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Best states for a software development project manager
Quoted expert
Lisa Noble
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for software development project managers in the United States. Software development project manager positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for software development project managers.Our research shows that Washington is the best state in the country for software development project managers.
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 software development project managers.We found that the Midwest is best for software development project managers, and the Northeast is the worst. Newark, NJ is the best city in the country for software development project manager jobs, where as Washington is the best state in the country.
10 best states for software development project managers in 2026
1. Washington
Total software development project manager jobs: 4,876 Average annual salary: $114,645 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $165,000 Location Quotient: 1.92
2. Oregon
Total software development project manager jobs: 1,603 Average annual salary: $113,908 Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $164,000 Location Quotient: 1.11
3. Vermont
Total software development project manager jobs: 314 Average annual salary: $108,237 Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $151,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
4. New Hampshire
Total software development project manager jobs: 503 Average annual salary: $124,761 Lowest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $173,000 Location Quotient: 0.83
5. Delaware
Total software development project manager jobs: 424 Average annual salary: $113,078 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $158,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
6. Rhode Island
Total software development project manager jobs: 440 Average annual salary: $107,502 Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000 Location Quotient: 1.04
7. Massachusetts
Total software development project manager jobs: 3,561 Average annual salary: $107,974 Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000 Location Quotient: 1.11
8. California
Total software development project manager jobs: 12,881 Average annual salary: $110,772 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $164,000 Location Quotient: 1.27
9. District of Columbia
Total software development project manager jobs: 823 Average annual salary: $110,782 Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $155,000 Location Quotient: 1.41
10. New Jersey
Total software development project manager jobs: 2,161 Average annual salary: $122,087 Lowest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $171,000 Location Quotient: 0.78
Software development project manager jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a software development project manager
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a software development project manager
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $114,645 | $79,000 | 7,405,743 | 4,876 |
| 2 | Oregon | $113,908 | $78,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,603 |
| 3 | Vermont | $108,237 | $77,000 | 623,657 | 314 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $124,761 | $89,000 | 1,342,795 | 503 |
| 5 | Delaware | $113,078 | $80,000 | 961,939 | 424 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $107,502 | $77,000 | 1,059,639 | 440 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $107,974 | $77,000 | 6,859,819 | 3,561 |
| 8 | California | $110,772 | $74,000 | 39,536,653 | 12,881 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $110,782 | $78,000 | 693,972 | 823 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $122,087 | $87,000 | 9,005,644 | 2,161 |
| 11 | Michigan | $102,270 | $72,000 | 9,962,311 | 2,794 |
| 12 | North Carolina | $111,002 | $77,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,493 |
| 13 | Utah | $100,704 | $68,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,209 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $104,788 | $74,000 | 12,805,537 | 3,282 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $102,253 | $72,000 | 1,815,857 | 433 |
| 16 | Connecticut | $109,508 | $78,000 | 3,588,184 | 839 |
| 17 | Arizona | $99,024 | $66,000 | 7,016,270 | 2,190 |
| 18 | Virginia | $100,479 | $71,000 | 8,470,020 | 3,645 |
| 19 | Nevada | $97,903 | $66,000 | 2,998,039 | 752 |
| 20 | Ohio | $99,978 | $70,000 | 11,658,609 | 3,030 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | $94,715 | $67,000 | 5,795,483 | 2,134 |
| 22 | Kentucky | $99,091 | $69,000 | 4,454,189 | 1,171 |
| 23 | Texas | $90,854 | $59,000 | 28,304,596 | 8,681 |
| 24 | Idaho | $98,581 | $67,000 | 1,716,943 | 540 |
| 25 | New York | $105,325 | $75,000 | 19,849,399 | 3,537 |
| 26 | Maine | $102,020 | $73,000 | 1,335,907 | 318 |
| 27 | Iowa | $95,979 | $68,000 | 3,145,711 | 1,046 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $87,468 | $63,000 | 755,393 | 362 |
| 29 | Maryland | $97,080 | $69,000 | 6,052,177 | 2,342 |
| 30 | New Mexico | $88,308 | $59,000 | 2,088,070 | 793 |
| 31 | Montana | $86,470 | $60,000 | 1,050,493 | 481 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $85,971 | $59,000 | 3,004,279 | 924 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $91,152 | $65,000 | 5,576,606 | 2,300 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $86,198 | $60,000 | 579,315 | 202 |
