Best states for a data consultant

Q: What is the best state for data consultants?

The best state to be a data consultant is Massachusetts based on data consultant salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for data consultants?

The highest paying state for data consultants is Arkansas based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for data consultants?

The worst state for data consultants is Kentucky, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

David Smith

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

It seems like data consultants are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for data consultants aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of data consultants in America is $127,000.

To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for data consultants. Massachusetts is the best state for data consultants, where the median salary is $105,931.We found that the Midwest is best for data consultants, and the Northeast is the worst. San Francisco, CA is the best city in the country for data consultant jobs, where as Massachusetts is the best state in the country.

10 best states for data consultants in 2026

1. Massachusetts
Total data consultant jobs: 2,423
Average annual salary: $105,931
Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000
Location Quotient:
1.26
Data consultant jobs in Massachusetts
2. New Jersey
Total data consultant jobs: 2,096
Average annual salary: $107,290
Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $141,000
Location Quotient:
1.27
Data consultant jobs in New Jersey
3. California
Total data consultant jobs: 7,706
Average annual salary: $111,935
Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000
Location Quotient:
1.26
Data consultant jobs in California
4. District of Columbia
Total data consultant jobs: 749
Average annual salary: $108,931
Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000
Location Quotient:
2.14
Data consultant jobs in District of Columbia
5. New Hampshire
Total data consultant jobs: 417
Average annual salary: $103,416
Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000
Location Quotient:
1.14
Data consultant jobs in New Hampshire
6. Oregon
Total data consultant jobs: 966
Average annual salary: $102,073
Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000
Location Quotient:
1.12
Data consultant jobs in Oregon
7. New York
Total data consultant jobs: 3,374
Average annual salary: $102,166
Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $134,000
Location Quotient:
1.26
Data consultant jobs in New York
8. Alaska
Total data consultant jobs: 162
Average annual salary: $103,363
Lowest 10 percent earn: $84,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000
Location Quotient:
0.93
Data consultant jobs in Alaska
9. Rhode Island
Total data consultant jobs: 357
Average annual salary: $92,761
Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000
Location Quotient:
1.41
Data consultant jobs in Rhode Island
10. Nevada
Total data consultant jobs: 428
Average annual salary: $97,162
Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000
Location Quotient:
0.98
Data consultant jobs in Nevada

Data consultant jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a data consultant

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

Detailed list of the best states for a data consultant

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Massachusetts	$105,931	$81,000	6,859,819	2,423
2	New Jersey	$107,290	$81,000	9,005,644	2,096
3	California	$111,935	$81,000	39,536,653	7,706
4	District of Columbia	$108,931	$82,000	693,972	749
5	New Hampshire	$103,416	$79,000	1,342,795	417
6	Oregon	$102,073	$75,000	4,142,776	966
7	New York	$102,166	$77,000	19,849,399	3,374
8	Alaska	$103,363	$84,000	739,795	162
9	Rhode Island	$92,761	$71,000	1,059,639	357
10	Nevada	$97,162	$70,000	2,998,039	428
11	Connecticut	$95,380	$72,000	3,588,184	865
12	Maryland	$106,528	$80,000	6,052,177	1,203
13	Pennsylvania	$90,406	$68,000	12,805,537	2,574
14	North Carolina	$90,849	$68,000	10,273,419	2,118
15	Texas	$91,758	$67,000	28,304,596	4,323
16	Virginia	$95,631	$72,000	8,470,020	2,034
17	Washington	$97,775	$72,000	7,405,743	1,315
18	Utah	$84,891	$62,000	3,101,833	836
19	Alabama	$86,613	$64,000	4,874,747	840
20	Nebraska	$87,594	$66,000	1,920,076	419
21	Vermont	$84,688	$65,000	623,657	196
22	Louisiana	$91,295	$66,000	4,684,333	402
23	Illinois	$85,799	$65,000	12,802,023	2,913
24	Minnesota	$84,762	$65,000	5,576,606	1,438
25	Arizona	$85,516	$63,000	7,016,270	1,214
26	South Dakota	$78,277	$59,000	869,666	281
27	Colorado	$90,465	$67,000	5,607,154	1,001
28	Georgia	$85,229	$63,000	10,429,379	1,868
29	Ohio	$82,323	$62,000	11,658,609	1,705
30	Delaware	$85,110	$64,000	961,939	227
31	Montana	$79,352	$58,000	1,050,493	272
32	Michigan	$81,907	$62,000	9,962,311	1,194
33	Idaho	$79,151	$58,000	1,716,943	355
34	Wyoming	$78,199	$58,000	579,315	117
35	New Mexico	$80,077	$59,000	2,088,070	349
36	Missouri	$79,779	$60,000	6,113,532	1,087
37	Wisconsin	$79,277	$61,000	5,795,483	849
38	Oklahoma	$75,785	$56,000	3,930,864	640
39	Kansas	$77,322	$58,000	2,913,123	518
40	Iowa	$77,519	$59,000	3,145,711	557
41	Hawaii	$72,088	$57,000	1,427,538	197
42	South Carolina	$78,583	$58,000	5,024,369	526
43	North Dakota	$71,849	$55,000	755,393	184
44	Tennessee	$75,418	$56,000	6,715,984	802
45	Mississippi	$70,272	$51,000	2,984,100	402
46	Maine	$71,224	$55,000	1,335,907	226
47	West Virginia	$69,693	$52,000	1,815,857	238
48	Florida	$69,703	$49,000	20,984,400	2,730
49	Indiana	$72,236	$55,000	6,666,818	917
50	Arkansas	$66,723	$50,000	3,004,279	443
51	Kentucky	$67,121	$51,000	4,454,189	557

