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Best states for an event planner
Quoted expert
Dr. Jokima Hiller
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Are you thinking of becoming an event planner and really want to work at Publix? Turns out, your chances to become an event planner are better in some states than others.As event planners are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for event planners. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as an event planner, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
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 event planners.We found that Connecticut is the best state for event planner jobs, whereas Missouri is the worst.
10 best states for event planners in 2025
1. Connecticut
Total event planner jobs: 117 Average annual salary: $68,700 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Location Quotient: 1.47
2. New York
Total event planner jobs: 401 Average annual salary: $67,844 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Location Quotient: 1.31
3. New Jersey
Total event planner jobs: 230 Average annual salary: $67,723 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
4. Maryland
Total event planner jobs: 194 Average annual salary: $68,003 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Location Quotient: 1.28
5. Virginia
Total event planner jobs: 288 Average annual salary: $63,443 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $98,000 Location Quotient: 1.28
6. District of Columbia
Total event planner jobs: 52 Average annual salary: $65,129 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $100,000 Location Quotient: 1.29
7. Pennsylvania
Total event planner jobs: 300 Average annual salary: $54,350 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $84,000 Location Quotient: 1.08
8. Massachusetts
Total event planner jobs: 225 Average annual salary: $57,595 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Location Quotient: 1.02
9. Washington
Total event planner jobs: 165 Average annual salary: $56,299 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Location Quotient: 0.94
10. Ohio
Total event planner jobs: 179 Average annual salary: $56,633 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $84,000 Location Quotient: 0.73
Event planner jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an event planner
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an event planner
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $68,700 | $44,000 | 3,588,184 | 117 |
| 2 | New York | $67,844 | $43,000 | 19,849,399 | 401 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $67,723 | $43,000 | 9,005,644 | 230 |
| 4 | Maryland | $68,003 | $43,000 | 6,052,177 | 194 |
| 5 | Virginia | $63,443 | $40,000 | 8,470,020 | 288 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $65,129 | $42,000 | 693,972 | 52 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | $54,350 | $35,000 | 12,805,537 | 300 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $57,595 | $38,000 | 6,859,819 | 225 |
| 9 | Washington | $56,299 | $40,000 | 7,405,743 | 165 |
| 10 | Ohio | $56,633 | $37,000 | 11,658,609 | 179 |
| 11 | California | $51,559 | $35,000 | 39,536,653 | 986 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $52,639 | $38,000 | 5,576,606 | 143 |
| 13 | Arizona | $46,987 | $33,000 | 7,016,270 | 151 |
| 14 | Michigan | $50,397 | $33,000 | 9,962,311 | 161 |
| 15 | New Hampshire | $44,946 | $30,000 | 1,342,795 | 54 |
| 16 | Oregon | $47,771 | $34,000 | 4,142,776 | 99 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $52,966 | $35,000 | 1,815,857 | 14 |
| 18 | Delaware | $47,657 | $30,000 | 961,939 | 30 |
| 19 | Maine | $52,530 | $37,000 | 1,335,907 | 16 |
| 20 | Vermont | $45,685 | $31,000 | 623,657 | 19 |
| 21 | Alabama | $46,019 | $32,000 | 4,874,747 | 97 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $44,869 | $30,000 | 10,273,419 | 217 |
| 23 | Nevada | $43,714 | $30,000 | 2,998,039 | 61 |
| 24 | Illinois | $45,448 | $32,000 | 12,802,023 | 285 |
| 25 | Kansas | $48,008 | $35,000 | 2,913,123 | 31 |
| 26 | Indiana | $45,687 | $32,000 | 6,666,818 | 108 |
| 27 | Mississippi | $42,262 | $30,000 | 2,984,100 | 49 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $42,045 | $30,000 | 5,795,483 | 129 |
| 29 | Hawaii | $41,551 | $35,000 | 1,427,538 | 36 |
