Software Developers: pay by state
National median: $135,980/yrBLS OEWS OEWS. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics · OEWS · May 2025 vintage · released May 15, 2026 · Official API. Below, each state's median wage is adjusted to national prices so you can compare real purchasing power, not just headline pay.
National wage range
10th percentile$82,46025th percentile$105,210Median$135,98075th percentile$171,98090th percentile$214,670
BLS percentile estimates describe the wage distribution; they are not experience levels or guaranteed offers. Published employment: 1,687,890. How to read wage percentiles →
What's the equivalent in another state?
A software developer earning the median$174,410in California needs about$152,983in Texas to keep the same purchasing power. The actual median there is $132,150(—).
Show the math
How much the state matters
Nationally, the median software developer earns $135,980 a year. But the state-by-state gap is large: from $174,410 in California down to $95,330 in Mississippi — a spread of 83% for the same job.
The wage distribution
Nationally, the published 10th-to-90th-percentile range runs from $82,460 to $214,670. Those percentiles describe the observed wage distribution; they should not be treated as automatic starting- and senior-pay bands.
Where the job really pays best
Headline pay is only half the story. Adjust each state's wage for its cost of living and the map redraws itself. Once prices are accounted for, California offers the strongest real pay ($157,552 in national-average terms). Oregon, by contrast, pays a high nominal $142,720 but slips to 8th on real pay once its price level is factored in.
A note on coverage
BLS does not publish a software developers wage estimate for Alaska, so that state is shown as “—” rather than guessed.
Every state, ranked by real pay
“Real pay” = median wage ÷ (state price level ÷ 100). Wage percentiles show the published spread; employment is the BLS estimate for the occupation.
| # | State | Employment | 10th pct. | Median | 90th pct. | Price level | Real median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 284,390 | $105,060 | $174,410 | $272,670 | 110.7 | $157,552 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 48,190 | $102,810 | $165,210 | $213,970 | 105.8 | $156,153 |
| 3 | Washington | 107,030 | $96,810 | $166,540 | $255,350 | 107.0 | $155,645 |
| 4 | New York | 113,510 | $97,430 | $166,180 | $224,590 | 107.9 | $154,013 |
| 5 | North Carolina | 58,470 | $83,840 | $134,710 | $179,310 | 94.3 | $142,853 |
| 6 | Missouri | 20,020 | $72,570 | $126,120 | $169,340 | 90.8 | $138,899 |
| 7 | South Carolina | 13,230 | $76,010 | $129,450 | $212,460 | 93.7 | $138,154 |
| 8 | Oregon | 21,830 | $83,070 | $142,720 | $213,540 | 103.4 | $138,027 |
| 9 | Alabama | 17,450 | $71,590 | $122,540 | $175,330 | 88.8 | $137,995 |
| 10 | Idaho | 5,750 | $71,030 | $131,590 | $178,980 | 95.5 | $137,791 |
| 11 | Texas | 163,880 | $82,600 | $132,150 | $183,680 | 97.1 | $136,097 |
| 12 | Georgia | 49,700 | $80,110 | $131,010 | $176,000 | 96.3 | $136,044 |
| 13 | West Virginia | 2,650 | $60,480 | $121,000 | $168,620 | 89.5 | $135,196 |
