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Best states for a software engineer/technical lead
Quoted expert
Jared Wilson
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for software engineers/technical lead? 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 engineer/technical lead jobs.We wanted to look at the best states for software engineers/technical lead -- where there are plenty of software engineer/technical lead jobs to go around and software engineers/technical lead get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
California is the best state for jobs for software engineers/technical lead, and Indiana is the worst. The most common pay in California is $149,199, while the median pay in Indiana is $94,663.If you are currently seeking employment as a software engineer/technical lead, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for software engineers/technical lead in 2025
1. California
Total software engineer/technical lead jobs: 15,866 Average annual salary: $149,199 Lowest 10 percent earn: $109,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $203,000 Location Quotient: 1.4
2. New Hampshire
Total software engineer/technical lead jobs: 904 Average annual salary: $131,365 Lowest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $173,000 Location Quotient: 1.33
3. Washington
Total software engineer/technical lead jobs: 4,694 Average annual salary: $131,656 Lowest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $183,000 Location Quotient: 1.65
4. Utah
Total software engineer/technical lead jobs: 1,900 Average annual salary: $126,392 Lowest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $172,000 Location Quotient: 1.53
5. Oregon
Total software engineer/technical lead jobs: 1,829 Average annual salary: $134,479 Lowest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $187,000 Location Quotient: 1.14
6. Nevada
Total software engineer/technical lead jobs: 922 Average annual salary: $130,987 Lowest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $179,000 Location Quotient: 1.13
7. Delaware
Total software engineer/technical lead jobs: 657 Average annual salary: $122,771 Lowest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $163,000 Location Quotient: 1.35
8. Virginia
Total software engineer/technical lead jobs: 4,342 Average annual salary: $124,618 Lowest 10 percent earn: $93,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $165,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
9. District of Columbia
Total software engineer/technical lead jobs: 790 Average annual salary: $133,681 Lowest 10 percent earn: $100,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $177,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
10. Idaho
Total software engineer/technical lead jobs: 800 Average annual salary: $118,291 Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $163,000 Location Quotient: 1.25
Software engineer/technical lead jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a software engineer/technical lead
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a software engineer/technical lead
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $149,199 | $109,000 | 39,536,653 | 15,866 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $131,365 | $99,000 | 1,342,795 | 904 |
| 3 | Washington | $131,656 | $94,000 | 7,405,743 | 4,694 |
| 4 | Utah | $126,392 | $92,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,900 |
| 5 | Oregon | $134,479 | $96,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,829 |
| 6 | Nevada | $130,987 | $95,000 | 2,998,039 | 922 |
| 7 | Delaware | $122,771 | $92,000 | 961,939 | 657 |
| 8 | Virginia | $124,618 | $93,000 | 8,470,020 | 4,342 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $133,681 | $100,000 | 693,972 | 790 |
| 10 | Idaho | $118,291 | $85,000 | 1,716,943 | 800 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $123,843 | $93,000 | 12,805,537 | 3,602 |
| 12 | Vermont | $114,663 | $87,000 | 623,657 | 504 |
| 13 | North Carolina | $120,938 | $91,000 | 10,273,419 | 3,352 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $114,042 | $86,000 | 1,059,639 | 646 |
| 15 | Texas | $114,725 | $85,000 | 28,304,596 | 8,108 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | $121,626 | $91,000 | 6,859,819 | 3,405 |
| 17 | Kentucky | $115,384 | $87,000 | 4,454,189 | 1,222 |
| 18 | Hawaii | $122,604 | $97,000 | 1,427,538 | 359 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $115,926 | $87,000 | 9,005,644 | 3,168 |
| 20 | Arkansas | $108,594 | $82,000 | 3,004,279 | 1,113 |
| 21 | Alaska | $111,220 | $87,000 | 739,795 | 398 |
| 22 | Mississippi | $115,720 | $87,000 | 2,984,100 | 373 |
