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 2020, at $79,650. Mississippi had the lowest, at $32,710. The median was $40,300 and the figure for the United States was $41,950. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest79,650District of Columbia
Lowest32,710Mississippi
Median40,30051 states
United States41,950History

Map of states, 2020

Alabama: 36,250 USDAlaska: 50,860 USDArizona: 40,260 USDArkansas: 34,330 USDCalifornia: 47,290 USDColorado: 46,850 USDConnecticut: 51,090 USDDelaware: 43,090 USDDistrict of Columbia: 79,650 USDFlorida: 37,580 USDGeorgia: 38,660 USDHawaii: 46,680 USDIdaho: 37,010 USDIllinois: 43,700 USDIndiana: 38,600 USDIowa: 39,920 USDKansas: 38,670 USDKentucky: 37,230 USDLouisiana: 36,460 USDMaine: 40,460 USDMaryland: 48,740 USDMassachusetts: 53,550 USDMichigan: 40,920 USDMinnesota: 46,610 USDMississippi: 32,710 USDMissouri: 38,890 USDMontana: 37,860 USDNebraska: 39,850 USDNevada: 38,580 USDNew Hampshire: 44,130 USDNew Jersey: 48,130 USDNew Mexico: 37,380 USDNew York: 49,580 USDNorth Carolina: 38,740 USDNorth Dakota: 44,220 USDOhio: 40,300 USDOklahoma: 37,110 USDOregon: 43,760 USDPennsylvania: 41,760 USDRhode Island: 47,360 USDSouth Carolina: 36,100 USDSouth Dakota: 36,820 USDTennessee: 37,440 USDTexas: 39,640 USDUtah: 39,480 USDVermont: 43,270 USDVirginia: 45,210 USDWashington: 51,600 USDWest Virginia: 35,500 USDWisconsin: 41,150 USDWyoming: 43,030 USD
  • Under 37K
  • 37K to 39K
  • 39K to 40K
  • 40K to 44K
  • 44K to 47K
  • 47K and over
USD, 2020. 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, 2020

District of Columbia: 79,650 USDDistrict of Columbia79,650Massachusetts: 53,550 USDMassachusetts53,550Washington: 51,600 USDWashington51,600Connecticut: 51,090 USDConnecticut51,090Alaska: 50,860 USDAlaska50,860New York: 49,580 USDNew York49,580Maryland: 48,740 USDMaryland48,740New Jersey: 48,130 USDNew Jersey48,130Rhode Island: 47,360 USDRhode Island47,360California: 47,290 USDCalifornia47,290Colorado: 46,850 USDColorado46,850Hawaii: 46,680 USDHawaii46,680Minnesota: 46,610 USDMinnesota46,610Virginia: 45,210 USDVirginia45,210North Dakota: 44,220 USDNorth Dakota44,220New Hampshire: 44,130 USDNew Hampshire44,130Oregon: 43,760 USDOregon43,760Illinois: 43,700 USDIllinois43,700Vermont: 43,270 USDVermont43,270Delaware: 43,090 USDDelaware43,090Wyoming: 43,030 USDWyoming43,030Pennsylvania: 41,760 USDPennsylvania41,760Wisconsin: 41,150 USDWisconsin41,150Michigan: 40,920 USDMichigan40,920Maine: 40,460 USDMaine40,460Ohio: 40,300 USDOhio40,300Arizona: 40,260 USDArizona40,260Iowa: 39,920 USDIowa39,920Nebraska: 39,850 USDNebraska39,850Texas: 39,640 USDTexas39,640Utah: 39,480 USDUtah39,480Missouri: 38,890 USDMissouri38,890North Carolina: 38,740 USDNorth Carolina38,740Kansas: 38,670 USDKansas38,670Georgia: 38,660 USDGeorgia38,660Indiana: 38,600 USDIndiana38,600Nevada: 38,580 USDNevada38,580Montana: 37,860 USDMontana37,860Florida: 37,580 USDFlorida37,580Tennessee: 37,440 USDTennessee37,440New Mexico: 37,380 USDNew Mexico37,380Kentucky: 37,230 USDKentucky37,230Oklahoma: 37,110 USDOklahoma37,110Idaho: 37,010 USDIdaho37,010South Dakota: 36,820 USDSouth Dakota36,820Louisiana: 36,460 USDLouisiana36,460Alabama: 36,250 USDAlabama36,250South Carolina: 36,100 USDSouth Carolina36,100West Virginia: 35,500 USDWest Virginia35,500Arkansas: 34,330 USDArkansas34,330Mississippi: 32,710 USDMississippi32,710District of Columbia: 79,650 USDDistrict of Columbia79,650Massachusetts: 53,550 USDMassachusetts53,550Washington: 51,600 USDWashington51,600Connecticut: 51,090 USDConnecticut51,090Alaska: 50,860 USDAlaska50,860New York: 49,580 USDNew York49,580Maryland: 48,740 USDMaryland48,740New Jersey: 48,130 USDNew Jersey48,130Rhode Island: 47,360 USDRhode Island47,360California: 47,290 USDCalifornia47,290Colorado: 46,850 USDColorado46,850Hawaii: 46,680 USDHawaii46,680Minnesota: 46,610 USDMinnesota46,610Virginia: 45,210 USDVirginia45,210North Dakota: 44,220 USDNorth Dakota44,220New Hampshire: 44,130 USDNew Hampshire44,130Oregon: 43,760 USDOregon43,760Illinois: 43,700 USDIllinois43,700Vermont: 43,270 USDVermont43,270Delaware: 43,090 USDDelaware43,090Wyoming: 43,030 USDWyoming43,030Pennsylvania: 41,760 USDPennsylvania41,760Wisconsin: 41,150 USDWisconsin41,150Michigan: 40,920 USDMichigan40,920Maine: 40,460 USDMaine40,460Ohio: 40,300 USDOhio40,300Arizona: 40,260 USDArizona40,260Iowa: 39,920 USDIowa39,920Nebraska: 39,850 USDNebraska39,850Texas: 39,640 USDTexas39,640Utah: 39,480 USDUtah39,480Missouri: 38,890 USDMissouri38,890North Carolina: 38,740 USDNorth Carolina38,740Kansas: 38,670 USDKansas38,670Georgia: 38,660 USDGeorgia38,660Indiana: 38,600 USDIndiana38,600Nevada: 38,580 USDNevada38,580Montana: 37,860 USDMontana37,860Florida: 37,580 USDFlorida37,580Tennessee: 37,440 USDTennessee37,440New Mexico: 37,380 USDNew Mexico37,380Kentucky: 37,230 USDKentucky37,230Oklahoma: 37,110 USDOklahoma37,110Idaho: 37,010 USDIdaho37,010South Dakota: 36,820 USDSouth Dakota36,820Louisiana: 36,460 USDLouisiana36,460Alabama: 36,250 USDAlabama36,250South Carolina: 36,100 USDSouth Carolina36,100West Virginia: 35,500 USDWest Virginia35,500Arkansas: 34,330 USDArkansas34,330Mississippi: 32,710 USDMississippi32,710
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

