Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Best states for a software engineer
Quoted expert
Dr. Giovanni Vincenti
- 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 engineers in the United States. Software engineer 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 engineers.As software engineers are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for software engineers. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a software engineer, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
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 engineers.If you are currently seeking employment as a software engineer, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for software engineers in 2025
1. Washington
Total software engineer jobs: 6,948 Average annual salary: $112,080 Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000 Location Quotient: 2.422. California
Total software engineer jobs: 19,681 Average annual salary: $115,477 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $160,000 Location Quotient: 1.713. Oregon
Total software engineer jobs: 2,587 Average annual salary: $91,473 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000 Location Quotient: 1.594. New York
Total software engineer jobs: 5,058 Average annual salary: $92,846 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000 Location Quotient: 15. Nevada
Total software engineer jobs: 638 Average annual salary: $92,651 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 0.776. Arizona
Total software engineer jobs: 2,041 Average annual salary: $83,602 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $113,000 Location Quotient: 0.897. Delaware
Total software engineer jobs: 650 Average annual salary: $82,336 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $108,000 Location Quotient: 1.328. Massachusetts
Total software engineer jobs: 4,544 Average annual salary: $83,582 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $108,000 Location Quotient: 1.269. Vermont
Total software engineer jobs: 418 Average annual salary: $80,333 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $103,000 Location Quotient: 1.3810. Virginia
Total software engineer jobs: 5,588 Average annual salary: $82,022 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $107,000 Location Quotient: 1.5
Software engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a software engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a software engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $112,080 | $81,000 | 7,405,743 | 6,948 |
| 2 | California | $115,477 | $83,000 | 39,536,653 | 19,681 |
| 3 | Oregon | $91,473 | $66,000 | 4,142,776 | 2,587 |
| 4 | New York | $92,846 | $70,000 | 19,849,399 | 5,058 |
| 5 | Nevada | $92,651 | $66,000 | 2,998,039 | 638 |
| 6 | Arizona | $83,602 | $61,000 | 7,016,270 | 2,041 |
| 7 | Delaware | $82,336 | $62,000 | 961,939 | 650 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $83,582 | $64,000 | 6,859,819 | 4,544 |
| 9 | Vermont | $80,333 | $62,000 | 623,657 | 418 |
| 10 | Virginia | $82,022 | $62,000 | 8,470,020 | 5,588 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $80,444 | $61,000 | 12,805,537 | 3,599 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $78,726 | $60,000 | 1,059,639 | 704 |
| 13 | Idaho | $78,961 | $57,000 | 1,716,943 | 631 |
| 14 | Texas | $79,419 | $59,000 | 28,304,596 | 7,575 |
| 15 | New Hampshire | $79,926 | $61,000 | 1,342,795 | 672 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $84,121 | $63,000 | 693,972 | 1,104 |
| 17 | Maryland | $82,645 | $62,000 | 6,052,177 | 3,611 |
| 18 | Utah | $77,120 | $56,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,777 |
| 19 | North Carolina | $78,301 | $59,000 | 10,273,419 | 3,326 |
| 20 | North Dakota | $77,541 | $59,000 | 755,393 | 291 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $82,074 | $62,000 | 9,005,644 | 3,160 |
| 22 | Montana | $77,348 | $57,000 | 1,050,493 | 479 |
| 23 | Connecticut | $80,498 | $61,000 | 3,588,184 | 1,114 |
| 24 | Minnesota | $76,300 | $58,000 | 5,576,606 | 2,314 |
| 25 | Ohio | $74,727 | $57,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,509 |
| 26 | Maine | $75,766 | $59,000 | 1,335,907 | 385 |
| 27 | Michigan | $74,406 | $57,000 | 9,962,311 | 2,254 |
| 28 | Arkansas | $73,164 | $55,000 | 3,004,279 | 750 |
| 29 | Illinois | $75,772 | $58,000 | 12,802,023 | 3,966 |
| 30 | Louisiana | $76,258 | $57,000 | 4,684,333 | 626 |
| 31 | Indiana | $72,602 | $55,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,955 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $72,788 | $55,000 | 1,815,857 | 305 |
| 33 | Colorado | $72,814 | $54,000 | 5,607,154 | 2,663 |
