Cited pay, by metro
Tech salary by metro
A national average hides where tech actually pays what. Here’s the cited, occupation-level BLS wage for tech roles in 120 U.S. metros— the government’s estimate for each area, not a self-reported number. Each card leads with a high-employment mapped tech occupation for the metro (broad “all other” catch-all rows are not used as the headline) and its cited median.
How to read this
The area estimate, not an average
Each figure is the BLS OEWS median annual wage for that occupation in that metro (May 2025). It reflects the whole area, not one employer or a self-reported survey. Pay is set by the occupation and location — not by a job title or a certification — so read it alongside cost of living and role fit.
How cost of living changes the picture →National wage bands (10th–90th percentile) →
AL
AR
AZ
CA
Bakersfield-Delano, CA
Project Management Specialists: $104,580 · 1,410 employed
13 mapped occupations →
Fresno, CA
Project Management Specialists: $101,030 · 1,720 employed
12 mapped occupations →
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Software Developers: $160,920 · 55,540 employed
13 mapped occupations →
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
Software Developers: $159,430 · 2,170 employed
13 mapped occupations →
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
Project Management Specialists: $100,770 · 6,720 employed
13 mapped occupations →
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
Computer User Support Specialists: $106,040 · 13,820 employed
13 mapped occupations →
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
Software Developers: $163,270 · 20,610 employed
13 mapped occupations →
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
Software Developers: $186,640 · 69,030 employed
13 mapped occupations →
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
Software Developers: $213,110 · 87,350 employed
13 mapped occupations →
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
Software Developers: $158,290 · 1,680 employed
13 mapped occupations →
CO
Boulder, CO
Software Developers: $164,560 · 7,130 employed
13 mapped occupations →
Colorado Springs, CO
Software Developers: $134,280 · 4,850 employed
13 mapped occupations →
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
Software Developers: $137,610 · 27,010 employed
13 mapped occupations →
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO
Software Developers: $133,990 · 1,820 employed
12 mapped occupations →
CT
DC-VA-MD-WV
FL
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL
Project Management Specialists: $96,600 · 2,750 employed
12 mapped occupations →
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL
Software Developers: $130,640 · 1,380 employed
12 mapped occupations →
Jacksonville, FL
Software Developers: $130,330 · 7,200 employed
13 mapped occupations →
Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL
Project Management Specialists: $94,720 · 1,150 employed
12 mapped occupations →
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
Project Management Specialists: $98,720 · 19,340 employed
13 mapped occupations →
North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL
Project Management Specialists: $96,510 · 2,060 employed
12 mapped occupations →
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
Software Developers: $129,620 · 13,440 employed
13 mapped occupations →
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL
Software Developers: $131,760 · 5,030 employed
13 mapped occupations →
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL
Project Management Specialists: $98,670 · 1,280 employed
12 mapped occupations →
Tallahassee, FL
Computer Systems Analysts: $72,510 · 1,480 employed
12 mapped occupations →
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
Software Developers: $130,450 · 14,230 employed
13 mapped occupations →
GA
GA-SC
HI
IA
IA-IL
ID
IL
IL-IN
IN
KS
KY
KY-IN
LA
MA
MA-NH
MD
ME
MI
Ann Arbor, MI
Software Developers: $126,830 · 2,740 employed
13 mapped occupations →
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
Software Developers: $130,760 · 24,870 employed
13 mapped occupations →
Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI
Software Developers: $107,520 · 4,310 employed
12 mapped occupations →
Lansing-East Lansing, MI
Software Developers: $97,120 · 3,020 employed
13 mapped occupations →
MN-WI
MO
MO-IL
MO-KS
MS
NC
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
Software Developers: $135,620 · 9,790 employed
13 mapped occupations →
Greensboro-High Point, NC
Project Management Specialists: $99,690 · 2,080 employed
12 mapped occupations →
Raleigh-Cary, NC
Software Developers: $132,770 · 12,580 employed
13 mapped occupations →
Winston-Salem, NC
Project Management Specialists: $79,560 · 1,530 employed
12 mapped occupations →
NC-SC
NE
NE-IA
NH
NJ
NM
NV
NY
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
Computer Systems Analysts: $86,890 · 3,290 employed
13 mapped occupations →
Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY
Software Developers: $127,850 · 3,960 employed
13 mapped occupations →
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY
Project Management Specialists: $102,650 · 1,300 employed
12 mapped occupations →
Rochester, NY
Software Developers: $122,770 · 4,650 employed
13 mapped occupations →
Syracuse, NY
Software Developers: $129,100 · 2,180 employed
12 mapped occupations →
NY-NJ
OH
Akron, OH
Software Developers: $105,430 · 2,240 employed
12 mapped occupations →
Cleveland, OH
Software Developers: $111,310 · 8,460 employed
13 mapped occupations →
Columbus, OH
Software Developers: $122,340 · 9,880 employed
12 mapped occupations →
Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH
Software Developers: $106,910 · 3,910 employed
13 mapped occupations →
OH-KY-IN
OK
OR
OR-WA
PA
PA-NJ
PA-NJ-DE-MD
PR
RI-MA
SC
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
Project Management Specialists: $94,730 · 3,510 employed
13 mapped occupations →
Columbia, SC
Project Management Specialists: $85,260 · 2,430 employed
12 mapped occupations →
Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC
Project Management Specialists: $94,780 · 3,600 employed
12 mapped occupations →
TN
TN-GA
TN-MS-AR
TX
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Software Developers: $134,120 · 31,960 employed
13 mapped occupations →
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Software Developers: $133,290 · 67,030 employed
13 mapped occupations →
El Paso, TX
Project Management Specialists: $79,920 · 2,060 employed
12 mapped occupations →
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Project Management Specialists: $99,510 · 35,550 employed
13 mapped occupations →
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
Project Management Specialists: $92,130 · 9,990 employed
13 mapped occupations →
UT
VA
VA-NC
VT
WA
WI
Common questions
Tech pay by metro, answered honestly
- Where do these salary figures come from?
- From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — the government’s occupation-level median wage estimate for each metro area. These are area estimates for an occupation, not a self-reported average, not a single company’s pay, and not caused by any job title or certification.
- Why is the same role paid so differently by metro?
- The same occupation can pay very differently in two metro areas — that’s exactly why a national average can mislead. BLS publishes the local estimates without attributing causes, so we don’t either. Each metro here has a set of mapped tech-relevant occupations and a pay distribution (10th–90th percentile, not just the median) behind it.
- Is a higher-paying metro actually better?
- Not necessarily — a higher median often comes with a higher cost of living, so more pay doesn’t always mean more take-home value. Look at pay and cost of living together, and weigh the local occupation employment and the role fit, not just the number. These pages don’t measure job openings.
Turn a number into a plan
Pay is one input. RoleMath sequences the cited role, certification, and cost for your situation — and isn’t influenced by who pays us.