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In a techie world: Virginia is best state for technology positions

Rebecca Barnabi
technology
Photo Credit: science photo

Virginia is the best state to work in technology.

Data such as salaries, employment rates and vacancies in the technology field across the United States was analyzed by SmallPDF, a document management company.

Following Virginia, are Maryland and Washington. The worst state to work in technology, according to the data, is Mississippi.

High average wages in computer and mathematical occupations with $110,510/year are available in Virginia, the data revealed. Per 1,000 jobs, 58.44 are employed in Virginia in technology. The highest current vacancies in the field are 128.97 per 100,000 people.

In comparison to average rent in Virginia, technology employees spend 21.68 percent of their salary on rent. Employees looking to enter the technology industry have options, with 27,563 remote openings available at the time the study was conducted.

In Maryland, technology positions offer $110,790/year, with 54.35 tech jobs per 1,000 jobs. Maryland has 116.27 vacancies for every 100,000 people. Technology employees spend 19.97 percent of their annual salary on rent, one of the lowest percentages of any state. Maryland had 27,139 remote technology openings at the time of the study.

The highest number of jobs in technology per 1,000 people is found in Washington at 59.32, as well as the highest average salary with $124,000/year. On the other hand, the state has a lower number of vacancies available: 61.69 per 100,000, which is just half of vacancies in Virginia. Technology employees spend 21.24 percent of their annual salary on rent in Washington, and 27,546 remote tech jobs were available when the study was conducted.

“It’s fascinating to see how many states are nowadays offering solid salaries in tech jobs, as well as lots of opportunities, especially in northeast regions of the U.S.,” a spokesperson with SmallPDF said in a press release. “With the increase in remote working, we’re relying more than ever on technology to ensure our work processes are smooth and easy, from collaborating on documents to digitally signing contracts.”

Mississippi ranked at the bottom of the list with technology salaries on average at $70,870/year, tech employment at 11.857 per 1,000 jobs and lowest vacancies with 16.03 per 100,000 people.

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca J. Barnabi is the national editor of Augusta Free Press. A graduate of the University of Mary Washington, she began her journalism career at The Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star. In 2013, she was awarded first place for feature writing in the Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia Awards Program, and was honored by the Virginia School Boards Association’s 2019 Media Honor Roll Program for her coverage of Waynesboro Schools. Her background in newspapers includes writing about features, local government, education and the arts.