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Best states for a software engineer lead
Quoted expert
Dr. Ted Junseok Song
- Rank 1 - 10
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Do you want to become a software engineer lead at EPAM Systems, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for software engineers lead that you can check out, before you begin your journey. We wanted to look at the best states for software engineers lead -- where there are plenty of software engineer lead jobs to go around and software engineers lead get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
We figured that the best places for software engineer lead 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 Midwest is best for software engineers lead, and the West is the worst. Seattle, WA is the best city in the country for software engineer lead jobs, where as Washington is the best state in the country.
10 best states for software engineers lead in 2025
1. Washington
Total software engineer lead jobs: 6,452 Average annual salary: $151,082 Lowest 10 percent earn: $109,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $207,000 Location Quotient: 2.43
2. Oregon
Total software engineer lead jobs: 2,114 Average annual salary: $140,305 Lowest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $194,000 Location Quotient: 1.4
3. California
Total software engineer lead jobs: 19,267 Average annual salary: $144,131 Lowest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $197,000 Location Quotient: 1.81
4. Alaska
Total software engineer lead jobs: 309 Average annual salary: $139,165 Lowest 10 percent earn: $109,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $176,000 Location Quotient: 1.02
5. Montana
Total software engineer lead jobs: 521 Average annual salary: $127,925 Lowest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $170,000 Location Quotient: 1.24
6. New Mexico
Total software engineer lead jobs: 599 Average annual salary: $131,670 Lowest 10 percent earn: $98,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $176,000 Location Quotient: 0.84
7. New Hampshire
Total software engineer lead jobs: 535 Average annual salary: $123,080 Lowest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $160,000 Location Quotient: 0.84
8. Maine
Total software engineer lead jobs: 351 Average annual salary: $129,877 Lowest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $168,000 Location Quotient: 0.73
9. Arizona
Total software engineer lead jobs: 1,945 Average annual salary: $119,342 Lowest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $161,000 Location Quotient: 0.91
10. Massachusetts
Total software engineer lead jobs: 4,446 Average annual salary: $120,980 Lowest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $158,000 Location Quotient: 1.33
Software engineer lead jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a software engineer lead
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a software engineer lead
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $151,082 | $109,000 | 7,405,743 | 6,452 |
| 2 | Oregon | $140,305 | $101,000 | 4,142,776 | 2,114 |
| 3 | California | $144,131 | $105,000 | 39,536,653 | 19,267 |
| 4 | Alaska | $139,165 | $109,000 | 739,795 | 309 |
| 5 | Montana | $127,925 | $95,000 | 1,050,493 | 521 |
| 6 | New Mexico | $131,670 | $98,000 | 2,088,070 | 599 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $123,080 | $94,000 | 1,342,795 | 535 |
| 8 | Maine | $129,877 | $99,000 | 1,335,907 | 351 |
| 9 | Arizona | $119,342 | $88,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,945 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $120,980 | $92,000 | 6,859,819 | 4,446 |
| 11 | Wyoming | $113,056 | $85,000 | 579,315 | 225 |
| 12 | Hawaii | $143,728 | $111,000 | 1,427,538 | 226 |
| 13 | Texas | $116,867 | $88,000 | 28,304,596 | 6,414 |
| 14 | Utah | $112,578 | $83,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,999 |
| 15 | Delaware | $115,289 | $87,000 | 961,939 | 611 |
| 16 | Nevada | $114,342 | $83,000 | 2,998,039 | 713 |
| 17 | Idaho | $113,374 | $82,000 | 1,716,943 | 752 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $113,100 | $86,000 | 1,059,639 | 522 |
| 19 | District of Columbia | $121,291 | $92,000 | 693,972 | 980 |
| 20 | Connecticut | $119,898 | $91,000 | 3,588,184 | 1,036 |
| 21 | New York | $122,100 | $92,000 | 19,849,399 | 4,125 |
| 22 | Vermont | $112,495 | $86,000 | 623,657 | 345 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $109,809 | $83,000 | 12,805,537 | 3,943 |
