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Best states for a database administrator/software engineer
Quoted expert
Dr. Ted Junseok Song
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for database administrator/software engineers? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for database administrator/software engineer 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.We wanted to look at the best states for database administrator/software engineers -- where there are plenty of database administrator/software engineer jobs to go around and database administrator/software engineers get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
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 database administrator/software engineers.We found that the Midwest is best for database administrator/software engineers, and the West is the worst. Redwood City, CA is the best city in the country for database administrator/software engineer jobs, where as Washington is the best state in the country.
10 best states for database administrator/software engineers in 2025
1. Washington
Total database administrator/software engineer jobs: 5,318 Average annual salary: $119,524 Lowest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $163,000 Location Quotient: 2.042. California
Total database administrator/software engineer jobs: 16,025 Average annual salary: $112,369 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000 Location Quotient: 1.533. Oregon
Total database administrator/software engineer jobs: 2,026 Average annual salary: $102,720 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000 Location Quotient: 1.374. Idaho
Total database administrator/software engineer jobs: 647 Average annual salary: $96,627 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000 Location Quotient: 1.15. Nevada
Total database administrator/software engineer jobs: 654 Average annual salary: $106,790 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000 Location Quotient: 0.876. Vermont
Total database administrator/software engineer jobs: 378 Average annual salary: $89,928 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $115,000 Location Quotient: 1.387. Virginia
Total database administrator/software engineer jobs: 4,190 Average annual salary: $93,196 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000 Location Quotient: 1.248. North Carolina
Total database administrator/software engineer jobs: 3,279 Average annual salary: $91,353 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000 Location Quotient: 0.959. Utah
Total database administrator/software engineer jobs: 1,501 Average annual salary: $89,029 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000 Location Quotient: 1.3110. Massachusetts
Total database administrator/software engineer jobs: 4,177 Average annual salary: $90,718 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000 Location Quotient: 1.27
Database administrator/software engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a database administrator/software engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a database administrator/software engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $119,524 | $87,000 | 7,405,743 | 5,318 |
| 2 | California | $112,369 | $80,000 | 39,536,653 | 16,025 |
| 3 | Oregon | $102,720 | $74,000 | 4,142,776 | 2,026 |
| 4 | Idaho | $96,627 | $70,000 | 1,716,943 | 647 |
| 5 | Nevada | $106,790 | $76,000 | 2,998,039 | 654 |
| 6 | Vermont | $89,928 | $69,000 | 623,657 | 378 |
| 7 | Virginia | $93,196 | $70,000 | 8,470,020 | 4,190 |
| 8 | North Carolina | $91,353 | $68,000 | 10,273,419 | 3,279 |
| 9 | Utah | $89,029 | $64,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,501 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $90,718 | $69,000 | 6,859,819 | 4,177 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $88,952 | $68,000 | 1,342,795 | 618 |
| 12 | Arizona | $88,903 | $64,000 | 7,016,270 | 2,212 |
| 13 | Indiana | $89,346 | $67,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,850 |
| 14 | Delaware | $86,862 | $65,000 | 961,939 | 599 |
| 15 | Michigan | $87,905 | $67,000 | 9,962,311 | 2,179 |
| 16 | Georgia | $87,372 | $65,000 | 10,429,379 | 3,115 |
| 17 | Wyoming | $83,920 | $61,000 | 579,315 | 244 |
| 18 | Maryland | $89,022 | $67,000 | 6,052,177 | 2,688 |
| 19 | District of Columbia | $87,258 | $65,000 | 693,972 | 874 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $86,363 | $65,000 | 12,805,537 | 3,089 |
| 21 | North Dakota | $83,894 | $64,000 | 755,393 | 290 |
| 22 | Texas | $83,865 | $62,000 | 28,304,596 | 6,666 |
| 23 | New Jersey | $87,545 | $66,000 | 9,005,644 | 2,728 |
