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Best states for a faculty
Quoted expert
Douglas Milbauer
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Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for faculties? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for faculty jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.Although there are abundant faculty jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the South. District of Columbia is the best state in the country for faculty jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for faculties. District of Columbia is the best state for faculties, where the median salary is $113,395.We found that the South is best for faculties, and the Northeast is the worst. Washington, DC is the best city in the country for faculty jobs, where as District of Columbia is the best state in the country.
10 best states for faculties in 2025
1. District of Columbia
Total faculty jobs: 192 Average annual salary: $113,395 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $206,000 Location Quotient: 1.87
2. New Jersey
Total faculty jobs: 665 Average annual salary: $106,855 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $194,000 Location Quotient: 1.37
3. New York
Total faculty jobs: 1,584 Average annual salary: $98,549 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $181,000 Location Quotient: 2.02
4. Oregon
Total faculty jobs: 462 Average annual salary: $83,180 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 1.83
5. California
Total faculty jobs: 1,251 Average annual salary: $108,622 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $197,000 Location Quotient: 0.7
6. Rhode Island
Total faculty jobs: 69 Average annual salary: $83,962 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $155,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
7. Alabama
Total faculty jobs: 227 Average annual salary: $82,192 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $164,000 Location Quotient: 0.84
8. Pennsylvania
Total faculty jobs: 844 Average annual salary: $79,402 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000 Location Quotient: 1.19
9. Virginia
Total faculty jobs: 1,181 Average annual salary: $77,790 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000 Location Quotient: 2.05
10. Michigan
Total faculty jobs: 414 Average annual salary: $80,857 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $151,000 Location Quotient: 0.87
Faculty jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a faculty
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a faculty
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $113,395 | $62,000 | 693,972 | 192 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $106,855 | $58,000 | 9,005,644 | 665 |
| 3 | New York | $98,549 | $53,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,584 |
| 4 | Oregon | $83,180 | $47,000 | 4,142,776 | 462 |
| 5 | California | $108,622 | $59,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,251 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $83,962 | $45,000 | 1,059,639 | 69 |
| 7 | Alabama | $82,192 | $41,000 | 4,874,747 | 227 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $79,402 | $40,000 | 12,805,537 | 844 |
| 9 | Virginia | $77,790 | $38,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,181 |
| 10 | Michigan | $80,857 | $43,000 | 9,962,311 | 414 |
| 11 | Vermont | $78,196 | $43,000 | 623,657 | 64 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $84,581 | $46,000 | 6,859,819 | 428 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $92,720 | $50,000 | 3,588,184 | 91 |
| 14 | Kansas | $85,958 | $46,000 | 2,913,123 | 58 |
| 15 | Ohio | $73,931 | $37,000 | 11,658,609 | 511 |
| 16 | Maryland | $77,338 | $38,000 | 6,052,177 | 442 |
| 17 | Montana | $68,020 | $41,000 | 1,050,493 | 137 |
| 18 | Louisiana | $69,358 | $33,000 | 4,684,333 | 202 |
| 19 | Alaska | $64,551 | $41,000 | 739,795 | 129 |
| 20 | Missouri | $71,710 | $37,000 | 6,113,532 | 275 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $71,614 | $36,000 | 2,088,070 | 86 |
| 22 | Indiana | $62,991 | $32,000 | 6,666,818 | 524 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $74,518 | $40,000 | 1,342,795 | 51 |
| 24 | Idaho | $75,913 | $44,000 | 1,716,943 | 30 |
| 25 | North Dakota | $72,460 | $45,000 | 755,393 | 23 |
| 26 | Arizona | $71,773 | $35,000 | 7,016,270 | 216 |
| 27 | Maine | $68,790 | $38,000 | 1,335,907 | 56 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $64,381 | $30,000 | 10,273,419 | 589 |
