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Best states for a system development manager
Quoted expert
Delvin Grant
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
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- 41 - 51
It seems like system development managers are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for system development managers aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. In order to help you decide which state is the best for system development managers, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for system development manager jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for system development managers. Washington is the best state for system development managers, where the median salary is $146,544.Washington is the best state, and Longview is the city with the highest pay for system development managers.
10 best states for system development managers in 2025
1. Washington
Total system development manager jobs: 2,558 Average annual salary: $146,544 Lowest 10 percent earn: $109,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $195,000 Location Quotient: 1.532. Oregon
Total system development manager jobs: 1,038 Average annual salary: $129,290 Lowest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $174,000 Location Quotient: 1.13. Pennsylvania
Total system development manager jobs: 2,892 Average annual salary: $119,536 Lowest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $151,000 Location Quotient: 1.094. Alaska
Total system development manager jobs: 237 Average annual salary: $124,825 Lowest 10 percent earn: $104,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000 Location Quotient: 1.245. Nevada
Total system development manager jobs: 485 Average annual salary: $120,114 Lowest 10 percent earn: $90,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $159,000 Location Quotient: 1.016. California
Total system development manager jobs: 7,989 Average annual salary: $135,000 Lowest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $178,000 Location Quotient: 1.27. New York
Total system development manager jobs: 2,716 Average annual salary: $132,407 Lowest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $166,000 Location Quotient: 0.938. Rhode Island
Total system development manager jobs: 275 Average annual salary: $119,893 Lowest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000 Location Quotient: 0.999. Kentucky
Total system development manager jobs: 650 Average annual salary: $119,747 Lowest 10 percent earn: $93,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 0.7710. Texas
Total system development manager jobs: 5,786 Average annual salary: $115,103 Lowest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000 Location Quotient: 1.25
System development manager jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a system development manager
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a system development manager
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $146,544 | $109,000 | 7,405,743 | 2,558 |
| 2 | Oregon | $129,290 | $95,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,038 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | $119,536 | $94,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,892 |
| 4 | Alaska | $124,825 | $104,000 | 739,795 | 237 |
| 5 | Nevada | $120,114 | $90,000 | 2,998,039 | 485 |
| 6 | California | $135,000 | $101,000 | 39,536,653 | 7,989 |
| 7 | New York | $132,407 | $105,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,716 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $119,893 | $96,000 | 1,059,639 | 275 |
| 9 | Kentucky | $119,747 | $93,000 | 4,454,189 | 650 |
| 10 | Texas | $115,103 | $89,000 | 28,304,596 | 5,786 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $123,135 | $99,000 | 1,342,795 | 283 |
| 12 | Arizona | $115,999 | $89,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,636 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $126,548 | $100,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,641 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $117,997 | $93,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,775 |
| 15 | South Dakota | $113,980 | $88,000 | 869,666 | 234 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | $119,148 | $95,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,146 |
| 17 | Utah | $114,100 | $86,000 | 3,101,833 | 700 |
| 18 | South Carolina | $117,363 | $93,000 | 5,024,369 | 725 |
| 19 | Michigan | $113,268 | $89,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,681 |
| 20 | Georgia | $113,495 | $89,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,363 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $114,717 | $90,000 | 1,815,857 | 233 |
| 22 | Hawaii | $118,331 | $97,000 | 1,427,538 | 225 |
| 23 | Virginia | $114,057 | $90,000 | 8,470,020 | 2,591 |
