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Best states for a software project manager
Quoted expert
Dr. Ted Junseok Song
- Rank 1 - 10
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Do you want to become a software project manager at Open Systems Technologies, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for software project managers that you can check out, before you begin your journey. Our research found that Rhode Island is the best state for software project managers, while New Jersey and New York are ranked highest in terms of median salary. Rhode Island has a median salary of $116,960 and New Jersey has the highest median salary among all 50 states for software project managers.
Rhode Island is the best state for jobs for software project managers, and Florida is the worst. The most common pay in Rhode Island is $116,960, while the median pay in Florida is $81,058.We found that Rhode Island is the best state for software project manager jobs, whereas Florida is the worst.
10 best states for software project managers in 2026
1. Rhode Island
Total software project manager jobs: 544 Average annual salary: $116,960 Lowest 10 percent earn: $86,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $158,000 Location Quotient: 1.48
2. Delaware
Total software project manager jobs: 390 Average annual salary: $128,662 Lowest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $174,000 Location Quotient: 1.03
3. New Jersey
Total software project manager jobs: 2,461 Average annual salary: $130,522 Lowest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $177,000 Location Quotient: 1.02
4. Vermont
Total software project manager jobs: 272 Average annual salary: $116,802 Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $159,000 Location Quotient: 1.17
5. New York
Total software project manager jobs: 3,813 Average annual salary: $130,201 Lowest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $176,000 Location Quotient: 0.98
6. California
Total software project manager jobs: 13,292 Average annual salary: $124,343 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $184,000 Location Quotient: 1.5
7. Virginia
Total software project manager jobs: 3,685 Average annual salary: $116,548 Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $158,000 Location Quotient: 1.29
8. Nevada
Total software project manager jobs: 564 Average annual salary: $123,806 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $182,000 Location Quotient: 0.89
9. New Hampshire
Total software project manager jobs: 520 Average annual salary: $116,581 Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $158,000 Location Quotient: 0.98
10. Wisconsin
Total software project manager jobs: 1,683 Average annual salary: $113,455 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000 Location Quotient: 1
Software project manager jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a software project manager
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a software project manager
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $116,960 | $86,000 | 1,059,639 | 544 |
| 2 | Delaware | $128,662 | $94,000 | 961,939 | 390 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $130,522 | $96,000 | 9,005,644 | 2,461 |
| 4 | Vermont | $116,802 | $85,000 | 623,657 | 272 |
| 5 | New York | $130,201 | $95,000 | 19,849,399 | 3,813 |
| 6 | California | $124,343 | $83,000 | 39,536,653 | 13,292 |
| 7 | Virginia | $116,548 | $85,000 | 8,470,020 | 3,685 |
| 8 | Nevada | $123,806 | $83,000 | 2,998,039 | 564 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $116,581 | $85,000 | 1,342,795 | 520 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | $113,455 | $83,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,683 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $114,195 | $83,000 | 6,859,819 | 3,389 |
| 12 | Maine | $124,178 | $91,000 | 1,335,907 | 304 |
| 13 | Michigan | $115,609 | $84,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,890 |
| 14 | Washington | $107,772 | $73,000 | 7,405,743 | 3,673 |
| 15 | Montana | $107,762 | $75,000 | 1,050,493 | 345 |
| 16 | Oregon | $106,311 | $72,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,920 |
| 17 | Idaho | $104,350 | $71,000 | 1,716,943 | 503 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $111,973 | $82,000 | 693,972 | 880 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $110,710 | $81,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,821 |
| 20 | Utah | $98,937 | $68,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,301 |
| 21 | Maryland | $109,147 | $80,000 | 6,052,177 | 2,133 |
| 22 | Ohio | $102,757 | $75,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,670 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $109,506 | $80,000 | 1,815,857 | 295 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $101,621 | $74,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,610 |
| 25 | Arizona | $105,504 | $73,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,448 |
| 26 | Connecticut | $107,851 | $79,000 | 3,588,184 | 817 |
| 27 | South Carolina | $100,645 | $73,000 | 5,024,369 | 953 |
| 28 | Illinois | $100,747 | $74,000 | 12,802,023 | 3,155 |
| 29 | Georgia | $96,894 | $70,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,937 |
| 30 | North Dakota | $93,759 | $70,000 | 755,393 | 256 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $94,221 | $69,000 | 5,576,606 | 2,151 |
| 32 | Indiana | $94,491 | $69,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,639 |
| 33 | New Mexico | $91,368 | $64,000 | 2,088,070 | 657 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $92,641 | $67,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,463 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $89,766 | $65,000 | 3,004,279 | 766 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $91,962 | $65,000 | 579,315 | 159 |
| 37 | Missouri | $92,962 | $68,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,707 |
| 38 | Iowa | $94,373 | $69,000 | 3,145,711 | 756 |
| 39 | Alaska | $99,013 | $71,000 | 739,795 | 166 |
| 40 | Texas | $90,165 | $62,000 | 28,304,596 | 5,473 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $90,521 | $66,000 | 1,920,076 | 579 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $93,570 | $67,000 | 3,930,864 | 587 |
| 43 | Kansas | $83,294 | $60,000 | 2,913,123 | 959 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $87,580 | $64,000 | 4,454,189 | 854 |
| 45 | Alabama | $88,662 | $63,000 | 4,874,747 | 887 |
| 46 | Colorado | $80,133 | $57,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,721 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $85,791 | $59,000 | 4,684,333 | 617 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $83,902 | $61,000 | 869,666 | 204 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $85,743 | $61,000 | 2,984,100 | 342 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $79,668 | $61,000 | 1,427,538 | 187 |
| 51 | Florida | $81,058 | $55,000 | 20,984,400 | 3,115 |
Highest paying states for software project managers
| Rank | State | Avg. Software Project Manager Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $116,960 |
| 2 | Delaware | $128,662 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $130,522 |
| 4 | Vermont | $116,802 |
| 5 | New York | $130,201 |
| 6 | California | $124,343 |
| 7 | Virginia | $116,548 |
| 8 | Nevada | $123,806 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $116,581 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | $113,455 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $114,195 |
| 12 | Maine | $124,178 |
| 13 | Michigan | $115,609 |
| 14 | Washington | $107,772 |
| 15 | Montana | $107,762 |
| 16 | Oregon | $106,311 |
| 17 | Idaho | $104,350 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $111,973 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $110,710 |
| 20 | Utah | $98,937 |
| 21 | Maryland | $109,147 |
| 22 | Ohio | $102,757 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $109,506 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $101,621 |
| 25 | Arizona | $105,504 |
| 26 | Connecticut | $107,851 |
| 27 | South Carolina | $100,645 |
| 28 | Illinois | $100,747 |
| 29 | Georgia | $96,894 |
| 30 | North Dakota | $93,759 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $94,221 |
| 32 | Indiana | $94,491 |
| 33 | New Mexico | $91,368 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $92,641 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $89,766 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $91,962 |
| 37 | Missouri | $92,962 |
| 38 | Iowa | $94,373 |
| 39 | Alaska | $99,013 |
| 40 | Texas | $90,165 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $90,521 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $93,570 |
| 43 | Kansas | $83,294 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $87,580 |
| 45 | Alabama | $88,662 |
| 46 | Colorado | $80,133 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $85,791 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $83,902 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $85,743 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $79,668 |
| 51 | Florida | $81,058 |
Expert opinions on the best states for software project managers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for software project managers 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