Research Summary. After extensive research by the Zippia data science team, we identified these details of fellow salary by state for the United States in 2026:
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Tennessee has the highest fellow salary of $94,634
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North Dakota has the lowest fellow salary of $44,690
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The national average salary for fellows is $66,364
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The national hourly pay for fellows is $31.91
You can read more on the specific methodology.
Background
In today’s job market, salary remains a top priority for job seekers across all demographics. For those pursuing careers as fellows, understanding local salary data is crucial for making informed career decisions.
While the specific salary you can expect may vary based on your unique qualifications and the demands of your local job market, the data presented here offers a valuable overview of average fellow salaries by state, taking into account different levels of seniority. This benchmark can help you gauge what to expect as you navigate your career path.
The state with the best salary for fellows remains Tennessee.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the top ten states for fellow salaries:
Let’s take a look at how we got here and a full ranking of all the states.
Highest-Paid Fellows By State
| Rank | State | Average Fellow Salary | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tennessee | $94,634 | $62,000 | $143,000 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $81,389 | $58,000 | $114,000 |
| 3 | California | $79,879 | $53,000 | $119,000 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $78,492 | $56,000 | $109,000 |
| 5 | Maine | $77,590 | $56,000 | $106,000 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $77,138 | $54,000 | $109,000 |
| 7 | Arizona | $74,523 | $49,000 | $113,000 |
| 8 | Idaho | $74,239 | $51,000 | $107,000 |
| 9 | Hawaii | $74,084 | $59,000 | $92,000 |
| 10 | Indiana | $73,104 | $50,000 | $106,000 |
| 11 | Delaware | $72,044 | $50,000 | $103,000 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $71,549 | $51,000 | $98,000 |
| 13 | New York | $70,101 | $49,000 | $98,000 |
| 14 | Illinois | $69,389 | $48,000 | $99,000 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $68,438 | $47,000 | $97,000 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $68,188 | $48,000 | $96,000 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $68,140 | $48,000 | $95,000 |
| 18 | Maryland | $67,381 | $46,000 | $97,000 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $66,874 | $48,000 | $92,000 |
| 20 | Washington | $66,266 | $46,000 | $94,000 |
| 21 | Oregon | $65,977 | $45,000 | $95,000 |
| 22 | Montana | $63,420 | $44,000 | $89,000 |
| 23 | Michigan | $61,628 | $43,000 | $87,000 |
| 24 | Ohio | $61,476 | $42,000 | $88,000 |
| 25 | West Virginia | $61,093 | $41,000 | $89,000 |
| 26 | Virginia | $61,082 | $41,000 | $90,000 |
| 27 | Colorado | $61,043 | $41,000 | $90,000 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $60,987 | $41,000 | $90,000 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $60,483 | $39,000 | $91,000 |
| 30 | Oklahoma | $60,395 | $39,000 | $91,000 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $59,653 | $42,000 | $84,000 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $59,574 | $39,000 | $90,000 |
| 33 | Alaska | $58,787 | $45,000 | $76,000 |
| 34 | Nebraska | $58,567 | $40,000 | $84,000 |
| 35 | Florida | $57,890 | $36,000 | $91,000 |
| 36 | Vermont | $57,857 | $42,000 | $79,000 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $57,848 | $39,000 | $83,000 |
| 38 | Nevada | $57,623 | $38,000 | $86,000 |
| 39 | Missouri | $57,476 | $38,000 | $85,000 |
| 40 | Iowa | $57,314 | $40,000 | $82,000 |
| 41 | Alabama | $55,669 | $36,000 | $85,000 |
| 42 | New Mexico | $55,058 | $36,000 | $84,000 |
| 43 | Kansas | $54,926 | $37,000 | $81,000 |
| 44 | Texas | $54,543 | $35,000 | $84,000 |
| 45 | Georgia | $52,141 | $33,000 | $80,000 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $51,954 | $33,000 | $80,000 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $51,229 | $33,000 | $78,000 |
| 48 | Utah | $49,175 | $33,000 | $72,000 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $45,551 | $29,000 | $70,000 |
| 50 | North Dakota | $44,690 | $32,000 | $61,000 |
Methodology: Fellow Salary By State
To better understand fellow pay by state, Zippia has aggregated data across multiple channels, including the BLS, FLC, and OPM. We then supplement this data with actual listed salaries from job postings. Our data science team calculates a weighted average of these inputs to create an overall average pay for fellows by state.
We took the average annual salary data for fellows from these estimates and ranked every state based on this criterion, identifying the state with the highest salary as the top average salary for fellows.
Fellow Salary By State FAQs
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What is the highest-paid state for fellows?
The highest-paid state for fellows is Tennessee with an average salary of $94,634 per year.
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What city pays fellows the most?
Oak Ridge, TN pays fellows the most with an average salary of $94,447 per year.
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What is the worst state for fellows?
The state with the lowest average salary for fellows is North Dakota, averaging $44,690 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.
