering why Pasadena, California, takes the top spot as the overall best city to be a circuit designer. In that case, the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce & Civic Association has the answer. It says," Probably no other city of its size is home to more internationally known businesses than Pasadena."

The Pasadena Chamber of Commerce & Civic Association adds," One of the key reasons is the highly educated workforce resulting from the presence of many renowned educational and research institutions in Pasadena."

Warren: Low Cost of Living and High-Quality Education   

Warren, Michigan, is the city in the second overall position. But what makes it an excellent place for circuit designers?

Citytistics.com, a provider of data about cities, lists reasons Warren is a great place to live, including that the Cost of living and total crime is lower than the national average. On the other hand, education, and schools all score above the national average.

Mesquite: "Texas'' Best Kept Secret" 

A great city to work in provides an opportunity to create work/life balance. This is precisely what VisitMesquitetx.com promises about Mesquite.

The site calls the city of texas'' best-kept secret. It adds," Whether you're an art lover, sports enthusiast, or foodie craving a down-home meal, this lively city has something perfect in store just 15 minutes east of downtown Dallas."

Grand Prairie: Having the Best of Three Cities 

One thing that makes Grand Prairie, Texas, a great place to work for circuit board designers is its location. The city is only 16 minutes from Dallas and 24 minutes from Fort Worth. Working in Grand Prairie gives you the best of the three cities.

Hayward: Access the Bay Area but Pay Lower Rent  

Just like Grand Prairie, Texas, the main reason why PCB designers may want to work in Hayward, California, is its location, offering easy access to the Bay Area. This means you can enjoy the amenities of a larger metropolitan area while still paying the lower rents in a smaller town.

 

 

Special Offer: Get $100 off your order!

Enjoy $100 off your order! No hidden fees and no minimum order quantity required.
Email [email protected] to get started!
Hommer Zhao

Hommer Zhao, based in Shijiazhuang, China, founded OurPCB in 2007, a PCB Manufacturing company.

As a regular contributor to Circuit World and the Journal of Manufacturing Systems, Hommer shares expertise on advanced PCB fabrication processes. His research on manufacturing optimization appears in the International Journal of Production Research and Journal of Industrial Information Integration.

Serving on the Indian Printed Circuit Association (IPCA) advisory board, Hommer Zhao frequently presents at technical seminars and industry exhibitions. He maintains strong partnerships with leading institutions including UCL's Electronic Engineering Department and their PCB prototyping facilities. Under his leadership, OurPCB has pioneered enhanced PCB manufacturing machining capabilities for high-precision PCB manufacturing, particularly serving telecommunications, automotive, and medical device sectors.

Table of Contents
Hi, I’m John, General Manager of OurPCB, specializing in high-quality PCB assembly and manufacturing. Let’s bring your ideas to life! Contact us today for a quote!

Related Post

FM Antenna Booster

February 9, 20228 min read

June 1, 20216 min read

A printed circuit board with multiple components

March 24, 202410 min read