Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Best states for a programming specialist
Quoted expert
Jamelyn Tobery-Nystrom
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Do you want to become a programming specialist at Covance, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for programming specialists that you can check out, before you begin your journey. In order to help you decide which state is the best for programming specialists, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for programming specialist 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 programming specialists.If you are currently seeking employment as a programming specialist, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for programming specialists in 2025
1. Maryland
Total programming specialist jobs: 540 Average annual salary: $67,379 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $108,000 Location Quotient: 1.52
2. New York
Total programming specialist jobs: 1,098 Average annual salary: $65,116 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $104,000 Location Quotient: 1.53
3. Delaware
Total programming specialist jobs: 138 Average annual salary: $57,055 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Location Quotient: 1.97
4. New Jersey
Total programming specialist jobs: 508 Average annual salary: $80,467 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 1.14
5. California
Total programming specialist jobs: 1,865 Average annual salary: $76,995 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 1.14
6. Vermont
Total programming specialist jobs: 77 Average annual salary: $54,864 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Location Quotient: 1.79
7. District of Columbia
Total programming specialist jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $74,494 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000 Location Quotient: 0
8. Rhode Island
Total programming specialist jobs: 90 Average annual salary: $55,838 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Location Quotient: 1.32
9. Connecticut
Total programming specialist jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $62,789 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $100,000 Location Quotient: 0
10. Massachusetts
Total programming specialist jobs: 674 Average annual salary: $57,309 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Location Quotient: 1.31
Programming specialist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a programming specialist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a programming specialist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland | $67,379 | $41,000 | 6,052,177 | 540 |
| 2 | New York | $65,116 | $40,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,098 |
| 3 | Delaware | $57,055 | $35,000 | 961,939 | 138 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $80,467 | $50,000 | 9,005,644 | 508 |
| 5 | California | $76,995 | $45,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,865 |
| 6 | Vermont | $54,864 | $35,000 | 623,657 | 77 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $74,494 | $46,000 | 693,972 | 0 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $55,838 | $35,000 | 1,059,639 | 90 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $62,789 | $39,000 | 3,588,184 | 0 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $57,309 | $36,000 | 6,859,819 | 674 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $51,941 | $32,000 | 12,805,537 | 816 |
| 12 | Alabama | $53,084 | $33,000 | 4,874,747 | 258 |
| 13 | Illinois | $55,989 | $35,000 | 12,802,023 | 0 |
| 14 | Nevada | $50,503 | $30,000 | 2,998,039 | 172 |
| 15 | Georgia | $55,125 | $34,000 | 10,429,379 | 0 |
| 16 | Minnesota | $53,355 | $34,000 | 5,576,606 | 422 |
| 17 | Virginia | $56,609 | $34,000 | 8,470,020 | 0 |
| 18 | Texas | $50,284 | $31,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,531 |
| 19 | Michigan | $50,641 | $31,000 | 9,962,311 | 509 |
| 20 | Wyoming | $47,664 | $30,000 | 579,315 | 76 |
| 21 | North Dakota | $47,724 | $31,000 | 755,393 | 86 |
| 22 | Tennessee | $49,542 | $31,000 | 6,715,984 | 369 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $50,494 | $32,000 | 1,342,795 | 124 |
| 24 | Colorado | $52,324 | $33,000 | 5,607,154 | 415 |
| 25 | Washington | $54,755 | $33,000 | 7,405,743 | 0 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $48,918 | $30,000 | 1,815,857 | 97 |
