Best states for a carrier

Q: What is the best state for carriers?

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

Q: What is the highest paying state for carriers?

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

Q: What is the worst state for carriers?

The worst state for carriers is Alabama, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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

Job opportunities vary from state to state, and office and administrative careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to carrier jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for carriers.We wanted to look at the best states for carriers -- where there are plenty of carrier jobs to go around and carriers get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.

The median salary for carriers in Alaska is $51,871. Compare that to the median salary in Alabama of $30,378, which ranked worst for carriers, and you can see how your location is important for your career.Alaska is the best state, and Hillsboro is the city with the highest pay for carriers.

10 best states for carriers in 2025

1. Alaska
Total carrier jobs: 8
Average annual salary: $51,871
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $68,000
Location Quotient:
1.44
Carrier jobs in Alaska
2. Washington
Total carrier jobs: 55
Average annual salary: $50,812
Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $89,000
Location Quotient:
1.13
Carrier jobs in Washington
3. Montana
Total carrier jobs: 7
Average annual salary: $49,115
Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $82,000
Location Quotient:
0.91
Carrier jobs in Montana
4. North Dakota
Total carrier jobs: 8
Average annual salary: $41,394
Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $66,000
Location Quotient:
1.29
Carrier jobs in North Dakota
5. Michigan
Total carrier jobs: 58
Average annual salary: $42,416
Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $71,000
Location Quotient:
1.12
Carrier jobs in Michigan
6. California
Total carrier jobs: 226
Average annual salary: $47,285
Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000
Location Quotient:
1.16
Carrier jobs in California
7. Oregon
Total carrier jobs: 18
Average annual salary: $57,123
Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000
Location Quotient:
0.65
Carrier jobs in Oregon
8. Idaho
Total carrier jobs: 14
Average annual salary: $42,072
Lowest 10 percent earn: $23,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $73,000
Location Quotient:
1.28
Carrier jobs in Idaho
9. Illinois
Total carrier jobs: 109
Average annual salary: $41,080
Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $66,000
Location Quotient:
1.37
Carrier jobs in Illinois
10. New Hampshire
Total carrier jobs: 16
Average annual salary: $41,195
Lowest 10 percent earn: $23,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $72,000
Location Quotient:
1.37
Carrier jobs in New Hampshire

