Best states for a programming internship

Q: What is the best state for programming interns?

The best state to be a programming internship is North Dakota based on programming internship salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for programming interns?

The highest paying state for programming interns is Florida based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for programming interns?

The worst state for programming interns is Florida, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for programming interns? 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 programming internship jobs.Our research found that North Dakota is the best state for programming interns, while Washington and New York are ranked highest in terms of median salary. North Dakota has a median salary of $33,111 and Washington has the highest median salary among all 50 states for programming interns.

In order to get you the best states for programming interns, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.We found that the South is best for programming interns, and the Northeast is the worst. Shoreline, WA is the best city in the country for programming internship jobs, where as North Dakota is the best state in the country.

10 best states for programming interns in 2026

1. North Dakota
Total programming internship jobs: 174
Average annual salary: $33,111
Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $41,000
Location Quotient:
2.04
Programming internship jobs in North Dakota
2. Idaho
Total programming internship jobs: 330
Average annual salary: $33,359
Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Location Quotient:
2.19
Programming internship jobs in Idaho
3. Montana
Total programming internship jobs: 201
Average annual salary: $34,021
Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Location Quotient:
1.9
Programming internship jobs in Montana
4. Oregon
Total programming internship jobs: 488
Average annual salary: $35,461
Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Location Quotient:
1.28
Programming internship jobs in Oregon
5. Washington
Total programming internship jobs: 571
Average annual salary: $40,557
Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Location Quotient:
0.85
Programming internship jobs in Washington
6. Vermont
Total programming internship jobs: 209
Average annual salary: $32,997
Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $41,000
Location Quotient:
2.97
Programming internship jobs in Vermont
7. New Hampshire
Total programming internship jobs: 244
Average annual salary: $33,471
Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $43,000
Location Quotient:
1.52
Programming internship jobs in New Hampshire
8. Minnesota
Total programming internship jobs: 574
Average annual salary: $35,126
Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Location Quotient:
0.94
Programming internship jobs in Minnesota
9. Rhode Island
Total programming internship jobs: 195
Average annual salary: $33,106
Lowest 10 percent earn: $23,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Location Quotient:
1.75
Programming internship jobs in Rhode Island
10. Delaware
Total programming internship jobs: 240
Average annual salary: $33,620
Lowest 10 percent earn: $23,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Location Quotient:
2.08
Programming internship jobs in Delaware

Programming internship jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a programming internship

