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Best states for an author
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
It seems like authors are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for authors aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. In fact, our research shows that Massachusetts is the best state for authors in America. The best city in America for authors with the highest pay is Beverly, MA.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for authors. Massachusetts is the best state for authors, where the median salary is $115,262.If you are currently seeking employment as an author, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for authors in 2026
1. Massachusetts
Total author jobs: 23 Average annual salary: $115,262 Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $169,000 Location Quotient: 1.69
2. California
Total author jobs: 58 Average annual salary: $113,371 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $173,000 Location Quotient: 1.34
3. Vermont
Total author jobs: 1 Average annual salary: $112,247 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $163,000 Location Quotient: 0.88
4. Washington
Total author jobs: 15 Average annual salary: $93,289 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Location Quotient: 1.39
5. District of Columbia
Total author jobs: 5 Average annual salary: $102,467 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000 Location Quotient: 2.02
6. New Jersey
Total author jobs: 16 Average annual salary: $93,815 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000 Location Quotient: 1.36
7. Connecticut
Total author jobs: 5 Average annual salary: $88,726 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $131,000 Location Quotient: 1.02
8. North Dakota
Total author jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $105,037 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000 Location Quotient: 0
9. New York
Total author jobs: 50 Average annual salary: $84,311 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000 Location Quotient: 2.64
10. Iowa
Total author jobs: 5 Average annual salary: $80,746 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
Author jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an author
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an author
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $115,262 | $78,000 | 6,859,819 | 23 |
| 2 | California | $113,371 | $74,000 | 39,536,653 | 58 |
| 3 | Vermont | $112,247 | $76,000 | 623,657 | 1 |
| 4 | Washington | $93,289 | $65,000 | 7,405,743 | 15 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $102,467 | $67,000 | 693,972 | 5 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $93,815 | $63,000 | 9,005,644 | 16 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $88,726 | $59,000 | 3,588,184 | 5 |
| 8 | North Dakota | $105,037 | $75,000 | 755,393 | 0 |
| 9 | New York | $84,311 | $56,000 | 19,849,399 | 50 |
| 10 | Iowa | $80,746 | $54,000 | 3,145,711 | 5 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $83,945 | $56,000 | 12,805,537 | 7 |
| 12 | Maine | $83,347 | $57,000 | 1,335,907 | 1 |
| 13 | South Dakota | $79,758 | $55,000 | 869,666 | 1 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $81,746 | $52,000 | 10,273,419 | 7 |
| 15 | Illinois | $83,676 | $55,000 | 12,802,023 | 11 |
| 16 | Texas | $78,333 | $49,000 | 28,304,596 | 45 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $79,307 | $55,000 | 5,576,606 | 13 |
| 18 | South Carolina | $82,052 | $52,000 | 5,024,369 | 2 |
| 19 | Louisiana | $80,963 | $50,000 | 4,684,333 | 1 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $75,536 | $51,000 | 1,059,639 | 4 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $77,271 | $50,000 | 1,815,857 | 0 |
| 22 | Montana | $79,341 | $56,000 | 1,050,493 | 1 |
| 23 | Wyoming | $72,961 | $50,000 | 579,315 | 10 |
| 24 | Kansas | $77,161 | $50,000 | 2,913,123 | 2 |
| 25 | Virginia | $77,592 | $51,000 | 8,470,020 | 15 |
| 26 | Tennessee | $74,411 | $47,000 | 6,715,984 | 4 |
| 27 | Idaho | $78,848 | $54,000 | 1,716,943 | 0 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $78,055 | $50,000 | 2,088,070 | 0 |
| 29 | Oregon | $73,014 | $50,000 | 4,142,776 | 14 |
| 30 | Alabama | $74,748 | $47,000 | 4,874,747 | 2 |
| 31 | Kentucky | $73,348 | $47,000 | 4,454,189 | 4 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $74,574 | $47,000 | 3,004,279 | 1 |
| 33 | Georgia | $72,804 | $46,000 | 10,429,379 | 17 |
| 34 | Indiana | $72,442 | $47,000 | 6,666,818 | 7 |
| 35 | New Hampshire | $74,368 | $50,000 | 1,342,795 | 1 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $80,228 | $60,000 | 1,427,538 | 0 |
| 37 | Delaware | $75,727 | $50,000 | 961,939 | 0 |
| 38 | Alaska | $62,538 | $54,000 | 739,795 | 1 |
| 39 | Maryland | $73,087 | $48,000 | 6,052,177 | 6 |
| 40 | Colorado | $68,128 | $46,000 | 5,607,154 | 12 |
| 41 | Arizona | $73,973 | $48,000 | 7,016,270 | 2 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $70,450 | $45,000 | 3,930,864 | 3 |
| 43 | Nevada | $73,659 | $48,000 | 2,998,039 | 0 |
| 44 | Wisconsin | $70,883 | $47,000 | 5,795,483 | 3 |
| 45 | Utah | $58,532 | $39,000 | 3,101,833 | 7 |
| 46 | Ohio | $67,169 | $44,000 | 11,658,609 | 8 |
| 47 | Florida | $59,119 | $36,000 | 20,984,400 | 20 |
| 48 | Michigan | $55,290 | $36,000 | 9,962,311 | 11 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $58,884 | $37,000 | 2,984,100 | 0 |
| 50 | Missouri | $58,788 | $38,000 | 6,113,532 | 1 |
| 51 | Nebraska | $57,535 | $38,000 | 1,920,076 | 0 |
Highest paying states for authors
| Rank | State | Avg. Author Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $115,262 |
| 2 | California | $113,371 |
| 3 | Vermont | $112,247 |
| 4 | Washington | $93,289 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $102,467 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $93,815 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $88,726 |
| 8 | North Dakota | $105,037 |
| 9 | New York | $84,311 |
| 10 | Iowa | $80,746 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $83,945 |
| 12 | Maine | $83,347 |
| 13 | South Dakota | $79,758 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $81,746 |
| 15 | Illinois | $83,676 |
| 16 | Texas | $78,333 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $79,307 |
| 18 | South Carolina | $82,052 |
| 19 | Louisiana | $80,963 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $75,536 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $77,271 |
| 22 | Montana | $79,341 |
| 23 | Wyoming | $72,961 |
| 24 | Kansas | $77,161 |
| 25 | Virginia | $77,592 |
| 26 | Tennessee | $74,411 |
| 27 | Idaho | $78,848 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $78,055 |
| 29 | Oregon | $73,014 |
| 30 | Alabama | $74,748 |
| 31 | Kentucky | $73,348 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $74,574 |
| 33 | Georgia | $72,804 |
| 34 | Indiana | $72,442 |
| 35 | New Hampshire | $74,368 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $80,228 |
| 37 | Delaware | $75,727 |
| 38 | Alaska | $62,538 |
| 39 | Maryland | $73,087 |
| 40 | Colorado | $68,128 |
| 41 | Arizona | $73,973 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $70,450 |
| 43 | Nevada | $73,659 |
| 44 | Wisconsin | $70,883 |
| 45 | Utah | $58,532 |
| 46 | Ohio | $67,169 |
| 47 | Florida | $59,119 |
| 48 | Michigan | $55,290 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $58,884 |
| 50 | Missouri | $58,788 |
| 51 | Nebraska | $57,535 |
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Updated January 8, 2025