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Best states for a software engineering specialist
Quoted expert
Dr. Ted Junseok Song
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Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for software engineering specialists? 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 engineering specialist jobs.Our research found that Washington is the best state for software engineering specialists, while California and Washington are ranked highest in terms of median salary. Washington has a median salary of $120,139 and California has the highest median salary among all 50 states for software engineering specialists.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for software engineering specialists. Washington is the best state for software engineering specialists, where the median salary is $120,139.Washington is the best state, and Pacifica is the city with the highest pay for software engineering specialists.
10 best states for software engineering specialists in 2025
1. Washington
Total software engineering specialist jobs: 4,979 Average annual salary: $120,139 Lowest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $158,000 Location Quotient: 2.07
2. California
Total software engineering specialist jobs: 12,237 Average annual salary: $132,783 Lowest 10 percent earn: $98,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $179,000 Location Quotient: 1.27
3. Delaware
Total software engineering specialist jobs: 554 Average annual salary: $106,081 Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000 Location Quotient: 1.34
4. Nevada
Total software engineering specialist jobs: 551 Average annual salary: $119,862 Lowest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $162,000 Location Quotient: 0.8
5. Idaho
Total software engineering specialist jobs: 585 Average annual salary: $105,255 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000 Location Quotient: 1.08
6. Vermont
Total software engineering specialist jobs: 286 Average annual salary: $105,610 Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 1.13
7. Maryland
Total software engineering specialist jobs: 2,641 Average annual salary: $109,713 Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000 Location Quotient: 1.27
8. Rhode Island
Total software engineering specialist jobs: 620 Average annual salary: $102,054 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 1.55
9. Michigan
Total software engineering specialist jobs: 2,075 Average annual salary: $105,971 Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 0.81
10. New Hampshire
Total software engineering specialist jobs: 593 Average annual salary: $104,121 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 1.03
Software engineering specialist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a software engineering specialist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a software engineering specialist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $120,139 | $91,000 | 7,405,743 | 4,979 |
| 2 | California | $132,783 | $98,000 | 39,536,653 | 12,237 |
| 3 | Delaware | $106,081 | $82,000 | 961,939 | 554 |
| 4 | Nevada | $119,862 | $88,000 | 2,998,039 | 551 |
| 5 | Idaho | $105,255 | $79,000 | 1,716,943 | 585 |
| 6 | Vermont | $105,610 | $85,000 | 623,657 | 286 |
| 7 | Maryland | $109,713 | $85,000 | 6,052,177 | 2,641 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $102,054 | $80,000 | 1,059,639 | 620 |
| 9 | Michigan | $105,971 | $82,000 | 9,962,311 | 2,075 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $104,121 | $83,000 | 1,342,795 | 593 |
| 11 | Virginia | $105,119 | $81,000 | 8,470,020 | 4,321 |
| 12 | Georgia | $106,958 | $82,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,742 |
| 13 | Indiana | $103,858 | $80,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,766 |
| 14 | New York | $107,242 | $84,000 | 19,849,399 | 4,499 |
| 15 | Utah | $99,476 | $74,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,533 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $99,532 | $77,000 | 10,273,419 | 3,103 |
| 17 | Illinois | $103,658 | $80,000 | 12,802,023 | 3,518 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $100,555 | $78,000 | 12,805,537 | 3,319 |
| 19 | Texas | $99,647 | $75,000 | 28,304,596 | 6,658 |
| 20 | Wyoming | $96,610 | $74,000 | 579,315 | 231 |
| 21 | Iowa | $99,755 | $77,000 | 3,145,711 | 977 |
| 22 | Tennessee | $100,480 | $77,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,165 |
| 23 | Arizona | $99,093 | $74,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,814 |
| 24 | District of Columbia | $99,791 | $77,000 | 693,972 | 783 |
| 25 | Oregon | $98,660 | $74,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,724 |
| 26 | Ohio | $99,270 | $77,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,397 |
| 27 | Massachusetts | $99,903 | $79,000 | 6,859,819 | 3,794 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $98,534 | $77,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,417 |
| 29 | North Dakota | $96,009 | $76,000 | 755,393 | 291 |
| 30 | Maine | $96,782 | $78,000 | 1,335,907 | 361 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $95,748 | $75,000 | 5,576,606 | 2,110 |
| 32 | New Jersey | $98,175 | $76,000 | 9,005,644 | 2,804 |
| 33 | Connecticut | $95,496 | $75,000 | 3,588,184 | 1,070 |
| 34 | Nebraska | $91,867 | $71,000 | 1,920,076 | 649 |
| 35 | Alaska | $94,710 | $81,000 | 739,795 | 229 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $90,880 | $68,000 | 2,088,070 | 595 |
| 37 | Montana | $89,689 | $69,000 | 1,050,493 | 426 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $94,608 | $72,000 | 4,684,333 | 638 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $93,383 | $72,000 | 5,024,369 | 913 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $90,551 | $70,000 | 4,454,189 | 821 |
| 41 | Alabama | $88,989 | $68,000 | 4,874,747 | 1,141 |
| 42 | Florida | $92,578 | $70,000 | 20,984,400 | 3,947 |
| 43 | Colorado | $85,039 | $64,000 | 5,607,154 | 2,313 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $85,344 | $65,000 | 3,004,279 | 771 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $88,676 | $73,000 | 1,427,538 | 262 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $89,766 | $68,000 | 3,930,864 | 550 |
| 47 | Kansas | $87,105 | $67,000 | 2,913,123 | 773 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $86,087 | $67,000 | 869,666 | 262 |
| 49 | West Virginia | $85,733 | $66,000 | 1,815,857 | 331 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $87,385 | $66,000 | 2,984,100 | 372 |
| 51 | Missouri | $86,010 | $66,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,433 |
Highest paying states for software engineering specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. Software Engineering Specialist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $120,139 |
| 2 | California | $132,783 |
| 3 | Delaware | $106,081 |
| 4 | Nevada | $119,862 |
| 5 | Idaho | $105,255 |
| 6 | Vermont | $105,610 |
| 7 | Maryland | $109,713 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $102,054 |
| 9 | Michigan | $105,971 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $104,121 |
| 11 | Virginia | $105,119 |
| 12 | Georgia | $106,958 |
| 13 | Indiana | $103,858 |
| 14 | New York | $107,242 |
| 15 | Utah | $99,476 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $99,532 |
| 17 | Illinois | $103,658 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $100,555 |
| 19 | Texas | $99,647 |
| 20 | Wyoming | $96,610 |
| 21 | Iowa | $99,755 |
| 22 | Tennessee | $100,480 |
| 23 | Arizona | $99,093 |
| 24 | District of Columbia | $99,791 |
| 25 | Oregon | $98,660 |
| 26 | Ohio | $99,270 |
| 27 | Massachusetts | $99,903 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $98,534 |
| 29 | North Dakota | $96,009 |
| 30 | Maine | $96,782 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $95,748 |
| 32 | New Jersey | $98,175 |
| 33 | Connecticut | $95,496 |
| 34 | Nebraska | $91,867 |
| 35 | Alaska | $94,710 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $90,880 |
| 37 | Montana | $89,689 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $94,608 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $93,383 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $90,551 |
| 41 | Alabama | $88,989 |
| 42 | Florida | $92,578 |
| 43 | Colorado | $85,039 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $85,344 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $88,676 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $89,766 |
| 47 | Kansas | $87,105 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $86,087 |
| 49 | West Virginia | $85,733 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $87,385 |
| 51 | Missouri | $86,010 |
Expert opinions on the best states for software engineering specialists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for software engineering specialists 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.
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Updated January 8, 2025