Find a Job You Really Want In
We had a lot of feedback from folks in radio who wanted to know how their careers stacked up in the big picture. To that end, we dove into the numbers from the BLS to figure out which states have the best opportunities for radio personalities. After all the numbers had been crunched, we were left with this list of the best of best for America’s:
So there you have it — Utah is the best of the best when it comes to being a radio personality. How did it end up here and does it really deserve this ranking? Read on to see how we completed our research on the best states for radio and for more on the top ten states.
How we crunched the numbers
Here at Zippia, we talk to a lot of people of all different backgrounds looking for jobs. Our research has concluded that there are two common things people want in a job:
- Availability of jobs
- Pay
So in order to find out the best states for radio folks in America we needed to figure out where the jobs are and how well they are paid. This led to the following criteria taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s Occupational Employment Statistics for 2015:
- Location quotient. A measure of how common a job is a given state.
- Average annual salary.
- Average annual salary for entry level work.
- Average annual salary for experienced professionals.
To make all the salary numbers more apples to apples across states, we compared the salary data relative to the state’s cost of living from MIT’s living wage index. Applying this standardization allows us to account for that fact that while the average salary for radio personalities in California is $66,720 and the average salary in Illinois is $41,870, the Illinois salary actually goes further in paying for life’s essentials.
In order to develop and overall ranking, we ranked each state for each criteria from 1 to 50 where 1 was the best.
We then averaged all the rankings for a state into a Job Score with the state having the lowest overall Job Score earning the distinction of being the best state for radio people in America.
1. Utah
Total Jobs: 260
Average Annual Salary: $58,560
Average Entry Level Salary: $21,700
Average Experienced Salary: $131,790
Location Quotient: 0.91
2. Oregon
Total Jobs: 330
Average Annual Salary: $69,270
Average Entry Level Salary: $21,720
Average Experienced Salary: $158,070
Location Quotient: 0.88
3. New York
Total Jobs: 2,170
Average Annual Salary: $69,670
Average Entry Level Salary: $22,700
Average Experienced Salary: $131,600
Location Quotient: 1.1
4. Washington
Total Jobs: 650
Average Annual Salary: $47,770
Average Entry Level Salary: $20,900
Average Experienced Salary: $86,990
Location Quotient: 0.98
5. Alaska
Total Jobs: 90
Average Annual Salary: $46,450
Average Entry Level Salary: $26,090
Average Experienced Salary: $62,640
Location Quotient: 1.3
6. Nevada
Total Jobs: 240
Average Annual Salary: $49,010
Average Entry Level Salary: $20,780
Average Experienced Salary: $85,560
Location Quotient: 0.88
7. Minnesota
Total Jobs: 850
Average Annual Salary: $44,860
Average Entry Level Salary: $18,870
Average Experienced Salary: $87,190
Location Quotient: 1.39
8. Missouri
Total Jobs: 990
Average Annual Salary: $36,080
Average Entry Level Salary: $17,400
Average Experienced Salary: $53,080
Location Quotient: 1.65
9. Louisiana
Total Jobs: 460
Average Annual Salary: $36,020
Average Entry Level Salary: $18,460
Average Experienced Salary: $67,640
Location Quotient: 1.07
10. Nebraska
Total Jobs: 490
Average Annual Salary: $33,700
Average Entry Level Salary: $17,880
Average Experienced Salary: $61,940
Location Quotient: 2.32
There You Have It
If you’re looking to start out your career as someone in radio these are the states that should be at the top of your list. You’ll find high pay, available jobs, and chances for career advancement.
If you’re curious, here are the worst states to be a radio personality in America:
Detailed List Of The Best States For Disc Jockeys
| Rank | State | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah | $58,560 |
| 2 | Oregon | $69,270 |
| 3 | New York | $69,670 |
| 4 | Washington | $47,770 |
| 5 | Alaska | $46,450 |
| 6 | Nevada | $49,010 |
| 7 | Minnesota | $44,860 |
| 8 | Missouri | $36,080 |
| 9 | Louisiana | $36,020 |
| 10 | Nebraska | $33,700 |
| 11 | California | $66,720 |
| 12 | South Carolina | $40,510 |
| 13 | South Dakota | $31,190 |
| 14 | Ohio | $39,450 |
| 15 | Texas | $49,810 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | $38,320 |
| 17 | North Dakota | $30,020 |
| 18 | Colorado | $50,320 |
| 19 | Tennessee | $34,350 |
| 20 | North Carolina | $42,950 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $27,210 |
| 22 | Georgia | $47,570 |
| 23 | Montana | $30,210 |
| 24 | Illinois | $41,870 |
| 25 | New Mexico | $33,170 |
| 26 | Florida | $42,420 |
| 27 | Vermont | $32,080 |
| 28 | Hawaii | $43,930 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $35,940 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $36,190 |
| 31 | Michigan | $35,390 |
| 32 | Alabama | $32,500 |
| 33 | Kentucky | $23,840 |
| 34 | Kansas | $30,800 |
| 35 | Indiana | $32,410 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $26,320 |
| 37 | New Jersey | $42,070 |
| 38 | Rhode Island | $35,290 |
| 39 | Virginia | $39,790 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $27,570 |
| 41 | Mississippi | $25,160 |
| 42 | Maine | $30,630 |
| 43 | Maryland | $76,150 |
| 44 | Idaho | $26,220 |
| 45 | Iowa | $28,550 |
| 46 | Connecticut | $38,050 |
| 47 | New Hampshire | $31,740 |
| 48 | Arizona | $25,030 |
| 49 | Massachusetts | $24,040 |
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
