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Best states for a cadet
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for cadets? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for cadet jobs.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of cadets in America is $64,000.
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 cadets.If you are currently seeking employment as a cadet, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for cadets in 2026
1. New Jersey
Total cadet jobs: 38 Average annual salary: $64,888 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $111,000 Location Quotient: 1.4
2. Maryland
Total cadet jobs: 52 Average annual salary: $63,895 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $110,000 Location Quotient: 2.39
3. New York
Total cadet jobs: 63 Average annual salary: $63,913 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $108,000 Location Quotient: 1.43
4. District of Columbia
Total cadet jobs: 16 Average annual salary: $63,793 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $110,000 Location Quotient: 2.78
5. Delaware
Total cadet jobs: 3 Average annual salary: $64,427 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $111,000 Location Quotient: 0.7
6. Connecticut
Total cadet jobs: 9 Average annual salary: $60,236 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $100,000 Location Quotient: 0.79
7. Rhode Island
Total cadet jobs: 3 Average annual salary: $56,877 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Location Quotient: 0.72
8. Louisiana
Total cadet jobs: 19 Average annual salary: $49,666 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Location Quotient: 1.74
9. Virginia
Total cadet jobs: 52 Average annual salary: $52,810 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Location Quotient: 1.61
10. Nevada
Total cadet jobs: 9 Average annual salary: $50,070 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Location Quotient: 1.26
Cadet jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a cadet
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a cadet
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $64,888 | $37,000 | 9,005,644 | 38 |
| 2 | Maryland | $63,895 | $36,000 | 6,052,177 | 52 |
| 3 | New York | $63,913 | $37,000 | 19,849,399 | 63 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $63,793 | $36,000 | 693,972 | 16 |
| 5 | Delaware | $64,427 | $37,000 | 961,939 | 3 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $60,236 | $36,000 | 3,588,184 | 9 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $56,877 | $35,000 | 1,059,639 | 3 |
| 8 | Louisiana | $49,666 | $31,000 | 4,684,333 | 19 |
| 9 | Virginia | $52,810 | $30,000 | 8,470,020 | 52 |
| 10 | Nevada | $50,070 | $32,000 | 2,998,039 | 9 |
| 11 | Illinois | $54,937 | $35,000 | 12,802,023 | 31 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $54,166 | $34,000 | 6,859,819 | 22 |
| 13 | Iowa | $51,550 | $34,000 | 3,145,711 | 8 |
| 14 | Ohio | $50,059 | $30,000 | 11,658,609 | 23 |
| 15 | South Carolina | $44,511 | $27,000 | 5,024,369 | 27 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $47,166 | $28,000 | 10,273,419 | 30 |
| 17 | Michigan | $44,895 | $27,000 | 9,962,311 | 31 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $49,505 | $28,000 | 12,805,537 | 25 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $51,005 | $33,000 | 1,342,795 | 3 |
| 20 | Montana | $42,846 | $30,000 | 1,050,493 | 6 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $44,549 | $30,000 | 5,576,606 | 20 |
| 22 | Kansas | $47,860 | $32,000 | 2,913,123 | 4 |
| 23 | Wyoming | $39,592 | $27,000 | 579,315 | 4 |
| 24 | Arizona | $41,597 | $27,000 | 7,016,270 | 25 |
| 25 | South Dakota | $43,326 | $30,000 | 869,666 | 2 |
| 26 | Vermont | $48,035 | $32,000 | 623,657 | 0 |
| 27 | Washington | $42,496 | $29,000 | 7,405,743 | 26 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $44,214 | $27,000 | 4,454,189 | 5 |
| 29 | Texas | $41,039 | $26,000 | 28,304,596 | 65 |
| 30 | Idaho | $39,017 | $27,000 | 1,716,943 | 6 |
| 31 | West Virginia | $43,724 | $26,000 | 1,815,857 | 1 |
| 32 | Alaska | $40,335 | $31,000 | 739,795 | 3 |
| 33 | Alabama | $40,730 | $26,000 | 4,874,747 | 8 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $37,328 | $24,000 | 2,088,070 | 12 |
| 35 | Florida | $39,438 | $24,000 | 20,984,400 | 56 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $40,165 | $25,000 | 5,795,483 | 13 |
| 37 | Hawaii | $44,685 | $37,000 | 1,427,538 | 2 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $38,006 | $24,000 | 6,715,984 | 19 |
| 39 | California | $39,412 | $25,000 | 39,536,653 | 122 |
| 40 | Georgia | $38,565 | $24,000 | 10,429,379 | 28 |
| 41 | Indiana | $39,338 | $24,000 | 6,666,818 | 9 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $36,546 | $24,000 | 3,930,864 | 10 |
| 43 | North Dakota | $38,811 | $27,000 | 755,393 | 1 |
| 44 | Maine | $38,941 | $27,000 | 1,335,907 | 0 |
| 45 | Utah | $34,219 | $23,000 | 3,101,833 | 17 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $36,930 | $24,000 | 3,004,279 | 4 |
| 47 | Oregon | $39,797 | $26,000 | 4,142,776 | 6 |
| 48 | Missouri | $34,937 | $23,000 | 6,113,532 | 20 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $35,342 | $24,000 | 1,920,076 | 4 |
| 50 | Colorado | $33,958 | $23,000 | 5,607,154 | 16 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $35,754 | $23,000 | 2,984,100 | 1 |
Highest paying states for cadets
| Rank | State | Avg. Cadet Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $64,888 |
| 2 | Maryland | $63,895 |
| 3 | New York | $63,913 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $63,793 |
| 5 | Delaware | $64,427 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $60,236 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $56,877 |
| 8 | Louisiana | $49,666 |
| 9 | Virginia | $52,810 |
| 10 | Nevada | $50,070 |
| 11 | Illinois | $54,937 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $54,166 |
| 13 | Iowa | $51,550 |
| 14 | Ohio | $50,059 |
| 15 | South Carolina | $44,511 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $47,166 |
| 17 | Michigan | $44,895 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $49,505 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $51,005 |
| 20 | Montana | $42,846 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $44,549 |
| 22 | Kansas | $47,860 |
| 23 | Wyoming | $39,592 |
| 24 | Arizona | $41,597 |
| 25 | South Dakota | $43,326 |
| 26 | Vermont | $48,035 |
| 27 | Washington | $42,496 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $44,214 |
| 29 | Texas | $41,039 |
| 30 | Idaho | $39,017 |
| 31 | West Virginia | $43,724 |
| 32 | Alaska | $40,335 |
| 33 | Alabama | $40,730 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $37,328 |
| 35 | Florida | $39,438 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $40,165 |
| 37 | Hawaii | $44,685 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $38,006 |
| 39 | California | $39,412 |
| 40 | Georgia | $38,565 |
| 41 | Indiana | $39,338 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $36,546 |
| 43 | North Dakota | $38,811 |
| 44 | Maine | $38,941 |
| 45 | Utah | $34,219 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $36,930 |
| 47 | Oregon | $39,797 |
| 48 | Missouri | $34,937 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $35,342 |
| 50 | Colorado | $33,958 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $35,754 |
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Updated January 8, 2025