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Best states for an anchor
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Anchor opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for anchors, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for anchors.We wanted to look at the best states for anchors -- where there are plenty of anchor jobs to go around and anchors get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for anchors. New York is the best state for anchors, where the median salary is $106,870.We found that New York is the best state for anchor jobs, whereas South Carolina is the worst.
10 best states for anchors in 2026
1. New York
Total anchor jobs: 627 Average annual salary: $106,870 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $169,000 Location Quotient: 2.49
2. Vermont
Total anchor jobs: 16 Average annual salary: $97,821 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
3. Maryland
Total anchor jobs: 216 Average annual salary: $93,029 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000 Location Quotient: 1.73
4. New Jersey
Total anchor jobs: 119 Average annual salary: $105,049 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $167,000 Location Quotient: 0.76
5. Michigan
Total anchor jobs: 92 Average annual salary: $93,872 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $155,000 Location Quotient: 0.6
6. Missouri
Total anchor jobs: 112 Average annual salary: $84,555 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
7. District of Columbia
Total anchor jobs: 183 Average annual salary: $91,515 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $151,000 Location Quotient: 5.55
8. Connecticut
Total anchor jobs: 57 Average annual salary: $86,947 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000 Location Quotient: 0.88
9. Maine
Total anchor jobs: 7 Average annual salary: $96,868 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 0.27
10. Rhode Island
Total anchor jobs: 14 Average annual salary: $89,635 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $141,000 Location Quotient: 0.59
Anchor jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an anchor
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an anchor
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $106,870 | $67,000 | 19,849,399 | 627 |
| 2 | Vermont | $97,821 | $61,000 | 623,657 | 16 |
| 3 | Maryland | $93,029 | $56,000 | 6,052,177 | 216 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $105,049 | $65,000 | 9,005,644 | 119 |
| 5 | Michigan | $93,872 | $56,000 | 9,962,311 | 92 |
| 6 | Missouri | $84,555 | $47,000 | 6,113,532 | 112 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $91,515 | $55,000 | 693,972 | 183 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $86,947 | $54,000 | 3,588,184 | 57 |
| 9 | Maine | $96,868 | $61,000 | 1,335,907 | 7 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $89,635 | $56,000 | 1,059,639 | 14 |
| 11 | Kentucky | $88,642 | $50,000 | 4,454,189 | 36 |
| 12 | Ohio | $88,143 | $52,000 | 11,658,609 | 105 |
| 13 | Oregon | $80,079 | $45,000 | 4,142,776 | 135 |
| 14 | Virginia | $80,669 | $47,000 | 8,470,020 | 321 |
| 15 | Utah | $76,507 | $42,000 | 3,101,833 | 62 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $80,579 | $49,000 | 12,805,537 | 161 |
| 17 | Delaware | $88,669 | $54,000 | 961,939 | 13 |
| 18 | Illinois | $80,088 | $46,000 | 12,802,023 | 208 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $85,376 | $53,000 | 1,342,795 | 20 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $76,035 | $44,000 | 1,815,857 | 23 |
| 21 | Nevada | $79,245 | $43,000 | 2,998,039 | 26 |
| 22 | Massachusetts | $80,018 | $50,000 | 6,859,819 | 201 |
| 23 | Wyoming | $72,392 | $41,000 | 579,315 | 25 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $74,712 | $42,000 | 10,273,419 | 167 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $78,441 | $47,000 | 5,576,606 | 89 |
| 26 | Iowa | $75,293 | $43,000 | 3,145,711 | 45 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $73,782 | $40,000 | 2,088,070 | 32 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $73,928 | $44,000 | 5,795,483 | 74 |
| 29 | Washington | $72,493 | $42,000 | 7,405,743 | 160 |
| 30 | North Dakota | $69,940 | $42,000 | 755,393 | 17 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $72,406 | $40,000 | 6,715,984 | 69 |
| 32 | California | $71,792 | $38,000 | 39,536,653 | 746 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $69,502 | $40,000 | 1,920,076 | 46 |
| 34 | Idaho | $71,788 | $40,000 | 1,716,943 | 26 |
| 35 | Alaska | $68,771 | $44,000 | 739,795 | 21 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $69,634 | $38,000 | 3,004,279 | 34 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $70,880 | $39,000 | 3,930,864 | 34 |
| 38 | Indiana | $71,532 | $41,000 | 6,666,818 | 61 |
| 39 | Colorado | $62,547 | $35,000 | 5,607,154 | 127 |
| 40 | Montana | $67,059 | $39,000 | 1,050,493 | 15 |
| 41 | Arizona | $65,574 | $35,000 | 7,016,270 | 83 |
| 42 | Kansas | $67,684 | $38,000 | 2,913,123 | 37 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $66,459 | $39,000 | 869,666 | 7 |
| 44 | Georgia | $60,289 | $34,000 | 10,429,379 | 153 |
| 45 | Texas | $55,259 | $31,000 | 28,304,596 | 355 |
| 46 | Florida | $50,817 | $30,000 | 20,984,400 | 284 |
| 47 | Alabama | $61,456 | $34,000 | 4,874,747 | 51 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $63,476 | $36,000 | 4,684,333 | 25 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $36,952 | $30,000 | 1,427,538 | 13 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $59,043 | $33,000 | 2,984,100 | 13 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $57,114 | $32,000 | 5,024,369 | 43 |
Highest paying states for anchors
| Rank | State | Avg. Anchor Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $106,870 |
| 2 | Vermont | $97,821 |
| 3 | Maryland | $93,029 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $105,049 |
| 5 | Michigan | $93,872 |
| 6 | Missouri | $84,555 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $91,515 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $86,947 |
| 9 | Maine | $96,868 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $89,635 |
| 11 | Kentucky | $88,642 |
| 12 | Ohio | $88,143 |
| 13 | Oregon | $80,079 |
| 14 | Virginia | $80,669 |
| 15 | Utah | $76,507 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $80,579 |
| 17 | Delaware | $88,669 |
| 18 | Illinois | $80,088 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $85,376 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $76,035 |
| 21 | Nevada | $79,245 |
| 22 | Massachusetts | $80,018 |
| 23 | Wyoming | $72,392 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $74,712 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $78,441 |
| 26 | Iowa | $75,293 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $73,782 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $73,928 |
| 29 | Washington | $72,493 |
| 30 | North Dakota | $69,940 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $72,406 |
| 32 | California | $71,792 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $69,502 |
| 34 | Idaho | $71,788 |
| 35 | Alaska | $68,771 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $69,634 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $70,880 |
| 38 | Indiana | $71,532 |
| 39 | Colorado | $62,547 |
| 40 | Montana | $67,059 |
| 41 | Arizona | $65,574 |
| 42 | Kansas | $67,684 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $66,459 |
| 44 | Georgia | $60,289 |
| 45 | Texas | $55,259 |
| 46 | Florida | $50,817 |
| 47 | Alabama | $61,456 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $63,476 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $36,952 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $59,043 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $57,114 |
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Updated January 8, 2025