Research Summary. After extensive research by the Zippia data science team, we identified these details of graduate assistant salary by state for the United States:
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Massachusetts has the highest graduate assistant salary of $50,237
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Utah has the lowest graduate assistant salary of $22,960
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The national average salary for graduate assistants is $31,704
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The national hourly pay for graduate assistants is $15.24
You can read more on the specific methodology.
Background
Without fail, in surveys across basically every demographic, the number one most important aspect of a job for most people is the salary — how much do graduate assistants get paid where I live?
And while there are many things to go into how much you, specifically, can expect to make, there’s really good data for average salaries for graduate assistant by state across America broken down by seniority level. So while your city may be slightly different than the state average, these averages give you a rough sense of what to expect for your salary.
The state with the best salary for graduate assistants after this adjustment? That would be Massachusetts.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the top ten states for graduate assistant salaries:
Let’s take a look at how we got here and a full ranking of all the states.
Highest-Paid Graduate Assistants By State
| Rank | State | Average Graduate Assistant Salary | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $50,237 | $20,000 | $122,000 |
| 2 | Maine | $47,649 | $19,000 | $114,000 |
| 3 | New York | $47,325 | $18,000 | $119,000 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $44,472 | $17,000 | $115,000 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $43,780 | $17,000 | $112,000 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $41,352 | $15,000 | $108,000 |
| 7 | Maryland | $39,859 | $14,000 | $107,000 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $38,940 | $15,000 | $97,000 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $37,211 | $14,000 | $95,000 |
| 10 | Vermont | $36,798 | $15,000 | $89,000 |
| 11 | Wisconsin | $36,135 | $15,000 | $84,000 |
| 12 | Michigan | $34,468 | $13,000 | $86,000 |
| 13 | Alaska | $34,305 | $15,000 | $76,000 |
| 14 | Indiana | $34,159 | $13,000 | $85,000 |
| 15 | Delaware | $32,617 | $11,000 | $89,000 |
| 16 | Ohio | $32,508 | $12,000 | $84,000 |
| 17 | Colorado | $31,131 | $14,000 | $68,000 |
| 18 | Illinois | $30,995 | $12,000 | $74,000 |
| 19 | Hawaii | $30,903 | $11,000 | $81,000 |
| 20 | Idaho | $30,726 | $14,000 | $64,000 |
| 21 | California | $29,846 | $12,000 | $72,000 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $29,731 | $13,000 | $64,000 |
| 23 | Washington | $29,157 | $13,000 | $61,000 |
| 24 | Virginia | $29,144 | $10,000 | $82,000 |
| 25 | Mississippi | $29,098 | $9,000 | $84,000 |
| 26 | Kansas | $28,905 | $12,000 | $68,000 |
| 27 | South Dakota | $28,118 | $13,000 | $59,000 |
| 28 | South Carolina | $27,834 | $9,000 | $83,000 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $27,784 | $9,000 | $84,000 |
| 30 | Texas | $27,470 | $9,000 | $79,000 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $27,437 | $13,000 | $55,000 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $27,284 | $10,000 | $73,000 |
| 33 | New Mexico | $27,271 | $11,000 | $67,000 |
| 34 | Montana | $27,218 | $13,000 | $54,000 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $26,143 | $9,000 | $70,000 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $25,949 | $8,000 | $75,000 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $25,807 | $12,000 | $53,000 |
| 38 | Georgia | $25,783 | $8,000 | $76,000 |
| 39 | Nevada | $25,694 | $10,000 | $60,000 |
| 40 | Oregon | $25,655 | $11,000 | $56,000 |
| 41 | Missouri | $25,620 | $10,000 | $61,000 |
| 42 | Florida | $25,617 | $7,000 | $86,000 |
| 43 | Alabama | $24,842 | $8,000 | $72,000 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $24,819 | $9,000 | $62,000 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $24,757 | $9,000 | $64,000 |
| 46 | Arizona | $24,605 | $9,000 | $61,000 |
| 47 | Iowa | $24,084 | $10,000 | $54,000 |
| 48 | Nebraska | $23,454 | $10,000 | $52,000 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $23,158 | $8,000 | $60,000 |
| 50 | Utah | $22,960 | $10,000 | $50,000 |
Methodology: Graduate Assistant Salary By State
To better understand graduate 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 graduate assistants by state.
We took the average annual salary data for graduate assistants from these estimates and ranked every state on this criteria with the state with the highest salary ranking as highest average salary for graduate assistants.
Graduate Assistant Salary By State FAQs
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What is the highest-paid state for graduate assistants?
The highest-paid state for graduate assistants is Massachusetts with an average salary of $50,237 per year.
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What city pays graduate assistants the most?
Boston, MA pays graduate assistants the most with an average salary of $49,658 per year.
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What is the worst state for graduate assistants?
The worst state for graduate assistants is Utah with an average salary of $22,960 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.
