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Best states for a business specialist
Quoted expert
Jim Drinkwine
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Job opportunities vary from state to state, and business and financial careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to business specialist jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for business specialists.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of business specialists in America is $120,000.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for business specialists.We found that Pennsylvania is the best state for business specialist jobs, whereas Florida is the worst.
10 best states for business specialists in 2025
1. Pennsylvania
Total business specialist jobs: 2,251 Average annual salary: $88,224 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 1.43
2. Utah
Total business specialist jobs: 769 Average annual salary: $84,911 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $141,000 Location Quotient: 1.78
3. Maryland
Total business specialist jobs: 1,328 Average annual salary: $86,273 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $142,000 Location Quotient: 1.55
4. Washington
Total business specialist jobs: 689 Average annual salary: $103,453 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $169,000 Location Quotient: 0.7
5. Maine
Total business specialist jobs: 284 Average annual salary: $77,733 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $122,000 Location Quotient: 1.59
6. Oregon
Total business specialist jobs: 365 Average annual salary: $97,762 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $161,000 Location Quotient: 0.65
7. Rhode Island
Total business specialist jobs: 288 Average annual salary: $75,767 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000 Location Quotient: 1.75
8. District of Columbia
Total business specialist jobs: 310 Average annual salary: $88,404 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000 Location Quotient: 1.37
9. Michigan
Total business specialist jobs: 1,246 Average annual salary: $77,583 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 1.19
10. Delaware
Total business specialist jobs: 129 Average annual salary: $86,038 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $141,000 Location Quotient: 0.76
Business specialist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a business specialist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a business specialist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennsylvania | $88,224 | $53,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,251 |
| 2 | Utah | $84,911 | $50,000 | 3,101,833 | 769 |
| 3 | Maryland | $86,273 | $52,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,328 |
| 4 | Washington | $103,453 | $63,000 | 7,405,743 | 689 |
| 5 | Maine | $77,733 | $49,000 | 1,335,907 | 284 |
| 6 | Oregon | $97,762 | $59,000 | 4,142,776 | 365 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $75,767 | $47,000 | 1,059,639 | 288 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $88,404 | $53,000 | 693,972 | 310 |
| 9 | Michigan | $77,583 | $47,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,246 |
| 10 | Delaware | $86,038 | $52,000 | 961,939 | 129 |
| 11 | North Carolina | $73,233 | $43,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,090 |
| 12 | Nevada | $74,827 | $43,000 | 2,998,039 | 403 |
| 13 | Indiana | $80,018 | $48,000 | 6,666,818 | 973 |
| 14 | Alaska | $75,553 | $47,000 | 739,795 | 205 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $88,861 | $55,000 | 3,588,184 | 294 |
| 16 | Vermont | $73,878 | $46,000 | 623,657 | 218 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $84,617 | $52,000 | 6,859,819 | 847 |
| 18 | Iowa | $71,823 | $43,000 | 3,145,711 | 647 |
| 19 | North Dakota | $68,058 | $43,000 | 755,393 | 249 |
| 20 | New Jersey | $83,792 | $51,000 | 9,005,644 | 659 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $71,093 | $42,000 | 1,815,857 | 240 |
| 22 | Kansas | $70,110 | $42,000 | 2,913,123 | 504 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $69,567 | $42,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,011 |
| 24 | New Hampshire | $69,290 | $43,000 | 1,342,795 | 365 |
| 25 | California | $81,448 | $48,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,129 |
| 26 | New York | $77,151 | $47,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,344 |
| 27 | Virginia | $75,904 | $45,000 | 8,470,020 | 986 |
| 28 | South Dakota | $66,325 | $41,000 | 869,666 | 199 |
| 29 | Hawaii | $72,969 | $57,000 | 1,427,538 | 208 |
