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Best states for a clinician
Quoted expert
Amanda Bakian
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Job opportunities vary from state to state, and community and social services careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to clinician jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for clinicians.We wanted to look at the best states for clinicians -- where there are plenty of clinician jobs to go around and clinicians get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for clinicians. California is the best state for clinicians, where the median salary is $85,149.We found that the South is best for clinicians, and the West is the worst. San Francisco, CA is the best city in the country for clinician jobs, where as California is the best state in the country.
10 best states for clinicians in 2026
1. California
Total clinician jobs: 3,181 Average annual salary: $85,149 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Location Quotient: 1.12
2. Minnesota
Total clinician jobs: 656 Average annual salary: $73,513 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000 Location Quotient: 1.01
3. Oregon
Total clinician jobs: 411 Average annual salary: $73,620 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000 Location Quotient: 1.02
4. Washington
Total clinician jobs: 942 Average annual salary: $72,528 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000 Location Quotient: 1.32
5. Nevada
Total clinician jobs: 173 Average annual salary: $87,732 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000 Location Quotient: 0.85
6. New Jersey
Total clinician jobs: 964 Average annual salary: $74,980 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $142,000 Location Quotient: 1.25
7. New Mexico
Total clinician jobs: 228 Average annual salary: $66,990 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $107,000 Location Quotient: 1.19
8. Alaska
Total clinician jobs: 140 Average annual salary: $71,347 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Location Quotient: 1.72
9. Connecticut
Total clinician jobs: 360 Average annual salary: $72,330 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $141,000 Location Quotient: 1.12
10. New York
Total clinician jobs: 1,603 Average annual salary: $66,497 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 1.28
Clinician jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a clinician
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a clinician
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $85,149 | $50,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,181 |
| 2 | Minnesota | $73,513 | $45,000 | 5,576,606 | 656 |
| 3 | Oregon | $73,620 | $45,000 | 4,142,776 | 411 |
| 4 | Washington | $72,528 | $44,000 | 7,405,743 | 942 |
| 5 | Nevada | $87,732 | $52,000 | 2,998,039 | 173 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $74,980 | $39,000 | 9,005,644 | 964 |
| 7 | New Mexico | $66,990 | $41,000 | 2,088,070 | 228 |
| 8 | Alaska | $71,347 | $57,000 | 739,795 | 140 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $72,330 | $37,000 | 3,588,184 | 360 |
| 10 | New York | $66,497 | $34,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,603 |
| 11 | Illinois | $69,555 | $41,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,058 |
| 12 | District of Columbia | $84,953 | $46,000 | 693,972 | 108 |
| 13 | North Dakota | $66,718 | $43,000 | 755,393 | 67 |
| 14 | Maryland | $62,747 | $34,000 | 6,052,177 | 687 |
| 15 | Iowa | $64,248 | $40,000 | 3,145,711 | 261 |
| 16 | Idaho | $60,986 | $38,000 | 1,716,943 | 136 |
| 17 | Michigan | $56,292 | $31,000 | 9,962,311 | 757 |
| 18 | Delaware | $66,378 | $35,000 | 961,939 | 78 |
| 19 | Ohio | $59,190 | $33,000 | 11,658,609 | 752 |
| 20 | Hawaii | $60,714 | $45,000 | 1,427,538 | 92 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $51,557 | $27,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,597 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $58,119 | $28,000 | 1,342,795 | 139 |
| 23 | Louisiana | $55,688 | $32,000 | 4,684,333 | 287 |
| 24 | Colorado | $57,746 | $37,000 | 5,607,154 | 580 |
| 25 | Utah | $56,676 | $36,000 | 3,101,833 | 242 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | $58,309 | $34,000 | 5,795,483 | 331 |
