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Best states for an information technology professional
Quoted expert
Kevin Scheibe Ph.D.
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Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for information technology professionals? 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 information technology professional jobs.Pay, benefits, and opportunities vary greatly by state, and it's no different for information technology professionals. We found that Rhode Island is the best state in the nation for information technology professionals, and people in Barnstable Town earn the most in the field.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for information technology professionals. Rhode Island is the best state for information technology professionals, where the median salary is $93,427.If you are currently seeking employment as an information technology professional, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for information technology professionals in 2026
1. Rhode Island
Total information technology professional jobs: 309 Average annual salary: $93,427 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
2. Massachusetts
Total information technology professional jobs: 2,394 Average annual salary: $93,577 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
3. New Jersey
Total information technology professional jobs: 1,929 Average annual salary: $92,905 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000 Location Quotient: 1.13
4. Pennsylvania
Total information technology professional jobs: 3,001 Average annual salary: $84,977 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000 Location Quotient: 1.2
5. Connecticut
Total information technology professional jobs: 700 Average annual salary: $93,438 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000 Location Quotient: 0.98
6. Ohio
Total information technology professional jobs: 1,987 Average annual salary: $89,058 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $131,000 Location Quotient: 0.9
7. North Dakota
Total information technology professional jobs: 318 Average annual salary: $76,770 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Location Quotient: 1.59
8. Oregon
Total information technology professional jobs: 1,027 Average annual salary: $81,974 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000 Location Quotient: 1.15
9. Illinois
Total information technology professional jobs: 2,532 Average annual salary: $85,553 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000 Location Quotient: 0.99
10. North Carolina
Total information technology professional jobs: 2,022 Average annual salary: $83,628 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 0.98
Information technology professional jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an information technology professional
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an information technology professional
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $93,427 | $64,000 | 1,059,639 | 309 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $93,577 | $64,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,394 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $92,905 | $63,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,929 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $84,977 | $57,000 | 12,805,537 | 3,001 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $93,438 | $63,000 | 3,588,184 | 700 |
| 6 | Ohio | $89,058 | $60,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,987 |
| 7 | North Dakota | $76,770 | $55,000 | 755,393 | 318 |
| 8 | Oregon | $81,974 | $56,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,027 |
| 9 | Illinois | $85,553 | $59,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,532 |
| 10 | North Carolina | $83,628 | $54,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,022 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $86,447 | $59,000 | 1,342,795 | 354 |
| 12 | Delaware | $80,062 | $54,000 | 961,939 | 314 |
| 13 | California | $87,884 | $58,000 | 39,536,653 | 7,017 |
| 14 | Iowa | $78,938 | $55,000 | 3,145,711 | 779 |
| 15 | Utah | $75,802 | $52,000 | 3,101,833 | 910 |
| 16 | New York | $93,071 | $63,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,167 |
| 17 | Vermont | $77,136 | $53,000 | 623,657 | 181 |
| 18 | Maine | $77,641 | $53,000 | 1,335,907 | 283 |
| 19 | Maryland | $79,418 | $53,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,553 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $74,095 | $52,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,903 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | $74,699 | $52,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,218 |
| 22 | Montana | $75,512 | $53,000 | 1,050,493 | 257 |
| 23 | District of Columbia | $74,840 | $50,000 | 693,972 | 590 |