| 29 | Kentucky | $58,006 | $28,000 | 4,454,189 | 385 |
| 30 | South Carolina | $59,946 | $27,000 | 5,024,369 | 408 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $63,413 | $38,000 | 869,666 | 54 |
| 32 | Washington | $70,210 | $41,000 | 7,405,743 | 249 |
| 33 | Hawaii | $77,826 | $39,000 | 1,427,538 | 20 |
| 34 | Iowa | $59,906 | $33,000 | 3,145,711 | 233 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $63,718 | $35,000 | 5,795,483 | 246 |
| 36 | Utah | $59,008 | $32,000 | 3,101,833 | 173 |
| 37 | Florida | $63,791 | $29,000 | 20,984,400 | 608 |
| 38 | Colorado | $54,978 | $31,000 | 5,607,154 | 673 |
| 39 | Georgia | $59,931 | $28,000 | 10,429,379 | 481 |
| 40 | Illinois | $61,686 | $32,000 | 12,802,023 | 482 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $56,340 | $31,000 | 1,920,076 | 118 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $49,979 | $23,000 | 2,984,100 | 152 |
| 43 | West Virginia | $49,158 | $23,000 | 1,815,857 | 120 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $55,020 | $26,000 | 6,715,984 | 233 |
| 45 | Nevada | $58,120 | $29,000 | 2,998,039 | 56 |
| 46 | Texas | $44,094 | $20,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,446 |
| 47 | Minnesota | $47,642 | $28,000 | 5,576,606 | 327 |
| 48 | Delaware | $55,585 | $27,000 | 961,939 | 34 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $51,342 | $25,000 | 3,004,279 | 47 |
| 50 | Wyoming | $41,134 | $24,000 | 579,315 | 22 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $44,999 | $22,000 | 3,930,864 | 78 |
Highest paying states for faculties
| Rank | State | Avg. Faculty Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $113,395 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $106,855 |
| 3 | New York | $98,549 |
| 4 | Oregon | $83,180 |
| 5 | California | $108,622 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $83,962 |
| 7 | Alabama | $82,192 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $79,402 |
| 9 | Virginia | $77,790 |
| 10 | Michigan | $80,857 |
| 11 | Vermont | $78,196 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $84,581 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $92,720 |
| 14 | Kansas | $85,958 |
| 15 | Ohio | $73,931 |
| 16 | Maryland | $77,338 |
| 17 | Montana | $68,020 |
| 18 | Louisiana | $69,358 |
| 19 | Alaska | $64,551 |
| 20 | Missouri | $71,710 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $71,614 |
| 22 | Indiana | $62,991 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $74,518 |
| 24 | Idaho | $75,913 |
| 25 | North Dakota | $72,460 |
| 26 | Arizona | $71,773 |
| 27 | Maine | $68,790 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $64,381 |
| 29 | Kentucky | $58,006 |
| 30 | South Carolina | $59,946 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $63,413 |
| 32 | Washington | $70,210 |
| 33 | Hawaii | $77,826 |
| 34 | Iowa | $59,906 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $63,718 |
| 36 | Utah | $59,008 |
| 37 | Florida | $63,791 |
| 38 | Colorado | $54,978 |
| 39 | Georgia | $59,931 |
| 40 | Illinois | $61,686 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $56,340 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $49,979 |
| 43 | West Virginia | $49,158 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $55,020 |
| 45 | Nevada | $58,120 |
| 46 | Texas | $44,094 |
| 47 | Minnesota | $47,642 |
| 48 | Delaware | $55,585 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $51,342 |
| 50 | Wyoming | $41,134 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $44,999 |
Expert opinions on the best states for faculties
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for facultys to find work opportunities?
Douglas Milbauer
Lecturer, Stephen F. Austin State University
Are we talking about graduates in the near term? There are shifts taking place due to COVID, such as loss of jobs due to businesses closing. But there will be other opportunities that arise from this creative destruction. And when you say "places," are you asking about geography or industry sectors? I am not sure that geography will be a factor, and it may become less a factor, since everyone is learning how to manage their business remotely. There will continue to be marketing opportunities, especially for those who can quickly grasp and apply new technologies to the marketing mix.
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Updated January 8, 2025