State rankings

Highest Paying Jobs by State

Georgia has the highest Average Salary ($381,830), followed by Alabama ($376,956) and North Dakota ($373,230). Vermont has the lowest ($305,820).

Economics50 states · 2 metricsUpdated Mar 17, 2023Original page
12 sources
Average SalaryBetter directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →
50 of 51 states
Compare this metricAdd to combined rankingOpen full map
Cost-of-living adjustmentConverts wages and incomes to what they would buy at average US prices, so $100k in a cheap state and $100k in an expensive one are not treated as equal.More in the glossary →

Average Salary

Darker green is better (higher is better). Click a place to highlight it.

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All 50 ranked

Best first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
$351,445
Middle half $343.9K – $360.7K
Average
$350,811
50 states
Highest
$381,830
Georgia
Lowest
$305,820
Vermont

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

50 states · # = rank by Average Salary
#
1GeorgiaOrthopedic surgeons$381,830
2AlabamaSurgeon$376,956
3North DakotaOrthopedic surgeons$373,230
4KansasSurgeon$371,189
5HawaiiDermatologists$366,600
6IllinoisObstetricians and gynecologists$364,800
7FloridaAnesthesiologists$363,570
8LouisianaOrthopedic surgeons$362,320
9MarylandCardiologists$362,090
10TexasCardiologists$361,990
11New HampshireCardiologists$361,150
12New MexicoCardiologists$360,990
13PennsylvaniaAnesthesiologists$360,790
14WashingtonCardiologists$360,230
15UtahObstetricians and gynecologists$357,340
16MississippiEmergency medicine physicians$356,830
17Rhode IslandSurgeon$356,680
18South CarolinaSurgeon$356,560
19VirginiaCardiologists$355,580
20KentuckyEmergency medicine physicians$355,550
21WisconsinAnesthesiologists$355,050
22MichiganEmergency medicine physicians$354,650
23DelawareOrthopedic surgeon$353,920
24OregonOrthopedic surgeons$352,360
25CaliforniaSurgeon$351,580
26MassachusettsRadiologists$351,310
27ArizonaOrthopedic surgeons$351,020
28MissouriRadiologists$350,670
29MaineOphthalmologists$349,870
30MinnesotaDermatologist$349,710
31OhioRadiologists$348,520
32IowaCardiologists$348,350
33North CarolinaRadiologists$347,470
34MontanaAnesthesiologists$347,000
35IndianaEmergency medicine physicians$346,520
36West VirginiaAnesthesiologists$344,930
37NebraskaObstetricians and gynecologists$344,470
38ArkansasEmergency medicine physicians$343,650
39OklahomaEmergency medicine physicians$342,730
40TennesseeCardiologists$341,660
41ConnecticutObstetricians and Gynecologists$341,380
42AlaskaSurgeon$336,900
43ColoradoRadiologists$336,560
44South DakotaObstetricians and gynecologists$336,300
45NevadaSurgeon$335,250
46WyomingObstetricians and gynecologists$331,120
47New YorkDermatologists$330,010
48New JerseyOrthopedic Surgeons$324,770
49IdahoSurgeon$320,740
50VermontAnesthesiologists$305,820

What correlates with Average Salary?

Pearson r against 2,113 other state metrics sharing at least 30 states. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Average Salary tend to score higher on these

  1. Black Alone or in Combination % RegisteredVoters by Race by State
    r = +0.54 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Black Alone % RegisteredVoters by Race by State
    r = +0.49 · moderate · n = 49
    Plot
  3. Location Quotient of Racist Post-Election TweetsMost Racist States
    r = +0.47 · moderate · n = 42
    Plot
  4. Average Dew PointLeast Humid States
    r = +0.46 · moderate · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Vacancies Raw CountTeacher Shortages by State
    r = +0.45 · moderate · n = 37
    Plot
  6. Average Low TemperatureAverage Temperatures by State
    r = +0.45 · moderate · n = 50
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Average Salary tend to score lower on these

  1. Lowest- Cost Gold Premium (Avg)Obamacare Prices by State
    r = −0.50 · moderate · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Average Annual Snowfall 1980-2010Snowiest States
    r = −0.45 · moderate · n = 49
    Plot
  3. Mean Annual Snowfall 1971-2000Best Weather by State
    r = −0.45 · moderate · n = 49
    Plot
  4. C Section In NetworkCost of Having a Baby by State
    r = −0.45 · moderate · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Lowest- Cost Silver Premium (Avg)Obamacare Prices by State
    r = −0.45 · moderate · n = 50
    Plot
  6. Benchmark Premium (Avg)Obamacare Prices by State
    r = −0.44 · moderate · n = 50
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Average Salary?
Georgia has the highest Average Salary, at $381,830, followed by Alabama ($376,956) and North Dakota ($373,230).
Which state has the lowest Average Salary?
Vermont has the lowest Average Salary, at $305,820.
What is the median Average Salary across US states?
The median is $351,445 across the 50 US states with data.
Where does this highest paying jobs by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: USA by Numbers; Credit Carma; CareerCarma; Arkansas Business Publishing Group.