Washington State is the place to be for software developers

Not silicon valley. For a variety of reasons, there is an ongoing exodus from Silicon Valley. You'll rarely hear cost of living not mentioned as a reason why, but there are other factors as well.

In order for there to be an exodus, there must have first been a surge, and ask anyone where the hub of "technology" is in the United States, and Silicon Valley is the first thought to mind. However, as 2018 data show, that is actually no longer the case.

While California as a whole still has more jobs in the field, the location quotient and the employment per thousand jobs are significantly higher in Washington State, as well as the hourly and annual mean wages!

When we break this data out to specific metropolitan areas, we see more traditionally expected results where the San Jose area clearly dominates in density, but when factoring the cost of living, Washington State remains clearly more advantageous for the individual.

Cost of Living / Compensation

When we cross reference the cost of living, with the median compensation, the choice becomes obvious; the Seattle-Tacoma area is without a doubt the clear and obvious choice for software developers to maximize their income. Not to mention the countless other benefits of Washington State; not the least of which are world class craft beer, breath-taking scenery, the great outdoors, and of course no state income tax!

Remember, Median Software Developer income is $131,320 in San Jose ($144,050 in SF), and $133,590 in Seattle.

• Overall, San Jose, California is 27.5% more expensive than Seattle, Washington
• Median Home Cost is the biggest factor in the cost of living difference.
• Median Home Cost is 42% more expensive in San Jose.

Data Don't Lie

This data also unfortunately sheds very clear light on my home of Chicago (Naperville) which pales in comparison of every metric to the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area, despite having orders of magnitude more population and infrastructure. I love my home town, but there is frankly no comparison.

All that being said, it makes absolutely perfect sense why Seattle metropolitan area continues to see explosive growth and development, and given the infrastructure and investment from the leading technology companies in the area, there is absolutely no reason to believe that will change any time soon.

The Seattle homeless situation however...

That's another story. If you want to make a difference with the homeless crisis, check out the spectacularly admirable https://www.samaritan.city/ (also a Seattle company).

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Data and figures sourced from: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes151132.htm and https://www.bestplaces.net/cost-of-living/seattle-wa/san-jose-ca/140000