DC tech pay ranks among the highest, but at the bottom by one measure

Quality control certification, checked guarantee of standard of company product. Concept on virtual screen.(Getty Images/iStockphoto/anyaberkut)

When compared to states, D.C. ranks No. 3 in the nation for average technology profession pay, at $113,930 a year, according to research site Business.org.

Virginia ranks No. 4 and Maryland ranks No. 6, at $107,130 and $105,150, respectively.

Business.org does not just rank states by raw average wages, but also by how those tech industry wages compare to all occupations in each state.

Based on that, D.C. tech jobs pay just 20% more than the average salary for all jobs — which is $95,000 — ranking the District last among states.

Alabama tops that list for best salaries compared to all occupations. The average tech profession salary is among the lowest in the nation there at $86,700, but that is 85% higher than the average wage for all occupations in Alabama.

Among metro areas, San Jose, California, ranks first for best pay difference in tech, with tech jobs paying an average of 507% more than the average salary for all occupations.

Business.org also ranks the top tech occupations for average salary. Actuaries rank No. 1, followed by computer network architects, software developers and quality assurance analysts, mathematicians and information security analysts.

Business.org based its findings for tech salaries on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

See a state-by-state comparison of tech worker compensation.

Jeff Clabaugh

Jeff Clabaugh has spent 20 years covering the Washington region's economy and financial markets for WTOP as part of a partnership with the Washington Business Journal, and officially joined the WTOP newsroom staff in January 2016.

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