Best states for a direct care staffer

Q: What is the best state for direct care staffers?

The best state to be a direct care staffer is New York based on direct care staffer salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for direct care staffers?

The highest paying state for direct care staffers is Mississippi based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for direct care staffers?

The worst state for direct care staffers is Florida, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for direct care staffers? 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 direct care staffer jobs.In order to help you decide which state is the best for direct care staffers, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for direct care staffer jobs.

To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for direct care staffers. New York is the best state for direct care staffers, where the median salary is $35,326.We found that the South is best for direct care staffers, and the Northeast is the worst. Salem, OR is the best city in the country for direct care staffer jobs, where as New York is the best state in the country.

10 best states for direct care staffers in 2026

1. New York
Total direct care staffer jobs: 2,812
Average annual salary: $35,326
Lowest 10 percent earn: $22,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $56,000
Location Quotient:
1.58
Direct care staffer jobs in New York
2. Maine
Total direct care staffer jobs: 273
Average annual salary: $33,898
Lowest 10 percent earn: $24,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Location Quotient:
1.48
Direct care staffer jobs in Maine
3. Oregon
Total direct care staffer jobs: 577
Average annual salary: $36,973
Lowest 10 percent earn: $24,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $55,000
Location Quotient:
1
Direct care staffer jobs in Oregon
4. North Dakota
Total direct care staffer jobs: 185
Average annual salary: $30,768
Lowest 10 percent earn: $23,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Location Quotient:
1.43
Direct care staffer jobs in North Dakota
5. Massachusetts
Total direct care staffer jobs: 1,938
Average annual salary: $31,787
Lowest 10 percent earn: $20,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $49,000
Location Quotient:
1.52
Direct care staffer jobs in Massachusetts
6. Wisconsin
Total direct care staffer jobs: 932
Average annual salary: $29,317
Lowest 10 percent earn: $21,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $40,000
Location Quotient:
1.22
Direct care staffer jobs in Wisconsin
7. New Jersey
Total direct care staffer jobs: 1,048
Average annual salary: $34,677
Lowest 10 percent earn: $21,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $55,000
Location Quotient:
0.95
Direct care staffer jobs in New Jersey
8. Washington
Total direct care staffer jobs: 814
Average annual salary: $35,112
Lowest 10 percent earn: $24,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Location Quotient:
0.8
Direct care staffer jobs in Washington
9. Rhode Island
Total direct care staffer jobs: 198
Average annual salary: $30,382
Lowest 10 percent earn: $19,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Location Quotient:
1.17
Direct care staffer jobs in Rhode Island
10. West Virginia
Total direct care staffer jobs: 274
Average annual salary: $27,990
Lowest 10 percent earn: $19,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $40,000
Location Quotient:
1.29
Direct care staffer jobs in West Virginia

Direct care staffer jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a direct care staffer

