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Best states for a software test engineer
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 test engineer 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. In fact, our research shows that Washington is the best state for software test engineers in America. The best city in America for software test engineers with the highest pay is San Mateo, CA.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for software test engineers. Washington is the best state for software test engineers, where the median salary is $95,352.We found that the Midwest is best for software test engineers, and the Northeast is the worst. San Mateo, CA is the best city in the country for software test engineer jobs, where as Washington is the best state in the country.
10 best states for software test engineers in 2025
1. Washington
Total software test engineer jobs: 4,810 Average annual salary: $95,352 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 2.392. California
Total software test engineer jobs: 14,269 Average annual salary: $104,836 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000 Location Quotient: 1.773. Delaware
Total software test engineer jobs: 416 Average annual salary: $86,955 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $112,000 Location Quotient: 1.24. Rhode Island
Total software test engineer jobs: 478 Average annual salary: $84,449 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $109,000 Location Quotient: 1.435. Maryland
Total software test engineer jobs: 2,586 Average annual salary: $87,891 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $113,000 Location Quotient: 1.486. New Hampshire
Total software test engineer jobs: 433 Average annual salary: $87,166 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $112,000 Location Quotient: 0.97. Massachusetts
Total software test engineer jobs: 3,208 Average annual salary: $84,634 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $109,000 Location Quotient: 1.278. Oregon
Total software test engineer jobs: 1,665 Average annual salary: $81,999 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $111,000 Location Quotient: 1.469. Nevada
Total software test engineer jobs: 416 Average annual salary: $87,632 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000 Location Quotient: 0.7210. District of Columbia
Total software test engineer jobs: 680 Average annual salary: $88,608 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $114,000 Location Quotient: 1.47
Software test engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a software test engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a software test engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $95,352 | $70,000 | 7,405,743 | 4,810 |
| 2 | California | $104,836 | $75,000 | 39,536,653 | 14,269 |
| 3 | Delaware | $86,955 | $67,000 | 961,939 | 416 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $84,449 | $65,000 | 1,059,639 | 478 |
| 5 | Maryland | $87,891 | $68,000 | 6,052,177 | 2,586 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $87,166 | $67,000 | 1,342,795 | 433 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $84,634 | $65,000 | 6,859,819 | 3,208 |
| 8 | Oregon | $81,999 | $60,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,665 |
| 9 | Nevada | $87,632 | $63,000 | 2,998,039 | 416 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $88,608 | $68,000 | 693,972 | 680 |
| 11 | Virginia | $81,772 | $63,000 | 8,470,020 | 3,622 |
| 12 | Arizona | $79,740 | $59,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,388 |
| 13 | Utah | $75,746 | $56,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,293 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $83,964 | $64,000 | 9,005,644 | 2,003 |
| 15 | Texas | $76,168 | $57,000 | 28,304,596 | 5,188 |
| 16 | Arkansas | $73,713 | $58,000 | 3,004,279 | 626 |
| 17 | North Carolina | $75,368 | $59,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,255 |
| 18 | Maine | $80,366 | $62,000 | 1,335,907 | 244 |
| 19 | New York | $81,286 | $62,000 | 19,849,399 | 3,397 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $76,479 | $59,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,300 |
| 21 | Idaho | $74,875 | $55,000 | 1,716,943 | 383 |
| 22 | Michigan | $73,482 | $57,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,555 |
| 23 | Alaska | $79,898 | $66,000 | 739,795 | 142 |
| 24 | Connecticut | $77,916 | $60,000 | 3,588,184 | 732 |
| 25 | Nebraska | $70,981 | $56,000 | 1,920,076 | 567 |
| 26 | Colorado | $74,727 | $57,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,947 |
| 27 | Ohio | $71,526 | $56,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,829 |
| 28 | Kansas | $70,617 | $55,000 | 2,913,123 | 707 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $71,318 | $55,000 | 1,815,857 | 243 |
| 30 | Vermont | $71,103 | $55,000 | 623,657 | 270 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $72,160 | $57,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,575 |
| 32 | Illinois | $72,291 | $57,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,605 |
| 33 | Georgia | $71,240 | $56,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,047 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $67,189 | $51,000 | 579,315 | 156 |
| 35 | Kentucky | $69,728 | $55,000 | 4,454,189 | 626 |
| 36 | Montana | $69,365 | $53,000 | 1,050,493 | 292 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $68,452 | $54,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,182 |
| 38 | Indiana | $67,894 | $53,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,389 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $69,515 | $52,000 | 2,088,070 | 386 |
| 40 | Mississippi | $69,548 | $54,000 | 2,984,100 | 262 |
| 41 | Iowa | $68,314 | $54,000 | 3,145,711 | 657 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $69,818 | $54,000 | 5,024,369 | 599 |
| 43 | Missouri | $69,436 | $54,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,191 |
| 44 | Alabama | $66,651 | $52,000 | 4,874,747 | 955 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $65,251 | $51,000 | 869,666 | 238 |
| 46 | North Dakota | $65,450 | $52,000 | 755,393 | 200 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $65,197 | $51,000 | 6,715,984 | 835 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $67,116 | $51,000 | 4,684,333 | 469 |
| 49 | Florida | $65,186 | $49,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,894 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $66,160 | $51,000 | 3,930,864 | 417 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $61,079 | $49,000 | 1,427,538 | 159 |
Highest paying states for software test engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Software Test Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $95,352 |
| 2 | California | $104,836 |
| 3 | Delaware | $86,955 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $84,449 |
| 5 | Maryland | $87,891 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $87,166 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $84,634 |
| 8 | Oregon | $81,999 |
| 9 | Nevada | $87,632 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $88,608 |
| 11 | Virginia | $81,772 |
| 12 | Arizona | $79,740 |
| 13 | Utah | $75,746 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $83,964 |
| 15 | Texas | $76,168 |
| 16 | Arkansas | $73,713 |
| 17 | North Carolina | $75,368 |
| 18 | Maine | $80,366 |
| 19 | New York | $81,286 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $76,479 |
| 21 | Idaho | $74,875 |
| 22 | Michigan | $73,482 |
| 23 | Alaska | $79,898 |
| 24 | Connecticut | $77,916 |
| 25 | Nebraska | $70,981 |
| 26 | Colorado | $74,727 |
| 27 | Ohio | $71,526 |
| 28 | Kansas | $70,617 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $71,318 |
| 30 | Vermont | $71,103 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $72,160 |
| 32 | Illinois | $72,291 |
| 33 | Georgia | $71,240 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $67,189 |
| 35 | Kentucky | $69,728 |
| 36 | Montana | $69,365 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $68,452 |
| 38 | Indiana | $67,894 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $69,515 |
| 40 | Mississippi | $69,548 |
| 41 | Iowa | $68,314 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $69,818 |
| 43 | Missouri | $69,436 |
| 44 | Alabama | $66,651 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $65,251 |
| 46 | North Dakota | $65,450 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $65,197 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $67,116 |
| 49 | Florida | $65,186 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $66,160 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $61,079 |
Expert opinions on the best states for software test engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for software test engineers 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 test engineer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025