The Top Tech Salaries in the US in 2021

By Trevor Wheelwright

Jul 12, 2021

2 min read

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Jobs in technology have continued to grow in number and salary pay. These days, tech workers can earn anywhere from 20% to 85% more than their state’s average salary, ranging from $32 to $58 an hour.¹

Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we ranked each state by comparing the average tech salaries to the salary of all occupations. But even if you don’t live in the best-paying areas, the possibility of new work has opened up opportunities all across the US.

If you’re curious how your job compares to these tech salaries, check out our free paycheck calculator.

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Which states are best for finding tech jobs?

Washington and California beat most other states for tech work due to high job density and a high annual median wage. But they aren’t the only places for tech workers to take home a hefty salary: Alabama, Washington, North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia rank as the top five states for tech salaries.

Alabama has the best tech salaries compared to all occupations, coming in at 85% more than other occupations in the state.
Washington has the highest average tech wage at $58.96 per hour.
Tech workers in nine out of 10 of the top-paying states make over 70% more than the average salary in those states.
The District of Columbia has one of the best hourly tech wages and yearly salaries in the nation, but tech jobs only make 20% more than the average salary in DC.
The lowest-paying states for tech still make 20% to 52% more than the average salary in each state.
Wyoming has the lowest wages for tech in the US, with an hourly wage of $32.52 per hour, or $67,640 per year.

State-by-state tech worker compensation comparison

State	Rank	Average hourly wage for tech workers	Average salary for tech workers	Average salary of all occupations	Percent more that tech workers earn than all occupations
Alabama	1	$41.69	$86,720	$46,840	85%
Washington	2	$58.96	$122,640	$66,870	83%
North Carolina	3	$44.19	$91,920	$51,010	80%
Texas	4	$45.04	$93,690	$52,400	79%
Virginia	5	$51.50	$107,130	$60,160	78%
California	6	$56.16	$116,820	$65,740	78%
Georgia	7	$44.00	$91,510	$51,940	76%
Delaware	8	$47.76	$99,340	$56,700	75%
Mississippi	9	$34.48	$71,720	$41,600	72%
Ohio	10	$41.48	$86,270	$51,510	67%
Idaho	11	$37.65	$78,320	$46,800	67%
New Hampshire	12	$45.50	$94,650	$56,730	67%
South Carolina	13	$37.06	$77,080	$46,230	67%
Iowa	14	$39.34	$81,820	$49,280	66%
Florida	15	$39.81	$82,810	$50,020	66%
Maryland	16	$50.55	$105,150	$63,610	65%
Colorado	17	$48.33	$100,520	$60,840	65%
Arkansas	18	$35.28	$73,390	$44,780	64%
Kentucky	19	$36.21	$75,330	$46,000	64%
Missouri	20	$39.44	$82,040	$50,140	64%
New Jersey	21	$50.04	$104,090	$63,690	63%
Pennsylvania	22	$42.29	$87,970	$53,950	63%
Arizona	23	$41.84	$87,030	$53,400	63%
Oregon	24	$44.25	$92,040	$56,880	62%
West Virginia	25	$35.29	$73,410	$45,380	62%
Kansas	26	$37.70	$78,420	$48,610	61%
Tennessee	27	$36.86	$76,660	$47,530	61%
Utah	28	$39.82	$82,830	$51,430	61%
Minnesota	29	$45.47	$94,570	$58,720	61%
Indiana	30	$37.66	$78,340	$48,650	61%
Nebraska	31	$38.83	$80,770	$50,260	61%
Illinois	32	$44.87	$93,320	$58,070	61%
Wisconsin	33	$39.55	$82,270	$51,250	61%
Oklahoma	34	$36.33	$75,560	$47,340	60%
New Mexico	35	$38.06	$79,160	$49,650	59%
Louisiana	36	$35.50	$73,840	$46,460	59%
Nevada	37	$38.29	$79,650	$50,360	58%
Maine	38	$38.48	$80,030	$51,220	56%
South Dakota	39	$33.65	$70,000	$44,960	56%
Rhode Island	40	$44.43	$92,410	$60,240	53%
Michigan	41	$39.32	$81,780	$53,390	53%
New York	42	$49.65	$103,280	$67,850	52%
Montana	43	$34.40	$71,540	$47,270	51%
Massachusetts	44	$50.67	$105,400	$70,010	51%
Vermont	45	$38.55	$80,180	$53,420	50%
Connecticut	46	$45.94	$95,550	$65,450	46%
Hawaii	47	$40.32	$83,870	$58,190	44%
North Dakota	48	$34.53	$71,820	$52,450	37%
Alaska	49	$40.02	$83,250	$61,760	35%
Wyoming	50	$32.52	$67,640	$51,180	32%
District of Columbia	51	$54.78	$113,930	$95,330	20%

Top 10 metros for tech jobs

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro in California has the best pay difference in tech, where tech jobs make 507% more than the average salary.
About three hours from San Jose, you can find the next-best tech salaries in the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande metro area.
California, Florida, and Washington have multiple metros with tech salaries making over 140% of each area’s average salary.

See more Top Salary reports

Top tech salaries in the US

The highest-paying tech jobs earn anywhere from $80K per year up to $150K per year. Computer network architects, actuaries, mathematicians, and software-related careers sit at the top of the list. But even the lowest-paying tech jobs, like computer support specialists, still make over $40K a year.

Actuaries are the highest-paying tech jobs, earning 118% more than other jobs with an average salary of $123,180. Actuaries work to prevent, reduce, and otherwise manage risks for companies using analytics, business knowledge, and psychology.

The next highest-paying tech career is computer network architecture, with an average salary of $119,230. Computer network architects create and maintain data communications networks that align with a business’s plans and objectives.

Here’s a full breakdown of tech salaries and employment so you can get a better picture of where you land in the industry.

Regardless of what type of work you do or where you end up in the tech field, you can expect high salaries and ongoing job demand in the future.

See more Business.org reports

Methodology

We collected the most recent available data for tech salaries from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

We then ranked each state on the percent change from the average annual salary to the average annual tech salary.

We considered tech jobs that the BLS defined as computer or mathematical occupations. You can see the complete list here.

Sources:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics,” Updated May 2020. Accessed July 1, 2020.

Written by

Trevor Wheelwright