Best states for a hacker

Q: What is the best state for hackers?

The best state to be a hacker is Washington based on hacker salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for hackers?

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

Q: What is the worst state for hackers?

The worst state for hackers is Hawaii, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for hackers? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for hacker 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 order to help you decide which state is the best for hackers, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for hacker jobs.

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 hackers.If you are currently seeking employment as a hacker, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for hackers in 2025

1. Washington
Total hacker jobs: 11
Average annual salary: $95,918
Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $141,000
Location Quotient:
4.22
Hacker jobs in Washington
2. Virginia
Total hacker jobs: 1
Average annual salary: $104,228
Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $158,000
Location Quotient:
0.3
Hacker jobs in Virginia
3. Maryland
Total hacker jobs: 1
Average annual salary: $106,544
Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $161,000
Location Quotient:
0.44
Hacker jobs in Maryland
4. Pennsylvania
Total hacker jobs: 0
Average annual salary: $97,934
Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000
Location Quotient:
0
Hacker jobs in Pennsylvania
5. New York
Total hacker jobs: 12
Average annual salary: $98,206
Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000
Location Quotient:
2.62
Hacker jobs in New York
6. West Virginia
Total hacker jobs: 6
Average annual salary: $89,519
Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000
Location Quotient:
11.01
Hacker jobs in West Virginia
7. Arizona
Total hacker jobs: 1
Average annual salary: $94,973
Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $142,000
Location Quotient:
0.48
Hacker jobs in Arizona
8. Michigan
Total hacker jobs: 5
Average annual salary: $90,452
Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000
Location Quotient:
1.81
Hacker jobs in Michigan
9. Rhode Island
Total hacker jobs: 0
Average annual salary: $96,272
Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000
Location Quotient:
0
Hacker jobs in Rhode Island
10. North Carolina
Total hacker jobs: 1
Average annual salary: $93,568
Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $142,000
Location Quotient:
0.29
Hacker jobs in North Carolina

Hacker jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a hacker

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

Detailed list of the best states for a hacker

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Washington	$95,918	$65,000	7,405,743	11
2	Virginia	$104,228	$68,000	8,470,020	1
3	Maryland	$106,544	$70,000	6,052,177	1
4	Pennsylvania	$97,934	$64,000	12,805,537	0
5	New York	$98,206	$64,000	19,849,399	12
6	West Virginia	$89,519	$58,000	1,815,857	6
7	Arizona	$94,973	$63,000	7,016,270	1
8	Michigan	$90,452	$59,000	9,962,311	5
9	Rhode Island	$96,272	$62,000	1,059,639	0
10	North Carolina	$93,568	$61,000	10,273,419	1
11	New Jersey	$97,740	$64,000	9,005,644	2
12	California	$101,091	$67,000	39,536,653	15
13	Wisconsin	$93,328	$61,000	5,795,483	0
14	Ohio	$92,299	$60,000	11,658,609	0
15	Utah	$89,640	$59,000	3,101,833	1
16	Massachusetts	$92,040	$59,000	6,859,819	6
17	Alaska	$89,755	$62,000	739,795	1
18	Vermont	$91,325	$59,000	623,657	0
19	Illinois	$91,721	$60,000	12,802,023	2
20	Nevada	$88,706	$58,000	2,998,039	0
21	Delaware	$90,722	$59,000	961,939	0
22	Maine	$87,985	$56,000	1,335,907	0
23	Kentucky	$84,497	$55,000	4,454,189	0
24	Oregon	$86,691	$58,000	4,142,776	6
25	Texas	$84,001	$55,000	28,304,596	9
26	New Mexico	$85,378	$56,000	2,088,070	0
27	Connecticut	$85,789	$56,000	3,588,184	2
28	North Dakota	$79,551	$52,000	755,393	1
29	Indiana	$82,111	$53,000	6,666,818	0
30	Tennessee	$79,420	$52,000	6,715,984	1
31	Alabama	$78,998	$52,000	4,874,747	2
32	New Hampshire	$84,166	$54,000	1,342,795	0
33	Georgia	$84,165	$55,000	10,429,379	1
34	District of Columbia	$89,244	$58,000	693,972	0
35	Iowa	$80,293	$53,000	3,145,711	0
36	Arkansas	$79,343	$52,000	3,004,279	0
37	South Carolina	$81,333	$53,000	5,024,369	0
38	Louisiana	$79,984	$52,000	4,684,333	0
39	Florida	$77,505	$50,000	20,984,400	9
40	Kansas	$77,941	$51,000	2,913,123	1
41	Mississippi	$78,509	$51,000	2,984,100	0
42	Nebraska	$78,786	$52,000	1,920,076	0
43	Colorado	$79,622	$53,000	5,607,154	0
44	Montana	$74,011	$50,000	1,050,493	1
45	Oklahoma	$77,229	$51,000	3,930,864	0
46	Minnesota	$76,514	$50,000	5,576,606	2
47	Wyoming	$76,931	$51,000	579,315	0
48	South Dakota	$76,288	$50,000	869,666	0
49	Idaho	$76,265	$51,000	1,716,943	0
50	Missouri	$74,526	$49,000	6,113,532	2
51	Hawaii	$66,020	$47,000	1,427,538	0

Highest paying states for hackers

Rank	State	Avg. Hacker Salary
1	Washington	$95,918
2	Virginia	$104,228
3	Maryland	$106,544
4	Pennsylvania	$97,934
5	New York	$98,206
6	West Virginia	$89,519
7	Arizona	$94,973
8	Michigan	$90,452
9	Rhode Island	$96,272
10	North Carolina	$93,568
11	New Jersey	$97,740
12	California	$101,091
13	Wisconsin	$93,328
14	Ohio	$92,299
15	Utah	$89,640
16	Massachusetts	$92,040
17	Alaska	$89,755
18	Vermont	$91,325
19	Illinois	$91,721
20	Nevada	$88,706
21	Delaware	$90,722
22	Maine	$87,985
23	Kentucky	$84,497
24	Oregon	$86,691
25	Texas	$84,001
26	New Mexico	$85,378
27	Connecticut	$85,789
28	North Dakota	$79,551
29	Indiana	$82,111
30	Tennessee	$79,420
31	Alabama	$78,998
32	New Hampshire	$84,166
33	Georgia	$84,165
34	District of Columbia	$89,244
35	Iowa	$80,293
36	Arkansas	$79,343
37	South Carolina	$81,333
38	Louisiana	$79,984
39	Florida	$77,505
40	Kansas	$77,941
41	Mississippi	$78,509
42	Nebraska	$78,786
43	Colorado	$79,622
44	Montana	$74,011
45	Oklahoma	$77,229
46	Minnesota	$76,514
47	Wyoming	$76,931
48	South Dakota	$76,288
49	Idaho	$76,265
50	Missouri	$74,526
51	Hawaii	$66,020

Hacker best states FAQs

What is the best state for hackers?

What is the highest paying state for hackers?

What is the worst state for hackers?

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

Search for hacker jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse computer and mathematical jobs

Total hacker jobs:	11
Average annual salary:	$95,918
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$65,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$141,000
Location Quotient:	4.22

Best states for a hacker

10 best states for hackers in 2025

1. Washington

2. Virginia

3. Maryland

4. Pennsylvania

5. New York

6. West Virginia

7. Arizona

8. Michigan

9. Rhode Island

10. North Carolina