Pay by state · 51 areas
Software Developer Salary by State (2026)
Software Developers earn the most in California at $174,410 a year and the least in Mississippi at $95,330 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $135,980. The table below covers 49 states, DC and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $174,410California
- National median
- $135,980BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $95,330Mississippi
- Areas reporting
- 51of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for software developers
Ranked on the state median among the 49 reporting states and DC. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1California$174,410
- 2Washington$166,540
- 3New York$166,180
- 4Massachusetts$165,210
- 5Oregon$142,720
Lowest median pay
- 1Mississippi$95,330
- 2South Dakota$96,310
- 3Louisiana$102,800
- 4Arkansas$104,490
- 5North Dakota$105,600
All states
Software Developer salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of software developers OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CACalifornia | $174,410 | $136,990 | $216,670 | 284,390 | $157,523 |
| 2 | WAWashington | $166,540 | $132,290 | $211,860 | 107,030 | $155,626 |
| 3 | NYNew York | $166,180 | $127,160 | $205,540 | 113,510 | $153,983 |
| 4 | MAMassachusetts | $165,210 | $131,370 | $190,280 | 48,190 | $156,217 |
| 5 | OROregon | $142,720 | $111,750 | $170,600 | 21,830 | $138,079 |
| 6 | NHNew Hampshire | $139,720 | $107,240 | $167,880 | 10,840 | $134,133 |
| 7 | MDMaryland | $138,680 | $109,120 | $178,000 | 31,350 | $132,128 |
| 8 | COColorado | $138,390 | $122,470 | $173,000 | 43,320 | $134,291 |
| 9 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $136,880 | $117,120 | $169,580 | 6,120 | $124,548 |
| 10 | VAVirginia | $136,460 | $106,600 | $171,090 | 88,280 | $134,970 |
| 11 | NJNew Jersey | $135,940 | $107,020 | $170,130 | 51,570 | $124,939 |
| 12 | NCNorth Carolina | $134,710 | $104,530 | $164,750 | 58,470 | $142,813 |
| 13 | CTConnecticut | $134,120 | $105,750 | $166,440 | 13,660 | $129,447 |
| 14 | DEDelaware | $133,020 | $113,600 | $164,640 | 3,380 | $133,276 |
| 15 | TXTexas | $132,150 | $103,350 | $162,530 | 163,880 | $136,157 |
| 16 | ILIllinois | $132,110 | $101,540 | $166,420 | 56,310 | $132,166 |
| 17 | IDIdaho | $131,590 | $93,740 | $160,570 | 5,750 | $137,799 |
| 18 | GAGeorgia | $131,010 | $103,410 | $162,240 | 49,700 | $136,054 |
| 19 | FLFlorida | $130,980 | $101,970 | $164,800 | 87,890 | $126,656 |
| 20 | RIRhode Island | $130,590 | $101,640 | $154,040 | 5,070 | $127,679 |
| 21 | MNMinnesota | $130,050 | $101,670 | $156,750 | 35,890 | $131,868 |
| 22 | AZArizona | $129,690 | $102,310 | $159,680 | 38,050 | $128,818 |
| 23 | SCSouth Carolina | $129,450 | $95,750 | $167,750 | 13,230 | $138,081 |
| 24 | NVNevada | $128,810 | $100,680 | $167,820 | 4,520 | $128,837 |
| 25 | UTUtah | $128,810 | $100,530 | $160,570 | 31,940 | $130,290 |
| 26 | PAPennsylvania | $126,550 | $98,590 | $158,390 | 55,920 | $129,699 |
| 27 | MOMissouri | $126,120 | $97,540 | $155,010 | 20,020 | $138,873 |
| 28 | MIMichigan | $125,570 | $97,300 | $140,100 | 43,460 | $130,507 |
| 29 | VTVermont | $125,280 | $102,820 | $166,610 | 1,740 | $127,892 |
| 30 | NMNew Mexico | $124,520 | $95,690 | $158,390 | 3,960 | $135,037 |
| 31 | HIHawaii | $124,040 | $82,830 | $170,970 | 1,600 | $112,814 |
| 32 | MEMaine | $123,120 | $99,200 | $163,150 | 2,790 | $126,862 |
| 33 | WIWisconsin | $122,660 | $97,740 | $138,590 | 21,730 | $130,358 |
| 34 | ALAlabama | $122,540 | $86,990 | $154,290 | 17,450 | $137,960 |
| 35 | TNTennessee | $122,430 | $90,750 | $138,890 | 19,030 | $133,264 |
| 36 | MTMontana | $121,990 | $94,800 | $169,180 | 2,160 | $128,892 |
| 37 | WVWest Virginia | $121,000 | $82,700 | $142,610 | 2,650 | $135,200 |
| 38 | OKOklahoma | $118,100 | $94,360 | $138,940 | 6,880 | $134,444 |
| 39 | WYWyoming | $115,170 | $100,560 | $153,090 | 1,510 | $124,252 |
| 40 | IAIowa | $114,890 | $95,600 | $137,090 | 9,040 | $130,911 |
| 41 | OHOhio | $114,090 | $96,200 | $135,490 | 44,790 | $122,976 |
| 42 | KSKansas | $113,420 | $86,460 | $136,510 | 13,580 | $125,927 |
| 43 | NENebraska | $110,900 | $91,000 | $135,600 | 7,260 | $123,081 |
| 44 | KYKentucky | $109,010 | $91,960 | $136,090 | 7,660 | $120,909 |
| 45 | INIndiana | $105,920 | $83,650 | $135,630 | 14,130 | $113,491 |
| 46 | NDNorth Dakota | $105,600 | $78,870 | $126,510 | 1,450 | $118,706 |
| 47 | ARArkansas | $104,490 | $81,480 | $127,740 | 6,050 | $120,190 |
| 48 | LALouisiana | $102,800 | $82,930 | $122,740 | 4,080 | $116,544 |
| 49 | SDSouth Dakota | $96,310 | $79,810 | $121,190 | 2,380 | $108,719 |
| 50 | MSMississippi | $95,330 | $70,030 | $127,570 | 1,880 | $109,634 |
| 51 | PRPuerto Rico | $79,380 | $63,700 | $97,600 | 2,020 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For software developers, the adjustment does not change the leader: California is first on raw pay and still first once prices are taken into account, at $157,523.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Software Developer pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays software developers the most?
California reports the highest median wage for software developers at $174,410 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Washington ($166,540) and New York ($166,180).
Which state pays software developers the least?
Among the 49 reporting states and DC, Mississippi reports the lowest median for software developers at $95,330 a year, $79,080 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, Puerto Rico reports $79,380.
In which states do software developers earn over $100,000?
48 of the 49 reporting states and DC have a median of $100,000 or more (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The highest is California; the lowest of them is Louisiana at $102,800. The rest report less, down to $95,330 in Mississippi.
Is the highest-paying state the best for software developers after cost of living?
Yes. California stays first after dividing each state median by its BEA Regional Price Parity, at $157,523 in national-average dollars from a raw $174,410. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.