| 24 | Illinois | $116,854 | $91,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,271 |
| 25 | District of Columbia | $113,486 | $89,000 | 693,972 | 712 |
| 26 | Delaware | $118,295 | $93,000 | 961,939 | 197 |
| 27 | Ohio | $111,101 | $87,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,056 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $109,531 | $84,000 | 2,088,070 | 551 |
| 29 | Idaho | $114,818 | $86,000 | 1,716,943 | 258 |
| 30 | Indiana | $111,438 | $87,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,205 |
| 31 | Wisconsin | $111,233 | $87,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,118 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $109,296 | $85,000 | 3,004,279 | 546 |
| 33 | Tennessee | $109,411 | $85,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,157 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $112,671 | $88,000 | 4,684,333 | 459 |
| 35 | Florida | $109,991 | $86,000 | 20,984,400 | 3,495 |
| 36 | Minnesota | $108,114 | $84,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,766 |
| 37 | Vermont | $110,040 | $89,000 | 623,657 | 152 |
| 38 | Kansas | $107,713 | $83,000 | 2,913,123 | 623 |
| 39 | Maine | $110,557 | $90,000 | 1,335,907 | 150 |
| 40 | Maryland | $108,521 | $85,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,567 |
| 41 | Wyoming | $98,222 | $75,000 | 579,315 | 199 |
| 42 | North Dakota | $99,858 | $78,000 | 755,393 | 254 |
| 43 | Colorado | $110,730 | $84,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,090 |
| 44 | Montana | $109,377 | $84,000 | 1,050,493 | 190 |
| 45 | Connecticut | $108,757 | $86,000 | 3,588,184 | 578 |
| 46 | Alabama | $103,039 | $81,000 | 4,874,747 | 780 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $98,146 | $76,000 | 1,920,076 | 499 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $105,155 | $82,000 | 2,984,100 | 340 |
| 49 | Missouri | $99,101 | $77,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,194 |
| 50 | Iowa | $99,467 | $77,000 | 3,145,711 | 583 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $97,632 | $75,000 | 3,930,864 | 462 |
Highest paying states for system development managers
| Rank | State | Avg. System Development Manager Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $146,544 |
| 2 | Oregon | $129,290 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | $119,536 |
| 4 | Alaska | $124,825 |
| 5 | Nevada | $120,114 |
| 6 | California | $135,000 |
| 7 | New York | $132,407 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $119,893 |
| 9 | Kentucky | $119,747 |
| 10 | Texas | $115,103 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $123,135 |
| 12 | Arizona | $115,999 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $126,548 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $117,997 |
| 15 | South Dakota | $113,980 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | $119,148 |
| 17 | Utah | $114,100 |
| 18 | South Carolina | $117,363 |
| 19 | Michigan | $113,268 |
| 20 | Georgia | $113,495 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $114,717 |
| 22 | Hawaii | $118,331 |
| 23 | Virginia | $114,057 |
| 24 | Illinois | $116,854 |
| 25 | District of Columbia | $113,486 |
| 26 | Delaware | $118,295 |
| 27 | Ohio | $111,101 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $109,531 |
| 29 | Idaho | $114,818 |
| 30 | Indiana | $111,438 |
| 31 | Wisconsin | $111,233 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $109,296 |
| 33 | Tennessee | $109,411 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $112,671 |
| 35 | Florida | $109,991 |
| 36 | Minnesota | $108,114 |
| 37 | Vermont | $110,040 |
| 38 | Kansas | $107,713 |
| 39 | Maine | $110,557 |
| 40 | Maryland | $108,521 |
| 41 | Wyoming | $98,222 |
| 42 | North Dakota | $99,858 |
| 43 | Colorado | $110,730 |
| 44 | Montana | $109,377 |
| 45 | Connecticut | $108,757 |
| 46 | Alabama | $103,039 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $98,146 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $105,155 |
| 49 | Missouri | $99,101 |
| 50 | Iowa | $99,467 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $97,632 |
Expert opinions on the best states for system development managers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for system development managers to find work opportunities?
Delvin Grant
Associate Professor, DePaul University
It is not about the geographic area but more about the skills they possess. Many MIS/IT-related jobs could be done remotely, if you wanted to pin down areas that will include areas of the USA where technology is heavily used (NY, IL, CA, MA, Huntsville AL, Parts of the Midwest, and the south, with vibrant health care and manufacturing industries. Any where industries require a healthy dose of technology are good locations.
System development manager best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025