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

Detailed list of the best states for a programming internship

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	North Dakota	$33,111	$26,000	755,393	174
2	Idaho	$33,359	$26,000	1,716,943	330
3	Montana	$34,021	$26,000	1,050,493	201
4	Oregon	$35,461	$27,000	4,142,776	488
5	Washington	$40,557	$31,000	7,405,743	571
6	Vermont	$32,997	$26,000	623,657	209
7	New Hampshire	$33,471	$25,000	1,342,795	244
8	Minnesota	$35,126	$27,000	5,576,606	574
9	Rhode Island	$33,106	$23,000	1,059,639	195
10	Delaware	$33,620	$23,000	961,939	240
11	Iowa	$32,600	$25,000	3,145,711	400
12	Michigan	$32,732	$24,000	9,962,311	884
13	Wisconsin	$33,396	$25,000	5,795,483	519
14	South Dakota	$31,071	$24,000	869,666	215
15	Massachusetts	$34,303	$25,000	6,859,819	963
16	Utah	$32,253	$25,000	3,101,833	372
17	Maine	$31,211	$25,000	1,335,907	277
18	Nevada	$33,012	$25,000	2,998,039	165
19	Nebraska	$31,287	$24,000	1,920,076	287
20	New Jersey	$35,563	$24,000	9,005,644	763
21	Pennsylvania	$33,531	$23,000	12,805,537	843
22	New York	$36,356	$24,000	19,849,399	1,149
23	Connecticut	$33,930	$23,000	3,588,184	410
24	Illinois	$33,498	$25,000	12,802,023	961
25	California	$34,785	$26,000	39,536,653	2,835
26	Alaska	$31,459	$26,000	739,795	149
27	District of Columbia	$33,791	$24,000	693,972	214
28	Colorado	$33,234	$26,000	5,607,154	598
29	Ohio	$32,153	$23,000	11,658,609	575
30	Arkansas	$29,438	$23,000	3,004,279	333
31	Maryland	$32,980	$23,000	6,052,177	693
32	Hawaii	$30,915	$25,000	1,427,538	134
33	Wyoming	$29,156	$22,000	579,315	150
34	Texas	$31,294	$24,000	28,304,596	1,538
35	Kansas	$30,153	$23,000	2,913,123	310
36	Virginia	$32,003	$23,000	8,470,020	887
37	Arizona	$31,217	$23,000	7,016,270	543
38	Indiana	$30,306	$23,000	6,666,818	431
39	Missouri	$31,131	$24,000	6,113,532	375
40	New Mexico	$28,837	$22,000	2,088,070	250
41	West Virginia	$27,919	$20,000	1,815,857	178
42	Oklahoma	$29,231	$22,000	3,930,864	307
43	Kentucky	$28,403	$21,000	4,454,189	351
44	Mississippi	$27,611	$21,000	2,984,100	259
45	North Carolina	$29,517	$22,000	10,273,419	701
46	Tennessee	$28,435	$22,000	6,715,984	422
47	Louisiana	$27,681	$21,000	4,684,333	274
48	Georgia	$28,751	$22,000	10,429,379	672
49	Alabama	$27,041	$21,000	4,874,747	357
50	South Carolina	$26,890	$21,000	5,024,369	283
51	Florida	$26,723	$20,000	20,984,400	982

Highest paying states for programming interns

Rank	State	Avg. Programming Internship Salary
1	North Dakota	$33,111
2	Idaho	$33,359
3	Montana	$34,021
4	Oregon	$35,461
5	Washington	$40,557
6	Vermont	$32,997
7	New Hampshire	$33,471
8	Minnesota	$35,126
9	Rhode Island	$33,106
10	Delaware	$33,620
11	Iowa	$32,600
12	Michigan	$32,732
13	Wisconsin	$33,396
14	South Dakota	$31,071
15	Massachusetts	$34,303
16	Utah	$32,253
17	Maine	$31,211
18	Nevada	$33,012
19	Nebraska	$31,287
20	New Jersey	$35,563
21	Pennsylvania	$33,531
22	New York	$36,356
23	Connecticut	$33,930
24	Illinois	$33,498
25	California	$34,785
26	Alaska	$31,459
27	District of Columbia	$33,791
28	Colorado	$33,234
29	Ohio	$32,153
30	Arkansas	$29,438
31	Maryland	$32,980
32	Hawaii	$30,915
33	Wyoming	$29,156
34	Texas	$31,294
35	Kansas	$30,153
36	Virginia	$32,003
37	Arizona	$31,217
38	Indiana	$30,306
39	Missouri	$31,131
40	New Mexico	$28,837
41	West Virginia	$27,919
42	Oklahoma	$29,231
43	Kentucky	$28,403
44	Mississippi	$27,611
45	North Carolina	$29,517
46	Tennessee	$28,435
47	Louisiana	$27,681
48	Georgia	$28,751
49	Alabama	$27,041
50	South Carolina	$26,890
51	Florida	$26,723

Programming internship best states FAQs

What is the best state for programming interns?

What is the highest paying state for programming interns?

What is the worst state for programming interns?

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

Search for programming internship jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total programming internship jobs:	174
Average annual salary:	$33,111
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$26,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$41,000
Location Quotient:	2.04

Best states for a programming internship

10 best states for programming interns in 2026

1. North Dakota

2. Idaho

3. Montana

4. Oregon

5. Washington

6. Vermont

7. New Hampshire

8. Minnesota

9. Rhode Island

10. Delaware