| 14 | New Mexico | 3,960 | $77,110 | $124,520 | $184,710 | 92.2 | $135,054 |
| 15 | Virginia | 88,280 | $83,350 | $136,460 | $211,930 | 101.1 | $134,975 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | 6,880 | $75,190 | $118,100 | $169,700 | 87.8 | $134,510 |
| 17 | Colorado | 43,320 | $96,480 | $138,390 | $213,010 | 103.1 | $134,229 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | 10,840 | $92,510 | $139,720 | $205,370 | 104.2 | $134,088 |
| 19 | Delaware | 3,380 | $96,620 | $133,020 | $174,390 | 99.8 | $133,287 |
| 20 | Tennessee | 19,030 | $75,280 | $122,430 | $166,380 | 91.9 | $133,221 |
| 21 | Illinois | 56,310 | $80,980 | $132,110 | $194,740 | 100.0 | $132,110 |
| 22 | Maryland | 31,350 | $87,690 | $138,680 | $222,610 | 105.0 | $132,076 |
| 23 | Minnesota | 35,890 | $79,900 | $130,050 | $169,810 | 98.6 | $131,897 |
| 24 | Iowa | 9,040 | $74,390 | $114,890 | $165,880 | 87.8 | $130,854 |
| 25 | Michigan | 43,460 | $78,930 | $125,570 | $166,510 | 96.2 | $130,530 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | 21,730 | $77,710 | $122,660 | $168,630 | 94.1 | $130,351 |
| 27 | Utah | 31,940 | $77,810 | $128,810 | $177,970 | 98.9 | $130,243 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | 55,920 | $77,750 | $126,550 | $178,080 | 97.6 | $129,662 |
| 29 | Connecticut | 13,660 | $85,930 | $134,120 | $205,160 | 103.6 | $129,459 |
| 30 | Montana | 2,160 | $73,370 | $121,990 | $221,400 | 94.6 | $128,953 |
| 31 | Nevada | 4,520 | $73,990 | $128,810 | $194,470 | 100.0 | $128,810 |
| 32 | Arizona | 38,050 | $81,740 | $129,690 | $178,500 | 100.7 | $128,788 |
| 33 | Vermont | 1,740 | $82,480 | $125,280 | $209,420 | 98.0 | $127,837 |
| 34 | Rhode Island | 5,070 | $83,540 | $130,590 | $168,630 | 102.3 | $127,654 |
| 35 | Maine | 2,790 | $82,930 | $123,120 | $179,990 | 97.1 | $126,797 |
| 36 | Florida | 87,890 | $80,050 | $130,980 | $204,400 | 103.4 | $126,673 |
| 37 | Kansas | 13,580 | $71,690 | $113,420 | $165,740 | 90.1 | $125,882 |
| 38 | New Jersey | 51,570 | $84,880 | $135,940 | $207,200 | 108.8 | $124,945 |
| 39 | District of Columbia | 6,120 | $85,140 | $136,880 | $197,000 | 109.9 | $124,550 |
| 40 | Wyoming | 1,510 | $72,950 | $115,170 | $156,620 | 92.7 | $124,239 |
| 41 | Nebraska | 7,260 | $77,520 | $110,900 | $158,720 | 90.1 | $123,085 |
| 42 | Ohio | 44,790 | $77,790 | $114,090 | $168,400 | 92.8 | $122,942 |
| 43 | Kentucky | 7,660 | $76,310 | $109,010 | $168,110 | 90.2 | $120,854 |
| 44 | Arkansas | 6,050 | $60,570 | $104,490 | $162,380 | 86.9 | $120,242 |
| 45 | North Dakota | 1,450 | $62,900 | $105,600 | $158,060 | 89.0 | $118,652 |
| 46 | Louisiana | 4,080 | $66,350 | $102,800 | $151,780 | 88.2 | $116,553 |
| 47 | Indiana | 14,130 | $74,850 | $105,920 | $164,650 | 93.3 | $113,526 |
| 48 | Hawaii | 1,600 | $64,690 | $124,040 | $238,930 | 110.0 | $112,764 |
| 49 | Mississippi | 1,880 | $44,700 | $95,330 | $158,300 | 87.0 | $109,575 |
| 50 | South Dakota | 2,380 | $65,530 | $96,310 | $160,380 | 88.6 | $108,702 |
| — | Alaska | 530 | — | — | — | 102.4 | — |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics · OEWS · May 2025 · rel. May 15, 2026 · Official API
BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 · rel. February 19, 2026 · Official API