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 2018, at $71,690. Mississippi had the lowest, at $30,580. The median was $37,130 and the figure for the United States was $38,640. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest71,690District of Columbia
Lowest30,580Mississippi
Median37,13051 states
United States38,640History

Map of states, 2018

Alabama: 33,740 USDAlaska: 48,020 USDArizona: 37,020 USDArkansas: 31,850 USDCalifornia: 42,430 USDColorado: 42,310 USDConnecticut: 46,920 USDDelaware: 39,900 USDDistrict of Columbia: 71,690 USDFlorida: 34,560 USDGeorgia: 35,950 USDHawaii: 42,480 USDIdaho: 34,260 USDIllinois: 39,950 USDIndiana: 35,730 USDIowa: 37,100 USDKansas: 35,950 USDKentucky: 34,650 USDLouisiana: 33,390 USDMaine: 37,120 USDMaryland: 44,690 USDMassachusetts: 48,680 USDMichigan: 37,620 USDMinnesota: 42,630 USDMississippi: 30,580 USDMissouri: 36,040 USDMontana: 35,080 USDNebraska: 37,130 USDNevada: 35,550 USDNew Hampshire: 39,870 USDNew Jersey: 43,600 USDNew Mexico: 34,120 USDNew York: 44,990 USDNorth Carolina: 35,750 USDNorth Dakota: 41,340 USDOhio: 37,360 USDOklahoma: 34,560 USDOregon: 39,580 USDPennsylvania: 38,450 USDRhode Island: 42,040 USDSouth Carolina: 33,750 USDSouth Dakota: 33,450 USDTennessee: 34,890 USDTexas: 37,100 USDUtah: 36,790 USDVermont: 39,720 USDVirginia: 40,820 USDWashington: 46,100 USDWest Virginia: 32,640 USDWisconsin: 37,970 USDWyoming: 40,240 USD
  • Under 34K
  • 34K to 36K
  • 36K to 37K
  • 37K to 40K
  • 40K to 43K
  • 43K and over
USD, 2018. 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, 2018

District of Columbia: 71,690 USDDistrict of Columbia71,690Massachusetts: 48,680 USDMassachusetts48,680Alaska: 48,020 USDAlaska48,020Connecticut: 46,920 USDConnecticut46,920Washington: 46,100 USDWashington46,100New York: 44,990 USDNew York44,990Maryland: 44,690 USDMaryland44,690New Jersey: 43,600 USDNew Jersey43,600Minnesota: 42,630 USDMinnesota42,630Hawaii: 42,480 USDHawaii42,480California: 42,430 USDCalifornia42,430Colorado: 42,310 USDColorado42,310Rhode Island: 42,040 USDRhode Island42,040North Dakota: 41,340 USDNorth Dakota41,340Virginia: 40,820 USDVirginia40,820Wyoming: 40,240 USDWyoming40,240Illinois: 39,950 USDIllinois39,950Delaware: 39,900 USDDelaware39,900New Hampshire: 39,870 USDNew Hampshire39,870Vermont: 39,720 USDVermont39,720Oregon: 39,580 USDOregon39,580Pennsylvania: 38,450 USDPennsylvania38,450Wisconsin: 37,970 USDWisconsin37,970Michigan: 37,620 USDMichigan37,620Ohio: 37,360 USDOhio37,360Nebraska: 37,130 USDNebraska37,130Maine: 37,120 USDMaine37,120Iowa: 37,100 USDIowa37,100Texas: 37,100 USDTexas37,100Arizona: 37,020 USDArizona37,020Utah: 36,790 USDUtah36,790Missouri: 36,040 USDMissouri36,040Georgia: 35,950 USDGeorgia35,950Kansas: 35,950 USDKansas35,950North Carolina: 35,750 USDNorth Carolina35,750Indiana: 35,730 USDIndiana35,730Nevada: 35,550 USDNevada35,550Montana: 35,080 USDMontana35,080Tennessee: 34,890 USDTennessee34,890Kentucky: 34,650 USDKentucky34,650Florida: 34,560 USDFlorida34,560Oklahoma: 34,560 USDOklahoma34,560Idaho: 34,260 USDIdaho34,260New Mexico: 34,120 USDNew Mexico34,120South Carolina: 33,750 USDSouth Carolina33,750Alabama: 33,740 USDAlabama33,740South Dakota: 33,450 USDSouth Dakota33,450Louisiana: 33,390 USDLouisiana33,390West Virginia: 32,640 USDWest Virginia32,640Arkansas: 31,850 USDArkansas31,850Mississippi: 30,580 USDMississippi30,580District of Columbia: 71,690 USDDistrict of Columbia71,690Massachusetts: 48,680 USDMassachusetts48,680Alaska: 48,020 USDAlaska48,020Connecticut: 46,920 USDConnecticut46,920Washington: 46,100 USDWashington46,100New York: 44,990 USDNew York44,990Maryland: 44,690 USDMaryland44,690New Jersey: 43,600 USDNew Jersey43,600Minnesota: 42,630 USDMinnesota42,630Hawaii: 42,480 USDHawaii42,480California: 42,430 USDCalifornia42,430Colorado: 42,310 USDColorado42,310Rhode Island: 42,040 USDRhode Island42,040North Dakota: 41,340 USDNorth Dakota41,340Virginia: 40,820 USDVirginia40,820Wyoming: 40,240 USDWyoming40,240Illinois: 39,950 USDIllinois39,950Delaware: 39,900 USDDelaware39,900New Hampshire: 39,870 USDNew Hampshire39,870Vermont: 39,720 USDVermont39,720Oregon: 39,580 USDOregon39,580Pennsylvania: 38,450 USDPennsylvania38,450Wisconsin: 37,970 USDWisconsin37,970Michigan: 37,620 USDMichigan37,620Ohio: 37,360 USDOhio37,360Nebraska: 37,130 USDNebraska37,130Maine: 37,120 USDMaine37,120Iowa: 37,100 USDIowa37,100Texas: 37,100 USDTexas37,100Arizona: 37,020 USDArizona37,020Utah: 36,790 USDUtah36,790Missouri: 36,040 USDMissouri36,040Georgia: 35,950 USDGeorgia35,950Kansas: 35,950 USDKansas35,950North Carolina: 35,750 USDNorth Carolina35,750Indiana: 35,730 USDIndiana35,730Nevada: 35,550 USDNevada35,550Montana: 35,080 USDMontana35,080Tennessee: 34,890 USDTennessee34,890Kentucky: 34,650 USDKentucky34,650Florida: 34,560 USDFlorida34,560Oklahoma: 34,560 USDOklahoma34,560Idaho: 34,260 USDIdaho34,260New Mexico: 34,120 USDNew Mexico34,120South Carolina: 33,750 USDSouth Carolina33,750Alabama: 33,740 USDAlabama33,740South Dakota: 33,450 USDSouth Dakota33,450Louisiana: 33,390 USDLouisiana33,390West Virginia: 32,640 USDWest Virginia32,640Arkansas: 31,850 USDArkansas31,850Mississippi: 30,580 USDMississippi30,580
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