| 24 | Virginia | $114,125 | $86,000 | 8,470,020 | 4,457 |
| 25 | North Carolina | $111,962 | $85,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,789 |
| 26 | Maryland | $112,894 | $85,000 | 6,052,177 | 3,397 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $111,032 | $84,000 | 3,930,864 | 640 |
| 28 | Michigan | $108,669 | $82,000 | 9,962,311 | 2,075 |
| 29 | Ohio | $108,787 | $82,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,021 |
| 30 | Florida | $111,764 | $84,000 | 20,984,400 | 3,869 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $106,900 | $82,000 | 5,576,606 | 2,169 |
| 32 | Illinois | $107,983 | $82,000 | 12,802,023 | 3,811 |
| 33 | Georgia | $108,022 | $82,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,901 |
| 34 | South Dakota | $103,814 | $79,000 | 869,666 | 303 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $105,763 | $81,000 | 755,393 | 238 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $102,237 | $78,000 | 3,004,279 | 880 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $103,421 | $79,000 | 1,920,076 | 723 |
| 38 | West Virginia | $103,599 | $79,000 | 1,815,857 | 262 |
| 39 | New Jersey | $107,832 | $81,000 | 9,005,644 | 2,423 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $104,251 | $79,000 | 4,454,189 | 670 |
| 41 | Louisiana | $106,320 | $80,000 | 4,684,333 | 521 |
| 42 | Colorado | $101,838 | $76,000 | 5,607,154 | 2,631 |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $103,344 | $79,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,156 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $105,077 | $80,000 | 5,024,369 | 554 |
| 45 | Kansas | $94,495 | $72,000 | 2,913,123 | 1,020 |
| 46 | Indiana | $98,029 | $75,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,754 |
| 47 | Iowa | $99,542 | $76,000 | 3,145,711 | 758 |
| 48 | Missouri | $101,613 | $77,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,300 |
| 49 | Tennessee | $98,508 | $75,000 | 6,715,984 | 857 |
| 50 | Alabama | $97,085 | $74,000 | 4,874,747 | 1,088 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $94,359 | $71,000 | 2,984,100 | 252 |
Highest paying states for software engineers lead
| Rank | State | Avg. Software Engineer Lead Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $151,082 |
| 2 | Oregon | $140,305 |
| 3 | California | $144,131 |
| 4 | Alaska | $139,165 |
| 5 | Montana | $127,925 |
| 6 | New Mexico | $131,670 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $123,080 |
| 8 | Maine | $129,877 |
| 9 | Arizona | $119,342 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $120,980 |
| 11 | Wyoming | $113,056 |
| 12 | Hawaii | $143,728 |
| 13 | Texas | $116,867 |
| 14 | Utah | $112,578 |
| 15 | Delaware | $115,289 |
| 16 | Nevada | $114,342 |
| 17 | Idaho | $113,374 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $113,100 |
| 19 | District of Columbia | $121,291 |
| 20 | Connecticut | $119,898 |
| 21 | New York | $122,100 |
| 22 | Vermont | $112,495 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $109,809 |
| 24 | Virginia | $114,125 |
| 25 | North Carolina | $111,962 |
| 26 | Maryland | $112,894 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $111,032 |
| 28 | Michigan | $108,669 |
| 29 | Ohio | $108,787 |
| 30 | Florida | $111,764 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $106,900 |
| 32 | Illinois | $107,983 |
| 33 | Georgia | $108,022 |
| 34 | South Dakota | $103,814 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $105,763 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $102,237 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $103,421 |
| 38 | West Virginia | $103,599 |
| 39 | New Jersey | $107,832 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $104,251 |
| 41 | Louisiana | $106,320 |
| 42 | Colorado | $101,838 |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $103,344 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $105,077 |
| 45 | Kansas | $94,495 |
| 46 | Indiana | $98,029 |
| 47 | Iowa | $99,542 |
| 48 | Missouri | $101,613 |
| 49 | Tennessee | $98,508 |
| 50 | Alabama | $97,085 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $94,359 |
Expert opinions on the best states for software engineers lead
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for software engineer leads 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 engineer lead best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025