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Best states for a direct support associate
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Do you want to become a direct support associate at The Mosaic Company, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for direct support associates that you can check out, before you begin your journey. Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of direct support associates in America is $52,000.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for direct support associates.We found that the Midwest is best for direct support associates, and the Northeast is the worst. San Francisco, CA is the best city in the country for direct support associate jobs, where as New York is the best state in the country.
10 best states for direct support associates in 2026
1. New York
Total direct support associate jobs: 2,833 Average annual salary: $35,988 Lowest 10 percent earn: $20,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Location Quotient: 1.93
2. California
Total direct support associate jobs: 4,884 Average annual salary: $38,195 Lowest 10 percent earn: $20,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Location Quotient: 1.46
3. Pennsylvania
Total direct support associate jobs: 2,126 Average annual salary: $31,132 Lowest 10 percent earn: $17,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Location Quotient: 1.6
4. New Mexico
Total direct support associate jobs: 307 Average annual salary: $31,576 Lowest 10 percent earn: $19,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Location Quotient: 1.37
5. Maine
Total direct support associate jobs: 182 Average annual salary: $29,989 Lowest 10 percent earn: $20,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Location Quotient: 1.2
6. Washington
Total direct support associate jobs: 1,234 Average annual salary: $30,901 Lowest 10 percent earn: $19,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Location Quotient: 1.48
7. Connecticut
Total direct support associate jobs: 350 Average annual salary: $33,147 Lowest 10 percent earn: $18,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Location Quotient: 0.92
8. Oregon
Total direct support associate jobs: 265 Average annual salary: $33,655 Lowest 10 percent earn: $19,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Location Quotient: 0.56
9. Massachusetts
Total direct support associate jobs: 1,249 Average annual salary: $31,294 Lowest 10 percent earn: $18,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Location Quotient: 1.19
10. West Virginia
Total direct support associate jobs: 162 Average annual salary: $28,440 Lowest 10 percent earn: $18,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
Direct support associate jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a direct support associate
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a direct support associate
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $35,988 | $20,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,833 |
| 2 | California | $38,195 | $20,000 | 39,536,653 | 4,884 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | $31,132 | $17,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,126 |
| 4 | New Mexico | $31,576 | $19,000 | 2,088,070 | 307 |
| 5 | Maine | $29,989 | $20,000 | 1,335,907 | 182 |
| 6 | Washington | $30,901 | $19,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,234 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $33,147 | $18,000 | 3,588,184 | 350 |
| 8 | Oregon | $33,655 | $19,000 | 4,142,776 | 265 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $31,294 | $18,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,249 |
| 10 | West Virginia | $28,440 | $18,000 | 1,815,857 | 162 |
| 11 | Nevada | $28,942 | $15,000 | 2,998,039 | 373 |
| 12 | Maryland | $33,119 | $19,000 | 6,052,177 | 538 |
| 13 | Texas | $30,846 | $19,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,273 |
| 14 | Kentucky | $30,557 | $20,000 | 4,454,189 | 189 |
| 15 | Hawaii | $37,658 | $31,000 | 1,427,538 | 59 |
| 16 | Michigan | $26,859 | $17,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,460 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $28,709 | $21,000 | 5,576,606 | 949 |
| 18 | Alabama | $27,894 | $18,000 | 4,874,747 | 558 |
