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Best states for a software tester
Quoted expert
Dr. Stephen Frezza Ph.D.
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Software tester opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for software testers, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for software testers.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of software testers in America is $100,000.
Washington is the best state for jobs for software testers, and Mississippi is the worst. The most common pay in Washington is $88,857, while the median pay in Mississippi is $66,212.If you are currently seeking employment as a software tester, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for software testers in 2025
1. Washington
Total software tester jobs: 3,742 Average annual salary: $88,857 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Location Quotient: 2.232. Massachusetts
Total software tester jobs: 2,806 Average annual salary: $87,148 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $111,000 Location Quotient: 1.333. New Hampshire
Total software tester jobs: 367 Average annual salary: $92,570 Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000 Location Quotient: 0.914. New Jersey
Total software tester jobs: 1,907 Average annual salary: $88,562 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $113,000 Location Quotient: 1.055. Utah
Total software tester jobs: 1,147 Average annual salary: $81,017 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $108,000 Location Quotient: 1.566. California
Total software tester jobs: 10,612 Average annual salary: $90,903 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000 Location Quotient: 1.587. Oregon
Total software tester jobs: 1,381 Average annual salary: $83,564 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $112,000 Location Quotient: 1.458. North Carolina
Total software tester jobs: 2,013 Average annual salary: $83,793 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $106,000 Location Quotient: 0.919. Delaware
Total software tester jobs: 328 Average annual salary: $80,871 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $103,000 Location Quotient: 1.1410. Rhode Island
Total software tester jobs: 431 Average annual salary: $77,689 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Location Quotient: 1.54
Software tester jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a software tester
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a software tester
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $88,857 | $66,000 | 7,405,743 | 3,742 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $87,148 | $68,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,806 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $92,570 | $72,000 | 1,342,795 | 367 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $88,562 | $69,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,907 |
| 5 | Utah | $81,017 | $60,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,147 |
| 6 | California | $90,903 | $66,000 | 39,536,653 | 10,612 |
| 7 | Oregon | $83,564 | $62,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,381 |
| 8 | North Carolina | $83,793 | $65,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,013 |
| 9 | Delaware | $80,871 | $63,000 | 961,939 | 328 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $77,689 | $60,000 | 1,059,639 | 431 |
| 11 | Vermont | $79,288 | $62,000 | 623,657 | 215 |
| 12 | Maryland | $84,575 | $66,000 | 6,052,177 | 2,008 |
| 13 | Virginia | $80,216 | $62,000 | 8,470,020 | 3,067 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $77,193 | $60,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,146 |
| 15 | Nevada | $79,308 | $58,000 | 2,998,039 | 344 |
| 16 | New York | $81,874 | $64,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,875 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $81,654 | $63,000 | 3,588,184 | 609 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $80,195 | $62,000 | 693,972 | 562 |
| 19 | New Mexico | $74,293 | $56,000 | 2,088,070 | 442 |
| 20 | Idaho | $75,530 | $56,000 | 1,716,943 | 339 |
| 21 | Arizona | $74,796 | $56,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,198 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $75,144 | $59,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,371 |
| 23 | Montana | $72,773 | $55,000 | 1,050,493 | 261 |
| 24 | Illinois | $75,734 | $59,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,295 |
| 25 | Maine | $74,432 | $58,000 | 1,335,907 | 204 |
| 26 | Oklahoma | $74,186 | $58,000 | 3,930,864 | 367 |
| 27 | Wyoming | $71,319 | $54,000 | 579,315 | 127 |
| 28 | South Dakota | $73,252 | $57,000 | 869,666 | 139 |
| 29 | Kentucky | $71,441 | $56,000 | 4,454,189 | 575 |
| 30 | Missouri | $73,692 | $58,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,055 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $74,195 | $58,000 | 5,024,369 | 532 |
| 32 | Alaska | $77,774 | $63,000 | 739,795 | 102 |
| 33 | West Virginia | $70,408 | $55,000 | 1,815,857 | 224 |
| 34 | Ohio | $70,117 | $55,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,572 |
| 35 | Alabama | $70,187 | $55,000 | 4,874,747 | 761 |
| 36 | Iowa | $71,225 | $56,000 | 3,145,711 | 515 |
| 37 | Michigan | $70,802 | $55,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,218 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $68,598 | $53,000 | 3,004,279 | 567 |
| 39 | Texas | $70,111 | $53,000 | 28,304,596 | 4,389 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $70,094 | $55,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,078 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $70,910 | $55,000 | 1,920,076 | 377 |
| 42 | Colorado | $68,970 | $53,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,594 |
| 43 | Georgia | $71,428 | $56,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,719 |
| 44 | Indiana | $69,128 | $54,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,226 |
| 45 | Kansas | $67,187 | $52,000 | 2,913,123 | 639 |
| 46 | North Dakota | $67,793 | $53,000 | 755,393 | 168 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $65,968 | $52,000 | 6,715,984 | 802 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $68,246 | $52,000 | 4,684,333 | 431 |
| 49 | Florida | $66,665 | $50,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,386 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $64,266 | $51,000 | 1,427,538 | 127 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $66,212 | $51,000 | 2,984,100 | 240 |
Highest paying states for software testers
| Rank | State | Avg. Software Tester Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $88,857 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $87,148 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $92,570 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $88,562 |
| 5 | Utah | $81,017 |
| 6 | California | $90,903 |
| 7 | Oregon | $83,564 |
| 8 | North Carolina | $83,793 |
| 9 | Delaware | $80,871 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $77,689 |
| 11 | Vermont | $79,288 |
| 12 | Maryland | $84,575 |
| 13 | Virginia | $80,216 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $77,193 |
| 15 | Nevada | $79,308 |
| 16 | New York | $81,874 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $81,654 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $80,195 |
| 19 | New Mexico | $74,293 |
| 20 | Idaho | $75,530 |
| 21 | Arizona | $74,796 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $75,144 |
| 23 | Montana | $72,773 |
| 24 | Illinois | $75,734 |
| 25 | Maine | $74,432 |
| 26 | Oklahoma | $74,186 |
| 27 | Wyoming | $71,319 |
| 28 | South Dakota | $73,252 |
| 29 | Kentucky | $71,441 |
| 30 | Missouri | $73,692 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $74,195 |
| 32 | Alaska | $77,774 |
| 33 | West Virginia | $70,408 |
| 34 | Ohio | $70,117 |
| 35 | Alabama | $70,187 |
| 36 | Iowa | $71,225 |
| 37 | Michigan | $70,802 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $68,598 |
| 39 | Texas | $70,111 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $70,094 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $70,910 |
| 42 | Colorado | $68,970 |
| 43 | Georgia | $71,428 |
| 44 | Indiana | $69,128 |
| 45 | Kansas | $67,187 |
| 46 | North Dakota | $67,793 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $65,968 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $68,246 |
| 49 | Florida | $66,665 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $64,266 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $66,212 |
Expert opinions on the best states for software testers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for software testers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Stephen Frezza Ph.D.
Chair, Professor of Software Engineering, Gannon University
Computing is ubiquitous, and with more industries moving to remote work, location is becoming less critical. If the internet reaches a place reliably, computing jobs can be located there.
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Updated January 8, 2025