The Top U.S. States Offering Programming Jobs

If you think California is the top state for programming jobs, guess again. According to recently released research from Experts Exchange, two states strongly associated with the nation's capital top the list for programming employment opportunities. (The Golden State does crack the top five, however.) Given that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects a 22 percent growth in software development jobs by 2022—double the anticipated growth for any other occupation—you'll likely want to know which regions are emerging as the most promising places to pursue a programming career. "Some of that growth will be seen in states like California and New York, which already show a high concentration of programmers and, thus, higher levels of competition," says Melanie Spatola, community manager for Experts Exchange, which is a global network for tech professionals. "On the other hand, states like Maryland have a relatively low number of qualified applicants for a growing number of jobs, making it the second most opportunity-rich state." The company compiled the research by cross-referencing online job postings, BLS statistics, Twitter data and geo-locations for programming jobs across the country.