Carrier jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a carrier

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

Detailed list of the best states for a carrier

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Alaska	$51,871	$39,000	739,795	8
2	Washington	$50,812	$28,000	7,405,743	55
3	Montana	$49,115	$29,000	1,050,493	7
4	North Dakota	$41,394	$25,000	755,393	8
5	Michigan	$42,416	$25,000	9,962,311	58
6	California	$47,285	$27,000	39,536,653	226
7	Oregon	$57,123	$32,000	4,142,776	18
8	Idaho	$42,072	$23,000	1,716,943	14
9	Illinois	$41,080	$25,000	12,802,023	109
10	New Hampshire	$41,195	$23,000	1,342,795	16
11	Connecticut	$45,501	$25,000	3,588,184	18
12	Wyoming	$39,311	$24,000	579,315	5
13	Vermont	$43,428	$24,000	623,657	5
14	Pennsylvania	$42,079	$23,000	12,805,537	75
15	Nevada	$40,704	$24,000	2,998,039	14
16	Massachusetts	$45,068	$25,000	6,859,819	41
17	New York	$43,623	$24,000	19,849,399	80
18	Ohio	$40,219	$23,000	11,658,609	56
19	Virginia	$41,833	$24,000	8,470,020	57
20	Colorado	$38,759	$24,000	5,607,154	47
21	Oklahoma	$35,599	$23,000	3,930,864	36
22	Kentucky	$35,386	$22,000	4,454,189	36
23	Utah	$37,418	$22,000	3,101,833	26
24	South Dakota	$35,856	$22,000	869,666	9
25	Nebraska	$39,516	$25,000	1,920,076	10
26	New Jersey	$42,835	$23,000	9,005,644	40
27	Wisconsin	$39,540	$24,000	5,795,483	24
28	Rhode Island	$38,969	$21,000	1,059,639	8
29	Maryland	$43,874	$24,000	6,052,177	18
30	Minnesota	$38,589	$24,000	5,576,606	37
31	Delaware	$41,060	$22,000	961,939	6
32	Iowa	$38,415	$24,000	3,145,711	16
33	West Virginia	$38,217	$22,000	1,815,857	5
34	District of Columbia	$38,433	$21,000	693,972	14
35	Arizona	$36,625	$22,000	7,016,270	39
36	Missouri	$37,063	$23,000	6,113,532	33
37	Tennessee	$32,168	$20,000	6,715,984	59
38	Hawaii	$39,541	$29,000	1,427,538	4
39	Kansas	$32,846	$21,000	2,913,123	25
40	Indiana	$32,075	$19,000	6,666,818	55
41	Arkansas	$32,475	$21,000	3,004,279	20
42	Georgia	$33,350	$21,000	10,429,379	73
43	North Carolina	$32,677	$19,000	10,273,419	72
44	Texas	$32,977	$21,000	28,304,596	132
45	New Mexico	$35,367	$22,000	2,088,070	7
46	South Carolina	$31,597	$20,000	5,024,369	33
47	Maine	$34,482	$19,000	1,335,907	5
48	Florida	$32,014	$20,000	20,984,400	92
49	Mississippi	$27,701	$18,000	2,984,100	16
50	Louisiana	$31,467	$20,000	4,684,333	16
51	Alabama	$30,378	$20,000	4,874,747	20

Highest paying states for carriers

Rank	State	Avg. Carrier Salary
1	Alaska	$51,871
2	Washington	$50,812
3	Montana	$49,115
4	North Dakota	$41,394
5	Michigan	$42,416
6	California	$47,285
7	Oregon	$57,123
8	Idaho	$42,072
9	Illinois	$41,080
10	New Hampshire	$41,195
11	Connecticut	$45,501
12	Wyoming	$39,311
13	Vermont	$43,428
14	Pennsylvania	$42,079
15	Nevada	$40,704
16	Massachusetts	$45,068
17	New York	$43,623
18	Ohio	$40,219
19	Virginia	$41,833
20	Colorado	$38,759
21	Oklahoma	$35,599
22	Kentucky	$35,386
23	Utah	$37,418
24	South Dakota	$35,856
25	Nebraska	$39,516
26	New Jersey	$42,835
27	Wisconsin	$39,540
28	Rhode Island	$38,969
29	Maryland	$43,874
30	Minnesota	$38,589
31	Delaware	$41,060
32	Iowa	$38,415
33	West Virginia	$38,217
34	District of Columbia	$38,433
35	Arizona	$36,625
36	Missouri	$37,063
37	Tennessee	$32,168
38	Hawaii	$39,541
39	Kansas	$32,846
40	Indiana	$32,075
41	Arkansas	$32,475
42	Georgia	$33,350
43	North Carolina	$32,677
44	Texas	$32,977
45	New Mexico	$35,367
46	South Carolina	$31,597
47	Maine	$34,482
48	Florida	$32,014
49	Mississippi	$27,701
50	Louisiana	$31,467
51	Alabama	$30,378

Carrier best states FAQs

What is the best state for carriers?

What is the highest paying state for carriers?

What is the worst state for carriers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common office and administrative questions.

Search for carrier jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs

Total carrier jobs:	8
Average annual salary:	$51,871
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$39,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$68,000
Location Quotient:	1.44

Best states for a carrier

10 best states for carriers in 2025

1. Alaska

2. Washington

3. Montana

4. North Dakota

5. Michigan

6. California

7. Oregon

8. Idaho

9. Illinois

10. New Hampshire