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Best states for a finance controller
Quoted expert
Karyl Leggio Ph.D.
- Rank 1 - 10
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Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for finance controllers? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for finance controller 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.In order to help you decide which state is the best for finance controllers, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for finance controller jobs.
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 finance controllers.We found that the South is best for finance controllers, and the Northeast is the worst. Yonkers, NY is the best city in the country for finance controller jobs, where as New York is the best state in the country.
10 best states for finance controllers in 2025
1. New York
Total finance controller jobs: 2,236 Average annual salary: $117,325 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $181,000 Location Quotient: 1.272. Connecticut
Total finance controller jobs: 600 Average annual salary: $111,874 Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $173,000 Location Quotient: 1.323. New Jersey
Total finance controller jobs: 1,124 Average annual salary: $112,322 Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $174,000 Location Quotient: 1.034. California
Total finance controller jobs: 5,177 Average annual salary: $107,530 Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $160,000 Location Quotient: 1.295. Michigan
Total finance controller jobs: 1,047 Average annual salary: $99,589 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000 Location Quotient: 0.986. Washington
Total finance controller jobs: 1,226 Average annual salary: $103,340 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000 Location Quotient: 1.227. Massachusetts
Total finance controller jobs: 1,526 Average annual salary: $102,594 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $159,000 Location Quotient: 1.218. Nevada
Total finance controller jobs: 267 Average annual salary: $103,100 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000 Location Quotient: 0.939. Ohio
Total finance controller jobs: 1,015 Average annual salary: $111,498 Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $172,000 Location Quotient: 0.7210. North Dakota
Total finance controller jobs: 138 Average annual salary: $98,484 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000 Location Quotient: 1.08
Finance controller jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a finance controller
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a finance controller
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $117,325 | $76,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,236 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $111,874 | $72,000 | 3,588,184 | 600 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $112,322 | $72,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,124 |
| 4 | California | $107,530 | $72,000 | 39,536,653 | 5,177 |
| 5 | Michigan | $99,589 | $64,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,047 |
| 6 | Washington | $103,340 | $71,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,226 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $102,594 | $66,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,526 |
| 8 | Nevada | $103,100 | $69,000 | 2,998,039 | 267 |
| 9 | Ohio | $111,498 | $72,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,015 |
| 10 | North Dakota | $98,484 | $69,000 | 755,393 | 138 |
| 11 | Maryland | $109,097 | $70,000 | 6,052,177 | 984 |
| 12 | Utah | $91,522 | $62,000 | 3,101,833 | 573 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $95,864 | $61,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,302 |
| 14 | Vermont | $98,646 | $62,000 | 623,657 | 85 |
| 15 | Arizona | $94,237 | $63,000 | 7,016,270 | 779 |
| 16 | Illinois | $92,712 | $61,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,056 |
| 17 | District of Columbia | $98,565 | $63,000 | 693,972 | 356 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $96,440 | $61,000 | 1,342,795 | 207 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $95,893 | $61,000 | 1,059,639 | 144 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $92,110 | $62,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,117 |
| 21 | Delaware | $93,934 | $60,000 | 961,939 | 204 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | $90,089 | $59,000 | 5,795,483 | 856 |
| 23 | Maine | $94,773 | $60,000 | 1,335,907 | 136 |
| 24 | Colorado | $92,572 | $62,000 | 5,607,154 | 984 |
| 25 | Missouri | $92,501 | $61,000 | 6,113,532 | 726 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $90,335 | $59,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,256 |
| 27 | Iowa | $91,388 | $61,000 | 3,145,711 | 362 |
| 28 | Virginia | $92,651 | $59,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,386 |
| 29 | Indiana | $89,879 | $58,000 | 6,666,818 | 652 |
| 30 | Texas | $88,830 | $58,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,687 |
| 31 | New Mexico | $91,149 | $60,000 | 2,088,070 | 167 |
| 32 | Wyoming | $83,074 | $57,000 | 579,315 | 98 |
| 33 | Alaska | $90,442 | $71,000 | 739,795 | 100 |
| 34 | West Virginia | $87,311 | $56,000 | 1,815,857 | 95 |
| 35 | Georgia | $84,367 | $55,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,336 |
| 36 | Oregon | $86,228 | $58,000 | 4,142,776 | 510 |
| 37 | Idaho | $85,250 | $58,000 | 1,716,943 | 174 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $74,190 | $56,000 | 1,427,538 | 149 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $80,135 | $52,000 | 6,715,984 | 632 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $83,654 | $55,000 | 4,684,333 | 287 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $82,282 | $53,000 | 4,454,189 | 330 |
| 42 | Kansas | $84,053 | $56,000 | 2,913,123 | 191 |
| 43 | Alabama | $78,171 | $51,000 | 4,874,747 | 493 |
| 44 | Florida | $76,439 | $50,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,220 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $80,005 | $54,000 | 869,666 | 95 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $78,316 | $51,000 | 2,984,100 | 220 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $78,294 | $53,000 | 1,920,076 | 239 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $79,420 | $52,000 | 5,024,369 | 389 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $77,702 | $51,000 | 3,004,279 | 156 |
| 50 | Montana | $79,624 | $55,000 | 1,050,493 | 81 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $77,747 | $51,000 | 3,930,864 | 116 |
Highest paying states for finance controllers
| Rank | State | Avg. Finance Controller Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $117,325 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $111,874 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $112,322 |
| 4 | California | $107,530 |
| 5 | Michigan | $99,589 |
| 6 | Washington | $103,340 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $102,594 |
| 8 | Nevada | $103,100 |
| 9 | Ohio | $111,498 |
| 10 | North Dakota | $98,484 |
| 11 | Maryland | $109,097 |
| 12 | Utah | $91,522 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $95,864 |
| 14 | Vermont | $98,646 |
| 15 | Arizona | $94,237 |
| 16 | Illinois | $92,712 |
| 17 | District of Columbia | $98,565 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $96,440 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $95,893 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $92,110 |
| 21 | Delaware | $93,934 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | $90,089 |
| 23 | Maine | $94,773 |
| 24 | Colorado | $92,572 |
| 25 | Missouri | $92,501 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $90,335 |
| 27 | Iowa | $91,388 |
| 28 | Virginia | $92,651 |
| 29 | Indiana | $89,879 |
| 30 | Texas | $88,830 |
| 31 | New Mexico | $91,149 |
| 32 | Wyoming | $83,074 |
| 33 | Alaska | $90,442 |
| 34 | West Virginia | $87,311 |
| 35 | Georgia | $84,367 |
| 36 | Oregon | $86,228 |
| 37 | Idaho | $85,250 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $74,190 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $80,135 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $83,654 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $82,282 |
| 42 | Kansas | $84,053 |
| 43 | Alabama | $78,171 |
| 44 | Florida | $76,439 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $80,005 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $78,316 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $78,294 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $79,420 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $77,702 |
| 50 | Montana | $79,624 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $77,747 |
Expert opinions on the best states for finance controllers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for finance controllers to find work opportunities?
Karyl Leggio Ph.D.
Professor of Finance, Loyola University Maryland
Many students think of finance and think of Wall Street. There certainly are opportunities in New York and Chicago, but I urge students to broaden their search. In finding your first career opportunity, treat it as if it is a three-credit course, and put that amount of time into job searching each week. I don't think of job hunting as where to search but of how to search. Develop a strong LinkedIn profile, and post articles to your page; look at firms in your area, consider firms in cities that are growing; access your alumni network; network with family and friends. Don't limit your search to a handful of firms. In this economy, you need to cast a broad net and be open to opportunities that present themselves. Apply broadly, and be open-minded.
Finance controller best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025