| 27 | Arizona | $48,212 | $29,000 | 7,016,270 | 514 |
| 28 | Hawaii | $51,525 | $38,000 | 1,427,538 | 115 |
| 29 | Oregon | $48,476 | $29,000 | 4,142,776 | 360 |
| 30 | Maine | $46,321 | $30,000 | 1,335,907 | 135 |
| 31 | Ohio | $48,790 | $30,000 | 11,658,609 | 606 |
| 32 | Louisiana | $49,523 | $31,000 | 4,684,333 | 0 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $45,800 | $29,000 | 1,920,076 | 229 |
| 34 | Kentucky | $48,436 | $30,000 | 4,454,189 | 0 |
| 35 | Missouri | $47,813 | $30,000 | 6,113,532 | 389 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $47,897 | $29,000 | 2,088,070 | 141 |
| 37 | North Carolina | $45,833 | $28,000 | 10,273,419 | 742 |
| 38 | Kansas | $45,630 | $29,000 | 2,913,123 | 0 |
| 39 | Montana | $43,193 | $28,000 | 1,050,493 | 94 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $44,230 | $27,000 | 5,795,483 | 371 |
| 41 | Mississippi | $45,046 | $28,000 | 2,984,100 | 115 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $41,456 | $26,000 | 3,004,279 | 200 |
| 43 | Idaho | $44,926 | $27,000 | 1,716,943 | 0 |
| 44 | South Dakota | $40,781 | $26,000 | 869,666 | 84 |
| 45 | Alaska | $28,509 | $19,000 | 739,795 | 88 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $42,626 | $27,000 | 3,930,864 | 204 |
| 47 | Florida | $40,166 | $25,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,274 |
| 48 | Iowa | $43,530 | $27,000 | 3,145,711 | 0 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $43,261 | $27,000 | 5,024,369 | 209 |
| 50 | Utah | $38,677 | $24,000 | 3,101,833 | 240 |
| 51 | Indiana | $42,235 | $26,000 | 6,666,818 | 0 |
Highest paying states for programming specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. Programming Specialist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland | $67,379 |
| 2 | New York | $65,116 |
| 3 | Delaware | $57,055 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $80,467 |
| 5 | California | $76,995 |
| 6 | Vermont | $54,864 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $74,494 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $55,838 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $62,789 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $57,309 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $51,941 |
| 12 | Alabama | $53,084 |
| 13 | Illinois | $55,989 |
| 14 | Nevada | $50,503 |
| 15 | Georgia | $55,125 |
| 16 | Minnesota | $53,355 |
| 17 | Virginia | $56,609 |
| 18 | Texas | $50,284 |
| 19 | Michigan | $50,641 |
| 20 | Wyoming | $47,664 |
| 21 | North Dakota | $47,724 |
| 22 | Tennessee | $49,542 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $50,494 |
| 24 | Colorado | $52,324 |
| 25 | Washington | $54,755 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $48,918 |
| 27 | Arizona | $48,212 |
| 28 | Hawaii | $51,525 |
| 29 | Oregon | $48,476 |
| 30 | Maine | $46,321 |
| 31 | Ohio | $48,790 |
| 32 | Louisiana | $49,523 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $45,800 |
| 34 | Kentucky | $48,436 |
| 35 | Missouri | $47,813 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $47,897 |
| 37 | North Carolina | $45,833 |
| 38 | Kansas | $45,630 |
| 39 | Montana | $43,193 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $44,230 |
| 41 | Mississippi | $45,046 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $41,456 |
| 43 | Idaho | $44,926 |
| 44 | South Dakota | $40,781 |
| 45 | Alaska | $28,509 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $42,626 |
| 47 | Florida | $40,166 |
| 48 | Iowa | $43,530 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $43,261 |
| 50 | Utah | $38,677 |
| 51 | Indiana | $42,235 |
Expert opinions on the best states for programming specialists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for programming specialists to find work opportunities?
Jamelyn Tobery-Nystrom
Coordinator of M.Ed. Special Education, Frostburg State University
Special education teachers are needed everywhere. Urban areas have more openings; however, rural areas struggle to find qualified candidates because their number is limited. We are not producing enough teachers in the United States, and we have a real crisis in special education.
Programming specialist best states FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.
Search for programming specialist jobs
Updated January 8, 2025