Best states for a staff programmer

Q: What is the best state for staff programmers?

The best state to be a staff programmer is Washington based on staff programmer salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for staff programmers?

The highest paying state for staff programmers is Hawaii based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for staff programmers?

The worst state for staff programmers is Mississippi, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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Job opportunities vary from state to state, and computer and mathematical careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to staff programmer jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for staff programmers.In order to help you decide which state is the best for staff programmers, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for staff programmer jobs.

Washington is the best state for jobs for staff programmers, and Mississippi is the worst. The most common pay in Washington is $140,483, while the median pay in Mississippi is $86,346.We found that the Midwest is best for staff programmers, and the Northeast is the worst. Seattle, WA is the best city in the country for staff programmer jobs, where as Washington is the best state in the country.

10 best states for staff programmers in 2025

1. Washington
Total staff programmer jobs: 792
Average annual salary: $140,483
Lowest 10 percent earn: $102,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $192,000
Location Quotient:
1.04
Staff programmer jobs in Washington
2. Oregon
Total staff programmer jobs: 495
Average annual salary: $126,053
Lowest 10 percent earn: $91,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $174,000
Location Quotient:
1.14
Staff programmer jobs in Oregon
3. Pennsylvania
Total staff programmer jobs: 1,760
Average annual salary: $118,789
Lowest 10 percent earn: $89,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $157,000
Location Quotient:
1.45
Staff programmer jobs in Pennsylvania
4. Connecticut
Total staff programmer jobs: 315
Average annual salary: $125,328
Lowest 10 percent earn: $94,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $165,000
Location Quotient:
0.91
Staff programmer jobs in Connecticut
5. Rhode Island
Total staff programmer jobs: 169
Average annual salary: $112,973
Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000
Location Quotient:
1.33
Staff programmer jobs in Rhode Island
6. California
Total staff programmer jobs: 4,698
Average annual salary: $122,314
Lowest 10 percent earn: $88,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $168,000
Location Quotient:
1.54
Staff programmer jobs in California
7. New Hampshire
Total staff programmer jobs: 154
Average annual salary: $121,065
Lowest 10 percent earn: $92,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $158,000
Location Quotient:
0.84
Staff programmer jobs in New Hampshire
8. Virginia
Total staff programmer jobs: 847
Average annual salary: $123,125
Lowest 10 percent earn: $92,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $164,000
Location Quotient:
0.86
Staff programmer jobs in Virginia
9. Utah
Total staff programmer jobs: 358
Average annual salary: $110,709
Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000
Location Quotient:
1.07
Staff programmer jobs in Utah
10. Nevada
Total staff programmer jobs: 244
Average annual salary: $109,557
Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000
Location Quotient:
1.12
Staff programmer jobs in Nevada

Staff programmer jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a staff programmer

