Forbes’ new ranking of the Best and Worst States for Tech in 2024 includes the District along with other states, but D.C. comes out on top.
The rankings analyzed seven factors — including employment rates, pay and projected growth.
Forbes says there are a lot of IT professionals in D.C., with 7.06% of the D.C. workforce employed in tech — the highest rate in the country. D.C. also has some of the highest-earning tech workers in the country, with a mean annual salary of $119,610.
“While tech workers earn higher mean salary in a few states, Washington, D.C. cultivates a highly favorable climate for tech workers,” Forbes said in its rankings. “Additionally, Washington, D.C. exhibited strong GDP growth over the past five years.”
D.C. also outscores states for share of women technology professionals at 31.6%, compared to 25.9% nationally.
Despite the tech-heavy San Francisco Bay Area, California ranks only at No. 4 on Forbes’ list. Colorado and Washington state take the No. 2 and No. 3 rankings, behind D.C.
Virginia, with a mean annual IT job salary of $118,100, ranks No. 5 overall. Maryland, where the mean annual pay is $117.500, ranks No. 9 overall for tech careers.
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