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Best states for a chief technology officer
Quoted expert
Bipin Prabhakar
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Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for chief technology officers? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for chief technology officer jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.In fact, our research shows that New Jersey is the best state for chief technology officers in America. The best city in America for chief technology officers with the highest pay is Seattle, WA.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for chief technology officers.We found that the Midwest is best for chief technology officers, and the Northeast is the worst. Seattle, WA is the best city in the country for chief technology officer jobs, where as New Jersey is the best state in the country.
10 best states for chief technology officers in 2026
1. New Jersey
Total chief technology officer jobs: 2,123 Average annual salary: $182,063 Lowest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $258,000 Location Quotient: 1.34
2. Washington
Total chief technology officer jobs: 1,731 Average annual salary: $184,022 Lowest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $263,000 Location Quotient: 1.19
3. Virginia
Total chief technology officer jobs: 2,431 Average annual salary: $168,959 Lowest 10 percent earn: $115,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $247,000 Location Quotient: 1.29
4. New York
Total chief technology officer jobs: 3,223 Average annual salary: $172,797 Lowest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $249,000 Location Quotient: 1.26
5. Massachusetts
Total chief technology officer jobs: 2,425 Average annual salary: $166,314 Lowest 10 percent earn: $114,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $241,000 Location Quotient: 1.32
6. Nevada
Total chief technology officer jobs: 560 Average annual salary: $153,890 Lowest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $234,000 Location Quotient: 1.34
7. Oregon
Total chief technology officer jobs: 926 Average annual salary: $161,597 Lowest 10 percent earn: $107,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $242,000 Location Quotient: 1.12
8. Illinois
Total chief technology officer jobs: 2,779 Average annual salary: $153,785 Lowest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $232,000 Location Quotient: 1.17
9. Michigan
Total chief technology officer jobs: 1,337 Average annual salary: $163,986 Lowest 10 percent earn: $111,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $242,000 Location Quotient: 0.86
10. Pennsylvania
Total chief technology officer jobs: 2,261 Average annual salary: $155,229 Lowest 10 percent earn: $104,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $231,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
Chief technology officer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a chief technology officer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a chief technology officer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $182,063 | $128,000 | 9,005,644 | 2,123 |
| 2 | Washington | $184,022 | $128,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,731 |
| 3 | Virginia | $168,959 | $115,000 | 8,470,020 | 2,431 |
| 4 | New York | $172,797 | $119,000 | 19,849,399 | 3,223 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $166,314 | $114,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,425 |
| 6 | Nevada | $153,890 | $101,000 | 2,998,039 | 560 |
| 7 | Oregon | $161,597 | $107,000 | 4,142,776 | 926 |
| 8 | Illinois | $153,785 | $101,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,779 |
| 9 | Michigan | $163,986 | $111,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,337 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $155,229 | $104,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,261 |
| 11 | New Mexico | $150,984 | $98,000 | 2,088,070 | 441 |
| 12 | Texas | $154,544 | $101,000 | 28,304,596 | 3,670 |
| 13 | Alaska | $168,751 | $112,000 | 739,795 | 100 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $166,685 | $113,000 | 693,972 | 377 |
| 15 | Hawaii | $190,047 | $134,000 | 1,427,538 | 57 |
| 16 | California | $169,175 | $114,000 | 39,536,653 | 4,959 |
| 17 | Rhode Island | $149,544 | $100,000 | 1,059,639 | 257 |
| 18 | Ohio | $145,087 | $94,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,860 |
| 19 | Delaware | $162,885 | $110,000 | 961,939 | 168 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $139,552 | $91,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,674 |
| 21 | Maryland | $148,602 | $98,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,510 |
| 22 | Connecticut | $148,294 | $99,000 | 3,588,184 | 725 |
| 23 | Colorado | $144,520 | $94,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,301 |
| 24 | Georgia | $138,425 | $88,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,143 |
