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 2017, at $70,340. Mississippi had the lowest, at $30,070. The median was $36,270 and the figure for the United States was $37,690. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest70,340District of Columbia
Lowest30,070Mississippi
Median36,27051 states
United States37,690History

Map of states, 2017

Alabama: 32,800 USDAlaska: 47,560 USDArizona: 36,270 USDArkansas: 30,810 USDCalifornia: 40,980 USDColorado: 40,880 USDConnecticut: 45,870 USDDelaware: 38,850 USDDistrict of Columbia: 70,340 USDFlorida: 33,420 USDGeorgia: 35,040 USDHawaii: 41,650 USDIdaho: 33,250 USDIllinois: 38,870 USDIndiana: 34,590 USDIowa: 35,930 USDKansas: 35,150 USDKentucky: 33,790 USDLouisiana: 32,490 USDMaine: 36,210 USDMaryland: 43,840 USDMassachusetts: 47,440 USDMichigan: 36,650 USDMinnesota: 41,260 USDMississippi: 30,070 USDMissouri: 35,050 USDMontana: 33,840 USDNebraska: 36,130 USDNevada: 34,930 USDNew Hampshire: 38,900 USDNew Jersey: 42,500 USDNew Mexico: 33,450 USDNew York: 43,690 USDNorth Carolina: 34,750 USDNorth Dakota: 40,040 USDOhio: 36,500 USDOklahoma: 33,630 USDOregon: 38,840 USDPennsylvania: 37,540 USDRhode Island: 40,450 USDSouth Carolina: 32,780 USDSouth Dakota: 32,340 USDTennessee: 33,860 USDTexas: 36,170 USDUtah: 35,650 USDVermont: 38,640 USDVirginia: 39,800 USDWashington: 44,440 USDWest Virginia: 31,540 USDWisconsin: 37,040 USDWyoming: 39,120 USD
  • Under 33K
  • 33K to 35K
  • 35K to 36K
  • 36K to 39K
  • 39K to 42K
  • 42K and over
USD, 2017. 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, 2017

District of Columbia: 70,340 USDDistrict of Columbia70,340Alaska: 47,560 USDAlaska47,560Massachusetts: 47,440 USDMassachusetts47,440Connecticut: 45,870 USDConnecticut45,870Washington: 44,440 USDWashington44,440Maryland: 43,840 USDMaryland43,840New York: 43,690 USDNew York43,690New Jersey: 42,500 USDNew Jersey42,500Hawaii: 41,650 USDHawaii41,650Minnesota: 41,260 USDMinnesota41,260California: 40,980 USDCalifornia40,980Colorado: 40,880 USDColorado40,880Rhode Island: 40,450 USDRhode Island40,450North Dakota: 40,040 USDNorth Dakota40,040Virginia: 39,800 USDVirginia39,800Wyoming: 39,120 USDWyoming39,120New Hampshire: 38,900 USDNew Hampshire38,900Illinois: 38,870 USDIllinois38,870Delaware: 38,850 USDDelaware38,850Oregon: 38,840 USDOregon38,840Vermont: 38,640 USDVermont38,640Pennsylvania: 37,540 USDPennsylvania37,540Wisconsin: 37,040 USDWisconsin37,040Michigan: 36,650 USDMichigan36,650Ohio: 36,500 USDOhio36,500Arizona: 36,270 USDArizona36,270Maine: 36,210 USDMaine36,210Texas: 36,170 USDTexas36,170Nebraska: 36,130 USDNebraska36,130Iowa: 35,930 USDIowa35,930Utah: 35,650 USDUtah35,650Kansas: 35,150 USDKansas35,150Missouri: 35,050 USDMissouri35,050Georgia: 35,040 USDGeorgia35,040Nevada: 34,930 USDNevada34,930North Carolina: 34,750 USDNorth Carolina34,750Indiana: 34,590 USDIndiana34,590Tennessee: 33,860 USDTennessee33,860Montana: 33,840 USDMontana33,840Kentucky: 33,790 USDKentucky33,790Oklahoma: 33,630 USDOklahoma33,630New Mexico: 33,450 USDNew Mexico33,450Florida: 33,420 USDFlorida33,420Idaho: 33,250 USDIdaho33,250Alabama: 32,800 USDAlabama32,800South Carolina: 32,780 USDSouth Carolina32,780Louisiana: 32,490 USDLouisiana32,490South Dakota: 32,340 USDSouth Dakota32,340West Virginia: 31,540 USDWest Virginia31,540Arkansas: 30,810 USDArkansas30,810Mississippi: 30,070 USDMississippi30,070District of Columbia: 70,340 USDDistrict of Columbia70,340Alaska: 47,560 USDAlaska47,560Massachusetts: 47,440 USDMassachusetts47,440Connecticut: 45,870 USDConnecticut45,870Washington: 44,440 USDWashington44,440Maryland: 43,840 USDMaryland43,840New York: 43,690 USDNew York43,690New Jersey: 42,500 USDNew Jersey42,500Hawaii: 41,650 USDHawaii41,650Minnesota: 41,260 USDMinnesota41,260California: 40,980 USDCalifornia40,980Colorado: 40,880 USDColorado40,880Rhode Island: 40,450 USDRhode Island40,450North Dakota: 40,040 USDNorth Dakota40,040Virginia: 39,800 USDVirginia39,800Wyoming: 39,120 USDWyoming39,120New Hampshire: 38,900 USDNew Hampshire38,900Illinois: 38,870 USDIllinois38,870Delaware: 38,850 USDDelaware38,850Oregon: 38,840 USDOregon38,840Vermont: 38,640 USDVermont38,640Pennsylvania: 37,540 USDPennsylvania37,540Wisconsin: 37,040 USDWisconsin37,040Michigan: 36,650 USDMichigan36,650Ohio: 36,500 USDOhio36,500Arizona: 36,270 USDArizona36,270Maine: 36,210 USDMaine36,210Texas: 36,170 USDTexas36,170Nebraska: 36,130 USDNebraska36,130Iowa: 35,930 USDIowa35,930Utah: 35,650 USDUtah35,650Kansas: 35,150 USDKansas35,150Missouri: 35,050 USDMissouri35,050Georgia: 35,040 USDGeorgia35,040Nevada: 34,930 USDNevada34,930North Carolina: 34,750 USDNorth Carolina34,750Indiana: 34,590 USDIndiana34,590Tennessee: 33,860 USDTennessee33,860Montana: 33,840 USDMontana33,840Kentucky: 33,790 USDKentucky33,790Oklahoma: 33,630 USDOklahoma33,630New Mexico: 33,450 USDNew Mexico33,450Florida: 33,420 USDFlorida33,420Idaho: 33,250 USDIdaho33,250Alabama: 32,800 USDAlabama32,800South Carolina: 32,780 USDSouth Carolina32,780Louisiana: 32,490 USDLouisiana32,490South Dakota: 32,340 USDSouth Dakota32,340West Virginia: 31,540 USDWest Virginia31,540Arkansas: 30,810 USDArkansas30,810Mississippi: 30,070 USDMississippi30,070
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

