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Best states for a software designer
Quoted expert
Dr. Ted Junseok Song
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
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- 41 - 51
Do you want to become a software designer at HP, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for software designers that you can check out, before you begin your journey. In order to help you decide which state is the best for software designers, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for software designer jobs.
In order to get you the best states for software designers, 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 California is the best state for software designer jobs, whereas South Carolina is the worst.
10 best states for software designers in 2025
1. California
Total software designer jobs: 16,560 Average annual salary: $127,980 Lowest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $177,000 Location Quotient: 1.712. Oregon
Total software designer jobs: 1,962 Average annual salary: $110,551 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $151,000 Location Quotient: 1.433. Idaho
Total software designer jobs: 577 Average annual salary: $108,044 Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000 Location Quotient: 1.064. Utah
Total software designer jobs: 1,413 Average annual salary: $100,443 Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000 Location Quotient: 1.345. Wyoming
Total software designer jobs: 229 Average annual salary: $96,245 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $131,000 Location Quotient: 1.166. Arizona
Total software designer jobs: 1,748 Average annual salary: $101,496 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000 Location Quotient: 0.97. Vermont
Total software designer jobs: 342 Average annual salary: $95,488 Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000 Location Quotient: 1.358. Nevada
Total software designer jobs: 451 Average annual salary: $114,335 Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $158,000 Location Quotient: 0.659. Washington
Total software designer jobs: 5,525 Average annual salary: $95,324 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 2.2910. Montana
Total software designer jobs: 379 Average annual salary: $93,046 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 0.99
Software designer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a software designer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a software designer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $127,980 | $92,000 | 39,536,653 | 16,560 |
| 2 | Oregon | $110,551 | $80,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,962 |
| 3 | Idaho | $108,044 | $78,000 | 1,716,943 | 577 |
| 4 | Utah | $100,443 | $72,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,413 |
| 5 | Wyoming | $96,245 | $70,000 | 579,315 | 229 |
| 6 | Arizona | $101,496 | $73,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,748 |
| 7 | Vermont | $95,488 | $72,000 | 623,657 | 342 |
| 8 | Nevada | $114,335 | $82,000 | 2,998,039 | 451 |
| 9 | Washington | $95,324 | $69,000 | 7,405,743 | 5,525 |
| 10 | Montana | $93,046 | $68,000 | 1,050,493 | 379 |
| 11 | Texas | $92,345 | $68,000 | 28,304,596 | 6,022 |
| 12 | Mississippi | $99,576 | $74,000 | 2,984,100 | 293 |
| 13 | Colorado | $94,366 | $68,000 | 5,607,154 | 2,334 |
| 14 | New Mexico | $96,368 | $70,000 | 2,088,070 | 398 |
| 15 | Minnesota | $91,335 | $69,000 | 5,576,606 | 2,019 |
| 16 | Arkansas | $90,675 | $67,000 | 3,004,279 | 664 |
| 17 | Delaware | $90,378 | $67,000 | 961,939 | 547 |
| 18 | New York | $93,355 | $69,000 | 19,849,399 | 4,245 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $88,821 | $66,000 | 1,059,639 | 492 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $89,821 | $67,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,795 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $90,854 | $68,000 | 1,815,857 | 282 |
| 22 | Georgia | $89,176 | $66,000 | 10,429,379 | 3,019 |