| 27 | South Dakota | $50,119 | $32,000 | 869,666 | 100 |
| 28 | Arizona | $51,184 | $31,000 | 7,016,270 | 578 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $56,130 | $31,000 | 10,273,419 | 536 |
| 30 | Rhode Island | $51,132 | $25,000 | 1,059,639 | 115 |
| 31 | Wyoming | $53,984 | $35,000 | 579,315 | 44 |
| 32 | Texas | $53,326 | $31,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,517 |
| 33 | Indiana | $49,879 | $29,000 | 6,666,818 | 592 |
| 34 | Florida | $50,528 | $28,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,537 |
| 35 | Mississippi | $51,263 | $30,000 | 2,984,100 | 169 |
| 36 | Massachusetts | $46,498 | $22,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,151 |
| 37 | Maine | $44,950 | $21,000 | 1,335,907 | 291 |
| 38 | Virginia | $53,931 | $29,000 | 8,470,020 | 735 |
| 39 | West Virginia | $51,541 | $29,000 | 1,815,857 | 78 |
| 40 | Montana | $45,500 | $29,000 | 1,050,493 | 120 |
| 41 | Vermont | $49,446 | $24,000 | 623,657 | 57 |
| 42 | Kansas | $50,417 | $32,000 | 2,913,123 | 162 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $43,996 | $28,000 | 1,920,076 | 207 |
| 44 | Alabama | $47,905 | $28,000 | 4,874,747 | 192 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $44,352 | $25,000 | 5,024,369 | 376 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $46,053 | $27,000 | 6,715,984 | 423 |
| 47 | Georgia | $45,268 | $26,000 | 10,429,379 | 892 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $46,224 | $27,000 | 4,454,189 | 235 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $44,048 | $27,000 | 3,930,864 | 229 |
| 50 | Missouri | $46,181 | $28,000 | 6,113,532 | 420 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $35,453 | $21,000 | 3,004,279 | 220 |
Highest paying states for clinicians
| Rank | State | Avg. Clinician Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $85,149 |
| 2 | Minnesota | $73,513 |
| 3 | Oregon | $73,620 |
| 4 | Washington | $72,528 |
| 5 | Nevada | $87,732 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $74,980 |
| 7 | New Mexico | $66,990 |
| 8 | Alaska | $71,347 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $72,330 |
| 10 | New York | $66,497 |
| 11 | Illinois | $69,555 |
| 12 | District of Columbia | $84,953 |
| 13 | North Dakota | $66,718 |
| 14 | Maryland | $62,747 |
| 15 | Iowa | $64,248 |
| 16 | Idaho | $60,986 |
| 17 | Michigan | $56,292 |
| 18 | Delaware | $66,378 |
| 19 | Ohio | $59,190 |
| 20 | Hawaii | $60,714 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $51,557 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $58,119 |
| 23 | Louisiana | $55,688 |
| 24 | Colorado | $57,746 |
| 25 | Utah | $56,676 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | $58,309 |
| 27 | South Dakota | $50,119 |
| 28 | Arizona | $51,184 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $56,130 |
| 30 | Rhode Island | $51,132 |
| 31 | Wyoming | $53,984 |
| 32 | Texas | $53,326 |
| 33 | Indiana | $49,879 |
| 34 | Florida | $50,528 |
| 35 | Mississippi | $51,263 |
| 36 | Massachusetts | $46,498 |
| 37 | Maine | $44,950 |
| 38 | Virginia | $53,931 |
| 39 | West Virginia | $51,541 |
| 40 | Montana | $45,500 |
| 41 | Vermont | $49,446 |
| 42 | Kansas | $50,417 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $43,996 |
| 44 | Alabama | $47,905 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $44,352 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $46,053 |
| 47 | Georgia | $45,268 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $46,224 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $44,048 |
| 50 | Missouri | $46,181 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $35,453 |
Expert opinions on the best states for clinicians
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for clinicians to find work opportunities?
Amanda Bakian
Research Associate Professor, University of Utah
My impression is that the job market for graduates with a degree in statistics is still likely to be strong in 2020 - demand for quantitative skills remain high, and work can be done remotely. In an academic setting, individuals with this skill set are in short supply.
Clinician best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025