Plenty of engineering jobs in Texas and the Midwest. Oil & gas, even some aerospace.
A few years back I had a wonderful interview in Houston. It was a company that bought and moved a company I had worked for years before (back when I was married to a woman who to move to "UGH! Texas *spit*").
I eventually got smart and divorced her sorry butt.
Another day long interview, they loved me, I loved them, I knew their product inside and out, sideways, upside down and backwards, having developed most of the processes and having had significant design input.
Spent a few days there scoping out places to live, shopping, talking to cops and mayors, and generally getting a feel for the place, which I loved as well, determined I'd like to live in Meadows Place found a couple excellent restaurants and was ready to go on a hair trigger.
Then nothing.
Eh? Oh, well, ummmmm, our 90% of our business customer bounced last month's check, and has blandly informed us they will have no more business for us for at least a year.
They folded.
*sigh*