| 30 | Colorado | $41,355 | $30,000 | 5,607,154 | 192 |
| 31 | Georgia | $42,085 | $30,000 | 10,429,379 | 218 |
| 32 | South Carolina | $40,515 | $28,000 | 5,024,369 | 108 |
| 33 | North Dakota | $41,519 | $31,000 | 755,393 | 17 |
| 34 | Texas | $41,915 | $29,000 | 28,304,596 | 420 |
| 35 | Idaho | $42,836 | $31,000 | 1,716,943 | 25 |
| 36 | Florida | $41,170 | $28,000 | 20,984,400 | 352 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $39,556 | $28,000 | 4,454,189 | 80 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $40,361 | $29,000 | 6,715,984 | 99 |
| 39 | Alaska | $40,877 | $32,000 | 739,795 | 16 |
| 40 | Iowa | $38,245 | $28,000 | 3,145,711 | 79 |
| 41 | Rhode Island | $40,518 | $26,000 | 1,059,639 | 20 |
| 42 | Utah | $34,883 | $25,000 | 3,101,833 | 92 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $38,401 | $28,000 | 869,666 | 11 |
| 44 | Montana | $37,855 | $28,000 | 1,050,493 | 14 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $35,662 | $26,000 | 1,920,076 | 45 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $39,198 | $27,000 | 4,684,333 | 29 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $36,617 | $27,000 | 3,930,864 | 23 |
| 48 | Wyoming | $35,460 | $26,000 | 579,315 | 7 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $32,291 | $23,000 | 3,004,279 | 49 |
| 50 | New Mexico | $33,726 | $24,000 | 2,088,070 | 29 |
| 51 | Missouri | $31,730 | $23,000 | 6,113,532 | 74 |
Highest paying states for event planners
| Rank | State | Avg. Event Planner Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $68,700 |
| 2 | New York | $67,844 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $67,723 |
| 4 | Maryland | $68,003 |
| 5 | Virginia | $63,443 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $65,129 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | $54,350 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $57,595 |
| 9 | Washington | $56,299 |
| 10 | Ohio | $56,633 |
| 11 | California | $51,559 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $52,639 |
| 13 | Arizona | $46,987 |
| 14 | Michigan | $50,397 |
| 15 | New Hampshire | $44,946 |
| 16 | Oregon | $47,771 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $52,966 |
| 18 | Delaware | $47,657 |
| 19 | Maine | $52,530 |
| 20 | Vermont | $45,685 |
| 21 | Alabama | $46,019 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $44,869 |
| 23 | Nevada | $43,714 |
| 24 | Illinois | $45,448 |
| 25 | Kansas | $48,008 |
| 26 | Indiana | $45,687 |
| 27 | Mississippi | $42,262 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $42,045 |
| 29 | Hawaii | $41,551 |
| 30 | Colorado | $41,355 |
| 31 | Georgia | $42,085 |
| 32 | South Carolina | $40,515 |
| 33 | North Dakota | $41,519 |
| 34 | Texas | $41,915 |
| 35 | Idaho | $42,836 |
| 36 | Florida | $41,170 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $39,556 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $40,361 |
| 39 | Alaska | $40,877 |
| 40 | Iowa | $38,245 |
| 41 | Rhode Island | $40,518 |
| 42 | Utah | $34,883 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $38,401 |
| 44 | Montana | $37,855 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $35,662 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $39,198 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $36,617 |
| 48 | Wyoming | $35,460 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $32,291 |
| 50 | New Mexico | $33,726 |
| 51 | Missouri | $31,730 |
Expert opinions on the best states for event planners
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for event planners to find work opportunities?
Dr. Jokima Hiller
Assistant Professor, Missouri State University
Look at secondary markets for opportunities. Unfortunately, many of your major markets have been hit hard resulting in closings or in closings, reopenings, and then closings again because there hasn't been enough business to sustain them. But, you will find that the next town over had hospitality businesses that scaled back but never closed thereby meeting the needs of their regulars and attracting displaced business from the larger markets. For example, Indianapolis is a major market where their downtown area was greatly impacted. However, some hotels in Fishers remained open and are now actively seeking candidates as they ramp back up.
Event planner best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025