RankStates2020
USD		Change on 2019
1District of Columbia79,650+7.1%
2Massachusetts53,550+6.7%
3Washington51,600+7.2%
4Connecticut51,090+5.3%
5Alaska50,860+4.8%
6New York49,580+6.2%
7Maryland48,740+6%
8New Jersey48,130+7%
9Rhode Island47,360+7.2%
10California47,290+7%
11Colorado46,850+5.9%
12Hawaii46,680+5.1%
13Minnesota46,610+5.7%
14Virginia45,210+7.1%
15North Dakota44,220+4%
16New Hampshire44,130+6.4%
17Oregon43,760+6.1%
18Illinois43,700+6.4%
19Vermont43,270+5.7%
20Delaware43,090+5.4%
21Wyoming43,030+3.3%
22Pennsylvania41,760+5.7%
23Wisconsin41,150+5.3%
24Michigan40,920+5.8%
25Maine40,460+5.4%
26Ohio40,300+4.5%
27Arizona40,260+4.8%
28Iowa39,920+4.3%
29Nebraska39,850+3.8%
30Texas39,640+4.3%
31Utah39,480+4.1%
32Missouri38,890+4.6%
33North Carolina38,740+5%
34Kansas38,670+4.5%
35Georgia38,660+4.7%
36Indiana38,600+4.4%
37Nevada38,580+6%
38Montana37,860+4%
39Florida37,580+4.8%
40Tennessee37,440+4.3%
41New Mexico37,380+5.5%
42Kentucky37,230+4.8%
43Oklahoma37,110+3.9%
44Idaho37,010+4.7%
45South Dakota36,820+6%
46Louisiana36,460+5.2%
47Alabama36,250+4.2%
48South Carolina36,100+4.1%
49West Virginia35,500+4.7%
50Arkansas34,330+4.2%
51Mississippi32,710+4.8%

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/oesm20st.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, 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20st.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, 2020. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15 May 2026, https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20st.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2020. 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, 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20st.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2020.

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, 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20st.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_median_2020,
  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, 2020}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20st.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2020. 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/oesm20st.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, 2020
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/15
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20st.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2020.
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/oesm20st.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 $79,650 in 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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

Mississippi, with $32,710 in 2020.

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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