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

Detailed list of the best states for a direct care staffer

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	New York	$35,326	$22,000	19,849,399	2,812
2	Maine	$33,898	$24,000	1,335,907	273
3	Oregon	$36,973	$24,000	4,142,776	577
4	North Dakota	$30,768	$23,000	755,393	185
5	Massachusetts	$31,787	$20,000	6,859,819	1,938
6	Wisconsin	$29,317	$21,000	5,795,483	932
7	New Jersey	$34,677	$21,000	9,005,644	1,048
8	Washington	$35,112	$24,000	7,405,743	814
9	Rhode Island	$30,382	$19,000	1,059,639	198
10	West Virginia	$27,990	$19,000	1,815,857	274
11	New Hampshire	$31,021	$20,000	1,342,795	240
12	Pennsylvania	$28,821	$18,000	12,805,537	2,123
13	Vermont	$31,182	$22,000	623,657	103
14	Arizona	$29,022	$19,000	7,016,270	950
15	Texas	$30,806	$21,000	28,304,596	1,025
16	California	$33,607	$21,000	39,536,653	3,594
17	Montana	$27,614	$20,000	1,050,493	214
18	Connecticut	$32,285	$20,000	3,588,184	347
19	Minnesota	$27,195	$20,000	5,576,606	1,531
20	North Carolina	$27,420	$19,000	10,273,419	1,577
21	Michigan	$26,486	$18,000	9,962,311	1,484
22	South Dakota	$27,166	$20,000	869,666	157
23	Ohio	$26,547	$18,000	11,658,609	1,731
24	Alaska	$31,898	$25,000	739,795	42
25	Iowa	$25,988	$19,000	3,145,711	753
26	Delaware	$26,841	$16,000	961,939	271
27	Nevada	$27,132	$17,000	2,998,039	335
28	Hawaii	$32,931	$28,000	1,427,538	105
29	Idaho	$27,617	$19,000	1,716,943	186
30	Tennessee	$27,474	$20,000	6,715,984	421
31	Illinois	$26,745	$19,000	12,802,023	1,906
32	Nebraska	$25,782	$18,000	1,920,076	312
33	New Mexico	$26,104	$18,000	2,088,070	261
34	Alabama	$25,941	$18,000	4,874,747	525
35	Kentucky	$25,101	$18,000	4,454,189	507
36	Missouri	$24,571	$17,000	6,113,532	1,073
37	Colorado	$27,080	$19,000	5,607,154	660
38	Wyoming	$24,448	$17,000	579,315	86
39	Maryland	$25,289	$16,000	6,052,177	918
40	Utah	$26,125	$17,000	3,101,833	316
41	District of Columbia	$27,784	$18,000	693,972	148
42	South Carolina	$23,996	$17,000	5,024,369	638
43	Kansas	$23,533	$17,000	2,913,123	408
44	Mississippi	$21,872	$15,000	2,984,100	385
45	Virginia	$24,523	$16,000	8,470,020	1,135
46	Georgia	$23,141	$16,000	10,429,379	1,404
47	Louisiana	$22,269	$15,000	4,684,333	447
48	Oklahoma	$22,018	$15,000	3,930,864	419
49	Indiana	$23,000	$16,000	6,666,818	736
50	Arkansas	$22,794	$16,000	3,004,279	130
51	Florida	$22,322	$15,000	20,984,400	957

Highest paying states for direct care staffers

Rank	State	Avg. Direct Care Staffer Salary
1	New York	$35,326
2	Maine	$33,898
3	Oregon	$36,973
4	North Dakota	$30,768
5	Massachusetts	$31,787
6	Wisconsin	$29,317
7	New Jersey	$34,677
8	Washington	$35,112
9	Rhode Island	$30,382
10	West Virginia	$27,990
11	New Hampshire	$31,021
12	Pennsylvania	$28,821
13	Vermont	$31,182
14	Arizona	$29,022
15	Texas	$30,806
16	California	$33,607
17	Montana	$27,614
18	Connecticut	$32,285
19	Minnesota	$27,195
20	North Carolina	$27,420
21	Michigan	$26,486
22	South Dakota	$27,166
23	Ohio	$26,547
24	Alaska	$31,898
25	Iowa	$25,988
26	Delaware	$26,841
27	Nevada	$27,132
28	Hawaii	$32,931
29	Idaho	$27,617
30	Tennessee	$27,474
31	Illinois	$26,745
32	Nebraska	$25,782
33	New Mexico	$26,104
34	Alabama	$25,941
35	Kentucky	$25,101
36	Missouri	$24,571
37	Colorado	$27,080
38	Wyoming	$24,448
39	Maryland	$25,289
40	Utah	$26,125
41	District of Columbia	$27,784
42	South Carolina	$23,996
43	Kansas	$23,533
44	Mississippi	$21,872
45	Virginia	$24,523
46	Georgia	$23,141
47	Louisiana	$22,269
48	Oklahoma	$22,018
49	Indiana	$23,000
50	Arkansas	$22,794
51	Florida	$22,322

Direct care staffer best states FAQs

What is the best state for direct care staffers?

What is the highest paying state for direct care staffers?

What is the worst state for direct care staffers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common personal care and attendants questions.

Search for direct care staffer jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse personal care and attendants jobs

Total direct care staffer jobs:	2,812
Average annual salary:	$35,326
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$22,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$56,000
Location Quotient:	1.58

Best states for a direct care staffer

10 best states for direct care staffers in 2026

1. New York

2. Maine

3. Oregon

4. North Dakota

5. Massachusetts

6. Wisconsin

7. New Jersey

8. Washington

9. Rhode Island

10. West Virginia