Research Summary. After extensive research by the Zippia data science team, we identified these details of production associate salaries by state for the United States in 2026:
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Alaska has the highest production associate salary of $38,515
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Rhode Island has the lowest production associate salary of $27,073
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The national average salary for production associates is $32,439
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The national hourly pay for production associates is $15.6
You can read more on the specific methodology.
Background
Recent trends indicate that salary remains a top priority for job seekers, especially in the evolving labor market of 2026. For many, understanding how much production associates earn in their area is crucial for making informed career decisions.
While various factors influence individual salaries, we have collected reliable data on average salaries for production associates by state, broken down by seniority level. These averages provide a useful benchmark, although local conditions may vary.
Currently, Alaska boasts the highest average salary for production associates.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the top ten states for production associate salaries:
Let’s take a look at how we got here and a full ranking of all the states.
Highest-Paid Production Associates By State
| Rank | State | Average Production Associate Salary | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $38,515 | $32,000 | $45,000 |
| 2 | Wyoming | $37,205 | $29,000 | $47,000 |
| 3 | North Dakota | $36,813 | $29,000 | $46,000 |
| 4 | Washington | $36,741 | $29,000 | $46,000 |
| 5 | Hawaii | $36,583 | $28,000 | $46,000 |
| 6 | Nevada | $35,509 | $28,000 | $44,000 |
| 7 | Oregon | $35,267 | $28,000 | $44,000 |
| 8 | California | $35,047 | $27,000 | $44,000 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | $34,825 | $27,000 | $44,000 |
| 10 | New York | $34,558 | $26,000 | $45,000 |
| 11 | Minnesota | $34,240 | $26,000 | $43,000 |
| 12 | Nebraska | $33,565 | $26,000 | $42,000 |
| 13 | Louisiana | $33,450 | $26,000 | $42,000 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $33,446 | $25,000 | $43,000 |
| 15 | Ohio | $33,367 | $25,000 | $43,000 |
| 16 | Iowa | $33,354 | $26,000 | $42,000 |
| 17 | Colorado | $33,299 | $26,000 | $42,000 |
| 18 | Arizona | $32,964 | $26,000 | $41,000 |
| 19 | Kentucky | $32,899 | $25,000 | $42,000 |
| 20 | Utah | $32,760 | $26,000 | $41,000 |
| 21 | Idaho | $32,681 | $25,000 | $41,000 |
| 22 | South Dakota | $32,470 | $25,000 | $41,000 |
| 23 | Michigan | $32,360 | $25,000 | $41,000 |
| 24 | Illinois | $32,219 | $25,000 | $41,000 |
| 25 | Massachusetts | $32,179 | $24,000 | $41,000 |
| 26 | Indiana | $32,069 | $24,000 | $41,000 |
| 27 | Connecticut | $31,996 | $24,000 | $41,000 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | $31,867 | $25,000 | $40,000 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $31,684 | $24,000 | $41,000 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $31,617 | $24,000 | $40,000 |
| 31 | Vermont | $31,460 | $24,000 | $40,000 |
| 32 | Missouri | $31,273 | $24,000 | $40,000 |
| 33 | Mississippi | $31,254 | $24,000 | $40,000 |
| 34 | Texas | $31,142 | $24,000 | $39,000 |
| 35 | Maryland | $30,937 | $23,000 | $40,000 |
| 36 | Kansas | $30,653 | $24,000 | $38,000 |
| 37 | West Virginia | $30,562 | $23,000 | $39,000 |
| 38 | Montana | $30,491 | $24,000 | $38,000 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $30,391 | $23,000 | $39,000 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $30,145 | $23,000 | $38,000 |
| 41 | New Jersey | $29,859 | $22,000 | $38,000 |
| 42 | Virginia | $29,806 | $22,000 | $38,000 |
| 43 | Maine | $29,779 | $23,000 | $38,000 |
| 44 | Georgia | $29,703 | $23,000 | $38,000 |
| 45 | Delaware | $29,598 | $22,000 | $38,000 |
| 46 | North Carolina | $28,924 | $22,000 | $37,000 |
| 47 | New Mexico | $28,186 | $22,000 | $35,000 |
| 48 | Alabama | $27,588 | $21,000 | $35,000 |
| 49 | Florida | $27,456 | $21,000 | $35,000 |
| 50 | Rhode Island | $27,073 | $20,000 | $35,000 |
Methodology: Production Associate Salary By State
To better understand production associate pay by state, Zippia has aggregated data from a wide range of sources, including the BLS, FLC, and OPM. We supplement this data with actual listed salaries from job postings. Finally, our data science team calculates a weighted average of these inputs to determine average pay for production associates by state.
We ranked every state based on this average annual salary data to identify the states with the highest compensation for production associates.
Production Associate Salary By State FAQs
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What is the highest-paid state for production associates?
The highest-paid state for production associates is Alaska with an average salary of $38,515 per year.
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What city pays production associates the most?
Seattle, WA pays production associates the most with an average salary of $36,828 per year.
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What is the worst state for production associates?
The worst state for production associates is Rhode Island with an average salary of $27,073 per year.
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.
