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 2021, at $79,960. Mississippi had the lowest, at $35,070. The median was $39,680 and the figure for the United States was $45,760. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest79,960District of Columbia
Lowest35,070Mississippi
Median39,68051 states
United States45,760History

Map of states, 2021

Alabama: 37,250 USDAlaska: 48,820 USDArizona: 39,500 USDArkansas: 36,680 USDCalifornia: 47,920 USDColorado: 47,940 USDConnecticut: 48,720 USDDelaware: 46,700 USDDistrict of Columbia: 79,960 USDFlorida: 37,920 USDGeorgia: 38,340 USDHawaii: 47,700 USDIdaho: 37,550 USDIllinois: 46,630 USDIndiana: 38,330 USDIowa: 39,070 USDKansas: 38,050 USDKentucky: 37,660 USDLouisiana: 37,320 USDMaine: 42,950 USDMaryland: 48,460 USDMassachusetts: 58,540 USDMichigan: 45,190 USDMinnesota: 47,590 USDMississippi: 35,070 USDMissouri: 38,130 USDMontana: 38,050 USDNebraska: 38,780 USDNevada: 37,900 USDNew Hampshire: 46,960 USDNew Jersey: 48,200 USDNew Mexico: 37,810 USDNew York: 48,800 USDNorth Carolina: 38,370 USDNorth Dakota: 46,960 USDOhio: 39,680 USDOklahoma: 37,500 USDOregon: 46,910 USDPennsylvania: 44,900 USDRhode Island: 47,780 USDSouth Carolina: 37,250 USDSouth Dakota: 37,710 USDTennessee: 37,700 USDTexas: 39,030 USDUtah: 38,860 USDVermont: 46,910 USDVirginia: 47,200 USDWashington: 50,450 USDWest Virginia: 36,860 USDWisconsin: 45,000 USDWyoming: 45,890 USD
  • Under 38K
  • 38K to 40K
  • 40K to 47K
  • 47K to 48K
  • 48K and over
USD, 2021. 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, 2021

District of Columbia: 79,960 USDDistrict of Columbia79,960Massachusetts: 58,540 USDMassachusetts58,540Washington: 50,450 USDWashington50,450Alaska: 48,820 USDAlaska48,820New York: 48,800 USDNew York48,800Connecticut: 48,720 USDConnecticut48,720Maryland: 48,460 USDMaryland48,460New Jersey: 48,200 USDNew Jersey48,200Colorado: 47,940 USDColorado47,940California: 47,920 USDCalifornia47,920Rhode Island: 47,780 USDRhode Island47,780Hawaii: 47,700 USDHawaii47,700Minnesota: 47,590 USDMinnesota47,590Virginia: 47,200 USDVirginia47,200New Hampshire: 46,960 USDNew Hampshire46,960North Dakota: 46,960 USDNorth Dakota46,960Oregon: 46,910 USDOregon46,910Vermont: 46,910 USDVermont46,910Delaware: 46,700 USDDelaware46,700Illinois: 46,630 USDIllinois46,630Wyoming: 45,890 USDWyoming45,890Michigan: 45,190 USDMichigan45,190Wisconsin: 45,000 USDWisconsin45,000Pennsylvania: 44,900 USDPennsylvania44,900Maine: 42,950 USDMaine42,950Ohio: 39,680 USDOhio39,680Arizona: 39,500 USDArizona39,500Iowa: 39,070 USDIowa39,070Texas: 39,030 USDTexas39,030Utah: 38,860 USDUtah38,860Nebraska: 38,780 USDNebraska38,780North Carolina: 38,370 USDNorth Carolina38,370Georgia: 38,340 USDGeorgia38,340Indiana: 38,330 USDIndiana38,330Missouri: 38,130 USDMissouri38,130Kansas: 38,050 USDKansas38,050Montana: 38,050 USDMontana38,050Florida: 37,920 USDFlorida37,920Nevada: 37,900 USDNevada37,900New Mexico: 37,810 USDNew Mexico37,810South Dakota: 37,710 USDSouth Dakota37,710Tennessee: 37,700 USDTennessee37,700Kentucky: 37,660 USDKentucky37,660Idaho: 37,550 USDIdaho37,550Oklahoma: 37,500 USDOklahoma37,500Louisiana: 37,320 USDLouisiana37,320Alabama: 37,250 USDAlabama37,250South Carolina: 37,250 USDSouth Carolina37,250West Virginia: 36,860 USDWest Virginia36,860Arkansas: 36,680 USDArkansas36,680Mississippi: 35,070 USDMississippi35,070District of Columbia: 79,960 USDDistrict of Columbia79,960Massachusetts: 58,540 USDMassachusetts58,540Washington: 50,450 USDWashington50,450Alaska: 48,820 USDAlaska48,820New York: 48,800 USDNew York48,800Connecticut: 48,720 USDConnecticut48,720Maryland: 48,460 USDMaryland48,460New Jersey: 48,200 USDNew Jersey48,200Colorado: 47,940 USDColorado47,940California: 47,920 USDCalifornia47,920Rhode Island: 47,780 USDRhode Island47,780Hawaii: 47,700 USDHawaii47,700Minnesota: 47,590 USDMinnesota47,590Virginia: 47,200 USDVirginia47,200New Hampshire: 46,960 USDNew Hampshire46,960North Dakota: 46,960 USDNorth Dakota46,960Oregon: 46,910 USDOregon46,910Vermont: 46,910 USDVermont46,910Delaware: 46,700 USDDelaware46,700Illinois: 46,630 USDIllinois46,630Wyoming: 45,890 USDWyoming45,890Michigan: 45,190 USDMichigan45,190Wisconsin: 45,000 USDWisconsin45,000Pennsylvania: 44,900 USDPennsylvania44,900Maine: 42,950 USDMaine42,950Ohio: 39,680 USDOhio39,680Arizona: 39,500 USDArizona39,500Iowa: 39,070 USDIowa39,070Texas: 39,030 USDTexas39,030Utah: 38,860 USDUtah38,860Nebraska: 38,780 USDNebraska38,780North Carolina: 38,370 USDNorth Carolina38,370Georgia: 38,340 USDGeorgia38,340Indiana: 38,330 USDIndiana38,330Missouri: 38,130 USDMissouri38,130Kansas: 38,050 USDKansas38,050Montana: 38,050 USDMontana38,050Florida: 37,920 USDFlorida37,920Nevada: 37,900 USDNevada37,900New Mexico: 37,810 USDNew Mexico37,810South Dakota: 37,710 USDSouth Dakota37,710Tennessee: 37,700 USDTennessee37,700Kentucky: 37,660 USDKentucky37,660Idaho: 37,550 USDIdaho37,550Oklahoma: 37,500 USDOklahoma37,500Louisiana: 37,320 USDLouisiana37,320Alabama: 37,250 USDAlabama37,250South Carolina: 37,250 USDSouth Carolina37,250West Virginia: 36,860 USDWest Virginia36,860Arkansas: 36,680 USDArkansas36,680Mississippi: 35,070 USDMississippi35,070
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

