I Want More Money: Where Should I Live?

Are you interested in earning a higher salary?

In this series, I’ve embarked on an expedition to explore and filter through data from Global Knowledge’s eighth annual IT Skills and Salary Report to discover correlations in situations where professionals report a higher income. To aid in my data conquest of the over 16,300 respondents, I’ve broken down the numbers to represent the differences (and similarities) between IT and non-IT professionals. Although both parties are represented in my posts, the report’s survey gathering focused on IT professionals, and so in most cases, the response rate of non-IT professionals is below statistical standards and proves difficult to show its significance.

Wouldn’t it be nice to relocate and immediately make more money? Are you curious to see how your salary compares to others in your state?

In this post, I’m looking at the best and worst states to work based on the average reported salary. Keep in mind, living in these places doesn’t guarantee you’ll make that much money because results will always vary. You could earn more, or less, than the reported amount depending on other factors like tenure, management level, job function, company size and experience. When comparing the data below to our report averages, note that the mean overall salary for IT respondents is $89,066 and $102,828 for non-IT respondents who provided their primary work location.

Move to now states: 1–10

These top 10 states are the cream of the crop for both IT and non-IT professionals, representing the highest-reported average salaries from our pool of U.S. respondents. Looking at both sets of data, you’ll notice that these states are located in the middle or northern half of the country, a trend for top money-making states that’s continued over the years. For IT professionals, these places are booming with technology innovation, and thusly, compensation.

Wait! Before you start packing your bags to move to one of these top 10 states with the highest average salary, consider other factors that could dwindle funds from your bank account.

Cost of living factors:

• Rent and food prices
• Housing and property values
• State and local taxes
• Gas from a longer commute

All these factors, and others, could impact how much money you’ll have left over at the end of the day – even if you have a higher salary.

	IT Respondents		Non-IT Respondents
1	Washington DC	$106,724	Washington DC**	$159,917
2	Virginia	$101,193	North Dakota**	$128,667
3	New Jersey	$97,039	Virginia	$124,421
4	Maryland	$96,753	Minnesota*	$117,972
5	Connecticut	$96,508	West Virginia**	$116,195
6	New York	$95,801	Illinois*	$115,403
7	California	$94,801	New Hampshire**	$115,000
8	Massachusetts	$94,113	New York	$113,744
9	Colordao	$91,082	Massachusetts*	$112,427
10	Washington	$90,497	California	$111,846

 

Still-Not-Too-Shabby States: 11–20

The next 10 didn’t make the top money-making states but still are still above, or close to, the average salary reported by U.S. respondents. For IT professionals, number 12 on the list, Texas, is the first state to average below the mean IT salary of $89,066. For non-IT professionals, the spread is a bit larger with the drop below average of $102,828 occurring at number 19, Rhode Island.

These states represent a diverse variety in geography spread throughout the country. So if you’re thinking of relocating in the hopes of a higher paycheck, the next state you move to might be right next door!

	IT Respondents		Non-IT Respondents
11	Illinois	$90,430	Maryland*	$111,749
12	Texas	$88,460	Alaska**	$110,500
13	Georgia	$87,919	Kansas**	$110,467
14	Minnesota	$87,616	Texas	$110,007
15	North Carolina	$87,562	South Carolina**	$108,333
16	Hawaii*	$87,342	Washington*	$104,806
17	Nebraska	$87,304	New Jersey*	$103,872
18	North Dakota*	$86,255	Connecticut**	$103,310
19	Ohio	$86,153	Rhode Island**	$101,850
20	Tennessee	$85,852	Arizona*	$100,516

 

Middle-of-the-Road States: 21–40

These states didn’t rank the highest but they didn’t rank the lowest either for average salary. At this point in the rankings, both IT and non-IT professionals are averaging below the mean overall reported income for those in similar fields. If you’re thinking of relocating (or staying) in one of these states, your earning could be below average for 2015.

	IT Respondents		Non-IT Respondents
21	Pennsylvania	$85,664	Oklahoma**	$100,045
22	Nevada	$85,126	Idaho**	$99,133
23	Alabama	$85,054	Oregon**	$98,980
24	Florida	$84,782	Florida	$96,640
25	Kentucky	$84,774	Nevada**	$96,460
26	Michigan	$84,362	Michigan*	$94,902
27	Arizona	$84,346	Colordao*	$94,809
28	Arkansas*	$84,291	Pennsylvania*	$94,085
29	Oregon	$83,772	Georgia*	$93,221
30	Deleware*	$83,710	Missouri**	$93,036
31	Maine*	$83,480	Ohio	$92,297
32	Missouri	$83,472	Alabama**	$91,866
33	Alaska*	$83,329	Utah**	$90,789
34	New Hampshire*	$82,250	North Carolina	$89,658
35	Utah	$81,766	Nebraska**	$87,029
36	Kansas	$81,508	Tennessee*	$85,565
37	Iowa	$81,441	Iowa**	$85,472
38	New Mexico	$80,981	Montana**	$82,000
39	Wisconsin	$80,840	Hawaii**	$81,676
40	Wyoming**	$80,808	Wisconsin*	$81,309

 

Lowest-Ranked States: 41–51

Although these states came in with the lowest average salary among respondents in 2015, remember that the cost of living may be lower, and so you’re likely to spend less of your hard-earned dollars on monthly bills.

Additionally, unlike the top states, most of the lower-ranking states had the least amount of respondents for both IT and non-IT professionals, which makes the data less statistically significant and the findings inconclusive.

	IT Respondents		Non-IT Respondents
41	Louisana	$80,274	Louisana**	$78,006
42	Oklahoma	$80,011	Arkansas**	$77,806
43	South Carolina	$79,160	Wyoming**	$77,000
44	Idaho*	$79,100	Indiana*	$74,303
45	Mississippi*	$77,850	Delaware**	$73,700
46	West Virginia*	$77,682	New Mexico**	$71,720
47	Indiana	$77,198	Kentucky**	$70,238
48	Vermont**	$76,993	Mississippi**	$69,333
49	Rhode Island*	$76,548	South Dakota**	$61,000
50	Montana*	$74,508	Vermont**	$46,000
51	South Dakota**	$67,463	Maine**	$25,500

*Denotes 20–49 respondents.
**Denotes less than 20 respondents.

Although we can spot trends at this high level, it’s hard to judge what your potential earnings could be based on the state alone until you accept a position. If you’re considering locating to one of these states, find an online forum, like the My Community forums inside MyGK, for professionals in your field and about state (or even city) average earnings!

Next in the Series
I Want More Money: What Industry Should I Choose?
I Want More Money: What Certifications Should I Have?

Want to learn more?
To see additional data on demographics, job functions and other factors that impact salary, download the full eighth annual IT Skills and Salary Report.