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Best states for a first officer
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for first officers in the United States. First officer positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for first officers.As first officers are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for first officers. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a first officer, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for first officers. Mississippi is the best state for first officers, where the median salary is $98,233.We found that Mississippi is the best state for first officer jobs, whereas Kansas is the worst.
10 best states for first officers in 2026
1. Mississippi
Total first officer jobs: 269 Average annual salary: $98,233 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000 Location Quotient: 1.47
2. Illinois
Total first officer jobs: 1,408 Average annual salary: $100,744 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000 Location Quotient: 1.37
3. New York
Total first officer jobs: 1,294 Average annual salary: $104,483 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000 Location Quotient: 1.17
4. Connecticut
Total first officer jobs: 326 Average annual salary: $102,237 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000 Location Quotient: 1.14
5. North Dakota
Total first officer jobs: 116 Average annual salary: $86,527 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 1.45
6. Washington
Total first officer jobs: 711 Average annual salary: $97,767 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $155,000 Location Quotient: 1.13
7. Rhode Island
Total first officer jobs: 149 Average annual salary: $84,537 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000 Location Quotient: 1.42
8. West Virginia
Total first officer jobs: 146 Average annual salary: $86,859 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 1.11
9. Massachusetts
Total first officer jobs: 1,194 Average annual salary: $83,298 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000 Location Quotient: 1.51
10. Ohio
Total first officer jobs: 828 Average annual salary: $91,388 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000 Location Quotient: 0.94
First officer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a first officer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a first officer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi | $98,233 | $64,000 | 2,984,100 | 269 |
| 2 | Illinois | $100,744 | $66,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,408 |
| 3 | New York | $104,483 | $70,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,294 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $102,237 | $69,000 | 3,588,184 | 326 |
| 5 | North Dakota | $86,527 | $57,000 | 755,393 | 116 |
| 6 | Washington | $97,767 | $61,000 | 7,405,743 | 711 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $84,537 | $57,000 | 1,059,639 | 149 |
| 8 | West Virginia | $86,859 | $57,000 | 1,815,857 | 146 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $83,298 | $57,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,194 |
| 10 | Ohio | $91,388 | $60,000 | 11,658,609 | 828 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $90,675 | $61,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,022 |
| 12 | New Jersey | $87,891 | $59,000 | 9,005,644 | 815 |
| 13 | Arizona | $78,725 | $51,000 | 7,016,270 | 802 |
| 14 | Indiana | $80,972 | $53,000 | 6,666,818 | 689 |
| 15 | Nevada | $77,853 | $50,000 | 2,998,039 | 302 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $84,958 | $58,000 | 1,342,795 | 163 |
| 17 | Iowa | $79,331 | $52,000 | 3,145,711 | 399 |
| 18 | Texas | $85,303 | $55,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,700 |
| 19 | Alaska | $89,153 | $56,000 | 739,795 | 7 |
| 20 | California | $90,214 | $58,000 | 39,536,653 | 257 |
| 21 | Colorado | $78,326 | $51,000 | 5,607,154 | 715 |
| 22 | Maryland | $81,420 | $54,000 | 6,052,177 | 753 |
| 23 | Vermont | $76,732 | $52,000 | 623,657 | 85 |
| 24 | District of Columbia | $92,105 | $62,000 | 693,972 | 7 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $74,766 | $49,000 | 5,576,606 | 830 |
| 26 | Michigan | $77,227 | $51,000 | 9,962,311 | 729 |
| 27 | Alabama | $73,520 | $48,000 | 4,874,747 | 466 |
| 28 | Oregon | $79,990 | $50,000 | 4,142,776 | 364 |
| 29 | Delaware | $80,188 | $54,000 | 961,939 | 6 |
| 30 | Maine | $70,609 | $49,000 | 1,335,907 | 144 |
| 31 | New Mexico | $69,419 | $44,000 | 2,088,070 | 215 |
| 32 | Florida | $76,288 | $51,000 | 20,984,400 | 203 |
| 33 | Georgia | $68,562 | $45,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,192 |
| 34 | Hawaii | $82,932 | $56,000 | 1,427,538 | 6 |
| 35 | Nebraska | $68,358 | $45,000 | 1,920,076 | 220 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $71,113 | $47,000 | 10,273,419 | 860 |
| 37 | Utah | $73,124 | $46,000 | 3,101,833 | 14 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $66,290 | $43,000 | 3,930,864 | 311 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $67,437 | $45,000 | 5,024,369 | 431 |
| 40 | Missouri | $69,710 | $45,000 | 6,113,532 | 540 |
| 41 | Virginia | $62,334 | $42,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,242 |
| 42 | Idaho | $60,071 | $38,000 | 1,716,943 | 315 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $65,731 | $42,000 | 4,684,333 | 307 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $65,234 | $42,000 | 4,454,189 | 335 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $62,998 | $41,000 | 3,004,279 | 253 |
| 46 | Wisconsin | $61,087 | $40,000 | 5,795,483 | 585 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $60,820 | $40,000 | 6,715,984 | 547 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $57,975 | $38,000 | 869,666 | 102 |
| 49 | Montana | $63,456 | $40,000 | 1,050,493 | 12 |
| 50 | Wyoming | $61,791 | $40,000 | 579,315 | 3 |
| 51 | Kansas | $59,214 | $38,000 | 2,913,123 | 272 |
Highest paying states for first officers
| Rank | State | Avg. First Officer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi | $98,233 |
| 2 | Illinois | $100,744 |
| 3 | New York | $104,483 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $102,237 |
| 5 | North Dakota | $86,527 |
| 6 | Washington | $97,767 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $84,537 |
| 8 | West Virginia | $86,859 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $83,298 |
| 10 | Ohio | $91,388 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $90,675 |
| 12 | New Jersey | $87,891 |
| 13 | Arizona | $78,725 |
| 14 | Indiana | $80,972 |
| 15 | Nevada | $77,853 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $84,958 |
| 17 | Iowa | $79,331 |
| 18 | Texas | $85,303 |
| 19 | Alaska | $89,153 |
| 20 | California | $90,214 |
| 21 | Colorado | $78,326 |
| 22 | Maryland | $81,420 |
| 23 | Vermont | $76,732 |
| 24 | District of Columbia | $92,105 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $74,766 |
| 26 | Michigan | $77,227 |
| 27 | Alabama | $73,520 |
| 28 | Oregon | $79,990 |
| 29 | Delaware | $80,188 |
| 30 | Maine | $70,609 |
| 31 | New Mexico | $69,419 |
| 32 | Florida | $76,288 |
| 33 | Georgia | $68,562 |
| 34 | Hawaii | $82,932 |
| 35 | Nebraska | $68,358 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $71,113 |
| 37 | Utah | $73,124 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $66,290 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $67,437 |
| 40 | Missouri | $69,710 |
| 41 | Virginia | $62,334 |
| 42 | Idaho | $60,071 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $65,731 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $65,234 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $62,998 |
| 46 | Wisconsin | $61,087 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $60,820 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $57,975 |
| 49 | Montana | $63,456 |
| 50 | Wyoming | $61,791 |
| 51 | Kansas | $59,214 |
First officer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025