Data / Rankings / Median annual wage, all occupations / US states

US states by median annual wage, all occupations

District of Columbia had the highest median annual wage, all occupations of 51 states in 2015, at $66,040. Mississippi had the lowest, at $29,000. The median was $34,710 and the figure for the United States was $36,200. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest66,040District of Columbia
Lowest29,000Mississippi
Median34,71051 states
United States36,200History

Map of states, 2015

Alabama: 31,550 USDAlaska: 46,420 USDArizona: 34,680 USDArkansas: 29,420 USDCalifornia: 39,830 USDColorado: 38,800 USDConnecticut: 43,830 USDDelaware: 37,750 USDDistrict of Columbia: 66,040 USDFlorida: 31,810 USDGeorgia: 33,430 USDHawaii: 38,750 USDIdaho: 31,860 USDIllinois: 37,320 USDIndiana: 32,910 USDIowa: 33,650 USDKansas: 33,700 USDKentucky: 32,340 USDLouisiana: 31,980 USDMaine: 34,710 USDMaryland: 41,860 USDMassachusetts: 45,580 USDMichigan: 35,400 USDMinnesota: 38,870 USDMississippi: 29,000 USDMissouri: 33,380 USDMontana: 31,970 USDNebraska: 33,840 USDNevada: 33,700 USDNew Hampshire: 37,280 USDNew Jersey: 41,320 USDNew Mexico: 32,320 USDNew York: 41,600 USDNorth Carolina: 33,100 USDNorth Dakota: 38,170 USDOhio: 35,030 USDOklahoma: 32,430 USDOregon: 37,080 USDPennsylvania: 36,150 USDRhode Island: 39,050 USDSouth Carolina: 31,280 USDSouth Dakota: 30,780 USDTennessee: 31,820 USDTexas: 34,550 USDUtah: 33,990 USDVermont: 37,040 USDVirginia: 38,180 USDWashington: 42,190 USDWest Virginia: 30,240 USDWisconsin: 35,110 USDWyoming: 38,280 USD
  • Under 32K
  • 32K to 33K
  • 33K to 35K
  • 35K to 37K
  • 37K to 40K
  • 40K and over
USD, 2015. Source: BLS, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual median wage, all occupations (00-0000). Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2015

