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Best states for a software systems engineer lead
Quoted expert
Dr. Ted Junseok Song
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to software systems engineer lead jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for software systems engineer lead jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for software systems engineers lead. Washington is the best state for software systems engineers lead, where the median salary is $146,555.Washington is the best state, and Windsor is the city with the highest pay for software systems engineers lead.
10 best states for software systems engineers lead in 2026
1. Washington
Total software systems engineer lead jobs: 4,972 Average annual salary: $146,555 Lowest 10 percent earn: $104,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $205,000 Location Quotient: 1.98
2. California
Total software systems engineer lead jobs: 15,480 Average annual salary: $152,386 Lowest 10 percent earn: $110,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $209,000 Location Quotient: 1.54
3. Alaska
Total software systems engineer lead jobs: 325 Average annual salary: $134,977 Lowest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $179,000 Location Quotient: 1.13
4. Nevada
Total software systems engineer lead jobs: 805 Average annual salary: $125,069 Lowest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $174,000 Location Quotient: 1.12
5. North Carolina
Total software systems engineer lead jobs: 2,443 Average annual salary: $133,038 Lowest 10 percent earn: $100,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $176,000 Location Quotient: 0.74
6. Vermont
Total software systems engineer lead jobs: 298 Average annual salary: $124,129 Lowest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $163,000 Location Quotient: 1.13
7. Texas
Total software systems engineer lead jobs: 6,447 Average annual salary: $124,748 Lowest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $168,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
8. New York
Total software systems engineer lead jobs: 3,857 Average annual salary: $134,273 Lowest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $177,000 Location Quotient: 0.88
9. Ohio
Total software systems engineer lead jobs: 3,425 Average annual salary: $119,492 Lowest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $160,000 Location Quotient: 0.98
10. New Mexico
Total software systems engineer lead jobs: 722 Average annual salary: $117,127 Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $160,000 Location Quotient: 1.07
Software systems engineer lead jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a software systems engineer lead
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a software systems engineer lead
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $146,555 | $104,000 | 7,405,743 | 4,972 |
| 2 | California | $152,386 | $110,000 | 39,536,653 | 15,480 |
| 3 | Alaska | $134,977 | $101,000 | 739,795 | 325 |
| 4 | Nevada | $125,069 | $89,000 | 2,998,039 | 805 |
| 5 | North Carolina | $133,038 | $100,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,443 |
| 6 | Vermont | $124,129 | $94,000 | 623,657 | 298 |
| 7 | Texas | $124,748 | $92,000 | 28,304,596 | 6,447 |
| 8 | New York | $134,273 | $101,000 | 19,849,399 | 3,857 |
| 9 | Ohio | $119,492 | $88,000 | 11,658,609 | 3,425 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $117,127 | $85,000 | 2,088,070 | 722 |
| 11 | Hawaii | $134,643 | $103,000 | 1,427,538 | 281 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $119,646 | $90,000 | 12,805,537 | 3,814 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $121,299 | $92,000 | 6,859,819 | 3,834 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $125,086 | $93,000 | 693,972 | 915 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $127,956 | $96,000 | 9,005,644 | 2,051 |
| 16 | Virginia | $119,480 | $89,000 | 8,470,020 | 4,432 |
| 17 | Idaho | $116,163 | $81,000 | 1,716,943 | 575 |
| 18 | Florida | $125,473 | $95,000 | 20,984,400 | 3,815 |
| 19 | Illinois | $123,925 | $91,000 | 12,802,023 | 3,023 |
| 20 | Utah | $109,557 | $77,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,728 |
| 21 | Alabama | $118,018 | $88,000 | 4,874,747 | 1,108 |
| 22 | Maine | $121,189 | $92,000 | 1,335,907 | 283 |
