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 2016, at $67,870. Mississippi had the lowest, at $29,590. The median was $35,480 and the figure for the United States was $37,040. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest67,870District of Columbia
Lowest29,590Mississippi
Median35,48051 states
United States37,040History

Map of states, 2016

Alabama: 32,100 USDAlaska: 47,170 USDArizona: 35,470 USDArkansas: 30,130 USDCalifornia: 40,920 USDColorado: 39,710 USDConnecticut: 45,090 USDDelaware: 37,960 USDDistrict of Columbia: 67,870 USDFlorida: 32,790 USDGeorgia: 34,330 USDHawaii: 40,030 USDIdaho: 32,800 USDIllinois: 38,270 USDIndiana: 33,790 USDIowa: 34,790 USDKansas: 34,460 USDKentucky: 33,190 USDLouisiana: 32,080 USDMaine: 35,380 USDMaryland: 43,010 USDMassachusetts: 46,690 USDMichigan: 36,030 USDMinnesota: 40,100 USDMississippi: 29,590 USDMissouri: 34,230 USDMontana: 32,750 USDNebraska: 34,890 USDNevada: 34,510 USDNew Hampshire: 38,270 USDNew Jersey: 41,950 USDNew Mexico: 32,900 USDNew York: 42,760 USDNorth Carolina: 33,920 USDNorth Dakota: 39,160 USDOhio: 35,760 USDOklahoma: 33,140 USDOregon: 37,990 USDPennsylvania: 36,680 USDRhode Island: 39,730 USDSouth Carolina: 32,140 USDSouth Dakota: 31,590 USDTennessee: 32,800 USDTexas: 35,480 USDUtah: 35,010 USDVermont: 37,920 USDVirginia: 39,070 USDWashington: 43,400 USDWest Virginia: 30,760 USDWisconsin: 36,250 USDWyoming: 38,710 USD
  • Under 33K
  • 33K to 34K
  • 34K to 35K
  • 35K to 38K
  • 38K to 41K
  • 41K and over
USD, 2016. 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, 2016

District of Columbia: 67,870 USDDistrict of Columbia67,870Alaska: 47,170 USDAlaska47,170Massachusetts: 46,690 USDMassachusetts46,690Connecticut: 45,090 USDConnecticut45,090Washington: 43,400 USDWashington43,400Maryland: 43,010 USDMaryland43,010New York: 42,760 USDNew York42,760New Jersey: 41,950 USDNew Jersey41,950California: 40,920 USDCalifornia40,920Minnesota: 40,100 USDMinnesota40,100Hawaii: 40,030 USDHawaii40,030Rhode Island: 39,730 USDRhode Island39,730Colorado: 39,710 USDColorado39,710North Dakota: 39,160 USDNorth Dakota39,160Virginia: 39,070 USDVirginia39,070Wyoming: 38,710 USDWyoming38,710Illinois: 38,270 USDIllinois38,270New Hampshire: 38,270 USDNew Hampshire38,270Oregon: 37,990 USDOregon37,990Delaware: 37,960 USDDelaware37,960Vermont: 37,920 USDVermont37,920Pennsylvania: 36,680 USDPennsylvania36,680Wisconsin: 36,250 USDWisconsin36,250Michigan: 36,030 USDMichigan36,030Ohio: 35,760 USDOhio35,760Texas: 35,480 USDTexas35,480Arizona: 35,470 USDArizona35,470Maine: 35,380 USDMaine35,380Utah: 35,010 USDUtah35,010Nebraska: 34,890 USDNebraska34,890Iowa: 34,790 USDIowa34,790Nevada: 34,510 USDNevada34,510Kansas: 34,460 USDKansas34,460Georgia: 34,330 USDGeorgia34,330Missouri: 34,230 USDMissouri34,230North Carolina: 33,920 USDNorth Carolina33,920Indiana: 33,790 USDIndiana33,790Kentucky: 33,190 USDKentucky33,190Oklahoma: 33,140 USDOklahoma33,140New Mexico: 32,900 USDNew Mexico32,900Idaho: 32,800 USDIdaho32,800Tennessee: 32,800 USDTennessee32,800Florida: 32,790 USDFlorida32,790Montana: 32,750 USDMontana32,750South Carolina: 32,140 USDSouth Carolina32,140Alabama: 32,100 USDAlabama32,100Louisiana: 32,080 USDLouisiana32,080South Dakota: 31,590 USDSouth Dakota31,590West Virginia: 30,760 USDWest Virginia30,760Arkansas: 30,130 USDArkansas30,130Mississippi: 29,590 USDMississippi29,590District of Columbia: 67,870 USDDistrict of Columbia67,870Alaska: 47,170 USDAlaska47,170Massachusetts: 46,690 USDMassachusetts46,690Connecticut: 45,090 USDConnecticut45,090Washington: 43,400 USDWashington43,400Maryland: 43,010 USDMaryland43,010New York: 42,760 USDNew York42,760New Jersey: 41,950 USDNew Jersey41,950California: 40,920 USDCalifornia40,920Minnesota: 40,100 USDMinnesota40,100Hawaii: 40,030 USDHawaii40,030Rhode Island: 39,730 USDRhode Island39,730Colorado: 39,710 USDColorado39,710North Dakota: 39,160 USDNorth Dakota39,160Virginia: 39,070 USDVirginia39,070Wyoming: 38,710 USDWyoming38,710Illinois: 38,270 USDIllinois38,270New Hampshire: 38,270 USDNew Hampshire38,270Oregon: 37,990 USDOregon37,990Delaware: 37,960 USDDelaware37,960Vermont: 37,920 USDVermont37,920Pennsylvania: 36,680 USDPennsylvania36,680Wisconsin: 36,250 USDWisconsin36,250Michigan: 36,030 USDMichigan36,030Ohio: 35,760 USDOhio35,760Texas: 35,480 USDTexas35,480Arizona: 35,470 USDArizona35,470Maine: 35,380 USDMaine35,380Utah: 35,010 USDUtah35,010Nebraska: 34,890 USDNebraska34,890Iowa: 34,790 USDIowa34,790Nevada: 34,510 USDNevada34,510Kansas: 34,460 USDKansas34,460Georgia: 34,330 USDGeorgia34,330Missouri: 34,230 USDMissouri34,230North Carolina: 33,920 USDNorth Carolina33,920Indiana: 33,790 USDIndiana33,790Kentucky: 33,190 USDKentucky33,190Oklahoma: 33,140 USDOklahoma33,140New Mexico: 32,900 USDNew Mexico32,900Idaho: 32,800 USDIdaho32,800Tennessee: 32,800 USDTennessee32,800Florida: 32,790 USDFlorida32,790Montana: 32,750 USDMontana32,750South Carolina: 32,140 USDSouth Carolina32,140Alabama: 32,100 USDAlabama32,100Louisiana: 32,080 USDLouisiana32,080South Dakota: 31,590 USDSouth Dakota31,590West Virginia: 30,760 USDWest Virginia30,760Arkansas: 30,130 USDArkansas30,130Mississippi: 29,590 USDMississippi29,590
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

