Best states for a car driver

Q: What is the best state for car drivers?

The best state to be a car driver is Rhode Island based on car driver salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for car drivers?

The highest paying state for car drivers is Florida based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for car drivers?

The worst state for car drivers is New Mexico, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 51

Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to car driver jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of car drivers in America is $58,000.

Rhode Island is the best state for jobs for car drivers, and New Mexico is the worst. The most common pay in Rhode Island is $56,774, while the median pay in New Mexico is $33,131.Rhode Island is the best state, and South Kingstown is the city with the highest pay for car drivers.

10 best states for car drivers in 2026

1. Rhode Island
Total car driver jobs: 179
Average annual salary: $56,774
Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000
Location Quotient:
2.64
Car driver jobs in Rhode Island
2. Connecticut
Total car driver jobs: 355
Average annual salary: $56,643
Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000
Location Quotient:
1.92
Car driver jobs in Connecticut
3. Vermont
Total car driver jobs: 63
Average annual salary: $54,818
Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000
Location Quotient:
1.47
Car driver jobs in Vermont
4. Maine
Total car driver jobs: 91
Average annual salary: $54,513
Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000
Location Quotient:
1.23
Car driver jobs in Maine
5. Massachusetts
Total car driver jobs: 559
Average annual salary: $54,533
Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $95,000
Location Quotient:
1.09
Car driver jobs in Massachusetts
6. New Hampshire
Total car driver jobs: 96
Average annual salary: $55,608
Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $96,000
Location Quotient:
0.98
Car driver jobs in New Hampshire
7. West Virginia
Total car driver jobs: 160
Average annual salary: $44,519
Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000
Location Quotient:
1.88
Car driver jobs in West Virginia
8. New York
Total car driver jobs: 610
Average annual salary: $55,510
Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $97,000
Location Quotient:
0.85
Car driver jobs in New York
9. North Dakota
Total car driver jobs: 27
Average annual salary: $52,608
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000
Location Quotient:
0.52
Car driver jobs in North Dakota
10. Pennsylvania
Total car driver jobs: 678
Average annual salary: $44,917
Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $78,000
Location Quotient:
1.05
Car driver jobs in Pennsylvania

Car driver jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a car driver

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

Detailed list of the best states for a car driver

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Rhode Island	$56,774	$32,000	1,059,639	179
2	Connecticut	$56,643	$32,000	3,588,184	355
3	Vermont	$54,818	$31,000	623,657	63
4	Maine	$54,513	$31,000	1,335,907	91
5	Massachusetts	$54,533	$31,000	6,859,819	559
6	New Hampshire	$55,608	$31,000	1,342,795	96
7	West Virginia	$44,519	$25,000	1,815,857	160
8	New York	$55,510	$31,000	19,849,399	610
9	North Dakota	$52,608	$34,000	755,393	27
10	Pennsylvania	$44,917	$25,000	12,805,537	678
11	Washington	$53,442	$36,000	7,405,743	233
12	Iowa	$44,917	$27,000	3,145,711	202
13	Michigan	$41,429	$24,000	9,962,311	660
14	Oregon	$47,439	$31,000	4,142,776	181
15	Alaska	$54,636	$47,000	739,795	34
16	South Dakota	$46,502	$29,000	869,666	39
17	Minnesota	$45,543	$28,000	5,576,606	293
18	Nebraska	$44,102	$27,000	1,920,076	108
19	New Jersey	$44,504	$25,000	9,005,644	451
20	Wisconsin	$40,471	$24,000	5,795,483	355
21	Hawaii	$52,174	$43,000	1,427,538	42
22	Idaho	$43,525	$28,000	1,716,943	73
23	Kansas	$41,583	$25,000	2,913,123	154
24	Illinois	$42,764	$25,000	12,802,023	610
25	Maryland	$43,885	$25,000	6,052,177	340
26	California	$48,739	$30,000	39,536,653	1,134
27	Ohio	$39,921	$23,000	11,658,609	615
28	Delaware	$43,688	$24,000	961,939	62
29	Oklahoma	$41,660	$25,000	3,930,864	133
30	Arizona	$40,562	$25,000	7,016,270	316
31	Montana	$39,823	$26,000	1,050,493	69
32	Indiana	$37,794	$22,000	6,666,818	389
33	Kentucky	$37,076	$22,000	4,454,189	224
34	Louisiana	$35,241	$21,000	4,684,333	315
35	Virginia	$38,190	$21,000	8,470,020	634
36	Wyoming	$40,728	$26,000	579,315	8
37	North Carolina	$35,519	$20,000	10,273,419	582
38	Colorado	$39,896	$25,000	5,607,154	244
39	Alabama	$33,022	$19,000	4,874,747	337
40	Missouri	$35,715	$21,000	6,113,532	326
41	Tennessee	$32,074	$19,000	6,715,984	424
42	District of Columbia	$42,967	$24,000	693,972	9
43	Nevada	$38,375	$23,000	2,998,039	87
44	Mississippi	$31,211	$18,000	2,984,100	253
45	South Carolina	$31,669	$18,000	5,024,369	353
46	Arkansas	$32,580	$19,000	3,004,279	151
47	Georgia	$32,046	$19,000	10,429,379	595
48	Florida	$27,507	$16,000	20,984,400	1,009
49	Texas	$33,845	$20,000	28,304,596	876
50	Utah	$33,339	$21,000	3,101,833	131
51	New Mexico	$33,131	$20,000	2,088,070	50

