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Want to Work as a Software Developer? Check Out These CitiesWant to Work as a Software Developer? Check Out These Cities
While Silicon Valley cities are an obvious choice, there are other hubs for software development.
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Software developers are most prevalent and have the highest salaries in the San Jose and Sunnyvale, CA areas.gorodenkoff/ iStock / Getty Images Plus
Software developers are a sought-after commodity in a tech-heavy economy, but where are the locales where software development provides the most opportunities and highest pay? A recent study by Flatworld's software division provides some of the answers.
The survey, which analyzes data analyzes software developer salaries and job concentrations across U.S. metropolitan areas, uncovering emerging tech cities that rival established centers. It was based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2023.
Not surprisingly, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA lead in software developer salaries, ranking first with $199,800. Following the northern California cities are Boulder, CO at $182,650 and San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward at $181,220.
The San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara also was the leading mecca for software developer jobs, leading with 84.597 software developer jobs per 1,000, while Boulder follows with 40.31 jobs per 1,000.
One surprising city in the findings was Huntsville, AL which provided 29 jobs per 1,000, ranking among the top five cities with a high density of software developers.
In addition, the survey found the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria and Raleigh, NC, to be rising tech hubs, providing 23+ jobs per 1,000.
The table below ranks the top states for software development, by salary.
Software Developer Job Market by State (ranked by salary)
STATE | AVERAGE SALARY ($) | TOTAL EMPLOYMENT | JOBS PER 1,000 | HIGHEST SALARY METRO AREA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
California | 173780 | 304390 | 16.96 | San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA ($199,800) |
Washington | 159990 | 89110 | 25.49 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($164,130) |
Maryland | 150740 | 30700 | 11.46 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD ($152,120) |
New York | 150020 | 105460 | 11.23 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($152,100) |
Massachusetts | 146580 | 59960 | 16.46 | Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($148,100) |
District of Columbia | 146060 | 8470 | 12.07 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA -MD-WV ($148,480) |
Alaska | 145630 | 280 | 0.89 | Anchorage, AK ($143,420) |
Colorado | 145420 | 45270 | 15.98 | Boulder, CO ($182,650) |
Virginia | 139920 | 86680 | 21.77 | Richmond, VA ($129,440) |
Rhode Island | 135030 | 5460 | 11.18 | Providence-Warwick, RI-MA ($131,000) |
Source: Flatworld’s Software Division (from US Bureau of Labor Statistics)
The complete study can be viewed here.
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