Find a Job You Really Want In
Couriers are one of the most common jobs in America. Additionally, a significant number of people work as couriers in every state in the union — it’s not like they are all just concentrated in California or the South.
Since couriers are such a prominent occupation, we at Zippia wanted to look at where couriers 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 couriers.
After all the numbers had been crunched, we were left with this list of the best of best for America’s couriers:
So there you have it — Couriers And Messengers is the best of the best when it comes to being a courier.
How did Couriers And Messengers end up here and does it really deserve this ranking? Read on to see how we completed our research on the best states for couriers 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 Nashville
- These are the 12 Best Small Companies to Work for in Nashville
- These Are The 100 Highest Paying Jobs In Nashville
How we determined the best states to be a courier
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 couriers in America we needed to figure out where the jobs are and how well couriers 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 couriers in California is $34,620 and the average salary in Illinois is $29,280, 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 couriers in America.
So without further ado, let’s get into just what made each state so great for couriers.
1. Tennessee
Total Jobs: 1,670
Average Annual Salary: $33,450
Average Entry Level Salary: $19,190
Average Experienced Salary: $57,040
Location Quotient: 1.08
2. Michigan
Total Jobs: 2,240
Average Annual Salary: $28,110
Average Entry Level Salary: $20,990
Average Experienced Salary: $37,550
Location Quotient: 0.99
3. Kansas
Total Jobs: 660
Average Annual Salary: $29,620
Average Entry Level Salary: $19,890
Average Experienced Salary: $40,290
Location Quotient: 0.92
4. Washington
Total Jobs: 1,180
Average Annual Salary: $35,720
Average Entry Level Salary: $26,590
Average Experienced Salary: $45,780
Location Quotient: 0.69
5. Oklahoma
Total Jobs: 840
Average Annual Salary: $29,290
Average Entry Level Salary: $18,320
Average Experienced Salary: $41,150
Location Quotient: 1.0
6. Colorado
Total Jobs: 1,110
Average Annual Salary: $32,470
Average Entry Level Salary: $22,800
Average Experienced Salary: $45,950
Location Quotient: 0.81
7. Georgia
Total Jobs: 2,310
Average Annual Salary: $28,270
Average Entry Level Salary: $20,250
Average Experienced Salary: $38,320
Location Quotient: 1.0
8. Arizona
Total Jobs: 1,370
Average Annual Salary: $30,440
Average Entry Level Salary: $21,860
Average Experienced Salary: $40,230
Location Quotient: 0.94
9. Kentucky
Total Jobs: 930
Average Annual Salary: $28,300
Average Entry Level Salary: $19,360
Average Experienced Salary: $38,760
Location Quotient: 0.94
10. Florida
Total Jobs: 4,410
Average Annual Salary: $30,320
Average Entry Level Salary: $19,660
Average Experienced Salary: $44,800
Location Quotient: 0.98
There You Have It – The Best States To Be A Courier
If you’re looking to start out your career as a courier 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 courier in America:
For more reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Best States For couriers
| Rank | State | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tennessee | $33,450 |
| 2 | Michigan | $28,110 |
| 3 | Kansas | $29,620 |
| 4 | Washington | $35,720 |
| 5 | Oklahoma | $29,290 |
| 6 | Colorado | $32,470 |
| 7 | Georgia | $28,270 |
| 8 | Arizona | $30,440 |
| 9 | Kentucky | $28,300 |
| 10 | Florida | $30,320 |
| 11 | Virginia | $32,490 |
| 12 | Nebraska | $27,050 |
| 13 | Missouri | $29,120 |
| 14 | Oregon | $34,160 |
| 15 | Delaware | $30,420 |
| 16 | Ohio | $28,750 |
| 17 | Iowa | $27,730 |
| 18 | Texas | $27,390 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $35,010 |
| 20 | Mississippi | $26,260 |
| 21 | Indiana | $27,780 |
| 22 | Utah | $28,760 |
| 23 | Illinois | $29,280 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $28,460 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $30,530 |
| 26 | Alabama | $25,540 |
| 27 | North Dakota | $28,680 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $27,710 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $29,270 |
| 30 | Louisiana | $24,970 |
| 31 | West Virginia | $25,990 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $24,990 |
| 33 | New York | $33,620 |
| 34 | Alaska | $32,840 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $24,900 |
| 36 | Nevada | $27,080 |
| 37 | Vermont | $31,840 |
| 38 | New Jersey | $33,620 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $25,380 |
| 40 | Idaho | $24,770 |
| 41 | California | $34,620 |
| 42 | Massachusetts | $32,750 |
| 43 | Maine | $29,920 |
| 44 | Connecticut | $34,410 |
| 45 | Montana | $26,870 |
| 46 | Maryland | $34,090 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $30,680 |
| 48 | New Hampshire | $27,480 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $25,380 |
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.
