Which states sit at the top?
Four states pull clear of the rest. In the BLS software developers series, moved to 2026, the California median is $179,900. Washington is at $171,800, New York at $171,400 and Massachusetts at $170,400. After that comes a drop of more than $20,000 to Oregon ($147,200), New Hampshire ($144,100), Maryland ($143,000), Colorado ($142,700), the District of Columbia ($141,200) and Virginia ($140,700). The national median is $140,200, so only about ten states beat it by much.
Data scientists rank differently. Washington leads with a $168,500 median, well ahead of California at $146,000. Maryland ($140,700), New Jersey ($139,500), Massachusetts ($135,900) and New York ($134,600) follow. The US median for that series is $124,000.
What these numbers measure, and what they miss
BLS has no occupation code for AI. The figures here come from the nearest series. Machine learning engineers, AI developers and similar roles map to software developers. AI data scientists map to data scientists. Each series covers the whole occupation, so a state median mixes AI specialists with web, enterprise and embedded developers. Read it as a floor for comparison between states. It will understate pay at AI-focused employers.
Industry moves pay as much as geography does. BLS reports a May 2025 median of $164,550 for software developers at software publishers, against $132,050 in computer systems design. These are wage figures only. They do not adjust for housing or living costs, which you should weigh yourself before you treat a higher state median as a raise.
How job ads compare with BLS
Live machine learning engineer ads on AutomationRoles.ai on 5 November 2026 show a median pay midpoint of $227,400, across 139 ads from 56 employers. That is far above the BLS national median of $140,200. Two things drive the gap. The ads lean toward large AI and technology employers, and the BLS series includes many general software roles. Ad ranges also show base pay only and leave out stock and bonus, which can be a large share of pay at big tech firms. Treat the ads as a view of one hiring segment, not a market average.
Lower-paying states are not closed doors
At the bottom of the software developers series sit Mississippi ($98,300), South Dakota ($99,300), Louisiana ($106,000), Arkansas ($107,800), North Dakota ($108,900) and Indiana ($109,200). For data scientists, Mississippi ($71,700), Louisiana ($81,200) and North Dakota ($84,500) are lowest. A few mid-size states run close to the coasts on the 25th percentile. Colorado's software developer p25 of $126,300 is higher than the p25 in every state except California, Washington, Massachusetts and New York. Texas ($136,300) and Florida ($135,100) sit just under the national median for software developers.
Pay
USD a year, before tax. US figures. BLS rows are the 25th to 75th percentile from BLS OEWS May 2025, moved to 2026 with the Employment Cost Index, using the software developers and data scientists series as the nearest match; they cover the whole occupation, not AI specialists alone. The job ads row is the p25 to p75 of pay midpoints in live AutomationRoles.ai machine learning engineer ads on 5 November 2026; ads lean toward large AI and tech employers and exclude stock and bonus. Refer to the Machine Learning Engineers salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- IndustryBLS puts the May 2025 software developer median at $164,550 in software publishers and $132,050 in computer systems design. Who you work for matters as much as where.
- Occupation seriesData scientist pay trails software developer pay in most states. In Washington, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey and Vermont the two medians are close, and in Arkansas the data scientist median is higher.
- EducationBLS says software developers and data scientists typically need a bachelor's degree. It notes some data scientist jobs require a master's or doctoral degree.
- SeniorityThe gap between p25 and p75 in a single state is often $50,000 to $70,000, and about $80,000 in California, Washington and New York.
- Compensation mixBase salary is only part of pay at large tech employers. Stock and bonus are not in the job ad figures here.
By location
| California | Highest software developer median at $179,900, with p75 at $223,500. Data scientist median is $146,000. |
|---|---|
| Washington | Software developer median $171,800. Highest data scientist median in the country at $168,500, with p75 at $214,900. |
| New York | Software developer median $171,400 and p75 $212,000. Data scientist median $134,600. |
| Massachusetts | Software developer median $170,400 and the third-highest p25 at $135,500. Data scientist median $135,900. |
| Colorado | Software developer median $142,700, with a high p25 of $126,300 that beats most coastal states at entry level. |
| Texas | Software developer median $136,300, just under the US figure. Data scientist median $125,900, slightly above the US figure. |
| Louisiana | Software developer median $106,000 and data scientist median $81,200, both among the lowest in the country. |
| Mississippi | Lowest medians in both series: $98,300 for software developers and $71,700 for data scientists. |
How to get there
- Before comparingPick the right seriesUse software developers for ML and AI engineering roles and data scientists for analytics and modeling roles. The rankings differ.
- Early careerCompare p25 for entry offersEntry-level offers often fall toward the lower part of the range, so compare p25 as well as the median. Colorado and Massachusetts are strong at that level.
- Year 3 onwardCompare the median and p75 for later movesCompare the median and p75, where California, Washington and New York lead.
- At offer stageCheck employer typeSoftware publishers and large tech firms pay above the state median. Ask about stock and bonus as well as base.
Open now on AutomationRoles.ai
Questions people ask
Which state pays machine learning engineers the most?
California, with a 2026 median of $179,900 in the BLS software developers series, the nearest match for machine learning engineers. Washington, New York and Massachusetts each sit near $171,000.
Which state pays data scientists the most?
Washington, with a 2026 median of $168,500 in the BLS data scientists series. California follows at $146,000, then Maryland at $140,700.
Why are job ad salaries so much higher than BLS figures?
The AutomationRoles.ai ads lean toward large AI and technology employers, and the BLS series covers all software developers. The machine learning engineer ad median is $227,400 against a BLS national median of $140,200, and the ads still leave out stock and bonus.
Does BLS track AI jobs directly?
No. BLS has no AI occupation series, so state pay for AI roles is read from the nearest series, such as software developers or data scientists. Those figures include many workers outside AI.
Do these figures account for cost of living?
No. They are wage figures only. A higher median in a high-cost state may buy less than a lower median elsewhere, so compare living costs separately.
Which states pay the least?
In the software developers series, Mississippi ($98,300), South Dakota ($99,300) and Louisiana ($106,000) have the lowest medians. For data scientists, Mississippi, Louisiana and North Dakota are lowest.