| 23 | Arizona | $115,510 | $85,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,811 |
| 24 | Maryland | $115,410 | $86,000 | 6,052,177 | 3,081 |
| 25 | West Virginia | $113,122 | $85,000 | 1,815,857 | 401 |
| 26 | Oklahoma | $113,962 | $86,000 | 3,930,864 | 826 |
| 27 | Michigan | $106,725 | $80,000 | 9,962,311 | 3,057 |
| 28 | New York | $113,353 | $85,000 | 19,849,399 | 5,141 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $102,864 | $77,000 | 579,315 | 365 |
| 30 | Iowa | $112,673 | $85,000 | 3,145,711 | 876 |
| 31 | New Mexico | $108,443 | $80,000 | 2,088,070 | 741 |
| 32 | Florida | $112,785 | $84,000 | 20,984,400 | 4,378 |
| 33 | Colorado | $105,825 | $79,000 | 5,607,154 | 3,039 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $106,446 | $80,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,723 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $108,633 | $82,000 | 5,024,369 | 874 |
| 36 | Montana | $102,212 | $75,000 | 1,050,493 | 604 |
| 37 | Illinois | $106,769 | $80,000 | 12,802,023 | 4,224 |
| 38 | Maine | $107,498 | $82,000 | 1,335,907 | 397 |
| 39 | Kansas | $100,688 | $76,000 | 2,913,123 | 1,163 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $105,330 | $79,000 | 4,684,333 | 913 |
| 41 | Connecticut | $104,753 | $78,000 | 3,588,184 | 1,333 |
| 42 | North Dakota | $101,008 | $77,000 | 755,393 | 317 |
| 43 | Ohio | $102,600 | $77,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,828 |
| 44 | Missouri | $99,718 | $75,000 | 6,113,532 | 2,014 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $97,242 | $73,000 | 1,920,076 | 844 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $94,338 | $71,000 | 869,666 | 395 |
| 47 | Georgia | $100,142 | $76,000 | 10,429,379 | 3,243 |
| 48 | Minnesota | $98,590 | $75,000 | 5,576,606 | 2,275 |
| 49 | Alabama | $97,256 | $74,000 | 4,874,747 | 1,290 |
| 50 | Tennessee | $92,953 | $70,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,959 |
| 51 | Indiana | $94,663 | $71,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,945 |
Highest paying states for software engineers/technical lead
| Rank | State | Avg. Software Engineer/Technical Lead Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $149,199 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $131,365 |
| 3 | Washington | $131,656 |
| 4 | Utah | $126,392 |
| 5 | Oregon | $134,479 |
| 6 | Nevada | $130,987 |
| 7 | Delaware | $122,771 |
| 8 | Virginia | $124,618 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $133,681 |
| 10 | Idaho | $118,291 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $123,843 |
| 12 | Vermont | $114,663 |
| 13 | North Carolina | $120,938 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $114,042 |
| 15 | Texas | $114,725 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | $121,626 |
| 17 | Kentucky | $115,384 |
| 18 | Hawaii | $122,604 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $115,926 |
| 20 | Arkansas | $108,594 |
| 21 | Alaska | $111,220 |
| 22 | Mississippi | $115,720 |
| 23 | Arizona | $115,510 |
| 24 | Maryland | $115,410 |
| 25 | West Virginia | $113,122 |
| 26 | Oklahoma | $113,962 |
| 27 | Michigan | $106,725 |
| 28 | New York | $113,353 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $102,864 |
| 30 | Iowa | $112,673 |
| 31 | New Mexico | $108,443 |
| 32 | Florida | $112,785 |
| 33 | Colorado | $105,825 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $106,446 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $108,633 |
| 36 | Montana | $102,212 |
| 37 | Illinois | $106,769 |
| 38 | Maine | $107,498 |
| 39 | Kansas | $100,688 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $105,330 |
| 41 | Connecticut | $104,753 |
| 42 | North Dakota | $101,008 |
| 43 | Ohio | $102,600 |
| 44 | Missouri | $99,718 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $97,242 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $94,338 |
| 47 | Georgia | $100,142 |
| 48 | Minnesota | $98,590 |
| 49 | Alabama | $97,256 |
| 50 | Tennessee | $92,953 |
| 51 | Indiana | $94,663 |
Expert opinions on the best states for software engineers/technical lead
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for software engineer/technical leads to find work opportunities?
Jared Wilson
Assistant Professor and Faculty Coordinator, East Tennessee State University
Within the field of land surveying and related employment opportunities, work is available. However, in my experience, work may not be in the exact location a person wishes to live. So, a move may be necessary, or potentially traveling to where the work is located. Should a graduate, or person for that matter, want to work, work is available.
Software engineer/technical lead best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025