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Best states for a software administrator
Quoted expert
Kathleen Riley
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Job opportunities vary from state to state, and computer and mathematical careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to software administrator jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for software administrators.Although there are abundant software administrator jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the Midwest. West Virginia is the best state in the country for software administrator jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for software administrators. West Virginia is the best state for software administrators, where the median salary is $103,584.We found that the Midwest is best for software administrators, and the West is the worst. Santa Clara, CA is the best city in the country for software administrator jobs, where as West Virginia is the best state in the country.
10 best states for software administrators in 2025
1. West Virginia
Total software administrator jobs: 269 Average annual salary: $103,584 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Location Quotient: 1.582. Utah
Total software administrator jobs: 393 Average annual salary: $109,898 Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000 Location Quotient: 1.113. California
Total software administrator jobs: 2,755 Average annual salary: $125,183 Lowest 10 percent earn: $93,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $168,000 Location Quotient: 0.854. Oregon
Total software administrator jobs: 424 Average annual salary: $108,943 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $142,000 Location Quotient: 0.925. Idaho
Total software administrator jobs: 144 Average annual salary: $116,689 Lowest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000 Location Quotient: 0.796. Nevada
Total software administrator jobs: 185 Average annual salary: $109,140 Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000 Location Quotient: 0.797. Washington
Total software administrator jobs: 694 Average annual salary: $107,504 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000 Location Quotient: 0.858. New Mexico
Total software administrator jobs: 534 Average annual salary: $92,573 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000 Location Quotient: 2.459. Massachusetts
Total software administrator jobs: 950 Average annual salary: $103,208 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000 Location Quotient: 0.9310. Maryland
Total software administrator jobs: 1,135 Average annual salary: $102,895 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Location Quotient: 1.61
Software administrator jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a software administrator
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a software administrator
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia | $103,584 | $80,000 | 1,815,857 | 269 |
| 2 | Utah | $109,898 | $82,000 | 3,101,833 | 393 |
| 3 | California | $125,183 | $93,000 | 39,536,653 | 2,755 |
| 4 | Oregon | $108,943 | $83,000 | 4,142,776 | 424 |
| 5 | Idaho | $116,689 | $88,000 | 1,716,943 | 144 |
| 6 | Nevada | $109,140 | $81,000 | 2,998,039 | 185 |
| 7 | Washington | $107,504 | $83,000 | 7,405,743 | 694 |
| 8 | New Mexico | $92,573 | $70,000 | 2,088,070 | 534 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $103,208 | $80,000 | 6,859,819 | 950 |
| 10 | Maryland | $102,895 | $79,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,135 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $101,855 | $79,000 | 1,059,639 | 109 |
| 12 | New York | $110,119 | $85,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,086 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $95,004 | $74,000 | 1,342,795 | 169 |
| 14 | South Carolina | $88,329 | $68,000 | 5,024,369 | 742 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $92,308 | $71,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,000 |
| 16 | Wyoming | $91,079 | $70,000 | 579,315 | 54 |
| 17 | Georgia | $95,703 | $73,000 | 10,429,379 | 829 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $86,369 | $68,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,186 |
| 19 | Michigan | $93,582 | $73,000 | 9,962,311 | 590 |
| 20 | Arkansas | $84,525 | $65,000 | 3,004,279 | 569 |
| 21 | Missouri | $88,035 | $68,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,229 |
| 22 | Texas | $89,952 | $68,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,998 |
| 23 | Arizona | $89,761 | $67,000 | 7,016,270 | 695 |
| 24 | Mississippi | $86,470 | $65,000 | 2,984,100 | 323 |
| 25 | Alabama | $87,897 | $67,000 | 4,874,747 | 423 |
| 26 | Delaware | $95,909 | $73,000 | 961,939 | 87 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $86,892 | $65,000 | 4,684,333 | 491 |
| 28 | New Jersey | $99,411 | $76,000 | 9,005,644 | 612 |
| 29 | Colorado | $90,845 | $70,000 | 5,607,154 | 828 |