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a staff programmer

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Washington	$140,483	$102,000	7,405,743	792
2	Oregon	$126,053	$91,000	4,142,776	495
3	Pennsylvania	$118,789	$89,000	12,805,537	1,760
4	Connecticut	$125,328	$94,000	3,588,184	315
5	Rhode Island	$112,973	$85,000	1,059,639	169
6	California	$122,314	$88,000	39,536,653	4,698
7	New Hampshire	$121,065	$92,000	1,342,795	154
8	Virginia	$123,125	$92,000	8,470,020	847
9	Utah	$110,709	$78,000	3,101,833	358
10	Nevada	$109,557	$78,000	2,998,039	244
11	Michigan	$120,956	$91,000	9,962,311	632
12	Arizona	$111,862	$81,000	7,016,270	573
13	Massachusetts	$111,536	$85,000	6,859,819	1,361
14	District of Columbia	$123,952	$92,000	693,972	193
15	Vermont	$105,036	$80,000	623,657	93
16	Minnesota	$107,767	$81,000	5,576,606	613
17	Maine	$102,495	$78,000	1,335,907	167
18	Alabama	$102,718	$75,000	4,874,747	429
19	South Carolina	$108,401	$80,000	5,024,369	337
20	Tennessee	$100,082	$74,000	6,715,984	535
21	Idaho	$103,346	$73,000	1,716,943	141
22	Colorado	$107,219	$75,000	5,607,154	525
23	North Dakota	$104,907	$79,000	755,393	37
24	North Carolina	$101,513	$75,000	10,273,419	770
25	Maryland	$102,262	$76,000	6,052,177	714
26	Ohio	$95,598	$71,000	11,658,609	959
27	Alaska	$106,648	$86,000	739,795	65
28	New York	$100,871	$76,000	19,849,399	1,381
29	Illinois	$98,240	$73,000	12,802,023	1,371
30	Delaware	$104,783	$78,000	961,939	93
31	South Dakota	$100,862	$73,000	869,666	46
32	New Jersey	$98,917	$74,000	9,005,644	942
33	Florida	$96,773	$68,000	20,984,400	1,442
34	Oklahoma	$98,622	$71,000	3,930,864	198
35	Montana	$96,249	$69,000	1,050,493	101
36	Kansas	$95,096	$68,000	2,913,123	255
37	Wisconsin	$97,706	$73,000	5,795,483	426
38	Louisiana	$93,864	$67,000	4,684,333	308
39	Nebraska	$95,385	$68,000	1,920,076	186
40	Wyoming	$94,134	$66,000	579,315	47
41	Georgia	$94,522	$69,000	10,429,379	897
42	Arkansas	$90,736	$66,000	3,004,279	232
43	West Virginia	$91,480	$68,000	1,815,857	114
44	Kentucky	$92,278	$68,000	4,454,189	276
45	Missouri	$92,640	$67,000	6,113,532	512
46	Iowa	$92,215	$67,000	3,145,711	280
47	Texas	$88,883	$63,000	28,304,596	1,854
48	New Mexico	$91,259	$65,000	2,088,070	158
49	Hawaii	$72,902	$61,000	1,427,538	76
50	Indiana	$86,858	$64,000	6,666,818	532
51	Mississippi	$86,346	$63,000	2,984,100	127

Highest paying states for staff programmers

Rank	State	Avg. Staff Programmer Salary
1	Washington	$140,483
2	Oregon	$126,053
3	Pennsylvania	$118,789
4	Connecticut	$125,328
5	Rhode Island	$112,973
6	California	$122,314
7	New Hampshire	$121,065
8	Virginia	$123,125
9	Utah	$110,709
10	Nevada	$109,557
11	Michigan	$120,956
12	Arizona	$111,862
13	Massachusetts	$111,536
14	District of Columbia	$123,952
15	Vermont	$105,036
16	Minnesota	$107,767
17	Maine	$102,495
18	Alabama	$102,718
19	South Carolina	$108,401
20	Tennessee	$100,082
21	Idaho	$103,346
22	Colorado	$107,219
23	North Dakota	$104,907
24	North Carolina	$101,513
25	Maryland	$102,262
26	Ohio	$95,598
27	Alaska	$106,648
28	New York	$100,871
29	Illinois	$98,240
30	Delaware	$104,783
31	South Dakota	$100,862
32	New Jersey	$98,917
33	Florida	$96,773
34	Oklahoma	$98,622
35	Montana	$96,249
36	Kansas	$95,096
37	Wisconsin	$97,706
38	Louisiana	$93,864
39	Nebraska	$95,385
40	Wyoming	$94,134
41	Georgia	$94,522
42	Arkansas	$90,736
43	West Virginia	$91,480
44	Kentucky	$92,278
45	Missouri	$92,640
46	Iowa	$92,215
47	Texas	$88,883
48	New Mexico	$91,259
49	Hawaii	$72,902
50	Indiana	$86,858
51	Mississippi	$86,346

Staff programmer best states FAQs

What is the best state for staff programmers?

What is the highest paying state for staff programmers?

What is the worst state for staff programmers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common computer and mathematical questions.

Search for staff programmer jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse computer and mathematical jobs

Total staff programmer jobs:	792
Average annual salary:	$140,483
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$102,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$192,000
Location Quotient:	1.04

Best states for a staff programmer

10 best states for staff programmers in 2025

1. Washington

2. Oregon

3. Pennsylvania

4. Connecticut

5. Rhode Island

6. California

7. New Hampshire

8. Virginia

9. Utah

10. Nevada