| 19 | South Dakota | $26,625 | $19,000 | 869,666 | 175 |
| 20 | Arizona | $31,286 | $17,000 | 7,016,270 | 381 |
| 21 | Vermont | $31,046 | $20,000 | 623,657 | 36 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $29,037 | $17,000 | 1,342,795 | 128 |
| 23 | Rhode Island | $28,388 | $16,000 | 1,059,639 | 119 |
| 24 | Montana | $27,972 | $20,000 | 1,050,493 | 79 |
| 25 | Ohio | $26,979 | $17,000 | 11,658,609 | 775 |
| 26 | Delaware | $27,767 | $15,000 | 961,939 | 187 |
| 27 | Alaska | $30,284 | $23,000 | 739,795 | 51 |
| 28 | Missouri | $25,674 | $17,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,040 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | $25,617 | $18,000 | 5,795,483 | 474 |
| 30 | Indiana | $25,539 | $17,000 | 6,666,818 | 665 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $25,326 | $17,000 | 6,715,984 | 474 |
| 32 | Colorado | $28,542 | $19,000 | 5,607,154 | 315 |
| 33 | New Jersey | $27,113 | $15,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,059 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $24,666 | $15,000 | 4,684,333 | 445 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $26,042 | $17,000 | 10,273,419 | 638 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $23,625 | $15,000 | 2,984,100 | 374 |
| 37 | North Dakota | $24,673 | $18,000 | 755,393 | 99 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $23,825 | $16,000 | 3,930,864 | 451 |
| 39 | Arkansas | $23,650 | $15,000 | 3,004,279 | 419 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $23,516 | $15,000 | 5,024,369 | 689 |
| 41 | Virginia | $27,266 | $16,000 | 8,470,020 | 509 |
| 42 | Iowa | $23,648 | $16,000 | 3,145,711 | 327 |
| 43 | District of Columbia | $28,704 | $16,000 | 693,972 | 59 |
| 44 | Kansas | $22,064 | $15,000 | 2,913,123 | 513 |
| 45 | Georgia | $24,353 | $15,000 | 10,429,379 | 768 |
| 46 | Florida | $24,392 | $14,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,232 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $23,259 | $16,000 | 579,315 | 39 |
| 48 | Nebraska | $23,943 | $16,000 | 1,920,076 | 131 |
| 49 | Illinois | $22,955 | $16,000 | 12,802,023 | 802 |
| 50 | Utah | $23,346 | $14,000 | 3,101,833 | 159 |
| 51 | Idaho | $23,042 | $14,000 | 1,716,943 | 79 |
Highest paying states for direct support associates
| Rank | State | Avg. Direct Support Associate Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $35,988 |
| 2 | California | $38,195 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | $31,132 |
| 4 | New Mexico | $31,576 |
| 5 | Maine | $29,989 |
| 6 | Washington | $30,901 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $33,147 |
| 8 | Oregon | $33,655 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $31,294 |
| 10 | West Virginia | $28,440 |
| 11 | Nevada | $28,942 |
| 12 | Maryland | $33,119 |
| 13 | Texas | $30,846 |
| 14 | Kentucky | $30,557 |
| 15 | Hawaii | $37,658 |
| 16 | Michigan | $26,859 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $28,709 |
| 18 | Alabama | $27,894 |
| 19 | South Dakota | $26,625 |
| 20 | Arizona | $31,286 |
| 21 | Vermont | $31,046 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $29,037 |
| 23 | Rhode Island | $28,388 |
| 24 | Montana | $27,972 |
| 25 | Ohio | $26,979 |
| 26 | Delaware | $27,767 |
| 27 | Alaska | $30,284 |
| 28 | Missouri | $25,674 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | $25,617 |
| 30 | Indiana | $25,539 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $25,326 |
| 32 | Colorado | $28,542 |
| 33 | New Jersey | $27,113 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $24,666 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $26,042 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $23,625 |
| 37 | North Dakota | $24,673 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $23,825 |
| 39 | Arkansas | $23,650 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $23,516 |
| 41 | Virginia | $27,266 |
| 42 | Iowa | $23,648 |
| 43 | District of Columbia | $28,704 |
| 44 | Kansas | $22,064 |
| 45 | Georgia | $24,353 |
| 46 | Florida | $24,392 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $23,259 |
| 48 | Nebraska | $23,943 |
| 49 | Illinois | $22,955 |
| 50 | Utah | $23,346 |
| 51 | Idaho | $23,042 |
Direct support associate best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025