A new study by The Kaplan Group analyzing Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) wage data provides insights into the disparities in salaries across states and occupations within the United States. By examining mean annual salaries, the study identifies the highest-paying states, occupations, and metropolitan areas.
Key Takeaways
- Massachusetts is the state with the highest mean annual salary at $80,330, while Mississippi lags behind as the only state below $50,000
- Management Occupations offers the highest mean average salary at $137,750. Occupations within healthcare and management consistently rank among the highest-paid, with Pediatric Surgeons leading the way at $449,320.
- Metropolitan areas located on the coasts, particularly in California and New York, tend to have higher average salaries. California leads the top 10 highest-paying areas for each occupational category appearing 76 times out of 220 entries.
Highest Salary in Massachusetts
According to the 2023 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Massachusetts is the state with the highest mean annual salary at $80,330, though the District of Columbia takes the lead with $106,230. New York ($78,620), Washington ($78,130), California ($76,960), and New Jersey ($73,980) round out the top five highest-paying states. The national mean annual salary sits at $65,470.
Mississippi holds the distinction of being the only state with a mean annual salary below $50,000, at $47,570. Just above this mark are Arkansas ($51,250), West Virginia ($52,200), South Dakota ($53,230), and Alabama ($53,400), which comprise the bottom five.
Highest Wage in Management Occupations
Interestingly, “Office and Administrative Support Occupations” consistently rank as the top employment category across nearly every state. Transportation, Sales, and Food Preparation and Serving related occupations follow closely behind. However, when it comes to wages, “Management Occupations” lead with an average of $137,750, followed by “Legal Occupations” ($133,820) and “Computer and Mathematical Occupations” ($113,140). “Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations” round out the top four with a mean annual wage of $102,060. Notably, the highest-paying jobs all fall within the healthcare sector, with the number one being pediatric surgeon at $449,320.
Significant diversity in top wages
Looking into the metropolitan area level shows some interesting trends. While a few states dominate the top 10 highest-paying areas for each occupational category, there’s still significant diversity with representation from 27 different states.
California is leading, appearing 76 times out of 220 entries. Washington (34 entries), Colorado (15 entries), and New York (13 entries) follow. Interestingly, New York-Newark-Jersey City has the highest wage in nearly half of the categories. It’s also worth noting that despite its large population, Texas only appears four times, and Florida has no cities represented in the top 10 for any occupation. Additionally, some occupational groups present surprising leaders at the metropolitan level, such as Anchorage, Alaska, which takes the top spot for “Transportation and Material Moving Occupations.”
On the metropolitan area level, California has the two areas with the highest annual wage, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara ($113,730) and San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward ($97,460). This is the only state with two entries in the top ten, showing that multiple states are competing at the top of the salary ladder.
Our study reveals significant disparities in salaries across states and occupations within the United States. While some states consistently offer higher wages, such as Massachusetts and the District of Columbia, others, like Mississippi, struggle to reach the national average. Additionally, certain occupations, particularly within healthcare and management, consistently command higher salaries compared to others. Furthermore, our analysis of metropolitan areas revealed a notable concentration of high-paying jobs in specific regions, such as California and New York. However, the data also highlights the diversity of opportunities across the country, with cities in various states emerging as leaders in different occupational sectors.