RankStates2018
USD		Change on 2017
1District of Columbia71,690+1.9%
2Massachusetts48,680+2.6%
3Alaska48,020+1%
4Connecticut46,920+2.3%
5Washington46,100+3.7%
6New York44,990+3%
7Maryland44,690+1.9%
8New Jersey43,600+2.6%
9Minnesota42,630+3.3%
10Hawaii42,480+2%
11California42,430+3.5%
12Colorado42,310+3.5%
13Rhode Island42,040+3.9%
14North Dakota41,340+3.2%
15Virginia40,820+2.6%
16Wyoming40,240+2.9%
17Illinois39,950+2.8%
18Delaware39,900+2.7%
19New Hampshire39,870+2.5%
20Vermont39,720+2.8%
21Oregon39,580+1.9%
22Pennsylvania38,450+2.4%
23Wisconsin37,970+2.5%
24Michigan37,620+2.6%
25Ohio37,360+2.4%
26Nebraska37,130+2.8%
27Maine37,120+2.5%
28Iowa37,100+3.3%
28Texas37,100+2.6%
30Arizona37,020+2.1%
31Utah36,790+3.2%
32Missouri36,040+2.8%
33Georgia35,950+2.6%
33Kansas35,950+2.3%
35North Carolina35,750+2.9%
36Indiana35,730+3.3%
37Nevada35,550+1.8%
38Montana35,080+3.7%
39Tennessee34,890+3%
40Kentucky34,650+2.5%
41Florida34,560+3.4%
41Oklahoma34,560+2.8%
43Idaho34,260+3%
44New Mexico34,120+2%
45South Carolina33,750+3%
46Alabama33,740+2.9%
47South Dakota33,450+3.4%
48Louisiana33,390+2.8%
49West Virginia32,640+3.5%
50Arkansas31,850+3.4%
51Mississippi30,580+1.7%

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/oesm18st.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, 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18st.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, 2018. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15 May 2026, https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18st.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2018. 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, 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18st.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2018.

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, 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18st.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_median_2018,
  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, 2018}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18st.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2018. 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/oesm18st.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, 2018
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/15
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18st.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2018.
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/oesm18st.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 $71,690 in 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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

Mississippi, with $30,580 in 2018.

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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