Average Salary by U.S. State
Compare mean and median wages, monthly pay and cost-of-living adjusted income across all 50 states and the District of Columbia — transcribed from the latest federal releases. U.S. mean wage: $69,770; median: $50,980.
Top-paying states
Mean annual wage across all occupations. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Salary guides
- Average salary by stateMean, median and hourly wages for all 50 states and DC, ranked.
- Monthly salary by stateAverage and median pay per month, per paycheck, per week and per hour.
- What is a good salary in each state?The 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th wage percentiles by state.
- Wages adjusted for cost of livingPay divided by BEA regional price parities: what a salary really buys.
- Household income by stateMedian household, family and per-capita income and earnings by sex.
- Take-home pay calculator (2026)Estimate federal tax, Social Security and Medicare on any salary.
- Mean vs. median salaryWhy the “average” salary is higher than what most people earn.
- Salary by occupation and state54 occupations with state-by-state pay tables.
Browse by state
Mean and median wages, monthly pay, percentiles, household income and top-paying jobs for every state.
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Salary by occupation
State-by-state pay for 54 occupations, BLS OEWS May 2025.
- Software Developer
- Web Developer
- Data Scientist
- Information Security Analyst
- Computer Systems Analyst
- Network and Computer Systems Administrator
- Registered Nurse
- Nurse Practitioner
- Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN/LVN)
- Nursing Assistant (CNA)
- Medical Assistant
- Family Medicine Physician
- Physician Assistant
- Pharmacist
- Dentist (General)
- Dental Hygienist
- Physical Therapist
- Occupational Therapist
- Speech-Language Pathologist
- Medical and Health Services Manager
- Elementary School Teacher
- Middle School Teacher
- High School Teacher
- Child, Family and School Social Worker
- Accountant and Auditor
- Financial and Investment Analyst
- Financial Manager
- Project Management Specialist
- Human Resources Specialist
- Marketing Manager
- General and Operations Manager
- Bookkeeping, Accounting and Auditing Clerk
- Secretary and Administrative Assistant
- Customer Service Representative
- Retail Salesperson
- Cashier
- Lawyer
- Paralegal and Legal Assistant
- Civil Engineer
- Mechanical Engineer
- Electrical Engineer
- Construction Manager
- Construction Laborer
- Carpenter
- Electrician
- Plumber, Pipefitter and Steamfitter
- HVAC Technician
- Welder
- Automotive Service Technician
- Diesel Mechanic
- Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver
- Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer
- Firefighter
- Correctional Officer
What the numbers mean
State salary figures come in three flavors — and they answer different questions.
- Mean annual wage
- The arithmetic average of all reported wages in a state. Pulled upward by very high earners.
- Median wage
- The middle value — half of workers earn more, half earn less. The best single number for a “typical” paycheck.
- Cost-of-living adjusted wage
- Pay divided by the state’s regional price parity. Compares purchasing power, not headline dollars.