States in Order of Mean Annual Wage
| State | Mean Annual Wage ($) | Total Employment | Mean Hourly Wage ($) | Highest Paying Area |
| District of Columbia | 106230 | 701840 | 51.07 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($88,370) |
| Massachusetts | 80330 | 3643450 | 38.62 | Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($84,490) |
| New York | 78620 | 9392830 | 37.8 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($82,050) |
| Washington | 78130 | 3495500 | 37.56 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($86,520) |
| California | 76960 | 17945910 | 37.0 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($113,730) |
| New Jersey | 73980 | 4202170 | 35.57 | Trenton, NJ ($77,980) |
| Connecticut | 73740 | 1660330 | 35.45 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($82,180) |
| Maryland | 73620 | 2677430 | 35.4 | California-Lexington Park, MD ($84,650) |
| Colorado | 71960 | 2832010 | 34.6 | Boulder, CO ($87,220) |
| Virginia | 70050 | 3981130 | 33.68 | Charlottesville, VA ($66,980) |
| Alaska | 69880 | 311610 | 33.6 | Anchorage, AK ($70,970) |
| Illinois | 67130 | 6011660 | 32.27 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($69,490) |
| Oregon | 66710 | 1943180 | 32.07 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA ($72,350) |
| Minnesota | 66700 | 2881100 | 32.07 | Rochester, MN ($72,600) |
| Rhode Island | 66610 | 488220 | 32.02 | Providence-Warwick, RI-MA ($64,950) |
| New Hampshire | 66110 | 675150 | 31.78 | Portsmouth, NH-ME ($68,480) |
| Delaware | 65990 | 469280 | 31.73 | Dover, DE ($55,510) |
| Hawaii | 65030 | 616980 | 31.27 | Urban Honolulu, HI ($67,160) |
| Arizona | 63040 | 3129720 | 30.31 | Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ ($64,890) |
| Vermont | 62780 | 300760 | 30.18 | Burlington-South Burlington, VT ($66,850) |
| Pennsylvania | 61920 | 5948490 | 29.77 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD ($67,880) |
| Georgia | 61250 | 4757900 | 29.45 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA ($66,910) |
| Texas | 61240 | 13557950 | 29.44 | Austin-Round Rock, TX ($69,150) |
| Utah | 61070 | 1678660 | 29.36 | Salt Lake City, UT ($65,880) |
| Michigan | 60600 | 4347960 | 29.13 | Ann Arbor, MI ($69,540) |
| Florida | 60210 | 9568260 | 28.95 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL ($63,380) |
| Maine | 60000 | 621750 | 28.85 | Portland-South Portland, ME ($64,070) |
| Ohio | 59890 | 5469160 | 28.79 | Cleveland-Elyria, OH ($63,160) |
| North Carolina | 59730 | 4795040 | 28.71 | Durham-Chapel Hill, NC ($75,590) |
| Wisconsin | 59500 | 2885990 | 28.61 | Madison, WI ($66,020) |
| North Dakota | 59050 | 417500 | 28.39 | Fargo, ND-MN ($59,350) |
| Nevada | 58900 | 1481820 | 28.32 | Carson City, NV ($62,060) |
| Nebraska | 58080 | 1000860 | 27.92 | Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA ($61,020) |
| Wyoming | 57930 | 273750 | 27.85 | Cheyenne, WY ($58,570) |
| Missouri | 57580 | 2876400 | 27.68 | St. Louis, MO-IL ($61,910) |
| New Mexico | 57520 | 845580 | 27.65 | Albuquerque, NM ($59,730) |
| Indiana | 56420 | 3156740 | 27.12 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN ($60,540) |
| Iowa | 56400 | 1544760 | 27.12 | Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA ($62,790) |
| Kansas | 56270 | 1412000 | 27.05 | Topeka, KS ($55,330) |
| Tennessee | 56030 | 3219060 | 26.94 | Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN ($61,540) |
| Montana | 55920 | 501730 | 26.88 | Billings, MT ($57,310) |
| Idaho | 55640 | 822690 | 26.75 | Boise City, ID ($58,390) |
| South Carolina | 54250 | 2222950 | 26.08 | Charleston-North Charleston, SC ($58,830) |
| Kentucky | 54030 | 1963060 | 25.97 | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN ($57,970) |
| Oklahoma | 53450 | 1664310 | 25.7 | Oklahoma City, OK ($56,670) |
| Louisiana | 53440 | 1851860 | 25.69 | Baton Rouge, LA ($57,910) |
| Alabama | 53400 | 2053090 | 25.67 | Huntsville, AL ($67,120) |
| South Dakota | 53230 | 444400 | 25.59 | Sioux Falls, SD ($56,210) |
| West Virginia | 52200 | 688670 | 25.1 | Morgantown, WV ($57,810) |
| Arkansas | 51250 | 1271320 | 24.64 | Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO ($56,540) |
| Mississippi | 47570 | 1149950 | 22.87 | Jackson, MS ($50,970) |
Methodology
For this study, we primarily utilized wage data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This data was categorized by both geographic area (state and metropolitan area) and occupation. To analyze the data, we conducted a comprehensive review of the mean annual salaries across different states and occupations. Additionally, we identified the top-paying states, occupations, and metropolitan areas for each category.