RankStates2017
USD		Change on 2016
1District of Columbia70,340+3.6%
2Alaska47,560+0.8%
3Massachusetts47,440+1.6%
4Connecticut45,870+1.7%
5Washington44,440+2.4%
6Maryland43,840+1.9%
7New York43,690+2.2%
8New Jersey42,500+1.3%
9Hawaii41,650+4%
10Minnesota41,260+2.9%
11California40,980+0.1%
12Colorado40,880+2.9%
13Rhode Island40,450+1.8%
14North Dakota40,040+2.2%
15Virginia39,800+1.9%
16Wyoming39,120+1.1%
17New Hampshire38,900+1.6%
18Illinois38,870+1.6%
19Delaware38,850+2.3%
20Oregon38,840+2.2%
21Vermont38,640+1.9%
22Pennsylvania37,540+2.3%
23Wisconsin37,040+2.2%
24Michigan36,650+1.7%
25Ohio36,500+2.1%
26Arizona36,270+2.3%
27Maine36,210+2.3%
28Texas36,170+1.9%
29Nebraska36,130+3.6%
30Iowa35,930+3.3%
31Utah35,650+1.8%
32Kansas35,150+2%
33Missouri35,050+2.4%
34Georgia35,040+2.1%
35Nevada34,930+1.2%
36North Carolina34,750+2.4%
37Indiana34,590+2.4%
38Tennessee33,860+3.2%
39Montana33,840+3.3%
40Kentucky33,790+1.8%
41Oklahoma33,630+1.5%
42New Mexico33,450+1.7%
43Florida33,420+1.9%
44Idaho33,250+1.4%
45Alabama32,800+2.2%
46South Carolina32,780+2%
47Louisiana32,490+1.3%
48South Dakota32,340+2.4%
49West Virginia31,540+2.5%
50Arkansas30,810+2.3%
51Mississippi30,070+1.6%

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/oesm17st.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, 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17st.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, 2017. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15 May 2026, https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17st.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2017. 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, 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17st.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2017.

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, 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17st.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_median_2017,
  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, 2017}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17st.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2017. 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/oesm17st.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, 2017
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/15
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17st.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2017.
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/oesm17st.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 $70,340 in 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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

Mississippi, with $30,070 in 2017.

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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