Main image of article Which East Coast Cities Pay Software Engineers the Most?

Like the West Coast, the East Coast features a cluster of mature tech hubs—all of which offer high compensation to technologists with the right mix of skills and experience. But which of these East Coast cities pay technologists the most?

Blind, which surveys anonymous technologists on a range of issues, recently dug into salary data for software engineers on the East Coast. It produced a comprehensive list of 50 cities; below are the top ones, including New York, Boston, and Washington, DC:

The top slots on this list illustrate the increasing prominence of Virginia as a premier “tech zone.” With its proximity to Washington, DC, Northern Virginia benefits from the federal government’s constant need for technologists (and contractors); in addition, big tech companies such as Microsoft and Amazon have set down deep roots in the area, particularly in terms of datacenters. No wonder Amazon chose to place its massive HQ2 facility in the state.

Another key takeaway from this list: high salaries are distributed up and down the East Coast. You don’t have to move to Boston, New York, or Washington, DC to land big compensation as a software engineer; the markets in cities like Pittsburgh and Hoboken are likewise mature and lucrative. With the rise of remote and hybrid job opportunities, technologists everywhere have more options in terms of where they live and work.

How does software engineer compensation in these cities compare to technologists overall? The most recent Dice Tech Salary Report offers a comprehensive view into technologist compensation in major cities; in New York, for example, technologists could expect to make an average of $115,510 in 2021, a slight increase from 2020. In other words, it’s not just software engineers; technologists of all backgrounds and skill-sets can potentially unlock sizable paydays.