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Best states for a developer/consultant

Quoted expert
David Smith
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Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for developer/consultants? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for developer/consultant jobs.We wanted to look at the best states for developer/consultants -- where there are plenty of developer/consultant jobs to go around and developer/consultants get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
In order to get you the best states for developer/consultants, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.If you are currently seeking employment as a developer/consultant, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for developer/consultants in 2026

  1. Vermont #1 best state for developer/consultants

    1. Vermont

    Total developer/consultant jobs:206
    Average annual salary:$104,208
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$77,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$139,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.39
  2. Pennsylvania #2 best state for developer/consultants

    2. Pennsylvania

    Total developer/consultant jobs:2,238
    Average annual salary:$112,697
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$82,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$153,000
    Location Quotient:
    1
  3. Rhode Island #3 best state for developer/consultants

    3. Rhode Island

    Total developer/consultant jobs:459
    Average annual salary:$100,153
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$74,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$135,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.96
  4. Massachusetts #4 best state for developer/consultants

    4. Massachusetts

    Total developer/consultant jobs:1,694
    Average annual salary:$117,335
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$87,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$158,000
    Location Quotient:
    0.96
  5. New Hampshire #5 best state for developer/consultants

    5. New Hampshire

    Total developer/consultant jobs:346
    Average annual salary:$103,203
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$76,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$138,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.03
  6. Texas #6 best state for developer/consultants

    6. Texas

    Total developer/consultant jobs:4,445
    Average annual salary:$99,348
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$69,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$141,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.14
  7. New York #7 best state for developer/consultants

    7. New York

    Total developer/consultant jobs:2,162
    Average annual salary:$115,996
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$85,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$157,000
    Location Quotient:
    0.87
  8. Connecticut #8 best state for developer/consultants

    8. Connecticut

    Total developer/consultant jobs:554
    Average annual salary:$112,180
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$83,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$151,000
    Location Quotient:
    0.87
  9. North Carolina #9 best state for developer/consultants

    9. North Carolina

    Total developer/consultant jobs:1,668
    Average annual salary:$102,525
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$75,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$139,000
    Location Quotient:
    0.9
  10. Montana #10 best state for developer/consultants

    10. Montana

    Total developer/consultant jobs:250
    Average annual salary:$96,510
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$69,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$134,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.12

Developer/consultant jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a developer/consultant

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

Detailed list of the best states for a developer/consultant

RankStateAverage salaryLowest 10% earnPopulationJob count
1Vermont$104,208$77,000623,657206
2Pennsylvania$112,697$82,00012,805,5372,238
3Rhode Island$100,153$74,0001,059,639459
4Massachusetts$117,335$87,0006,859,8191,694
5New Hampshire$103,203$76,0001,342,795346
6Texas$99,348$69,00028,304,5964,445
7New York$115,996$85,00019,849,3992,162
8Connecticut$112,180$83,0003,588,184554
9North Carolina$102,525$75,00010,273,4191,668
10Montana$96,510$69,0001,050,493250
11California$107,170$73,00039,536,6536,139
12Virginia$97,949$72,0008,470,0202,322
13Idaho$94,735$66,0001,716,943344
14West Virginia$98,987$72,0001,815,857229
15Maryland$106,352$78,0006,052,1771,115
16New Jersey$97,359$71,0009,005,6441,984
17Washington$99,315$70,0007,405,7431,373
18Michigan$97,393$71,0009,962,3111,273
19Illinois$95,217$69,00012,802,0232,283
20Ohio$89,350$65,00011,658,6092,007
21South Dakota$84,425$61,000869,666303
22Oregon$90,573$64,0004,142,776936
23Georgia$91,429$66,00010,429,3791,887
24Arkansas$87,208$62,0003,004,279499
25Nevada$88,535$60,0002,998,039441
26Maine$89,191$66,0001,335,907234
27Delaware$96,137$70,000961,939170
28Louisiana$92,350$65,0004,684,333459
29Mississippi$85,385$61,0002,984,100417
30District of Columbia$87,030$63,000693,972535
31North Dakota$85,338$63,000755,393178
32Kansas$84,629$61,0002,913,123593
33New Mexico$81,187$56,0002,088,070424
34Alabama$78,428$56,0004,874,7471,053
35Kentucky$83,746$61,0004,454,189620
36Hawaii$85,976$69,0001,427,538165
37Minnesota$81,914$60,0005,576,6061,415
38Florida$86,866$62,00020,984,4002,452
39Utah$76,884$53,0003,101,833865
40Indiana$83,773$61,0006,666,8181,094
41Nebraska$78,705$57,0001,920,076477
42Oklahoma$74,530$53,0003,930,864723
43Wisconsin$79,776$58,0005,795,483975
44Arizona$80,813$56,0007,016,270864
45Tennessee$78,731$57,0006,715,984847
46South Carolina$81,698$59,0005,024,369567
47Missouri$75,798$55,0006,113,5321,034
48Alaska$81,583$65,000739,795113
49Iowa$76,254$55,0003,145,711534
50Colorado$72,428$51,0005,607,1541,030
51Wyoming$71,721$51,000579,31582

Highest paying states for developer/consultants

RankStateAvg. Developer/Consultant Salary
1Vermont$104,208
2Pennsylvania$112,697
3Rhode Island$100,153
4Massachusetts$117,335
5New Hampshire$103,203
6Texas$99,348
7New York$115,996
8Connecticut$112,180
9North Carolina$102,525
10Montana$96,510
11California$107,170
12Virginia$97,949
13Idaho$94,735
14West Virginia$98,987
15Maryland$106,352
16New Jersey$97,359
17Washington$99,315
18Michigan$97,393
19Illinois$95,217
20Ohio$89,350
21South Dakota$84,425
22Oregon$90,573
23Georgia$91,429
24Arkansas$87,208
25Nevada$88,535
26Maine$89,191
27Delaware$96,137
28Louisiana$92,350
29Mississippi$85,385
30District of Columbia$87,030
31North Dakota$85,338
32Kansas$84,629
33New Mexico$81,187
34Alabama$78,428
35Kentucky$83,746
36Hawaii$85,976
37Minnesota$81,914
38Florida$86,866
39Utah$76,884
40Indiana$83,773
41Nebraska$78,705
42Oklahoma$74,530
43Wisconsin$79,776
44Arizona$80,813
45Tennessee$78,731
46South Carolina$81,698
47Missouri$75,798
48Alaska$81,583
49Iowa$76,254
50Colorado$72,428
51Wyoming$71,721

Expert opinions on the best states for developer/consultants

  • Are there any particularly good places in the United States for developer/consultants to find work opportunities?

    David SmithDavid Smith LinkedIn profile

    Consultant, Coach and Speaker, David J. Smith Consulting

    My work tends to focus on those seeking careers in conflict-sensitive fields, such as conflict resolution, humanitarian work, local and international development, and peacebuilding. Those working in these areas are driven by the locus of the work, that is, where the needs are and those that need support. In some cases, this is within one's own community, and in others, overseas.

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