Research Summary. After extensive research by the Zippia data science team, we identified these details of project assistant salary by state for the United States as of 2026:
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Oregon has the highest project assistant salary of $53,808.
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Arkansas has the lowest project assistant salary of $25,522.
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The national average salary for project assistants is $38,564.
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The national hourly pay for project assistants is $18.54.
You can read more on the specific methodology.
Background
In today’s job market, salary remains a top concern for job seekers. As a project assistant, understanding your earning potential is crucial, especially in the context of an evolving labor landscape that increasingly values flexibility and remote work options.
While many factors influence your specific salary, comprehensive data on average salaries for project assistants by state is available, providing insight into what you might expect to earn based on your location and experience level. The state with the highest average salary for project assistants remains Oregon.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the top ten states for project assistant salaries:
Let’s take a look at how we got here and a full ranking of all the states.
Highest-Paid Project Assistants By State
| Rank | State | Average Project Assistant Salary | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $53,808 | $35,000 | $80,000 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $51,678 | $31,000 | $84,000 |
| 3 | New York | $49,850 | $30,000 | $82,000 |
| 4 | California | $48,893 | $30,000 | $77,000 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $48,887 | $30,000 | $79,000 |
| 6 | Washington | $48,505 | $32,000 | $71,000 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $47,064 | $29,000 | $75,000 |
| 8 | Maryland | $43,921 | $26,000 | $72,000 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $43,875 | $26,000 | $72,000 |
| 10 | Vermont | $43,559 | $28,000 | $67,000 |
| 11 | Hawaii | $42,729 | $33,000 | $54,000 |
| 12 | Nevada | $42,385 | $27,000 | $66,000 |
| 13 | Virginia | $41,592 | $25,000 | $67,000 |
| 14 | Michigan | $41,196 | $26,000 | $64,000 |
| 15 | New Hampshire | $41,118 | $25,000 | $65,000 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $40,619 | $24,000 | $66,000 |
| 17 | Alaska | $39,762 | $31,000 | $49,000 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $38,484 | $26,000 | $55,000 |
| 19 | Maine | $37,587 | $24,000 | $57,000 |
| 20 | Illinois | $36,603 | $24,000 | $54,000 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $36,519 | $23,000 | $57,000 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $36,411 | $23,000 | $55,000 |
| 23 | Texas | $36,147 | $23,000 | $54,000 |
| 24 | New Mexico | $35,937 | $23,000 | $53,000 |
| 25 | Colorado | $35,653 | $25,000 | $50,000 |
| 26 | Utah | $35,508 | $24,000 | $52,000 |
| 27 | Ohio | $35,161 | $22,000 | $55,000 |
| 28 | Idaho | $34,861 | $23,000 | $51,000 |
| 29 | North Dakota | $34,785 | $25,000 | $47,000 |
| 30 | Delaware | $34,402 | $20,000 | $56,000 |
| 31 | Wisconsin | $34,229 | $22,000 | $51,000 |
| 32 | Arizona | $34,033 | $22,000 | $51,000 |
| 33 | Wyoming | $34,014 | $24,000 | $47,000 |
| 34 | Missouri | $33,678 | $23,000 | $48,000 |
| 35 | Iowa | $33,353 | $23,000 | $47,000 |
| 36 | Montana | $33,344 | $24,000 | $46,000 |
| 37 | Alabama | $33,239 | $22,000 | $49,000 |
| 38 | Mississippi | $32,223 | $21,000 | $47,000 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $32,082 | $21,000 | $47,000 |
| 40 | Kansas | $32,002 | $22,000 | $45,000 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $31,991 | $21,000 | $46,000 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $31,929 | $22,000 | $44,000 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $31,756 | $20,000 | $48,000 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $31,298 | $21,000 | $46,000 |
| 45 | Florida | $31,225 | $20,000 | $48,000 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $31,077 | $21,000 | $45,000 |
| 47 | Indiana | $30,820 | $20,000 | $46,000 |
| 48 | Georgia | $29,368 | $19,000 | $43,000 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $28,482 | $20,000 | $39,000 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $25,522 | $17,000 | $37,000 |
Methodology: Project Assistant Salary By State
To better understand project assistant pay by state, Zippia has aggregated data from various reputable sources, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Federal Labor Commission (FLC), and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). We supplement this information with actual salaries listed in job postings. Finally, our data science team calculates a weighted average based on these inputs to establish an average salary for project assistants by state.
We ranked every state based on these average annual salary estimates, identifying the state with the highest salary as the leader for project assistants.
Project Assistant Salary By State FAQs
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What is the highest-paid state for project assistants?
The highest-paid state for project assistants is Oregon with an average salary of $53,808 per year.
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What city pays project assistants the most?
Portland, OR pays project assistants the most with an average salary of $53,609 per year.
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What is the worst state for project assistants?
The lowest-paying state for project assistants is Arkansas with an average salary of $25,522 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.
