Find a Job You Really Want In
Web Developers are one of the most common jobs in America. Additionally, a significant number of people work as web developers in every state in the union — it’s not like they are all just concentrated in California or the South.
Since web developers are such a prominent occupation, we at Zippia wanted to look at where web developers have it the best: where there are plenty of jobs to go around and people get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into the numbers from the BLS to figure out which states have the best opportunities for web developers.
After all the numbers had been crunched, we were left with this list of the best of best for America’s web developers:
So there you have it — Web Developers is the best of the best when it comes to being a web developer.
How did Web Developers end up here and does it really deserve this ranking? Read on to see how we completed our research on the best states for web developers and for more on the top ten states.
If youĂÂre interested, you can read more about the job scene here:
- These Are The 10 Best Cities For Web Developers
- Best Companies To Work For In Seattle, WA
- These Are The 10 Companies That Are Hiring The Most In Seattle
How we determined the best states to be a web developer
Here at Zippia, we talk to a lot of people of all different backgrounds looking for jobs. Our research has concluded that there are two common things people want in a job:
- Availability of jobs
- Higher Pay
So in order to find out the best states for web developers in America we needed to figure out where the jobs are and how well web developers get paid. This led to the following criteria taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s Occupational Employment Statistics for 2018:
- Location quotient. A measure of how common a job is a given state.
- Average annual salary.
- Average annual salary for entry level work.
- Average annual salary for experienced professionals.
To make all the salary numbers more apples to apples across states, we compared the salary data relative to the state’s cost of living.
Applying this standardization allows us to account for that fact that it costs more to live in certain in states. For example, the average salary for web developers in California is $86,160 and the average salary in Illinois is $74,420, but the Illinois salary actually goes further in paying for life’s essentials.
In order to develop and overall ranking, we ranked each state for each criteria from 1 to 50 where 1 was the best.
We then averaged all the rankings for a state into a Job Score with the state having the lowest overall Job Score earning the distinction of being the best state for web developers in America.
So without further ado, let’s get into just what made each state so great for web developers.
1. Washington
Total Jobs: 5,880
Average Annual Salary: $94,060
Average Entry Level Salary: $49,760
Average Experienced Salary: $149,780
Location Quotient: 2.05
2. Virginia
Total Jobs: 3,840
Average Annual Salary: $88,850
Average Entry Level Salary: $43,560
Average Experienced Salary: $134,600
Location Quotient: 1.14
3. Minnesota
Total Jobs: 2,780
Average Annual Salary: $79,690
Average Entry Level Salary: $44,110
Average Experienced Salary: $121,910
Location Quotient: 1.1
4. Texas
Total Jobs: 7,830
Average Annual Salary: $74,250
Average Entry Level Salary: $40,660
Average Experienced Salary: $117,150
Location Quotient: 0.73
5. Utah
Total Jobs: 1,980
Average Annual Salary: $69,940
Average Entry Level Salary: $35,780
Average Experienced Salary: $107,430
Location Quotient: 1.55
6. Illinois
Total Jobs: 5,180
Average Annual Salary: $74,420
Average Entry Level Salary: $39,600
Average Experienced Salary: $117,550
Location Quotient: 0.98
7. Georgia
Total Jobs: 2,510
Average Annual Salary: $80,090
Average Entry Level Salary: $43,790
Average Experienced Salary: $121,390
Location Quotient: 0.65
8. North Carolina
Total Jobs: 3,320
Average Annual Salary: $73,610
Average Entry Level Salary: $40,680
Average Experienced Salary: $118,710
Location Quotient: 0.86
9. South Carolina
Total Jobs: 1,310
Average Annual Salary: $77,950
Average Entry Level Salary: $42,000
Average Experienced Salary: $122,570
Location Quotient: 0.72
10. Colorado
Total Jobs: 2,490
Average Annual Salary: $78,790
Average Entry Level Salary: $39,790
Average Experienced Salary: $115,620
Location Quotient: 1.08
There You Have It – The Best States To Be A Web Developer
If you’re looking to start out your career as a web developer these are the states that should be at the top of your list. You’ll find high pay, available jobs, and chances for career advancement.
If you’re curious, here are the worst states to be a web developer in America:
For more reading, check out:
- These Are The 100 Highest Paying Jobs In Seattle
- These Are The 100 Highest Paying Jobs In Washington
- These Are The 100 Largest Companies In Washington
Detailed List Of The Best States For web developers
| Rank | State | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $94,060 |
| 2 | Virginia | $88,850 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $79,690 |
| 4 | Texas | $74,250 |
| 5 | Utah | $69,940 |
| 6 | Illinois | $74,420 |
| 7 | Georgia | $80,090 |
| 8 | North Carolina | $73,610 |
| 9 | South Carolina | $77,950 |
| 10 | Colorado | $78,790 |
| 11 | Missouri | $65,090 |
| 12 | Arizona | $70,450 |
| 13 | Delaware | $72,070 |
| 14 | Michigan | $67,000 |
| 15 | Alabama | $67,250 |
| 16 | Kentucky | $71,610 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $72,030 |
| 18 | Mississippi | $63,800 |
| 19 | Kansas | $62,850 |
| 20 | New Jersey | $84,500 |
| 21 | Ohio | $64,700 |
| 22 | Maryland | $78,030 |
| 23 | California | $86,160 |
| 24 | New York | $79,880 |
| 25 | Massachusetts | $84,300 |
| 26 | Iowa | $58,340 |
| 27 | Nebraska | $58,500 |
| 28 | Florida | $64,160 |
| 29 | Indiana | $59,870 |
| 30 | Oklahoma | $60,280 |
| 31 | Rhode Island | $71,520 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $61,910 |
| 33 | Oregon | $68,760 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $61,470 |
| 35 | Connecticut | $78,200 |
| 36 | Idaho | $54,720 |
| 37 | New Hampshire | $66,890 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $53,730 |
| 39 | Wyoming | $64,340 |
| 40 | North Dakota | $59,090 |
| 41 | South Dakota | $54,410 |
| 42 | Maine | $60,290 |
| 43 | Vermont | $60,790 |
| 44 | Montana | $49,510 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $50,930 |
| 46 | West Virginia | $55,580 |
| 47 | Nevada | $59,320 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $55,310 |
| 49 | Alaska | $59,990 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $62,710 |
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
