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Best states for an english professor
Quoted expert
Jessie Grieser
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
It seems like english professors are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for english professors aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of english professors in America is $118,000.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for english professors. New York is the best state for english professors, where the median salary is $81,298.We found that New York is the best state for english professor jobs, whereas Indiana is the worst.
10 best states for english professors in 2026
1. New York
Total english professor jobs: 1,237 Average annual salary: $81,298 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000 Location Quotient: 1.92
2. Rhode Island
Total english professor jobs: 65 Average annual salary: $84,815 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000 Location Quotient: 1.07
3. Vermont
Total english professor jobs: 80 Average annual salary: $70,588 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 2.08
4. District of Columbia
Total english professor jobs: 177 Average annual salary: $77,861 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000 Location Quotient: 2.1
5. Montana
Total english professor jobs: 127 Average annual salary: $63,025 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Location Quotient: 2.19
6. California
Total english professor jobs: 921 Average annual salary: $102,568 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $180,000 Location Quotient: 0.63
7. Connecticut
Total english professor jobs: 113 Average annual salary: $88,360 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $159,000 Location Quotient: 0.68
8. Utah
Total english professor jobs: 180 Average annual salary: $69,174 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000 Location Quotient: 1.12
9. Delaware
Total english professor jobs: 56 Average annual salary: $77,251 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000 Location Quotient: 0.89
10. Nevada
Total english professor jobs: 58 Average annual salary: $81,749 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000 Location Quotient: 0.55
English professor jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an english professor
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an english professor
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $81,298 | $44,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,237 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $84,815 | $46,000 | 1,059,639 | 65 |
| 3 | Vermont | $70,588 | $39,000 | 623,657 | 80 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $77,861 | $43,000 | 693,972 | 177 |
| 5 | Montana | $63,025 | $37,000 | 1,050,493 | 127 |
| 6 | California | $102,568 | $58,000 | 39,536,653 | 921 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $88,360 | $48,000 | 3,588,184 | 113 |
| 8 | Utah | $69,174 | $39,000 | 3,101,833 | 180 |
| 9 | Delaware | $77,251 | $42,000 | 961,939 | 56 |
| 10 | Nevada | $81,749 | $44,000 | 2,998,039 | 58 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $81,795 | $44,000 | 1,342,795 | 45 |
| 12 | New Jersey | $67,337 | $36,000 | 9,005,644 | 547 |
| 13 | Michigan | $64,564 | $38,000 | 9,962,311 | 385 |
| 14 | Maine | $63,457 | $35,000 | 1,335,907 | 74 |
| 15 | Alaska | $58,209 | $39,000 | 739,795 | 94 |
| 16 | Louisiana | $61,331 | $34,000 | 4,684,333 | 198 |
| 17 | North Dakota | $63,386 | $40,000 | 755,393 | 37 |
| 18 | South Dakota | $57,653 | $35,000 | 869,666 | 70 |
| 19 | Oregon | $58,455 | $32,000 | 4,142,776 | 342 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $53,133 | $30,000 | 1,815,857 | 160 |
| 21 | Maryland | $67,988 | $37,000 | 6,052,177 | 251 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $56,327 | $31,000 | 12,805,537 | 682 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $59,269 | $36,000 | 5,795,483 | 248 |
| 24 | Mississippi | $53,597 | $31,000 | 2,984,100 | 158 |
| 25 | Washington | $65,693 | $37,000 | 7,405,743 | 253 |
