Best states for a business administrator

Q: What is the best state for business administrators?

The best state to be a business administrator is Alaska based on business administrator salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for business administrators?

The highest paying state for business administrators is Mississippi based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for business administrators?

The worst state for business administrators is Georgia, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Michelle Gordon

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Business administrator opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for business administrators, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for business administrators.In order to help you decide which state is the best for business administrators, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for business administrator jobs.

To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for business administrators. Alaska is the best state for business administrators, where the median salary is $95,909.Alaska is the best state, and Olympia is the city with the highest pay for business administrators.

10 best states for business administrators in 2026

1. Alaska
Total business administrator jobs: 218
Average annual salary: $95,909
Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000
Location Quotient:
2.06
Business administrator jobs in Alaska
2. South Dakota
Total business administrator jobs: 215
Average annual salary: $87,699
Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000
Location Quotient:
1.58
Business administrator jobs in South Dakota
3. Nevada
Total business administrator jobs: 495
Average annual salary: $83,931
Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000
Location Quotient:
1.86
Business administrator jobs in Nevada
4. Michigan
Total business administrator jobs: 1,447
Average annual salary: $85,039
Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000
Location Quotient:
1.47
Business administrator jobs in Michigan
5. Washington
Total business administrator jobs: 735
Average annual salary: $98,220
Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $160,000
Location Quotient:
0.79
Business administrator jobs in Washington
6. Wisconsin
Total business administrator jobs: 1,033
Average annual salary: $85,233
Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000
Location Quotient:
1.47
Business administrator jobs in Wisconsin
7. Maryland
Total business administrator jobs: 944
Average annual salary: $92,395
Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000
Location Quotient:
1.17
Business administrator jobs in Maryland
8. Utah
Total business administrator jobs: 375
Average annual salary: $85,831
Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000
Location Quotient:
0.92
Business administrator jobs in Utah
9. Virginia
Total business administrator jobs: 1,361
Average annual salary: $86,686
Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000
Location Quotient:
1.14
Business administrator jobs in Virginia
10. Oregon
Total business administrator jobs: 419
Average annual salary: $87,235
Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000
Location Quotient:
0.8
Business administrator jobs in Oregon

Business administrator jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a business administrator

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a business administrator

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Alaska	$95,909	$61,000	739,795	218
2	South Dakota	$87,699	$56,000	869,666	215
3	Nevada	$83,931	$50,000	2,998,039	495
4	Michigan	$85,039	$54,000	9,962,311	1,447
5	Washington	$98,220	$60,000	7,405,743	735
6	Wisconsin	$85,233	$54,000	5,795,483	1,033
7	Maryland	$92,395	$58,000	6,052,177	944
8	Utah	$85,831	$52,000	3,101,833	375
9	Virginia	$86,686	$54,000	8,470,020	1,361
10	Oregon	$87,235	$52,000	4,142,776	419
11	California	$95,174	$56,000	39,536,653	2,727
12	Connecticut	$89,949	$58,000	3,588,184	273
13	South Carolina	$78,791	$47,000	5,024,369	763
14	North Carolina	$84,216	$51,000	10,273,419	839
15	New Hampshire	$82,469	$54,000	1,342,795	166
16	Massachusetts	$85,528	$56,000	6,859,819	963
17	Rhode Island	$83,132	$54,000	1,059,639	108
18	New Jersey	$89,246	$57,000	9,005,644	616
19	New York	$89,296	$57,000	19,849,399	1,099
20	Kansas	$74,761	$46,000	2,913,123	628
21	Kentucky	$74,957	$46,000	4,454,189	679
22	Minnesota	$76,098	$49,000	5,576,606	1,499
23	Montana	$74,935	$47,000	1,050,493	256
24	Iowa	$74,755	$47,000	3,145,711	658
25	Idaho	$81,264	$50,000	1,716,943	146
26	Indiana	$74,207	$46,000	6,666,818	1,093
27	Maine	$82,178	$55,000	1,335,907	88
28	Nebraska	$71,544	$45,000	1,920,076	487
29	Missouri	$72,631	$45,000	6,113,532	1,141
30	District of Columbia	$77,875	$49,000	693,972	256
31	Ohio	$68,920	$43,000	11,658,609	2,005
32	Arizona	$75,065	$44,000	7,016,270	686
33	Texas	$75,305	$44,000	28,304,596	1,987
34	Vermont	$77,237	$51,000	623,657	72
35	West Virginia	$69,737	$43,000	1,815,857	243
36	New Mexico	$69,499	$41,000	2,088,070	402
37	Illinois	$77,671	$49,000	12,802,023	1,003
38	Tennessee	$67,220	$40,000	6,715,984	1,062
39	Arkansas	$66,205	$40,000	3,004,279	494
40	Delaware	$74,467	$47,000	961,939	89
41	Oklahoma	$66,488	$40,000	3,930,864	451
42	North Dakota	$68,645	$44,000	755,393	87
43	Alabama	$61,510	$37,000	4,874,747	800
44	Pennsylvania	$69,134	$44,000	12,805,537	968
45	Colorado	$66,078	$41,000	5,607,154	815
46	Louisiana	$59,824	$35,000	4,684,333	508
47	Hawaii	$66,575	$42,000	1,427,538	93
48	Wyoming	$66,107	$41,000	579,315	51
49	Mississippi	$56,496	$34,000	2,984,100	326
50	Florida	$60,469	$36,000	20,984,400	1,585
51	Georgia	$64,871	$39,000	10,429,379	815