| 25 | North Carolina | $133,175 | $84,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,235 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $137,288 | $91,000 | 1,342,795 | 375 |
| 27 | Vermont | $135,393 | $89,000 | 623,657 | 196 |
| 28 | Arizona | $130,798 | $82,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,472 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $141,190 | $90,000 | 4,684,333 | 539 |
| 30 | North Dakota | $126,304 | $82,000 | 755,393 | 231 |
| 31 | Missouri | $136,120 | $87,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,032 |
| 32 | Alabama | $129,237 | $81,000 | 4,874,747 | 781 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $126,839 | $80,000 | 1,920,076 | 500 |
| 34 | West Virginia | $127,770 | $81,000 | 1,815,857 | 264 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $126,605 | $81,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,082 |
| 36 | Florida | $137,608 | $87,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,637 |
| 37 | Idaho | $110,701 | $68,000 | 1,716,943 | 479 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $124,900 | $78,000 | 6,715,984 | 930 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $122,325 | $76,000 | 5,024,369 | 759 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $113,538 | $70,000 | 3,004,279 | 474 |
| 41 | South Dakota | $114,236 | $72,000 | 869,666 | 185 |
| 42 | Maine | $110,111 | $71,000 | 1,335,907 | 243 |
| 43 | Indiana | $111,682 | $69,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,149 |
| 44 | Montana | $119,417 | $76,000 | 1,050,493 | 167 |
| 45 | Utah | $116,556 | $73,000 | 3,101,833 | 490 |
| 46 | Wyoming | $115,864 | $73,000 | 579,315 | 78 |
| 47 | Iowa | $105,037 | $65,000 | 3,145,711 | 657 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $86,933 | $52,000 | 2,984,100 | 427 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $108,214 | $66,000 | 4,454,189 | 591 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $101,631 | $62,000 | 3,930,864 | 541 |
| 51 | Kansas | $103,772 | $63,000 | 2,913,123 | 517 |
Highest paying states for chief technology officers
| Rank | State | Avg. Chief Technology Officer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $182,063 |
| 2 | Washington | $184,022 |
| 3 | Virginia | $168,959 |
| 4 | New York | $172,797 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $166,314 |
| 6 | Nevada | $153,890 |
| 7 | Oregon | $161,597 |
| 8 | Illinois | $153,785 |
| 9 | Michigan | $163,986 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $155,229 |
| 11 | New Mexico | $150,984 |
| 12 | Texas | $154,544 |
| 13 | Alaska | $168,751 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $166,685 |
| 15 | Hawaii | $190,047 |
| 16 | California | $169,175 |
| 17 | Rhode Island | $149,544 |
| 18 | Ohio | $145,087 |
| 19 | Delaware | $162,885 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $139,552 |
| 21 | Maryland | $148,602 |
| 22 | Connecticut | $148,294 |
| 23 | Colorado | $144,520 |
| 24 | Georgia | $138,425 |
| 25 | North Carolina | $133,175 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $137,288 |
| 27 | Vermont | $135,393 |
| 28 | Arizona | $130,798 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $141,190 |
| 30 | North Dakota | $126,304 |
| 31 | Missouri | $136,120 |
| 32 | Alabama | $129,237 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $126,839 |
| 34 | West Virginia | $127,770 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $126,605 |
| 36 | Florida | $137,608 |
| 37 | Idaho | $110,701 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $124,900 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $122,325 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $113,538 |
| 41 | South Dakota | $114,236 |
| 42 | Maine | $110,111 |
| 43 | Indiana | $111,682 |
| 44 | Montana | $119,417 |
| 45 | Utah | $116,556 |
| 46 | Wyoming | $115,864 |
| 47 | Iowa | $105,037 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $86,933 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $108,214 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $101,631 |
| 51 | Kansas | $103,772 |
Expert opinions on the best states for chief technology officers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for chief technology officers to find work opportunities?
Bipin Prabhakar
Chairperson, Information Systems Graduate Programs, Clinical Professor, Fettig/Whirlpool Faculty Fellow, Indiana University
There are three major sectors that hire technology graduates - the tech companies that tend to be in tech hubs and major cities, major corporations that are all over the country and consulting organizations that tend to have offices in the bigger cities with access to local clients or well-connected airports. Major employers tend to recruit nationally from the top programs across the country. The best time to find work is before graduation and the best place to find work is the campus recruitment process.
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Updated January 8, 2025