Best states for a data architect

Q: What is the best state for data architects?

The best state to be a data architect is California based on data architect salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for data architects?

The highest paying state for data architects is Hawaii based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for data architects?

The worst state for data architects is Nebraska, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Zhixin Wu Ph.D.

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
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Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for data architects? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for data architect 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.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of data architects in America is $152,000.

To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for data architects. California is the best state for data architects, where the median salary is $130,195.We found that California is the best state for data architect jobs, whereas Nebraska is the worst.

10 best states for data architects in 2026

1. California
Total data architect jobs: 7,451
Average annual salary: $130,195
Lowest 10 percent earn: $94,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $179,000
Location Quotient:
1.23
Data architect jobs in California
2. Arizona
Total data architect jobs: 1,232
Average annual salary: $109,241
Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000
Location Quotient:
1.01
Data architect jobs in Arizona
3. Oregon
Total data architect jobs: 944
Average annual salary: $109,293
Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000
Location Quotient:
1.1
Data architect jobs in Oregon
4. New Jersey
Total data architect jobs: 1,999
Average annual salary: $111,094
Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000
Location Quotient:
1.21
Data architect jobs in New Jersey
5. Delaware
Total data architect jobs: 231
Average annual salary: $112,983
Lowest 10 percent earn: $84,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $151,000
Location Quotient:
0.89
Data architect jobs in Delaware
6. Washington
Total data architect jobs: 1,667
Average annual salary: $109,508
Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000
Location Quotient:
1.1
Data architect jobs in Washington
7. Pennsylvania
Total data architect jobs: 2,411
Average annual salary: $105,752
Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $142,000
Location Quotient:
1
Data architect jobs in Pennsylvania
8. Massachusetts
Total data architect jobs: 2,205
Average annual salary: $109,390
Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000
Location Quotient:
1.16
Data architect jobs in Massachusetts
9. Texas
Total data architect jobs: 4,921
Average annual salary: $102,534
Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000
Location Quotient:
1.17
Data architect jobs in Texas
10. Nevada
Total data architect jobs: 415
Average annual salary: $106,840
Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000
Location Quotient:
0.96
Data architect jobs in Nevada

Data architect jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a data architect

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a data architect

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	California	$130,195	$94,000	39,536,653	7,451
2	Arizona	$109,241	$80,000	7,016,270	1,232
3	Oregon	$109,293	$79,000	4,142,776	944
4	New Jersey	$111,094	$82,000	9,005,644	1,999
5	Delaware	$112,983	$84,000	961,939	231
6	Washington	$109,508	$80,000	7,405,743	1,667
7	Pennsylvania	$105,752	$78,000	12,805,537	2,411
8	Massachusetts	$109,390	$81,000	6,859,819	2,205
9	Texas	$102,534	$75,000	28,304,596	4,921
10	Nevada	$106,840	$77,000	2,998,039	415
11	Maryland	$111,158	$82,000	6,052,177	1,623
12	New York	$108,973	$81,000	19,849,399	3,321
13	Michigan	$104,299	$78,000	9,962,311	1,286
14	Virginia	$105,292	$78,000	8,470,020	2,417
15	Rhode Island	$100,993	$75,000	1,059,639	284
16	Indiana	$104,107	$78,000	6,666,818	894
17	North Carolina	$98,472	$73,000	10,273,419	2,162
18	District of Columbia	$104,676	$77,000	693,972	798
19	Connecticut	$101,915	$75,000	3,588,184	872
20	Ohio	$98,856	$73,000	11,658,609	1,665
21	Montana	$98,570	$73,000	1,050,493	239
22	Utah	$96,680	$70,000	3,101,833	753
23	New Hampshire	$98,591	$73,000	1,342,795	354
24	Illinois	$97,276	$73,000	12,802,023	2,915
25	Louisiana	$99,102	$73,000	4,684,333	375
26	Georgia	$97,219	$72,000	10,429,379	2,153
27	Idaho	$96,695	$70,000	1,716,943	339
28	North Dakota	$92,277	$71,000	755,393	238
29	Tennessee	$96,263	$72,000	6,715,984	768
30	Vermont	$97,204	$73,000	623,657	143
31	Minnesota	$97,481	$74,000	5,576,606	1,302
32	Colorado	$97,246	$72,000	5,607,154	1,233
33	Mississippi	$96,091	$71,000	2,984,100	210
34	Iowa	$94,725	$71,000	3,145,711	507
35	South Carolina	$96,506	$72,000	5,024,369	503
36	Wyoming	$93,878	$70,000	579,315	96
37	Alaska	$96,397	$74,000	739,795	162
38	Kansas	$93,933	$70,000	2,913,123	452
39	Maine	$95,697	$71,000	1,335,907	210
40	Missouri	$93,979	$70,000	6,113,532	1,053
41	Wisconsin	$93,911	$70,000	5,795,483	805
42	Florida	$94,742	$69,000	20,984,400	2,605
43	West Virginia	$91,310	$68,000	1,815,857	207
44	New Mexico	$92,392	$68,000	2,088,070	320
45	Alabama	$92,024	$68,000	4,874,747	526
46	Arkansas	$89,566	$67,000	3,004,279	422
47	Oklahoma	$93,268	$69,000	3,930,864	344
48	Kentucky	$90,553	$67,000	4,454,189	542
49	South Dakota	$89,042	$67,000	869,666	172
50	Hawaii	$80,274	$62,000	1,427,538	187
51	Nebraska	$88,416	$66,000	1,920,076	388