| 34 | Georgia | $74,244 | $56,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,999 |
| 35 | Iowa | $72,892 | $55,000 | 3,145,711 | 897 |
| 36 | Alaska | $75,692 | $59,000 | 739,795 | 219 |
| 37 | New Mexico | $72,743 | $54,000 | 2,088,070 | 558 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $72,793 | $56,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,313 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $71,346 | $54,000 | 1,920,076 | 683 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $71,046 | $54,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,074 |
| 41 | Wyoming | $68,674 | $51,000 | 579,315 | 237 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $71,499 | $54,000 | 4,454,189 | 773 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $72,455 | $55,000 | 5,024,369 | 725 |
| 44 | South Dakota | $69,944 | $53,000 | 869,666 | 286 |
| 45 | Alabama | $69,250 | $52,000 | 4,874,747 | 1,235 |
| 46 | Florida | $70,541 | $52,000 | 20,984,400 | 4,247 |
| 47 | Kansas | $69,300 | $52,000 | 2,913,123 | 847 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $70,644 | $53,000 | 2,984,100 | 336 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $66,259 | $52,000 | 1,427,538 | 230 |
| 50 | Missouri | $68,403 | $52,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,422 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $68,061 | $51,000 | 3,930,864 | 491 |
Highest paying states for software engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Software Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $112,080 |
| 2 | California | $115,477 |
| 3 | Oregon | $91,473 |
| 4 | New York | $92,846 |
| 5 | Nevada | $92,651 |
| 6 | Arizona | $83,602 |
| 7 | Delaware | $82,336 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $83,582 |
| 9 | Vermont | $80,333 |
| 10 | Virginia | $82,022 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $80,444 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $78,726 |
| 13 | Idaho | $78,961 |
| 14 | Texas | $79,419 |
| 15 | New Hampshire | $79,926 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $84,121 |
| 17 | Maryland | $82,645 |
| 18 | Utah | $77,120 |
| 19 | North Carolina | $78,301 |
| 20 | North Dakota | $77,541 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $82,074 |
| 22 | Montana | $77,348 |
| 23 | Connecticut | $80,498 |
| 24 | Minnesota | $76,300 |
| 25 | Ohio | $74,727 |
| 26 | Maine | $75,766 |
| 27 | Michigan | $74,406 |
| 28 | Arkansas | $73,164 |
| 29 | Illinois | $75,772 |
| 30 | Louisiana | $76,258 |
| 31 | Indiana | $72,602 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $72,788 |
| 33 | Colorado | $72,814 |
| 34 | Georgia | $74,244 |
| 35 | Iowa | $72,892 |
| 36 | Alaska | $75,692 |
| 37 | New Mexico | $72,743 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $72,793 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $71,346 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $71,046 |
| 41 | Wyoming | $68,674 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $71,499 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $72,455 |
| 44 | South Dakota | $69,944 |
| 45 | Alabama | $69,250 |
| 46 | Florida | $70,541 |
| 47 | Kansas | $69,300 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $70,644 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $66,259 |
| 50 | Missouri | $68,403 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $68,061 |
Expert opinions on the best states for software engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for software engineers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Giovanni Vincenti
Associate Professor, University of Baltimore
Cities that are typically associated with technology will probably remain hubs of innovation, especially if they have local administrations that are favorable towards entrepreneurship. However, the recent need for companies to leverage the ability to work remotely has opened up the possibilities of workers who may not otherwise be willing to relocate. This trend is probably here to stay for a while, so the ability of graduates to work with virtual collaborators will bring tech jobs to parts of the country that are not typically known for innovation. Even though there probably will not be clusters that will identify new equivalents of Silicon Valley out of nowhere, the fact that the reach of potential employees has extended beyond their geographical immediacy will create major opportunities for any location.
Software engineer best states FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common computer and mathematical questions.
Search for software engineer jobs
Updated January 8, 2025