| 24 | Nevada | $74,816 | $49,000 | 2,998,039 | 430 |
| 25 | South Dakota | $73,346 | $52,000 | 869,666 | 223 |
| 26 | Virginia | $72,573 | $48,000 | 8,470,020 | 2,361 |
| 27 | Nebraska | $74,180 | $52,000 | 1,920,076 | 453 |
| 28 | Indiana | $70,137 | $47,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,435 |
| 29 | Washington | $70,120 | $48,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,659 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $66,410 | $44,000 | 1,815,857 | 321 |
| 31 | Wyoming | $65,654 | $46,000 | 579,315 | 137 |
| 32 | South Carolina | $68,304 | $44,000 | 5,024,369 | 822 |
| 33 | Alaska | $62,475 | $53,000 | 739,795 | 195 |
| 34 | Hawaii | $61,047 | $50,000 | 1,427,538 | 232 |
| 35 | Colorado | $67,293 | $46,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,371 |
| 36 | Michigan | $68,803 | $47,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,325 |
| 37 | Kansas | $68,390 | $47,000 | 2,913,123 | 552 |
| 38 | Alabama | $68,180 | $44,000 | 4,874,747 | 640 |
| 39 | Idaho | $66,290 | $45,000 | 1,716,943 | 317 |
| 40 | Texas | $64,307 | $42,000 | 28,304,596 | 4,143 |
| 41 | Louisiana | $67,578 | $43,000 | 4,684,333 | 489 |
| 42 | Arizona | $60,883 | $40,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,378 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $65,126 | $44,000 | 3,930,864 | 491 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $63,644 | $42,000 | 4,454,189 | 643 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $63,334 | $42,000 | 3,004,279 | 438 |
| 46 | Missouri | $64,021 | $44,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,039 |
| 47 | New Mexico | $62,579 | $41,000 | 2,088,070 | 374 |
| 48 | Georgia | $61,392 | $39,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,854 |
| 49 | Tennessee | $59,338 | $39,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,067 |
| 50 | Florida | $54,445 | $35,000 | 20,984,400 | 3,086 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $56,924 | $37,000 | 2,984,100 | 337 |
Highest paying states for information technology professionals
| Rank | State | Avg. Information Technology Professional Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $93,427 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $93,577 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $92,905 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $84,977 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $93,438 |
| 6 | Ohio | $89,058 |
| 7 | North Dakota | $76,770 |
| 8 | Oregon | $81,974 |
| 9 | Illinois | $85,553 |
| 10 | North Carolina | $83,628 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $86,447 |
| 12 | Delaware | $80,062 |
| 13 | California | $87,884 |
| 14 | Iowa | $78,938 |
| 15 | Utah | $75,802 |
| 16 | New York | $93,071 |
| 17 | Vermont | $77,136 |
| 18 | Maine | $77,641 |
| 19 | Maryland | $79,418 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $74,095 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | $74,699 |
| 22 | Montana | $75,512 |
| 23 | District of Columbia | $74,840 |
| 24 | Nevada | $74,816 |
| 25 | South Dakota | $73,346 |
| 26 | Virginia | $72,573 |
| 27 | Nebraska | $74,180 |
| 28 | Indiana | $70,137 |
| 29 | Washington | $70,120 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $66,410 |
| 31 | Wyoming | $65,654 |
| 32 | South Carolina | $68,304 |
| 33 | Alaska | $62,475 |
| 34 | Hawaii | $61,047 |
| 35 | Colorado | $67,293 |
| 36 | Michigan | $68,803 |
| 37 | Kansas | $68,390 |
| 38 | Alabama | $68,180 |
| 39 | Idaho | $66,290 |
| 40 | Texas | $64,307 |
| 41 | Louisiana | $67,578 |
| 42 | Arizona | $60,883 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $65,126 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $63,644 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $63,334 |
| 46 | Missouri | $64,021 |
| 47 | New Mexico | $62,579 |
| 48 | Georgia | $61,392 |
| 49 | Tennessee | $59,338 |
| 50 | Florida | $54,445 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $56,924 |
Expert opinions on the best states for information technology professionals
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for information technology professionals to find work opportunities?
Kevin Scheibe Ph.D.
Professor of Information Systems and Business Analytics, Iowa State University
Interestingly, the organizations that engage with our university to hire students for internships and full-time positions are still there. While hiring for some companies has declined, others have contacted us with more new posts. Our university career fair will be entirely virtual this year, so it will be interesting to see the data afterward. We have consistently seen the demand for students, in the Midwest, and I do not see that changing. There may be an increased interest as people can work in exciting and challenging careers without relocating to large metropolitan areas.
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Updated January 8, 2025