The highest-paying states for software developers and software quality assurance analysts and testers (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of software developers and software quality assurance analysts and testers in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $139,450, Washington is the highest paying state for software developers and software quality assurance analysts and testers. It is followed by California (average annual salary $135,930). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of software developers and software quality assurance analysts and testers in a specific state, use the links in the table.
| Rank | State | Average Salary i | Entry Level Salary i |
# of Empl. i |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $139,450 |
$84,000 | 99,630 |
| 2 | California | $135,930 |
$77,680 | 249,700 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $119,960 |
$77,420 | 8,110 |
| 4 | New York | $117,910 |
$69,580 | 83,330 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $117,630 |
$72,540 | 59,010 |
| 6 | Maryland | $113,140 |
$62,870 | 30,860 |
| 7 | Virginia | $112,730 |
$68,760 | 77,260 |
| 8 | Delaware | $112,220 |
$80,600 | 5,240 |
| 9 | Colorado | $110,900 |
$68,630 | 48,230 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $109,840 |
$65,080 | 8,650 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $108,750 |
$69,600 | 49,070 |
| 12 | Texas | $108,150 |
$67,640 | 113,140 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $105,990 |
$66,850 | 32,430 |
| 14 | Illinois | $105,700 |
$65,500 | 54,940 |
| 15 | Oregon | $104,910 |
$61,980 | 18,010 |
| 16 | Georgia | $104,730 |
$60,220 | 47,770 |
| 17 | North Carolina | $103,250 |
$62,470 | 46,650 |
| 18 | Connecticut | $102,430 |
$63,980 | 16,260 |
| 19 | Arizona | $101,300 |
$63,800 | 32,250 |
| 20 | Utah | $100,330 |
$56,770 | 19,190 |
| 21 | Rhode Island | $100,250 |
$68,150 | 2,690 |
| 22 | Alabama | $98,530 |
$56,140 | 13,570 |
| 23 | Alaska | $97,880 |
$69,740 | 360 |
| 24 | Pennsylvania | $97,840 |
$61,130 | 41,180 |
| 25 | Vermont | $97,440 |
$56,620 | 1,780 |
| 26 | Hawaii | $97,180 |
$55,390 | 1,630 |
| 27 | Iowa | $96,830 |
$62,830 | 11,110 |
| 28 | Florida | $96,210 |
$54,310 | 62,840 |
| 29 | Ohio | $95,870 |
$58,600 | 45,170 |
| 30 | Missouri | $94,970 |
$56,160 | 23,990 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $94,160 |
$59,140 | 8,300 |
| 32 | Nevada | $93,180 |
$48,570 | 5,170 |
| 33 | New Mexico | $92,000 |
$49,910 | 3,380 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $91,810 |
$58,390 | 24,310 |
| 35 | Kansas | $91,770 |
$56,180 | 12,040 |
| 36 | Idaho | $91,750 |
$52,560 | 4,710 |
| 37 | Maine | $91,470 |
$61,480 | 2,800 |
| 38 | Michigan | $89,970 |
$55,320 | 38,010 |
| 39 | Indiana | $89,900 |
$57,040 | 16,150 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $89,200 |
$54,340 | 14,860 |
| 41 | Louisiana | $88,370 |
$52,640 | 2,290 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $88,090 |
$54,830 | 9,240 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $87,660 |
$51,690 | 7,400 |
| 44 | Montana | $85,940 |
$55,630 | 1,650 |
| 45 | North Dakota | $85,570 |
$54,530 | 1,440 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $84,750 |
$54,350 | 6,930 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $84,520 |
$43,210 | 7,440 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $82,290 |
$49,510 | 2,460 |
| 49 | West Virginia | $76,140 |
$43,000 | 1,740 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $75,260 |
$53,630 | 2,050 |
| 51 | Wyoming | $69,980 |
$45,070 | 350 |
| 52 | Puerto Rico | $48,700 |
$32,750 | 2,010 |