Find a Job You Really Want In
Collectors are one of the most common jobs in America. Additionally, a significant number of people work as collectors in every state in the union — it’s not like they are all just concentrated in California or the South.
Since collectors are such a prominent occupation, we at Zippia wanted to look at where collectors have it the best: where there are plenty of jobs to go around and people get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into the numbers from the BLS to figure out which states have the best opportunities for collectors.
After all the numbers had been crunched, we were left with this list of the best of best for America’s collectors:
So there you have it — Bill And Account Collectors is the best of the best when it comes to being a collector.
How did Bill And Account Collectors end up here and does it really deserve this ranking? Read on to see how we completed our research on the best states for collectors and for more on the top ten states.
If youĂÂre interested, you can read more about the job scene here:
- Best Companies to Work For in Chicago, IL
- These Are The 20 Best Small Companies In Chicago To Work For
- These Are The 100 Highest Paying Jobs In Chicago
How we determined the best states to be a collector
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
- Higher Pay
So in order to find out the best states for collectors in America we needed to figure out where the jobs are and how well collectors get paid. This led to the following criteria taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s Occupational Employment Statistics for 2018:
- 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.
Applying this standardization allows us to account for that fact that it costs more to live in certain in states. For example, the average salary for collectors in California is $44,340 and the average salary in Illinois is $38,610, but 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 collectors in America.
So without further ado, let’s get into just what made each state so great for collectors.
1. Illinois
Total Jobs: 9,780
Average Annual Salary: $38,610
Average Entry Level Salary: $26,010
Average Experienced Salary: $55,520
Location Quotient: 0.94
2. Virginia
Total Jobs: 6,360
Average Annual Salary: $41,060
Average Entry Level Salary: $27,050
Average Experienced Salary: $60,710
Location Quotient: 0.96
3. Oklahoma
Total Jobs: 4,140
Average Annual Salary: $35,420
Average Entry Level Salary: $23,570
Average Experienced Salary: $50,180
Location Quotient: 1.5
4. Idaho
Total Jobs: 1,650
Average Annual Salary: $36,270
Average Entry Level Salary: $26,410
Average Experienced Salary: $49,500
Location Quotient: 1.34
5. Michigan
Total Jobs: 4,090
Average Annual Salary: $39,800
Average Entry Level Salary: $26,440
Average Experienced Salary: $56,970
Location Quotient: 0.55
6. Texas
Total Jobs: 28,350
Average Annual Salary: $36,590
Average Entry Level Salary: $22,980
Average Experienced Salary: $51,110
Location Quotient: 1.35
7. North Dakota
Total Jobs: 430
Average Annual Salary: $43,090
Average Entry Level Salary: $28,250
Average Experienced Salary: $62,170
Location Quotient: 0.59
8. Delaware
Total Jobs: 1,010
Average Annual Salary: $39,190
Average Entry Level Salary: $26,550
Average Experienced Salary: $58,150
Location Quotient: 1.3
9. Georgia
Total Jobs: 9,370
Average Annual Salary: $37,180
Average Entry Level Salary: $22,920
Average Experienced Salary: $52,070
Location Quotient: 1.23
10. Minnesota
Total Jobs: 4,940
Average Annual Salary: $39,780
Average Entry Level Salary: $27,900
Average Experienced Salary: $54,980
Location Quotient: 0.99
There You Have It – The Best States To Be A Collector
If you’re looking to start out your career as a collector 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 collector in America:
For more reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Best States For collectors
| Rank | State | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | $38,610 |
| 2 | Virginia | $41,060 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | $35,420 |
| 4 | Idaho | $36,270 |
| 5 | Michigan | $39,800 |
| 6 | Texas | $36,590 |
| 7 | North Dakota | $43,090 |
| 8 | Delaware | $39,190 |
| 9 | Georgia | $37,180 |
| 10 | Minnesota | $39,780 |
| 11 | Iowa | $35,450 |
| 12 | Kentucky | $36,650 |
| 13 | Wyoming | $37,850 |
| 14 | Ohio | $35,900 |
| 15 | Indiana | $35,230 |
| 16 | Alabama | $35,570 |
| 17 | Kansas | $33,640 |
| 18 | Missouri | $35,150 |
| 19 | Nebraska | $34,990 |
| 20 | Arizona | $36,430 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | $38,400 |
| 22 | Mississippi | $33,440 |
| 23 | Tennessee | $33,940 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $35,970 |
| 25 | Colorado | $40,730 |
| 26 | Utah | $33,500 |
| 27 | Washington | $40,400 |
| 28 | South Carolina | $35,700 |
| 29 | New Mexico | $37,350 |
| 30 | Florida | $36,070 |
| 31 | New Jersey | $45,260 |
| 32 | Pennsylvania | $37,340 |
| 33 | Arkansas | $32,120 |
| 34 | Nevada | $36,710 |
| 35 | Vermont | $42,350 |
| 36 | Montana | $35,570 |
| 37 | Maryland | $42,950 |
| 38 | West Virginia | $33,350 |
| 39 | South Dakota | $32,570 |
| 40 | Connecticut | $45,360 |
| 41 | New Hampshire | $37,410 |
| 42 | Rhode Island | $43,100 |
| 43 | Massachusetts | $45,810 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $33,170 |
| 45 | New York | $42,310 |
| 46 | California | $44,340 |
| 47 | Alaska | $45,540 |
| 48 | Oregon | $39,130 |
| 49 | Maine | $36,330 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $41,540 |
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.