| 30 | South Dakota | $83,132 | $66,000 | 869,666 | 247 |
| 31 | Connecticut | $94,383 | $73,000 | 3,588,184 | 266 |
| 32 | Alaska | $90,382 | $77,000 | 739,795 | 102 |
| 33 | Oklahoma | $83,978 | $65,000 | 3,930,864 | 487 |
| 34 | Ohio | $88,392 | $68,000 | 11,658,609 | 763 |
| 35 | Kentucky | $82,531 | $64,000 | 4,454,189 | 678 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $90,717 | $77,000 | 1,427,538 | 94 |
| 37 | Virginia | $87,600 | $67,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,431 |
| 38 | Florida | $88,281 | $64,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,588 |
| 39 | Illinois | $89,639 | $70,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,025 |
| 40 | Kansas | $80,910 | $63,000 | 2,913,123 | 751 |
| 41 | Vermont | $85,632 | $67,000 | 623,657 | 77 |
| 42 | District of Columbia | $82,641 | $63,000 | 693,972 | 265 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $82,854 | $65,000 | 1,920,076 | 186 |
| 44 | Minnesota | $85,029 | $67,000 | 5,576,606 | 554 |
| 45 | Tennessee | $76,027 | $59,000 | 6,715,984 | 973 |
| 46 | Iowa | $83,476 | $65,000 | 3,145,711 | 256 |
| 47 | North Carolina | $81,618 | $63,000 | 10,273,419 | 824 |
| 48 | North Dakota | $78,138 | $62,000 | 755,393 | 92 |
| 49 | Montana | $81,268 | $63,000 | 1,050,493 | 95 |
| 50 | Maine | $79,512 | $63,000 | 1,335,907 | 95 |
| 51 | Indiana | $78,423 | $61,000 | 6,666,818 | 449 |
Highest paying states for software administrators
| Rank | State | Avg. Software Administrator Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia | $103,584 |
| 2 | Utah | $109,898 |
| 3 | California | $125,183 |
| 4 | Oregon | $108,943 |
| 5 | Idaho | $116,689 |
| 6 | Nevada | $109,140 |
| 7 | Washington | $107,504 |
| 8 | New Mexico | $92,573 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $103,208 |
| 10 | Maryland | $102,895 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $101,855 |
| 12 | New York | $110,119 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $95,004 |
| 14 | South Carolina | $88,329 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $92,308 |
| 16 | Wyoming | $91,079 |
| 17 | Georgia | $95,703 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $86,369 |
| 19 | Michigan | $93,582 |
| 20 | Arkansas | $84,525 |
| 21 | Missouri | $88,035 |
| 22 | Texas | $89,952 |
| 23 | Arizona | $89,761 |
| 24 | Mississippi | $86,470 |
| 25 | Alabama | $87,897 |
| 26 | Delaware | $95,909 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $86,892 |
| 28 | New Jersey | $99,411 |
| 29 | Colorado | $90,845 |
| 30 | South Dakota | $83,132 |
| 31 | Connecticut | $94,383 |
| 32 | Alaska | $90,382 |
| 33 | Oklahoma | $83,978 |
| 34 | Ohio | $88,392 |
| 35 | Kentucky | $82,531 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $90,717 |
| 37 | Virginia | $87,600 |
| 38 | Florida | $88,281 |
| 39 | Illinois | $89,639 |
| 40 | Kansas | $80,910 |
| 41 | Vermont | $85,632 |
| 42 | District of Columbia | $82,641 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $82,854 |
| 44 | Minnesota | $85,029 |
| 45 | Tennessee | $76,027 |
| 46 | Iowa | $83,476 |
| 47 | North Carolina | $81,618 |
| 48 | North Dakota | $78,138 |
| 49 | Montana | $81,268 |
| 50 | Maine | $79,512 |
| 51 | Indiana | $78,423 |
Expert opinions on the best states for software administrators
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for software administrators to find work opportunities?
Kathleen Riley
Professor, American University
My computer science students from the class of 2020 had a variety of experiences when they entered the job market after graduation. Those who had already signed on at companies like Amazon or Google, whose business stayed strong during the pandemic and whose workplace models adjusted easily to remote work, had a relatively easy time starting their industry jobs. Others, especially those who had planned to work for companies whose business depended on clients or industries which suffered under the pandemic, saw delays, changes in their work plans, and even cancellations of contracts; several found themselves job hunting again over the summer, interviewing remotely and having to assess companies without setting foot outside their own home. Fortunately, there are still a lot of jobs out there for Computer Science graduates, and most of the students I know have found other placements or are well into that process.
We all know about the abundance of computer science opportunities in the Silicon Valley, the Dulles Technology corridor, and other tech hubs, but there is also an abundance of computer science opportunities in large and small cities throughout the country. In addition to businesses whose focus or products are technology-related, many other businesses have significant technology and computer science needs that are provided in-house, and those who thrive and survive will continue to hire.
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Updated January 8, 2025