RankStates2021
USD		Change on 2020
1District of Columbia79,960+0.4%
2Massachusetts58,540+9.3%
3Washington50,450-2.2%
4Alaska48,820-4%
5New York48,800-1.6%
6Connecticut48,720-4.6%
7Maryland48,460-0.6%
8New Jersey48,200+0.1%
9Colorado47,940+2.3%
10California47,920+1.3%
11Rhode Island47,780+0.9%
12Hawaii47,700+2.2%
13Minnesota47,590+2.1%
14Virginia47,200+4.4%
15New Hampshire46,960+6.4%
15North Dakota46,960+6.2%
17Oregon46,910+7.2%
17Vermont46,910+8.4%
19Delaware46,700+8.4%
20Illinois46,630+6.7%
21Wyoming45,890+6.6%
22Michigan45,190+10.4%
23Wisconsin45,000+9.4%
24Pennsylvania44,900+7.5%
25Maine42,950+6.2%
26Ohio39,680-1.5%
27Arizona39,500-1.9%
28Iowa39,070-2.1%
29Texas39,030-1.5%
30Utah38,860-1.6%
31Nebraska38,780-2.7%
32North Carolina38,370-1%
33Georgia38,340-0.8%
34Indiana38,330-0.7%
35Missouri38,130-2%
36Kansas38,050-1.6%
36Montana38,050+0.5%
38Florida37,920+0.9%
39Nevada37,900-1.8%
40New Mexico37,810+1.2%
41South Dakota37,710+2.4%
42Tennessee37,700+0.7%
43Kentucky37,660+1.2%
44Idaho37,550+1.5%
45Oklahoma37,500+1.1%
46Louisiana37,320+2.4%
47Alabama37,250+2.8%
47South Carolina37,250+3.2%
49West Virginia36,860+3.8%
50Arkansas36,680+6.8%
51Mississippi35,070+7.2%

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/oesm21st.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, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21st.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, 2021. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15 May 2026, https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21st.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2021. 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, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21st.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2021.

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, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21st.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_median_2021,
  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, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21st.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2021. 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/oesm21st.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, 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/15
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21st.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-annual-wage/us-states?period=2021.
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/oesm21st.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 $79,960 in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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

Mississippi, with $35,070 in 2021.

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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