RankStates2016
USD		Change on 2015
1District of Columbia67,870+2.8%
2Alaska47,170+1.6%
3Massachusetts46,690+2.4%
4Connecticut45,090+2.9%
5Washington43,400+2.9%
6Maryland43,010+2.7%
7New York42,760+2.8%
8New Jersey41,950+1.5%
9California40,920+2.7%
10Minnesota40,100+3.2%
11Hawaii40,030+3.3%
12Rhode Island39,730+1.7%
13Colorado39,710+2.3%
14North Dakota39,160+2.6%
15Virginia39,070+2.3%
16Wyoming38,710+1.1%
17Illinois38,270+2.5%
17New Hampshire38,270+2.7%
19Oregon37,990+2.5%
20Delaware37,960+0.6%
21Vermont37,920+2.4%
22Pennsylvania36,680+1.5%
23Wisconsin36,250+3.2%
24Michigan36,030+1.8%
25Ohio35,760+2.1%
26Texas35,480+2.7%
27Arizona35,470+2.3%
28Maine35,380+1.9%
29Utah35,010+3%
30Nebraska34,890+3.1%
31Iowa34,790+3.4%
32Nevada34,510+2.4%
33Kansas34,460+2.3%
34Georgia34,330+2.7%
35Missouri34,230+2.5%
36North Carolina33,920+2.5%
37Indiana33,790+2.7%
38Kentucky33,190+2.6%
39Oklahoma33,140+2.2%
40New Mexico32,900+1.8%
41Idaho32,800+3%
41Tennessee32,800+3.1%
43Florida32,790+3.1%
44Montana32,750+2.4%
45South Carolina32,140+2.7%
46Alabama32,100+1.7%
47Louisiana32,080+0.3%
48South Dakota31,590+2.6%
49West Virginia30,760+1.7%
50Arkansas30,130+2.4%
51Mississippi29,590+2%

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/oesm16st.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

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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, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16st.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, 2016. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15 May 2026, https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16st.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2016. 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, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16st.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2016.

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, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16st.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_median_2016,
  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, 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16st.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2016. 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/oesm16st.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, 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/15
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16st.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2016.
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/oesm16st.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 $67,870 in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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

Mississippi, with $29,590 in 2016.

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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