| 23 | Oregon | $113,566 | $80,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,780 |
| 24 | Arizona | $111,657 | $81,000 | 7,016,270 | 2,026 |
| 25 | New Hampshire | $109,358 | $83,000 | 1,342,795 | 720 |
| 26 | Delaware | $109,922 | $82,000 | 961,939 | 551 |
| 27 | Maryland | $112,267 | $84,000 | 6,052,177 | 2,868 |
| 28 | Wyoming | $103,044 | $74,000 | 579,315 | 301 |
| 29 | Arkansas | $106,756 | $79,000 | 3,004,279 | 811 |
| 30 | South Carolina | $115,014 | $86,000 | 5,024,369 | 764 |
| 31 | Michigan | $106,199 | $78,000 | 9,962,311 | 2,586 |
| 32 | Iowa | $111,361 | $82,000 | 3,145,711 | 688 |
| 33 | Colorado | $107,040 | $77,000 | 5,607,154 | 2,678 |
| 34 | Rhode Island | $102,334 | $77,000 | 1,059,639 | 584 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $108,721 | $80,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,337 |
| 36 | Tennessee | $103,977 | $77,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,649 |
| 37 | South Dakota | $99,997 | $74,000 | 869,666 | 370 |
| 38 | West Virginia | $104,126 | $77,000 | 1,815,857 | 345 |
| 39 | Montana | $102,073 | $73,000 | 1,050,493 | 414 |
| 40 | Georgia | $105,570 | $79,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,536 |
| 41 | North Dakota | $100,569 | $75,000 | 755,393 | 238 |
| 42 | Connecticut | $102,155 | $77,000 | 3,588,184 | 1,006 |
| 43 | Minnesota | $102,611 | $76,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,686 |
| 44 | Kansas | $95,998 | $70,000 | 2,913,123 | 975 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $96,140 | $71,000 | 4,454,189 | 992 |
| 46 | Indiana | $97,828 | $72,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,462 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $98,010 | $73,000 | 2,984,100 | 338 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $99,214 | $74,000 | 4,684,333 | 503 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $96,232 | $71,000 | 3,930,864 | 770 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $92,317 | $68,000 | 1,920,076 | 658 |
| 51 | Missouri | $91,551 | $67,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,789 |
Highest paying states for software systems engineers lead
| Rank | State | Avg. Software Systems Engineer Lead Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $146,555 |
| 2 | California | $152,386 |
| 3 | Alaska | $134,977 |
| 4 | Nevada | $125,069 |
| 5 | North Carolina | $133,038 |
| 6 | Vermont | $124,129 |
| 7 | Texas | $124,748 |
| 8 | New York | $134,273 |
| 9 | Ohio | $119,492 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $117,127 |
| 11 | Hawaii | $134,643 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $119,646 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $121,299 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $125,086 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $127,956 |
| 16 | Virginia | $119,480 |
| 17 | Idaho | $116,163 |
| 18 | Florida | $125,473 |
| 19 | Illinois | $123,925 |
| 20 | Utah | $109,557 |
| 21 | Alabama | $118,018 |
| 22 | Maine | $121,189 |
| 23 | Oregon | $113,566 |
| 24 | Arizona | $111,657 |
| 25 | New Hampshire | $109,358 |
| 26 | Delaware | $109,922 |
| 27 | Maryland | $112,267 |
| 28 | Wyoming | $103,044 |
| 29 | Arkansas | $106,756 |
| 30 | South Carolina | $115,014 |
| 31 | Michigan | $106,199 |
| 32 | Iowa | $111,361 |
| 33 | Colorado | $107,040 |
| 34 | Rhode Island | $102,334 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $108,721 |
| 36 | Tennessee | $103,977 |
| 37 | South Dakota | $99,997 |
| 38 | West Virginia | $104,126 |
| 39 | Montana | $102,073 |
| 40 | Georgia | $105,570 |
| 41 | North Dakota | $100,569 |
| 42 | Connecticut | $102,155 |
| 43 | Minnesota | $102,611 |
| 44 | Kansas | $95,998 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $96,140 |
| 46 | Indiana | $97,828 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $98,010 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $99,214 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $96,232 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $92,317 |
| 51 | Missouri | $91,551 |
Expert opinions on the best states for software systems engineers lead
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for software systems 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 systems engineer lead best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025