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Instructional Assistant Salary By State: Highest-Paid Instructional Assistants by State [2026]

By Chris Kolmar
Mar. 20, 2024
Last Modified and Fact Checked on: Feb. 3, 2026

Research Summary. After extensive research by the Zippia data science team, we identified these details of instructional assistant salary by state for the United States:

You can read more on the specific methodology.

Background

In today’s job market, salary remains a critical factor for many job seekers, especially in the educational sector. As an instructional assistant, understanding your potential earnings by location is essential for making informed career decisions.

Numerous factors affect your salary as an instructional assistant, including experience, location, and the specific requirements of the position. While your local salary may vary from state averages, these figures provide a valuable guideline for what you can expect.

Currently, Alaska offers the highest average salary for instructional assistants, reflecting both the demand for educational support in the region and the cost of living.

Here’s a quick snapshot of the top ten states for instructional assistant salaries:

  1. Alaska (Jobs)

  2. Massachusetts (Jobs)

  3. Rhode Island (Jobs)

  4. Oregon (Jobs)

  5. New York (Jobs)

  6. Washington (Jobs)

  7. Maine (Jobs)

  8. Vermont (Jobs)

  9. Delaware (Jobs)

  10. California (Jobs)

Let’s take a look at how we got here and a full ranking of all the states.

Highest-Paid Instructional Assistants By State

Rank State Average Instructional Assistant Salary 10th Percentile 90th Percentile
1 Alaska $39,779 $33,000 $47,000
2 Massachusetts $39,672 $27,000 $56,000
3 Rhode Island $39,536 $27,000 $57,000
4 Oregon $38,482 $28,000 $51,000
5 New York $37,782 $25,000 $55,000
6 Washington $36,614 $27,000 $48,000
7 Maine $36,336 $26,000 $49,000
8 Vermont $35,425 $25,000 $49,000
9 Delaware $35,039 $23,000 $51,000
10 California $34,238 $25,000 $45,000
11 New Jersey $33,895 $22,000 $50,000
12 Illinois $33,726 $24,000 $47,000
13 New Hampshire $33,629 $23,000 $47,000
14 North Dakota $33,212 $25,000 $44,000
15 Hawaii $33,011 $28,000 $38,000
16 Wisconsin $31,892 $22,000 $44,000
17 Connecticut $31,555 $21,000 $46,000
18 Michigan $31,449 $21,000 $45,000
19 Oklahoma $31,230 $23,000 $41,000
20 Pennsylvania $31,020 $21,000 $45,000
21 Maryland $30,863 $21,000 $44,000
22 Tennessee $30,434 $22,000 $41,000
23 Nevada $30,386 $22,000 $40,000
24 Minnesota $30,178 $22,000 $41,000
25 Virginia $30,035 $21,000 $42,000
26 West Virginia $29,869 $20,000 $42,000
27 Mississippi $29,811 $21,000 $40,000
28 New Mexico $29,771 $22,000 $39,000
29 Utah $29,578 $22,000 $39,000
30 Idaho $29,378 $22,000 $38,000
31 Texas $28,801 $21,000 $38,000
32 Arizona $28,686 $21,000 $38,000
33 Indiana $28,620 $20,000 $39,000
34 Colorado $28,577 $21,000 $37,000
35 Montana $28,564 $21,000 $37,000
36 South Dakota $28,442 $21,000 $38,000
37 Missouri $27,659 $20,000 $37,000
38 North Carolina $27,027 $19,000 $37,000
39 Nebraska $26,874 $19,000 $36,000
40 Iowa $26,653 $19,000 $36,000
41 Wyoming $26,548 $19,000 $35,000
42 Alabama $25,587 $18,000 $34,000
43 Kentucky $25,421 $18,000 $35,000
44 South Carolina $25,277 $18,000 $34,000
45 Ohio $25,166 $17,000 $36,000
46 Louisiana $25,072 $18,000 $34,000
47 Kansas $24,374 $18,000 $32,000
48 Georgia $23,940 $17,000 $32,000
49 Arkansas $23,861 $17,000 $32,000
50 Florida $22,430 $16,000 $30,000

Methodology: Instructional Assistant Salary By State

To better understand instructional assistant pay by state, Zippia has aggregated data across a multitude of channels including the BLS, FLC, and OPM. We then supplement that data with actual listed salaries from job posts. Finally, the data science team calculates a weighted average of these inputs to create an average pay for instructional assistants by state.

We took the average annual salary data for instructional assistants from these estimates and ranked every state based on this criterion, with the highest salary ranking as the state offering the best average compensation for instructional assistants.

Instructional Assistant Salary By State FAQs

  1. What is the highest-paid state for instructional assistants?

    The highest-paid state for instructional assistants is Alaska with an average salary of $39,779 per year.

  2. What city pays instructional assistants the most?

    Salem, OR pays instructional assistants the most with an average salary of $38,607 per year.

  3. What is the worst state for instructional assistants?

    The worst state for instructional assistants is Florida with an average salary of $22,430 per year.

Author

Chris Kolmar

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.

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