| 30 | Louisiana | $68,959 | $39,000 | 4,684,333 | 497 |
| 31 | Montana | $66,541 | $41,000 | 1,050,493 | 228 |
| 32 | Minnesota | $67,662 | $42,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,208 |
| 33 | Arizona | $70,114 | $41,000 | 7,016,270 | 733 |
| 34 | Ohio | $65,244 | $39,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,694 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $61,921 | $36,000 | 3,004,279 | 554 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $65,131 | $38,000 | 4,454,189 | 587 |
| 37 | Idaho | $70,615 | $42,000 | 1,716,943 | 131 |
| 38 | Wyoming | $61,523 | $37,000 | 579,315 | 155 |
| 39 | Missouri | $64,926 | $39,000 | 6,113,532 | 949 |
| 40 | Nebraska | $59,954 | $36,000 | 1,920,076 | 440 |
| 41 | Illinois | $68,894 | $41,000 | 12,802,023 | 962 |
| 42 | New Mexico | $61,302 | $35,000 | 2,088,070 | 304 |
| 43 | Colorado | $65,634 | $39,000 | 5,607,154 | 608 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $57,181 | $33,000 | 6,715,984 | 978 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $60,965 | $35,000 | 2,984,100 | 272 |
| 46 | Texas | $60,544 | $34,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,950 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $56,715 | $33,000 | 3,930,864 | 446 |
| 48 | Georgia | $61,553 | $36,000 | 10,429,379 | 802 |
| 49 | Alabama | $53,674 | $31,000 | 4,874,747 | 689 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $55,244 | $32,000 | 5,024,369 | 626 |
| 51 | Florida | $57,536 | $33,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,538 |
Highest paying states for business specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. Business Specialist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennsylvania | $88,224 |
| 2 | Utah | $84,911 |
| 3 | Maryland | $86,273 |
| 4 | Washington | $103,453 |
| 5 | Maine | $77,733 |
| 6 | Oregon | $97,762 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $75,767 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $88,404 |
| 9 | Michigan | $77,583 |
| 10 | Delaware | $86,038 |
| 11 | North Carolina | $73,233 |
| 12 | Nevada | $74,827 |
| 13 | Indiana | $80,018 |
| 14 | Alaska | $75,553 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $88,861 |
| 16 | Vermont | $73,878 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $84,617 |
| 18 | Iowa | $71,823 |
| 19 | North Dakota | $68,058 |
| 20 | New Jersey | $83,792 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $71,093 |
| 22 | Kansas | $70,110 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $69,567 |
| 24 | New Hampshire | $69,290 |
| 25 | California | $81,448 |
| 26 | New York | $77,151 |
| 27 | Virginia | $75,904 |
| 28 | South Dakota | $66,325 |
| 29 | Hawaii | $72,969 |
| 30 | Louisiana | $68,959 |
| 31 | Montana | $66,541 |
| 32 | Minnesota | $67,662 |
| 33 | Arizona | $70,114 |
| 34 | Ohio | $65,244 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $61,921 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $65,131 |
| 37 | Idaho | $70,615 |
| 38 | Wyoming | $61,523 |
| 39 | Missouri | $64,926 |
| 40 | Nebraska | $59,954 |
| 41 | Illinois | $68,894 |
| 42 | New Mexico | $61,302 |
| 43 | Colorado | $65,634 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $57,181 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $60,965 |
| 46 | Texas | $60,544 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $56,715 |
| 48 | Georgia | $61,553 |
| 49 | Alabama | $53,674 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $55,244 |
| 51 | Florida | $57,536 |
Expert opinions on the best states for business specialists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for business specialists to find work opportunities?
Jim Drinkwine
Professor, Whatcom Community College
This is a hard question to answer for someone with a business degree. That's because business is a very flexible area of study and can be used in so many industries - from accounting to finance to marketing to even running a yoga studio. While several areas are seeing a lot of growth (the Phoenix area, the Bay Area, Boston, Austin, TX, Boise, ID...) where you want to work depends on the type of work you want, cost of living, and the kind of lifestyle you're looking for. Something else to consider in today's work world is the ability to work remotely. While some businesses are trying to bring employees back to the office, others have already said remote work will continue into 2021. Some jobs have been converted to permanent remote work.
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Updated January 8, 2025