| 23 | Tennessee | $90,402 | $67,000 | 6,715,984 | 943 |
| 24 | Oklahoma | $90,865 | $66,000 | 3,930,864 | 414 |
| 25 | Massachusetts | $88,791 | $66,000 | 6,859,819 | 3,980 |
| 26 | Florida | $90,293 | $66,000 | 20,984,400 | 3,732 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $89,362 | $66,000 | 4,684,333 | 532 |
| 28 | District of Columbia | $88,054 | $65,000 | 693,972 | 916 |
| 29 | Michigan | $85,630 | $65,000 | 9,962,311 | 2,064 |
| 30 | Iowa | $87,677 | $65,000 | 3,145,711 | 862 |
| 31 | Hawaii | $91,942 | $71,000 | 1,427,538 | 215 |
| 32 | New Hampshire | $86,570 | $65,000 | 1,342,795 | 497 |
| 33 | Maine | $84,162 | $63,000 | 1,335,907 | 386 |
| 34 | North Carolina | $83,035 | $62,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,668 |
| 35 | Connecticut | $83,873 | $62,000 | 3,588,184 | 1,041 |
| 36 | South Dakota | $83,038 | $62,000 | 869,666 | 236 |
| 37 | New Jersey | $84,846 | $63,000 | 9,005,644 | 2,300 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $83,551 | $62,000 | 4,454,189 | 737 |
| 39 | Alaska | $85,496 | $69,000 | 739,795 | 206 |
| 40 | Maryland | $80,881 | $60,000 | 6,052,177 | 2,988 |
| 41 | North Dakota | $81,878 | $62,000 | 755,393 | 227 |
| 42 | Virginia | $80,138 | $59,000 | 8,470,020 | 4,286 |
| 43 | Illinois | $81,210 | $61,000 | 12,802,023 | 3,821 |
| 44 | Alabama | $80,654 | $60,000 | 4,874,747 | 1,070 |
| 45 | Kansas | $80,370 | $59,000 | 2,913,123 | 816 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $82,097 | $61,000 | 1,920,076 | 500 |
| 47 | Ohio | $81,317 | $61,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,014 |
| 48 | Missouri | $82,921 | $61,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,202 |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $80,424 | $61,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,262 |
| 50 | Indiana | $78,117 | $58,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,676 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $79,475 | $59,000 | 5,024,369 | 593 |
Highest paying states for software designers
| Rank | State | Avg. Software Designer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $127,980 |
| 2 | Oregon | $110,551 |
| 3 | Idaho | $108,044 |
| 4 | Utah | $100,443 |
| 5 | Wyoming | $96,245 |
| 6 | Arizona | $101,496 |
| 7 | Vermont | $95,488 |
| 8 | Nevada | $114,335 |
| 9 | Washington | $95,324 |
| 10 | Montana | $93,046 |
| 11 | Texas | $92,345 |
| 12 | Mississippi | $99,576 |
| 13 | Colorado | $94,366 |
| 14 | New Mexico | $96,368 |
| 15 | Minnesota | $91,335 |
| 16 | Arkansas | $90,675 |
| 17 | Delaware | $90,378 |
| 18 | New York | $93,355 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $88,821 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $89,821 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $90,854 |
| 22 | Georgia | $89,176 |
| 23 | Tennessee | $90,402 |
| 24 | Oklahoma | $90,865 |
| 25 | Massachusetts | $88,791 |
| 26 | Florida | $90,293 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $89,362 |
| 28 | District of Columbia | $88,054 |
| 29 | Michigan | $85,630 |
| 30 | Iowa | $87,677 |
| 31 | Hawaii | $91,942 |
| 32 | New Hampshire | $86,570 |
| 33 | Maine | $84,162 |
| 34 | North Carolina | $83,035 |
| 35 | Connecticut | $83,873 |
| 36 | South Dakota | $83,038 |
| 37 | New Jersey | $84,846 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $83,551 |
| 39 | Alaska | $85,496 |
| 40 | Maryland | $80,881 |
| 41 | North Dakota | $81,878 |
| 42 | Virginia | $80,138 |
| 43 | Illinois | $81,210 |
| 44 | Alabama | $80,654 |
| 45 | Kansas | $80,370 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $82,097 |
| 47 | Ohio | $81,317 |
| 48 | Missouri | $82,921 |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $80,424 |
| 50 | Indiana | $78,117 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $79,475 |
Expert opinions on the best states for software designers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for software designers 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.
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Updated January 8, 2025