| 24 | Ohio | $85,568 | $65,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,270 |
| 25 | Colorado | $84,399 | $62,000 | 5,607,154 | 2,789 |
| 26 | Rhode Island | $82,008 | $62,000 | 1,059,639 | 532 |
| 27 | Alaska | $85,915 | $68,000 | 739,795 | 274 |
| 28 | New York | $85,503 | $65,000 | 19,849,399 | 4,347 |
| 29 | Montana | $81,147 | $59,000 | 1,050,493 | 470 |
| 30 | Maine | $82,469 | $64,000 | 1,335,907 | 379 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $82,028 | $63,000 | 5,576,606 | 2,344 |
| 32 | Connecticut | $84,103 | $64,000 | 3,588,184 | 1,122 |
| 33 | Florida | $83,196 | $60,000 | 20,984,400 | 4,763 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $81,239 | $60,000 | 4,684,333 | 653 |
| 35 | Iowa | $80,213 | $60,000 | 3,145,711 | 874 |
| 36 | South Carolina | $80,541 | $60,000 | 5,024,369 | 851 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $78,208 | $59,000 | 4,454,189 | 869 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $77,866 | $58,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,155 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $78,074 | $58,000 | 1,920,076 | 665 |
| 40 | New Mexico | $78,706 | $57,000 | 2,088,070 | 595 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $78,312 | $60,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,442 |
| 42 | Alabama | $75,941 | $57,000 | 4,874,747 | 1,284 |
| 43 | Illinois | $75,456 | $57,000 | 12,802,023 | 4,139 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $77,718 | $58,000 | 3,930,864 | 531 |
| 45 | West Virginia | $74,241 | $56,000 | 1,815,857 | 345 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $73,966 | $57,000 | 1,427,538 | 268 |
| 47 | Kansas | $73,918 | $55,000 | 2,913,123 | 868 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $74,067 | $56,000 | 869,666 | 270 |
| 49 | Missouri | $74,517 | $56,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,605 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $72,407 | $54,000 | 3,004,279 | 733 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $74,048 | $55,000 | 2,984,100 | 407 |
Highest paying states for database administrator/software engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Database Administrator/Software Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $119,524 |
| 2 | California | $112,369 |
| 3 | Oregon | $102,720 |
| 4 | Idaho | $96,627 |
| 5 | Nevada | $106,790 |
| 6 | Vermont | $89,928 |
| 7 | Virginia | $93,196 |
| 8 | North Carolina | $91,353 |
| 9 | Utah | $89,029 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $90,718 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $88,952 |
| 12 | Arizona | $88,903 |
| 13 | Indiana | $89,346 |
| 14 | Delaware | $86,862 |
| 15 | Michigan | $87,905 |
| 16 | Georgia | $87,372 |
| 17 | Wyoming | $83,920 |
| 18 | Maryland | $89,022 |
| 19 | District of Columbia | $87,258 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $86,363 |
| 21 | North Dakota | $83,894 |
| 22 | Texas | $83,865 |
| 23 | New Jersey | $87,545 |
| 24 | Ohio | $85,568 |
| 25 | Colorado | $84,399 |
| 26 | Rhode Island | $82,008 |
| 27 | Alaska | $85,915 |
| 28 | New York | $85,503 |
| 29 | Montana | $81,147 |
| 30 | Maine | $82,469 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $82,028 |
| 32 | Connecticut | $84,103 |
| 33 | Florida | $83,196 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $81,239 |
| 35 | Iowa | $80,213 |
| 36 | South Carolina | $80,541 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $78,208 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $77,866 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $78,074 |
| 40 | New Mexico | $78,706 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $78,312 |
| 42 | Alabama | $75,941 |
| 43 | Illinois | $75,456 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $77,718 |
| 45 | West Virginia | $74,241 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $73,966 |
| 47 | Kansas | $73,918 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $74,067 |
| 49 | Missouri | $74,517 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $72,407 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $74,048 |
Expert opinions on the best states for database administrator/software engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for database administrator/software engineers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Ted Junseok Song
Associate Professor of Engineering, John Brown University
Due to COVID-19, people have more choices on location as more companies allow their employees to work remotely.
Database administrator/software engineer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025