Average Salary by State: 50-State Comparison (2024)

District of Columbia has the highest average salary at $81,932 per year, while Mississippi has the lowest at $51,323. The gap is $30,609.

Data: BLS OEWS, May 2024 | Last updated: 2026-04-02

$81,932
#1: District of Columbia
$51,323
#50: Mississippi
$30,609
Highest vs Lowest Gap
51
States Compared

All 50 States Ranked by Average Salary (2024)

Ranked by average median salary. Click any state for the full breakdown.

# State Avg. Median Salary Workers Occupations
1 District of Columbia $81,932 677,780 477
2 California $75,601 17,865,040 786
3 New York $73,761 9,297,780 765
4 Massachusetts $73,706 3,572,120 701
5 Washington $73,682 3,478,890 746
6 New Jersey $72,882 4,189,240 729
7 Connecticut $71,204 1,637,380 653
8 Alaska $70,368 304,670 539
9 Rhode Island $69,945 468,570 527
10 Maryland $69,186 2,657,640 719
11 Minnesota $68,066 2,874,770 715
12 Oregon $67,979 1,936,250 718
13 Colorado $67,559 2,808,440 721
14 Hawaii $66,975 603,810 541
15 Delaware $66,430 453,600 518
16 Illinois $65,186 5,963,370 736
17 Virginia $64,977 3,956,750 742
18 New Hampshire $64,344 665,590 615
19 Arizona $62,406 3,109,630 709
20 Wisconsin $61,920 2,882,650 732
21 Vermont $61,846 290,100 528
22 North Dakota $61,747 411,780 539
23 Nevada $61,621 1,465,000 651
24 Maine $61,601 614,900 624
25 Pennsylvania $61,534 5,888,690 759
26 Texas $61,402 13,521,120 786
27 Michigan $61,367 4,339,020 767
28 North Carolina $60,767 4,757,530 749
29 New Mexico $60,681 827,360 617
30 Ohio $60,663 5,465,330 765
31 Utah $60,547 1,662,540 716
32 Wyoming $60,317 268,800 495
33 Georgia $59,833 4,717,050 731
34 Missouri $59,699 2,862,070 724
35 Iowa $59,330 1,541,560 705
36 Kansas $59,204 1,399,110 659
37 Indiana $58,995 3,152,810 740
38 South Carolina $58,875 2,217,490 718
39 Montana $58,525 494,560 606
40 Florida $58,507 9,479,310 762
41 Nebraska $58,362 995,510 655
42 Idaho $57,746 808,930 631
43 Tennessee $57,712 3,210,750 728
44 Alabama $57,530 2,030,770 697
45 South Dakota $56,376 439,580 566
46 Kentucky $56,344 1,953,110 717
47 Oklahoma $56,322 1,651,450 695
48 Louisiana $55,910 1,841,780 687
49 West Virginia $54,389 681,640 640
50 Arkansas $53,056 1,259,510 652
51 Mississippi $51,323 1,133,720 663

Salary Heatmap: All 50 States (2024)

Darker green = higher average salary. Click any state for details.

DC $81,932 CA $75,601 NY $73,761 MA $73,706 WA $73,682 NJ $72,882 CT $71,204 AK $70,368 RI $69,945 MD $69,186 MN $68,066 OR $67,979 CO $67,559 HI $66,975 DE $66,430 IL $65,186 VA $64,977 NH $64,344 AZ $62,406 WI $61,920 VT $61,846 ND $61,747 NV $61,621 ME $61,601 PA $61,534 TX $61,402 MI $61,367 NC $60,767 NM $60,681 OH $60,663 UT $60,547 WY $60,317 GA $59,833 MO $59,699 IA $59,330 KS $59,204 IN $58,995 SC $58,875 MT $58,525 FL $58,507 NE $58,362 ID $57,746 TN $57,712 AL $57,530 SD $56,376 KY $56,344 OK $56,322 LA $55,910 WV $54,389 AR $53,056 MS $51,323

Top 10 Highest-Paying States

District of Columbia $81,932
California $75,601
New York $73,761
Massachusetts $73,706
Washington $73,682
New Jersey $72,882
Connecticut $71,204
Alaska $70,368
Rhode Island $69,945
Maryland $69,186

Key Insights

The difference between District of Columbia ($81,932) and Mississippi ($51,323) is $30,609 per year.

Higher salaries don't always mean more purchasing power. States like California and New York pay more but also have significantly higher costs of living.

Dive Deeper

Average American Salary · Highest Paying Jobs

Overview

This page is part of our comprehensive Salary Statistics data collection.

State Salary Statistics

Salaries in District of Columbia $81,932 Salaries in California $75,601 Salaries in New York $73,761 Salaries in Massachusetts $73,706 Salaries in Washington $73,682 Salaries in New Jersey $72,882 Salaries in Connecticut $71,204 Salaries in Alaska $70,368 Salaries in Rhode Island $69,945 Salaries in Maryland $69,186 Salaries in Minnesota $68,066 Salaries in Oregon $67,979 Salaries in Colorado $67,559 Salaries in Hawaii $66,975 Salaries in Delaware $66,430 Salaries in Illinois $65,186

Explore Other Data

City Income by State Median household income data

Frequently Asked Questions

Which state has the highest average salary?
District of Columbia at $81,932 per year.
Which state has the lowest average salary?
Mississippi at $51,323 per year.
Does a higher salary mean a better standard of living?
Not necessarily. Cost of living varies significantly. A $60,000 salary in Mississippi may go further than $80,000 in California.

Cite This Page

AmericaByNumbers. "Average Salary by State 2024." https://americabynumbers.com/salary-by-state/. Accessed April 02, 2026. Data: BLS OEWS 2024.

Click to copy. Free to use with attribution.

Data Source & Methodology

State averages computed as the mean of all occupation medians within each state, based on BLS OEWS 2024 data.

For full methodology details, see our Methodology page. View all Data Sources.