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Best states for a software engineering internship
Quoted expert
Dr. Ted Junseok Song
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for software engineering interns? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for software engineering internship jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.In fact, our research shows that Massachusetts is the best state for software engineering interns in America. The best city in America for software engineering interns with the highest pay is San Francisco, CA.
In order to get you the best states for software engineering interns, 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 the Midwest is best for software engineering interns, and the Northeast is the worst. San Francisco, CA is the best city in the country for software engineering internship jobs, where as Massachusetts is the best state in the country.
10 best states for software engineering interns in 2025
1. Massachusetts
Total software engineering internship jobs: 3,980 Average annual salary: $68,103 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $113,000 Location Quotient: 1.282. Rhode Island
Total software engineering internship jobs: 688 Average annual salary: $61,086 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $102,000 Location Quotient: 1.673. Washington
Total software engineering internship jobs: 5,598 Average annual salary: $61,596 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $102,000 Location Quotient: 2.264. California
Total software engineering internship jobs: 13,308 Average annual salary: $62,884 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $106,000 Location Quotient: 1.345. Delaware
Total software engineering internship jobs: 604 Average annual salary: $59,170 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $104,000 Location Quotient: 1.426. Connecticut
Total software engineering internship jobs: 1,138 Average annual salary: $63,125 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $108,000 Location Quotient: 1.017. Oregon
Total software engineering internship jobs: 1,785 Average annual salary: $59,703 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $98,000 Location Quotient: 1.278. New Hampshire
Total software engineering internship jobs: 631 Average annual salary: $58,713 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Location Quotient: 1.069. Pennsylvania
Total software engineering internship jobs: 3,359 Average annual salary: $61,293 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $107,000 Location Quotient: 0.8510. New York
Total software engineering internship jobs: 4,566 Average annual salary: $58,847 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $102,000 Location Quotient: 1.05
Software engineering internship jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a software engineering internship
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a software engineering internship
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $68,103 | $40,000 | 6,859,819 | 3,980 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $61,086 | $36,000 | 1,059,639 | 688 |
| 3 | Washington | $61,596 | $37,000 | 7,405,743 | 5,598 |
| 4 | California | $62,884 | $37,000 | 39,536,653 | 13,308 |
| 5 | Delaware | $59,170 | $33,000 | 961,939 | 604 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $63,125 | $36,000 | 3,588,184 | 1,138 |
| 7 | Oregon | $59,703 | $36,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,785 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $58,713 | $35,000 | 1,342,795 | 631 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $61,293 | $34,000 | 12,805,537 | 3,359 |
| 10 | New York | $58,847 | $33,000 | 19,849,399 | 4,566 |
| 11 | North Carolina | $55,004 | $33,000 | 10,273,419 | 3,024 |
| 12 | Vermont | $51,791 | $30,000 | 623,657 | 371 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $57,463 | $32,000 | 693,972 | 803 |
| 14 | Arizona | $52,113 | $31,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,887 |
| 15 | Indiana | $54,682 | $32,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,766 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $55,013 | $32,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,451 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $54,886 | $31,000 | 9,005,644 | 2,751 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $51,231 | $31,000 | 5,576,606 | 2,122 |
| 19 | Georgia | $53,115 | $32,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,695 |
| 20 | Montana | $49,461 | $30,000 | 1,050,493 | 463 |
| 21 | Maine | $49,836 | $30,000 | 1,335,907 | 426 |
| 22 | Virginia | $49,710 | $28,000 | 8,470,020 | 4,133 |
| 23 | Maryland | $51,097 | $29,000 | 6,052,177 | 2,697 |
| 24 | Alaska | $49,797 | $33,000 | 739,795 | 264 |
| 25 | Texas | $48,714 | $29,000 | 28,304,596 | 6,629 |
| 26 | Illinois | $51,130 | $30,000 | 12,802,023 | 3,617 |
| 27 | Michigan | $48,308 | $28,000 | 9,962,311 | 2,281 |
| 28 | Nevada | $48,892 | $29,000 | 2,998,039 | 571 |
| 29 | Utah | $43,380 | $26,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,608 |
| 30 | Colorado | $46,115 | $29,000 | 5,607,154 | 2,370 |
| 31 | Ohio | $46,361 | $27,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,439 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $44,964 | $26,000 | 1,815,857 | 355 |
| 33 | Kentucky | $43,793 | $26,000 | 4,454,189 | 816 |
| 34 | Alabama | $42,921 | $26,000 | 4,874,747 | 1,152 |
| 35 | Iowa | $43,266 | $26,000 | 3,145,711 | 929 |
| 36 | Idaho | $41,964 | $25,000 | 1,716,943 | 683 |
| 37 | Kansas | $42,984 | $26,000 | 2,913,123 | 841 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $42,799 | $26,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,156 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $42,266 | $26,000 | 1,920,076 | 654 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $43,524 | $26,000 | 5,024,369 | 893 |
| 41 | Hawaii | $44,254 | $29,000 | 1,427,538 | 261 |
| 42 | Louisiana | $43,581 | $26,000 | 4,684,333 | 632 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $41,641 | $25,000 | 3,004,279 | 807 |
| 44 | North Dakota | $40,443 | $25,000 | 755,393 | 315 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $41,723 | $25,000 | 2,088,070 | 624 |
| 46 | Wyoming | $38,405 | $24,000 | 579,315 | 256 |
| 47 | Florida | $42,896 | $25,000 | 20,984,400 | 3,815 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $39,063 | $24,000 | 869,666 | 323 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $41,841 | $25,000 | 2,984,100 | 410 |
| 50 | Missouri | $39,309 | $24,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,385 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $39,598 | $24,000 | 3,930,864 | 543 |
Highest paying states for software engineering interns
| Rank | State | Avg. Software Engineering Internship Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $68,103 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $61,086 |
| 3 | Washington | $61,596 |
| 4 | California | $62,884 |
| 5 | Delaware | $59,170 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $63,125 |
| 7 | Oregon | $59,703 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $58,713 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $61,293 |
| 10 | New York | $58,847 |
| 11 | North Carolina | $55,004 |
| 12 | Vermont | $51,791 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $57,463 |
| 14 | Arizona | $52,113 |
| 15 | Indiana | $54,682 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $55,013 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $54,886 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $51,231 |
| 19 | Georgia | $53,115 |
| 20 | Montana | $49,461 |
| 21 | Maine | $49,836 |
| 22 | Virginia | $49,710 |
| 23 | Maryland | $51,097 |
| 24 | Alaska | $49,797 |
| 25 | Texas | $48,714 |
| 26 | Illinois | $51,130 |
| 27 | Michigan | $48,308 |
| 28 | Nevada | $48,892 |
| 29 | Utah | $43,380 |
| 30 | Colorado | $46,115 |
| 31 | Ohio | $46,361 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $44,964 |
| 33 | Kentucky | $43,793 |
| 34 | Alabama | $42,921 |
| 35 | Iowa | $43,266 |
| 36 | Idaho | $41,964 |
| 37 | Kansas | $42,984 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $42,799 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $42,266 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $43,524 |
| 41 | Hawaii | $44,254 |
| 42 | Louisiana | $43,581 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $41,641 |
| 44 | North Dakota | $40,443 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $41,723 |
| 46 | Wyoming | $38,405 |
| 47 | Florida | $42,896 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $39,063 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $41,841 |
| 50 | Missouri | $39,309 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $39,598 |
Expert opinions on the best states for software engineering interns
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for software engineering internships 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 engineering internship best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025