What Is a Good Salary in Each State?
Wage percentiles for all 50 states and DC: where a salary ranks against other workers.
Whether a salary is “good” depends on where it sits in the local wage distribution. BLS publishes five wage percentiles for every state. Nationally, half of workers earn less than $50,980, a quarter earn more than $80,520, and the top 10% earn more than $128,560. The bottom 10% earn less than $31,200.
As a rule of thumb, a salary above the state median is above-average for an individual worker, the 75th percentile is comfortably above most local paychecks, and the 90th percentile marks the top tenth of earners. The table is sorted by the 75th percentile.
| State | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | 90/10 ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | 4.1× |
| District of Columbia | $39,650 | $55,460 | $91,540 | $144,680 | $195,190 | 4.9× |
| Massachusetts | $36,330 | $44,730 | $63,590 | $102,580 | $163,010 | 4.5× |
| Washington | $38,670 | $47,020 | $62,990 | $101,710 | $153,630 | 4.0× |
| New York | $35,760 | $41,160 | $59,670 | $98,810 | $157,500 | 4.4× |
| Maryland | $34,520 | $39,440 | $59,510 | $98,010 | $145,410 | 4.2× |
| California | $35,950 | $41,600 | $58,240 | $97,880 | $159,080 | 4.4× |
| New Jersey | $34,450 | $39,400 | $58,570 | $96,720 | $142,750 | 4.1× |
| Connecticut | $35,450 | $40,390 | $59,690 | $95,110 | $135,790 | 3.8× |
| Colorado | $36,350 | $43,680 | $59,800 | $93,220 | $136,330 | 3.8× |
| Alaska | $34,930 | $43,470 | $61,000 | $92,910 | $128,720 | 3.7× |
| Virginia | $30,530 | $37,720 | $55,690 | $89,420 | $139,010 | 4.6× |
| Rhode Island | $32,470 | $39,780 | $56,780 | $85,200 | $128,120 | 3.9× |
| Oregon | $35,680 | $42,690 | $57,000 | $83,070 | $129,520 | 3.6× |
| Illinois | $32,900 | $37,960 | $51,960 | $83,060 | $127,770 | 3.9× |
| Minnesota | $33,540 | $39,680 | $56,920 | $82,520 | $125,730 | 3.7× |
| New Hampshire | $33,030 | $39,860 | $55,880 | $81,780 | $126,930 | 3.8× |
| Delaware | $31,650 | $37,300 | $52,190 | $81,560 | $127,690 | 4.0× |
| Hawaii | $34,170 | $40,370 | $56,320 | $81,510 | $123,660 | 3.6× |
| Vermont | $35,910 | $43,350 | $56,390 | $79,240 | $111,480 | 3.1× |
| Utah | $30,040 | $37,520 | $50,110 | $78,560 | $119,990 | 4.0× |
| Pennsylvania | $28,920 | $36,690 | $49,690 | $78,270 | $117,860 | 4.1× |
| Michigan | $30,290 | $37,070 | $49,270 | $77,910 | $110,650 | 3.7× |
| Texas | $27,250 | $35,370 | $48,620 | $77,840 | $125,220 | 4.6× |
| Arizona | $34,190 | $38,160 | $50,060 | $77,830 | $120,180 | 3.5× |
| Georgia | $27,930 | $35,700 | $48,170 | $77,570 | $122,470 | 4.4× |
| Ohio | $29,210 | $36,820 | $49,380 | $77,570 | $106,800 | 3.7× |
| Wisconsin | $29,980 | $37,700 | $50,270 | $76,350 | $104,990 | 3.5× |
| Maine | $35,140 | $40,120 | $51,430 | $76,230 | $105,510 | 3.0× |
| North Dakota | $31,330 | $38,600 | $52,480 | $75,810 | $103,160 | 3.3× |
| North Carolina | $28,580 | $36,030 | $47,970 | $75,610 | $119,640 | 4.2× |
| Florida | $30,010 | $36,290 | $47,880 | $75,410 | $114,550 | 3.8× |
| New Mexico | $28,760 | $35,260 | $47,210 | $75,030 | $110,070 | 3.8× |
| Wyoming | $28,870 | $37,110 | $50,270 | $74,760 | $104,190 | 3.6× |
| Missouri | $29,780 | $36,160 | $47,800 | $74,260 | $104,320 | 3.5× |
| Nevada | $28,270 | $36,150 | $47,660 | $74,140 | $106,080 | 3.8× |
| Nebraska | $30,120 | $37,370 | $48,980 | $73,830 | $103,110 | 3.4× |
| Montana | $29,390 | $37,210 | $48,740 | $72,640 | $100,610 | 3.4× |
| Idaho | $29,300 | $36,660 | $47,970 | $72,320 | $103,240 | 3.5× |
| Kansas | $28,530 | $35,880 | $48,010 | $72,280 | $103,250 | 3.6× |
| Indiana | $29,120 | $36,500 | $47,860 | $72,000 | $101,160 | 3.5× |
| Tennessee | $28,600 | $35,830 | $47,380 | $71,050 | $103,130 | 3.6× |
| South Carolina | $27,070 | $34,630 | $46,490 | $70,340 | $103,010 | 3.8× |
| Iowa | $28,930 | $36,570 | $48,540 | $70,290 | $99,630 | 3.4× |
| Alabama | $26,090 | $32,050 | $45,670 | $66,790 | $101,250 | 3.9× |
| Kentucky | $27,970 | $35,410 | $46,920 | $66,760 | $98,380 | 3.5× |
| Louisiana | $22,710 | $30,350 | $45,520 | $66,340 | $100,110 | 4.4× |
| Oklahoma | $25,850 | $32,740 | $45,600 | $66,000 | $100,690 | 3.9× |
| West Virginia | $26,070 | $31,530 | $45,300 | $64,940 | $98,220 | 3.8× |
| South Dakota | $29,300 | $36,030 | $47,080 | $64,020 | $94,900 | 3.2× |
| Arkansas | $27,020 | $31,880 | $43,630 | $61,850 | $94,740 | 3.5× |
| Mississippi | $22,970 | $29,760 | $40,120 | $60,180 | $84,500 | 3.7× |
Where pay is most and least spread out
The 90/10 ratio divides the 90th percentile wage by the 10th. It is widest in District of Columbia (4.9×), Texas and Virginia, and narrowest in Maine (3.0×), Vermont and South Dakota.
Individual wage vs. household income
These percentiles describe individual wage and salary jobs. If you are judging a household budget, compare against median household income instead, and against prices using the cost-of-living adjusted ranking.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good salary in the United States?
A salary above the national median of $50,980 beats half of U.S. workers; $80,520 or more is in the top 25% and $128,560 or more in the top 10% (BLS OEWS May 2025).
What salary puts you in the top 10% in a state?
It ranges from $84,500 in Mississippi to $163,010 in Massachusetts among the states ($195,190 in the District of Columbia). See the 90th percentile column above.