| 35 | Illinois | $93,701 | $66,000 | 12,802,023 | 3,120 |
| 36 | Indiana | $83,545 | $59,000 | 6,666,818 | 2,276 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $88,172 | $58,000 | 2,984,100 | 509 |
| 38 | Kansas | $81,988 | $57,000 | 2,913,123 | 1,075 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $88,172 | $60,000 | 5,024,369 | 1,074 |
| 40 | Alaska | $87,215 | $64,000 | 739,795 | 275 |
| 41 | Colorado | $85,824 | $59,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,836 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $80,750 | $57,000 | 1,920,076 | 767 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $78,167 | $61,000 | 1,427,538 | 290 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $81,075 | $56,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,797 |
| 45 | Missouri | $75,590 | $53,000 | 6,113,532 | 2,198 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $79,209 | $56,000 | 869,666 | 360 |
| 47 | Georgia | $82,467 | $55,000 | 10,429,379 | 3,365 |
| 48 | Florida | $77,511 | $50,000 | 20,984,400 | 4,513 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $79,418 | $51,000 | 4,684,333 | 828 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $80,586 | $55,000 | 3,930,864 | 719 |
| 51 | Alabama | $74,822 | $50,000 | 4,874,747 | 1,276 |
Highest paying states for software development project managers
| Rank | State | Avg. Software Development Project Manager Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $114,645 |
| 2 | Oregon | $113,908 |
| 3 | Vermont | $108,237 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $124,761 |
| 5 | Delaware | $113,078 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $107,502 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $107,974 |
| 8 | California | $110,772 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $110,782 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $122,087 |
| 11 | Michigan | $102,270 |
| 12 | North Carolina | $111,002 |
| 13 | Utah | $100,704 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $104,788 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $102,253 |
| 16 | Connecticut | $109,508 |
| 17 | Arizona | $99,024 |
| 18 | Virginia | $100,479 |
| 19 | Nevada | $97,903 |
| 20 | Ohio | $99,978 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | $94,715 |
| 22 | Kentucky | $99,091 |
| 23 | Texas | $90,854 |
| 24 | Idaho | $98,581 |
| 25 | New York | $105,325 |
| 26 | Maine | $102,020 |
| 27 | Iowa | $95,979 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $87,468 |
| 29 | Maryland | $97,080 |
| 30 | New Mexico | $88,308 |
| 31 | Montana | $86,470 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $85,971 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $91,152 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $86,198 |
| 35 | Illinois | $93,701 |
| 36 | Indiana | $83,545 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $88,172 |
| 38 | Kansas | $81,988 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $88,172 |
| 40 | Alaska | $87,215 |
| 41 | Colorado | $85,824 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $80,750 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $78,167 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $81,075 |
| 45 | Missouri | $75,590 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $79,209 |
| 47 | Georgia | $82,467 |
| 48 | Florida | $77,511 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $79,418 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $80,586 |
| 51 | Alabama | $74,822 |
Expert opinions on the best states for software development project managers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for software development project managers to find work opportunities?
Lisa Noble
Director of Employer Engagement and Entrepreneurship and DavisConnects Advisor for Consulting, Colby College
With remote work likely to remain a primary way of doing business, and a fraction of the workforce returning to the office, it's expected that geography won't matter as much for new graduates as it has in the past. We are seeing more young alumni heading to less dense geographies, where there are exciting tech hubs and mountains for outdoor recreation. Jackson Hole, Park City, and Denver are beginning to overtake San Francisco and Seattle as attractive destinations for their relative affordability and quality of life. Increasingly, COVID has made everyone crave wide open spaces, after months of confinement in small apartments in big cities.
If the class of 2020 is any indication, the technology industry will likely continue to be a significant employer of graduates of all majors, followed by business, then education. We see many of our alumni in the humanities in non-coding roles in technology like UX Design, social media marketing, Customer Experience, product management, sales, marketing, employee engagement, and recruiting.
In this economic climate, where traditional media (book publishing, broadcast and print journalism, advertising) have frozen hiring, we are seeing our English majors exploring roles in business and corporate communications, investor relations, brand management, learning and development, and more.
Software development project manager best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025