Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Best states for a direct support professional
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Do you want to become a direct support professional at Rescare, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for direct support professionals that you can check out, before you begin your journey. We wanted to look at the best states for direct support professionals -- where there are plenty of direct support professional jobs to go around and direct support professionals get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
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 professionals.If you are currently seeking employment as a direct support professional, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for direct support professionals in 2026
1. California
Total direct support professional jobs: 6,174 Average annual salary: $54,935 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $108,000 Location Quotient: 1.35
2. Nevada
Total direct support professional jobs: 482 Average annual salary: $40,140 Lowest 10 percent earn: $21,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Location Quotient: 1.48
3. Washington
Total direct support professional jobs: 1,541 Average annual salary: $36,222 Lowest 10 percent earn: $22,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Location Quotient: 1.35
4. Massachusetts
Total direct support professional jobs: 2,290 Average annual salary: $34,731 Lowest 10 percent earn: $22,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Location Quotient: 1.6
5. Hawaii
Total direct support professional jobs: 113 Average annual salary: $42,775 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Location Quotient: 0.86
6. New York
Total direct support professional jobs: 3,093 Average annual salary: $32,995 Lowest 10 percent earn: $20,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Location Quotient: 1.55
7. Arizona
Total direct support professional jobs: 619 Average annual salary: $41,250 Lowest 10 percent earn: $23,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Location Quotient: 0.68
8. Alaska
Total direct support professional jobs: 106 Average annual salary: $37,897 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Location Quotient: 0.81
9. Michigan
Total direct support professional jobs: 1,899 Average annual salary: $29,805 Lowest 10 percent earn: $20,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Location Quotient: 1.57
10. Oregon
Total direct support professional jobs: 484 Average annual salary: $36,088 Lowest 10 percent earn: $21,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Location Quotient: 0.75
Direct support professional jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a direct support professional
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a direct support professional
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $54,935 | $27,000 | 39,536,653 | 6,174 |
| 2 | Nevada | $40,140 | $21,000 | 2,998,039 | 482 |
| 3 | Washington | $36,222 | $22,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,541 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $34,731 | $22,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,290 |
| 5 | Hawaii | $42,775 | $34,000 | 1,427,538 | 113 |
| 6 | New York | $32,995 | $20,000 | 19,849,399 | 3,093 |
| 7 | Arizona | $41,250 | $23,000 | 7,016,270 | 619 |
| 8 | Alaska | $37,897 | $30,000 | 739,795 | 106 |
| 9 | Michigan | $29,805 | $20,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,899 |
| 10 | Oregon | $36,088 | $21,000 | 4,142,776 | 484 |
| 11 | North Dakota | $32,924 | $25,000 | 755,393 | 160 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $32,838 | $20,000 | 3,588,184 | 600 |
| 13 | Maine | $29,992 | $22,000 | 1,335,907 | 294 |
| 14 | Texas | $35,265 | $21,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,943 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $30,358 | $18,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,113 |
| 16 | New Mexico | $30,120 | $18,000 | 2,088,070 | 392 |
| 17 | South Dakota | $28,837 | $20,000 | 869,666 | 228 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $32,416 | $19,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,425 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $29,111 | $19,000 | 1,815,857 | 227 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $31,263 | $19,000 | 1,059,639 | 162 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $29,593 | $21,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,285 |
| 22 | Oklahoma | $28,956 | $19,000 | 3,930,864 | 555 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $31,846 | $21,000 | 1,342,795 | 178 |
| 24 | Vermont | $32,526 | $23,000 | 623,657 | 79 |
| 25 | Alabama | $28,064 | $18,000 | 4,874,747 | 728 |
| 26 | Delaware | $27,858 | $16,000 | 961,939 | 264 |
| 27 | Wisconsin | $26,994 | $19,000 | 5,795,483 | 772 |
| 28 | Idaho | $29,670 | $18,000 | 1,716,943 | 148 |
| 29 | Maryland | $29,754 | $18,000 | 6,052,177 | 812 |
| 30 | Colorado | $28,345 | $19,000 | 5,607,154 | 778 |
| 31 | Montana | $27,492 | $19,000 | 1,050,493 | 141 |
| 32 | South Carolina | $25,972 | $17,000 | 5,024,369 | 891 |
| 33 | Missouri | $26,107 | $17,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,249 |
| 34 | Florida | $27,612 | $17,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,934 |
| 35 | Iowa | $25,814 | $18,000 | 3,145,711 | 533 |
| 36 | Ohio | $26,456 | $17,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,230 |
| 37 | Illinois | $27,289 | $19,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,327 |
| 38 | Indiana | $25,754 | $17,000 | 6,666,818 | 957 |
| 39 | Utah | $27,633 | $16,000 | 3,101,833 | 316 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $25,186 | $15,000 | 4,684,333 | 584 |
| 41 | Wyoming | $25,253 | $17,000 | 579,315 | 86 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $26,233 | $18,000 | 4,454,189 | 353 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $24,083 | $16,000 | 3,004,279 | 544 |
| 44 | District of Columbia | $28,810 | $18,000 | 693,972 | 140 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $25,688 | $18,000 | 1,920,076 | 248 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $24,372 | $16,000 | 6,715,984 | 651 |
| 47 | Georgia | $25,356 | $16,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,134 |
| 48 | Virginia | $26,583 | $16,000 | 8,470,020 | 815 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $23,893 | $15,000 | 2,984,100 | 237 |
| 50 | Kansas | $24,454 | $16,000 | 2,913,123 | 315 |
| 51 | North Carolina | $23,789 | $15,000 | 10,273,419 | 938 |
Highest paying states for direct support professionals
| Rank | State | Avg. Direct Support Professional Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $54,935 |
| 2 | Nevada | $40,140 |
| 3 | Washington | $36,222 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $34,731 |
| 5 | Hawaii | $42,775 |
| 6 | New York | $32,995 |
| 7 | Arizona | $41,250 |
| 8 | Alaska | $37,897 |
| 9 | Michigan | $29,805 |
| 10 | Oregon | $36,088 |
| 11 | North Dakota | $32,924 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $32,838 |
| 13 | Maine | $29,992 |
| 14 | Texas | $35,265 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $30,358 |
| 16 | New Mexico | $30,120 |
| 17 | South Dakota | $28,837 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $32,416 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $29,111 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $31,263 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $29,593 |
| 22 | Oklahoma | $28,956 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $31,846 |
| 24 | Vermont | $32,526 |
| 25 | Alabama | $28,064 |
| 26 | Delaware | $27,858 |
| 27 | Wisconsin | $26,994 |
| 28 | Idaho | $29,670 |
| 29 | Maryland | $29,754 |
| 30 | Colorado | $28,345 |
| 31 | Montana | $27,492 |
| 32 | South Carolina | $25,972 |
| 33 | Missouri | $26,107 |
| 34 | Florida | $27,612 |
| 35 | Iowa | $25,814 |
| 36 | Ohio | $26,456 |
| 37 | Illinois | $27,289 |
| 38 | Indiana | $25,754 |
| 39 | Utah | $27,633 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $25,186 |
| 41 | Wyoming | $25,253 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $26,233 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $24,083 |
| 44 | District of Columbia | $28,810 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $25,688 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $24,372 |
| 47 | Georgia | $25,356 |
| 48 | Virginia | $26,583 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $23,893 |
| 50 | Kansas | $24,454 |
| 51 | North Carolina | $23,789 |
Direct support professional best states FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common personal care and attendants questions.
Search for direct support professional jobs
Updated January 8, 2025