Highest paying states for car drivers

Rank	State	Avg. Car Driver Salary
1	Rhode Island	$56,774
2	Connecticut	$56,643
3	Vermont	$54,818
4	Maine	$54,513
5	Massachusetts	$54,533
6	New Hampshire	$55,608
7	West Virginia	$44,519
8	New York	$55,510
9	North Dakota	$52,608
10	Pennsylvania	$44,917
11	Washington	$53,442
12	Iowa	$44,917
13	Michigan	$41,429
14	Oregon	$47,439
15	Alaska	$54,636
16	South Dakota	$46,502
17	Minnesota	$45,543
18	Nebraska	$44,102
19	New Jersey	$44,504
20	Wisconsin	$40,471
21	Hawaii	$52,174
22	Idaho	$43,525
23	Kansas	$41,583
24	Illinois	$42,764
25	Maryland	$43,885
26	California	$48,739
27	Ohio	$39,921
28	Delaware	$43,688
29	Oklahoma	$41,660
30	Arizona	$40,562
31	Montana	$39,823
32	Indiana	$37,794
33	Kentucky	$37,076
34	Louisiana	$35,241
35	Virginia	$38,190
36	Wyoming	$40,728
37	North Carolina	$35,519
38	Colorado	$39,896
39	Alabama	$33,022
40	Missouri	$35,715
41	Tennessee	$32,074
42	District of Columbia	$42,967
43	Nevada	$38,375
44	Mississippi	$31,211
45	South Carolina	$31,669
46	Arkansas	$32,580
47	Georgia	$32,046
48	Florida	$27,507
49	Texas	$33,845
50	Utah	$33,339
51	New Mexico	$33,131

Best states for a car driver

10 best states for car drivers in 2026

1. Rhode Island

2. Connecticut

3. Vermont

4. Maine

5. Massachusetts

6. New Hampshire

7. West Virginia

8. New York

9. North Dakota

10. Pennsylvania

Car driver jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a car driver

Detailed list of the best states for a car driver

Highest paying states for car drivers

Car driver best states FAQs

What is the best state for car drivers?

What is the highest paying state for car drivers?

What is the worst state for car drivers?

Search for car driver jobs

Total car driver jobs:	179
Average annual salary:	$56,774
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$32,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$99,000
Location Quotient:	2.64