District of Columbia: 66,040 USDDistrict of Columbia66,040Alaska: 46,420 USDAlaska46,420Massachusetts: 45,580 USDMassachusetts45,580Connecticut: 43,830 USDConnecticut43,830Washington: 42,190 USDWashington42,190Maryland: 41,860 USDMaryland41,860New York: 41,600 USDNew York41,600New Jersey: 41,320 USDNew Jersey41,320California: 39,830 USDCalifornia39,830Rhode Island: 39,050 USDRhode Island39,050Minnesota: 38,870 USDMinnesota38,870Colorado: 38,800 USDColorado38,800Hawaii: 38,750 USDHawaii38,750Wyoming: 38,280 USDWyoming38,280Virginia: 38,180 USDVirginia38,180North Dakota: 38,170 USDNorth Dakota38,170Delaware: 37,750 USDDelaware37,750Illinois: 37,320 USDIllinois37,320New Hampshire: 37,280 USDNew Hampshire37,280Oregon: 37,080 USDOregon37,080Vermont: 37,040 USDVermont37,040Pennsylvania: 36,150 USDPennsylvania36,150Michigan: 35,400 USDMichigan35,400Wisconsin: 35,110 USDWisconsin35,110Ohio: 35,030 USDOhio35,030Maine: 34,710 USDMaine34,710Arizona: 34,680 USDArizona34,680Texas: 34,550 USDTexas34,550Utah: 33,990 USDUtah33,990Nebraska: 33,840 USDNebraska33,840Kansas: 33,700 USDKansas33,700Nevada: 33,700 USDNevada33,700Iowa: 33,650 USDIowa33,650Georgia: 33,430 USDGeorgia33,430Missouri: 33,380 USDMissouri33,380North Carolina: 33,100 USDNorth Carolina33,100Indiana: 32,910 USDIndiana32,910Oklahoma: 32,430 USDOklahoma32,430Kentucky: 32,340 USDKentucky32,340New Mexico: 32,320 USDNew Mexico32,320Louisiana: 31,980 USDLouisiana31,980Montana: 31,970 USDMontana31,970Idaho: 31,860 USDIdaho31,860Tennessee: 31,820 USDTennessee31,820Florida: 31,810 USDFlorida31,810Alabama: 31,550 USDAlabama31,550South Carolina: 31,280 USDSouth Carolina31,280South Dakota: 30,780 USDSouth Dakota30,780West Virginia: 30,240 USDWest Virginia30,240Arkansas: 29,420 USDArkansas29,420Mississippi: 29,000 USDMississippi29,000District of Columbia: 66,040 USDDistrict of Columbia66,040Alaska: 46,420 USDAlaska46,420Massachusetts: 45,580 USDMassachusetts45,580Connecticut: 43,830 USDConnecticut43,830Washington: 42,190 USDWashington42,190Maryland: 41,860 USDMaryland41,860New York: 41,600 USDNew York41,600New Jersey: 41,320 USDNew Jersey41,320California: 39,830 USDCalifornia39,830Rhode Island: 39,050 USDRhode Island39,050Minnesota: 38,870 USDMinnesota38,870Colorado: 38,800 USDColorado38,800Hawaii: 38,750 USDHawaii38,750Wyoming: 38,280 USDWyoming38,280Virginia: 38,180 USDVirginia38,180North Dakota: 38,170 USDNorth Dakota38,170Delaware: 37,750 USDDelaware37,750Illinois: 37,320 USDIllinois37,320New Hampshire: 37,280 USDNew Hampshire37,280Oregon: 37,080 USDOregon37,080Vermont: 37,040 USDVermont37,040Pennsylvania: 36,150 USDPennsylvania36,150Michigan: 35,400 USDMichigan35,400Wisconsin: 35,110 USDWisconsin35,110Ohio: 35,030 USDOhio35,030Maine: 34,710 USDMaine34,710Arizona: 34,680 USDArizona34,680Texas: 34,550 USDTexas34,550Utah: 33,990 USDUtah33,990Nebraska: 33,840 USDNebraska33,840Kansas: 33,700 USDKansas33,700Nevada: 33,700 USDNevada33,700Iowa: 33,650 USDIowa33,650Georgia: 33,430 USDGeorgia33,430Missouri: 33,380 USDMissouri33,380North Carolina: 33,100 USDNorth Carolina33,100Indiana: 32,910 USDIndiana32,910Oklahoma: 32,430 USDOklahoma32,430Kentucky: 32,340 USDKentucky32,340New Mexico: 32,320 USDNew Mexico32,320Louisiana: 31,980 USDLouisiana31,980Montana: 31,970 USDMontana31,970Idaho: 31,860 USDIdaho31,860Tennessee: 31,820 USDTennessee31,820Florida: 31,810 USDFlorida31,810Alabama: 31,550 USDAlabama31,550South Carolina: 31,280 USDSouth Carolina31,280South Dakota: 30,780 USDSouth Dakota30,780West Virginia: 30,240 USDWest Virginia30,240Arkansas: 29,420 USDArkansas29,420Mississippi: 29,000 USDMississippi29,000
USD. Source: BLS, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual median wage, all occupations (00-0000). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2015
USD		Change on 2014
1District of Columbia66,040+1.8%
2Alaska46,420+2.7%
3Massachusetts45,580+2%
4Connecticut43,830+2%
5Washington42,190+2.7%
6Maryland41,860+2.5%
7New York41,600+1.8%
8New Jersey41,320+1.6%
9California39,830+1.6%
10Rhode Island39,050+1.9%
11Minnesota38,870+2.1%
12Colorado38,800+2.1%
13Hawaii38,750+3.5%
14Wyoming38,280+1.4%
15Virginia38,180+1.7%
16North Dakota38,170+3.4%
17Delaware37,750+0.7%
18Illinois37,320+2%
19New Hampshire37,280+2.4%
20Oregon37,080+1.9%
21Vermont37,040+2.4%
22Pennsylvania36,150+1.4%
23Michigan35,400+1.9%
24Wisconsin35,110+2.2%
25Ohio35,030+2.3%
26Maine34,710+2.4%
27Arizona34,680+1.3%
28Texas34,550+2.7%
29Utah33,990+0.9%
30Nebraska33,840+3.9%
31Kansas33,700+2.3%
31Nevada33,700+0.4%
33Iowa33,650+1.7%
34Georgia33,430+1.8%
35Missouri33,380+1.8%
36North Carolina33,100+1.8%
37Indiana32,910+1.3%
38Oklahoma32,430+2.8%
39Kentucky32,340+1.6%
40New Mexico32,320+1.6%
41Louisiana31,980+1.1%
42Montana31,970+1.4%
43Idaho31,860+2.6%
44Tennessee31,820+1.8%
45Florida31,810+2.4%
46Alabama31,550+2.3%
47South Carolina31,280+2%
48South Dakota30,780+3%
49West Virginia30,240+2.8%
50Arkansas29,420+1%
51Mississippi29,000+1.3%

Other periods

About this ranking

Median annual wage of wage and salary jobs in all occupations, in US dollars, from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Half of jobs pay more and half pay less. Estimates refer to May of each year.

A wage per job, not household or personal income: for those use median_household_income or per_capita_personal_income. Covers employees of nonfarm establishments; the self-employed, farm workers and private household workers are excluded. Pay is straight-time gross pay: base rate, cost-of-living allowances, commissions, production bonuses and tips. Overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and employer-paid benefits are excluded. BLS converts hourly rates to annual pay at 2,080 hours a year.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual median wage, all occupations (00-0000). https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual median wage, all occupations (00-0000) (US states by median annual wage, all occupations, 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip

MLA 9

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual median wage, all occupations (00-0000), US states by median annual wage, all occupations, 2015. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15 May 2026, https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2015. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual median wage, all occupations (00-0000). US states by median annual wage, all occupations, 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2015.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual median wage, all occupations (00-0000), US states by median annual wage, all occupations, 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_median_2015,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual median wage, all occupations (00-0000): US states by median annual wage, all occupations, 2015}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2015. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual median wage, all occupations (00-0000). https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual median wage, all occupations (00-0000): US states by median annual wage, all occupations, 2015
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/15
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2015.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual median wage, all occupations (00-0000). https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest median annual wage, all occupations?

District of Columbia, with $66,040 in 2015, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which state has the lowest median annual wage, all occupations?

Mississippi, with $29,000 in 2015.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: annual median wage, all occupations (00-0000). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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