Highest paying states for business administrators

Rank	State	Avg. Business Administrator Salary
1	Alaska	$95,909
2	South Dakota	$87,699
3	Nevada	$83,931
4	Michigan	$85,039
5	Washington	$98,220
6	Wisconsin	$85,233
7	Maryland	$92,395
8	Utah	$85,831
9	Virginia	$86,686
10	Oregon	$87,235
11	California	$95,174
12	Connecticut	$89,949
13	South Carolina	$78,791
14	North Carolina	$84,216
15	New Hampshire	$82,469
16	Massachusetts	$85,528
17	Rhode Island	$83,132
18	New Jersey	$89,246
19	New York	$89,296
20	Kansas	$74,761
21	Kentucky	$74,957
22	Minnesota	$76,098
23	Montana	$74,935
24	Iowa	$74,755
25	Idaho	$81,264
26	Indiana	$74,207
27	Maine	$82,178
28	Nebraska	$71,544
29	Missouri	$72,631
30	District of Columbia	$77,875
31	Ohio	$68,920
32	Arizona	$75,065
33	Texas	$75,305
34	Vermont	$77,237
35	West Virginia	$69,737
36	New Mexico	$69,499
37	Illinois	$77,671
38	Tennessee	$67,220
39	Arkansas	$66,205
40	Delaware	$74,467
41	Oklahoma	$66,488
42	North Dakota	$68,645
43	Alabama	$61,510
44	Pennsylvania	$69,134
45	Colorado	$66,078
46	Louisiana	$59,824
47	Hawaii	$66,575
48	Wyoming	$66,107
49	Mississippi	$56,496
50	Florida	$60,469
51	Georgia	$64,871

Expert opinions on the best states for business administrators

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for business administrators to find work opportunities?
Michelle Gordon
Associate Professor, Pennsylvania State University
The good news is that business is everywhere! Students graduating in business can build solid careers wherever they choose, as opposed to some sectors such as BioTech or Software Development, where jobs tend to be clustered around certain centers of innovation. Realtors are reporting a trend of individuals and families moving out of big cities into less-densely populated areas. This means that business graduates have great geographic flexibility in their job search efforts.

Business administrator best states FAQs

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What is the worst state for business administrators?

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Search for business administrator jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total business administrator jobs:	218
Average annual salary:	$95,909
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$61,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$150,000
Location Quotient:	2.06

Best states for a business administrator

10 best states for business administrators in 2026

1. Alaska

2. South Dakota

3. Nevada

4. Michigan

5. Washington

6. Wisconsin

7. Maryland

8. Utah

9. Virginia

10. Oregon