Highest paying states for data architects

Rank	State	Avg. Data Architect Salary
1	California	$130,195
2	Arizona	$109,241
3	Oregon	$109,293
4	New Jersey	$111,094
5	Delaware	$112,983
6	Washington	$109,508
7	Pennsylvania	$105,752
8	Massachusetts	$109,390
9	Texas	$102,534
10	Nevada	$106,840
11	Maryland	$111,158
12	New York	$108,973
13	Michigan	$104,299
14	Virginia	$105,292
15	Rhode Island	$100,993
16	Indiana	$104,107
17	North Carolina	$98,472
18	District of Columbia	$104,676
19	Connecticut	$101,915
20	Ohio	$98,856
21	Montana	$98,570
22	Utah	$96,680
23	New Hampshire	$98,591
24	Illinois	$97,276
25	Louisiana	$99,102
26	Georgia	$97,219
27	Idaho	$96,695
28	North Dakota	$92,277
29	Tennessee	$96,263
30	Vermont	$97,204
31	Minnesota	$97,481
32	Colorado	$97,246
33	Mississippi	$96,091
34	Iowa	$94,725
35	South Carolina	$96,506
36	Wyoming	$93,878
37	Alaska	$96,397
38	Kansas	$93,933
39	Maine	$95,697
40	Missouri	$93,979
41	Wisconsin	$93,911
42	Florida	$94,742
43	West Virginia	$91,310
44	New Mexico	$92,392
45	Alabama	$92,024
46	Arkansas	$89,566
47	Oklahoma	$93,268
48	Kentucky	$90,553
49	South Dakota	$89,042
50	Hawaii	$80,274
51	Nebraska	$88,416

Expert opinions on the best states for data architects

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for data architects to find work opportunities?
Zhixin Wu Ph.D.
Associate Professor, DePauw University
(1) Insurance Companies or Actuarial Consulting Firms. Students can work as an actuary analyst or work in the field of underwriting and risk management.
(2) Banking and Investment, doing investment and accounting or work as a financial analyst or market research analyst
(3) IT companies, as a programmer or data scientist
(4) Pharmaceutical companies as a statistician
(5) K-12 Schools as a math teacher

Data architect best states FAQs

What is the best state for data architects?

What is the highest paying state for data architects?

What is the worst state for data architects?

Have more questions? See all answers to common computer and mathematical questions.

Search for data architect jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse computer and mathematical jobs

Total data architect jobs:	7,451
Average annual salary:	$130,195
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$94,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$179,000
Location Quotient:	1.23

Best states for a data architect

10 best states for data architects in 2026

1. California

2. Arizona

3. Oregon

4. New Jersey

5. Delaware

6. Washington

7. Pennsylvania

8. Massachusetts

9. Texas

10. Nevada