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Best states for a software design engineer
Quoted expert
Dr. Ted Junseok Song
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
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- 41 - 51
Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for software design engineers? 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 software design engineer jobs.Although there are abundant software design engineer jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the South. Washington is the best state in the country for software design engineer jobs.
We figured that the best places for software design engineer jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.We found that the South is best for software design engineers, and the Northeast is the worst. San Francisco, CA is the best city in the country for software design engineer jobs, where as Washington is the best state in the country.
10 best states for software design engineers in 2025
1. Washington
Total software design engineer jobs: 5,942 Average annual salary: $106,244 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $142,000 Location Quotient: 2.01
2. California
Total software design engineer jobs: 19,910 Average annual salary: $117,778 Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $161,000 Location Quotient: 1.68
3. Oregon
Total software design engineer jobs: 2,645 Average annual salary: $101,847 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000 Location Quotient: 1.57
4. New Hampshire
Total software design engineer jobs: 681 Average annual salary: $97,586 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
5. Rhode Island
Total software design engineer jobs: 715 Average annual salary: $93,763 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $122,000 Location Quotient: 1.45
6. Nevada
Total software design engineer jobs: 648 Average annual salary: $100,433 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000 Location Quotient: 0.76
7. Connecticut
Total software design engineer jobs: 1,229 Average annual salary: $98,894 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 0.91
8. Montana
Total software design engineer jobs: 511 Average annual salary: $91,739 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000 Location Quotient: 1.09
9. Delaware
Total software design engineer jobs: 653 Average annual salary: $92,993 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $122,000 Location Quotient: 1.28
10. Arizona
Total software design engineer jobs: 2,170 Average annual salary: $92,929 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000 Location Quotient: 0.91
Software design engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a software design engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a software design engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $106,244 | $79,000 | 7,405,743 | 5,942 |
| 2 | California | $117,778 | $85,000 | 39,536,653 | 19,910 |
| 3 | Oregon | $101,847 | $75,000 | 4,142,776 | 2,645 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $97,586 | $75,000 | 1,342,795 | 681 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $93,763 | $71,000 | 1,059,639 | 715 |
| 6 | Nevada | $100,433 | $73,000 | 2,998,039 | 648 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $98,894 | $75,000 | 3,588,184 | 1,229 |
| 8 | Montana | $91,739 | $69,000 | 1,050,493 | 511 |
| 9 | Delaware | $92,993 | $70,000 | 961,939 | 653 |
| 10 | Arizona | $92,929 | $68,000 | 7,016,270 | 2,170 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $92,029 | $69,000 | 12,805,537 | 3,949 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $92,874 | $71,000 | 6,859,819 | 4,338 |
| 13 | Texas | $89,154 | $66,000 | 28,304,596 | 8,100 |
| 14 | New York | $95,530 | $72,000 | 19,849,399 | 5,081 |
| 15 | Minnesota | $90,755 | $70,000 | 5,576,606 | 2,470 |
| 16 | Virginia | $90,635 | $68,000 | 8,470,020 | 5,340 |
| 17 | Idaho | $86,998 | $64,000 | 1,716,943 | 671 |
| 18 | Michigan | $86,150 | $66,000 | 9,962,311 | 2,502 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $90,328 | $68,000 | 9,005,644 | 3,155 |
| 20 | District of Columbia | $89,025 | $67,000 | 693,972 | 1,074 |
| 21 | Maryland | $89,700 | $67,000 | 6,052,177 | 3,412 |
| 22 | Alaska | $90,809 | $74,000 | 739,795 | 260 |
| 23 | Maine | $87,041 | $67,000 | 1,335,907 | 415 |
| 24 | North Dakota | $83,985 | $65,000 | 755,393 | 322 |
| 25 | Vermont | $83,304 | $64,000 | 623,657 | 420 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $84,533 | $64,000 | 1,815,857 | 336 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $85,258 | $65,000 | 4,454,189 | 864 |
| 28 | Colorado | $85,295 | $64,000 | 5,607,154 | 2,597 |
| 29 | Kansas | $82,916 | $63,000 | 2,913,123 | 987 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $84,290 | $65,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,520 |
| 31 | Ohio | $82,982 | $63,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,822 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $81,341 | $61,000 | 10,273,419 | 3,582 |
| 33 | New Mexico | $83,841 | $62,000 | 2,088,070 | 610 |
| 34 | Illinois | $82,288 | $63,000 | 12,802,023 | 4,292 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $81,711 | $62,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,199 |
| 36 | Utah | $78,320 | $57,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,724 |
| 37 | Alabama | $80,244 | $60,000 | 4,874,747 | 1,284 |
| 38 | Wyoming | $75,874 | $57,000 | 579,315 | 244 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $81,484 | $61,000 | 5,024,369 | 888 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $77,167 | $59,000 | 869,666 | 328 |
| 41 | Iowa | $78,852 | $60,000 | 3,145,711 | 995 |
| 42 | Louisiana | $79,763 | $59,000 | 4,684,333 | 666 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $76,457 | $57,000 | 3,004,279 | 809 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $75,264 | $57,000 | 1,920,076 | 767 |
| 45 | Indiana | $76,337 | $58,000 | 6,666,818 | 2,006 |
| 46 | Missouri | $79,843 | $60,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,549 |
| 47 | Florida | $77,349 | $56,000 | 20,984,400 | 4,623 |
| 48 | Georgia | $72,580 | $54,000 | 10,429,379 | 3,355 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $64,226 | $50,000 | 1,427,538 | 254 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $73,627 | $55,000 | 2,984,100 | 377 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $71,086 | $53,000 | 3,930,864 | 566 |
Highest paying states for software design engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Software Design Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $106,244 |
| 2 | California | $117,778 |
| 3 | Oregon | $101,847 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $97,586 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $93,763 |
| 6 | Nevada | $100,433 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $98,894 |
| 8 | Montana | $91,739 |
| 9 | Delaware | $92,993 |
| 10 | Arizona | $92,929 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $92,029 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $92,874 |
| 13 | Texas | $89,154 |
| 14 | New York | $95,530 |
| 15 | Minnesota | $90,755 |
| 16 | Virginia | $90,635 |
| 17 | Idaho | $86,998 |
| 18 | Michigan | $86,150 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $90,328 |
| 20 | District of Columbia | $89,025 |
| 21 | Maryland | $89,700 |
| 22 | Alaska | $90,809 |
| 23 | Maine | $87,041 |
| 24 | North Dakota | $83,985 |
| 25 | Vermont | $83,304 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $84,533 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $85,258 |
| 28 | Colorado | $85,295 |
| 29 | Kansas | $82,916 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $84,290 |
| 31 | Ohio | $82,982 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $81,341 |
| 33 | New Mexico | $83,841 |
| 34 | Illinois | $82,288 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $81,711 |
| 36 | Utah | $78,320 |
| 37 | Alabama | $80,244 |
| 38 | Wyoming | $75,874 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $81,484 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $77,167 |
| 41 | Iowa | $78,852 |
| 42 | Louisiana | $79,763 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $76,457 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $75,264 |
| 45 | Indiana | $76,337 |
| 46 | Missouri | $79,843 |
| 47 | Florida | $77,349 |
| 48 | Georgia | $72,580 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $64,226 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $73,627 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $71,086 |
Expert opinions on the best states for software design engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for software design engineers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Ted Junseok Song
Associate Professor of Engineering, John Brown University
Due to COVID-19, people have more choices on location as more companies allow their employees to work remotely.
Software design engineer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025