| 26 | Massachusetts | $67,969 | $36,000 | 6,859,819 | 307 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $49,564 | $29,000 | 4,454,189 | 394 |
| 28 | Nebraska | $52,259 | $31,000 | 1,920,076 | 123 |
| 29 | Virginia | $51,943 | $29,000 | 8,470,020 | 726 |
| 30 | Texas | $49,729 | $28,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,200 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $49,901 | $29,000 | 6,715,984 | 216 |
| 32 | Wyoming | $46,885 | $28,000 | 579,315 | 43 |
| 33 | Colorado | $48,594 | $28,000 | 5,607,154 | 502 |
| 34 | Arkansas | $50,416 | $30,000 | 3,004,279 | 74 |
| 35 | Alabama | $47,890 | $27,000 | 4,874,747 | 234 |
| 36 | Florida | $50,441 | $27,000 | 20,984,400 | 582 |
| 37 | Iowa | $46,327 | $28,000 | 3,145,711 | 209 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $55,761 | $44,000 | 1,427,538 | 29 |
| 39 | North Carolina | $47,589 | $27,000 | 10,273,419 | 513 |
| 40 | Arizona | $51,450 | $29,000 | 7,016,270 | 133 |
| 41 | Illinois | $50,659 | $30,000 | 12,802,023 | 408 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $45,384 | $26,000 | 5,024,369 | 322 |
| 43 | Missouri | $47,418 | $28,000 | 6,113,532 | 237 |
| 44 | Georgia | $47,939 | $27,000 | 10,429,379 | 402 |
| 45 | Ohio | $46,412 | $27,000 | 11,658,609 | 360 |
| 46 | Kansas | $47,655 | $28,000 | 2,913,123 | 103 |
| 47 | New Mexico | $46,195 | $26,000 | 2,088,070 | 92 |
| 48 | Minnesota | $47,310 | $29,000 | 5,576,606 | 231 |
| 49 | Idaho | $39,359 | $22,000 | 1,716,943 | 58 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $35,792 | $21,000 | 3,930,864 | 102 |
| 51 | Indiana | $33,230 | $19,000 | 6,666,818 | 168 |
Highest paying states for english professors
| Rank | State | Avg. English Professor Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $81,298 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $84,815 |
| 3 | Vermont | $70,588 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $77,861 |
| 5 | Montana | $63,025 |
| 6 | California | $102,568 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $88,360 |
| 8 | Utah | $69,174 |
| 9 | Delaware | $77,251 |
| 10 | Nevada | $81,749 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $81,795 |
| 12 | New Jersey | $67,337 |
| 13 | Michigan | $64,564 |
| 14 | Maine | $63,457 |
| 15 | Alaska | $58,209 |
| 16 | Louisiana | $61,331 |
| 17 | North Dakota | $63,386 |
| 18 | South Dakota | $57,653 |
| 19 | Oregon | $58,455 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $53,133 |
| 21 | Maryland | $67,988 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $56,327 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $59,269 |
| 24 | Mississippi | $53,597 |
| 25 | Washington | $65,693 |
| 26 | Massachusetts | $67,969 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $49,564 |
| 28 | Nebraska | $52,259 |
| 29 | Virginia | $51,943 |
| 30 | Texas | $49,729 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $49,901 |
| 32 | Wyoming | $46,885 |
| 33 | Colorado | $48,594 |
| 34 | Arkansas | $50,416 |
| 35 | Alabama | $47,890 |
| 36 | Florida | $50,441 |
| 37 | Iowa | $46,327 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $55,761 |
| 39 | North Carolina | $47,589 |
| 40 | Arizona | $51,450 |
| 41 | Illinois | $50,659 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $45,384 |
| 43 | Missouri | $47,418 |
| 44 | Georgia | $47,939 |
| 45 | Ohio | $46,412 |
| 46 | Kansas | $47,655 |
| 47 | New Mexico | $46,195 |
| 48 | Minnesota | $47,310 |
| 49 | Idaho | $39,359 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $35,792 |
| 51 | Indiana | $33,230 |
Expert opinions on the best states for english professors
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for english professors to find work opportunities?
Jessie Grieser
Assistant Professor, University of Tennessee
Linguists have wonderful flexibility in career opportunities, which benefits us greatly. Bachelor's degree linguists work as editors, as programmers, as nonprofit organizers, in a second language and translation work, and many, many others. This gives many opportunities to find entry-level work across a wide variety of places.
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Updated January 8, 2025