Highest paying states for data consultants

Rank	State	Avg. Data Consultant Salary
1	Massachusetts	$105,931
2	New Jersey	$107,290
3	California	$111,935
4	District of Columbia	$108,931
5	New Hampshire	$103,416
6	Oregon	$102,073
7	New York	$102,166
8	Alaska	$103,363
9	Rhode Island	$92,761
10	Nevada	$97,162
11	Connecticut	$95,380
12	Maryland	$106,528
13	Pennsylvania	$90,406
14	North Carolina	$90,849
15	Texas	$91,758
16	Virginia	$95,631
17	Washington	$97,775
18	Utah	$84,891
19	Alabama	$86,613
20	Nebraska	$87,594
21	Vermont	$84,688
22	Louisiana	$91,295
23	Illinois	$85,799
24	Minnesota	$84,762
25	Arizona	$85,516
26	South Dakota	$78,277
27	Colorado	$90,465
28	Georgia	$85,229
29	Ohio	$82,323
30	Delaware	$85,110
31	Montana	$79,352
32	Michigan	$81,907
33	Idaho	$79,151
34	Wyoming	$78,199
35	New Mexico	$80,077
36	Missouri	$79,779
37	Wisconsin	$79,277
38	Oklahoma	$75,785
39	Kansas	$77,322
40	Iowa	$77,519
41	Hawaii	$72,088
42	South Carolina	$78,583
43	North Dakota	$71,849
44	Tennessee	$75,418
45	Mississippi	$70,272
46	Maine	$71,224
47	West Virginia	$69,693
48	Florida	$69,703
49	Indiana	$72,236
50	Arkansas	$66,723
51	Kentucky	$67,121

Expert opinions on the best states for data consultants

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for data consultants to find work opportunities?
David Smith
Consultant, Coach and Speaker, David J. Smith Consulting
My work tends to focus on those seeking careers in conflict-sensitive fields, such as conflict resolution, humanitarian work, local and international development, and peacebuilding. Those working in these areas are driven by the locus of the work, that is, where the needs are and those that need support. In some cases, this is within one's own community, and in others, overseas.

Data consultant best states FAQs

What is the best state for data consultants?

What is the highest paying state for data consultants?

What is the worst state for data consultants?

Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.

Search for data consultant jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs

Total data consultant jobs:	2,423
Average annual salary:	$105,931
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$81,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$137,000
Location Quotient:	1.26

Best states for a data consultant

10 best states for data consultants in 2026

1. Massachusetts

2. New Jersey

3. California

4. District of Columbia

5. New Hampshire

6. Oregon

7. New York

8. Alaska

9. Rhode Island

10. Nevada