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Best states for a government relations internship
Quoted expert
Julie Way
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It seems like government relations interns are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for government relations interns aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. We wanted to look at the best states for government relations interns -- where there are plenty of government relations internship jobs to go around and government relations interns get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
In order to get you the best states for government relations interns, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.We found that North Dakota is the best state for government relations internship jobs, whereas Florida is the worst.
10 best states for government relations interns in 2025
1. North Dakota
Total government relations internship jobs: 138 Average annual salary: $40,014 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Location Quotient: 2.132. Alaska
Total government relations internship jobs: 124 Average annual salary: $42,042 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Location Quotient: 2.133. District of Columbia
Total government relations internship jobs: 289 Average annual salary: $43,276 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Location Quotient: 2.474. Oregon
Total government relations internship jobs: 353 Average annual salary: $41,196 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Location Quotient: 1.225. Rhode Island
Total government relations internship jobs: 168 Average annual salary: $38,886 Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Location Quotient: 1.986. Idaho
Total government relations internship jobs: 259 Average annual salary: $37,040 Lowest 10 percent earn: $24,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Location Quotient: 2.267. New Hampshire
Total government relations internship jobs: 206 Average annual salary: $37,400 Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Location Quotient: 1.698. Minnesota
Total government relations internship jobs: 418 Average annual salary: $41,486 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Location Quotient: 0.99. Washington
Total government relations internship jobs: 399 Average annual salary: $43,303 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Location Quotient: 0.7810. Arkansas
Total government relations internship jobs: 257 Average annual salary: $34,998 Lowest 10 percent earn: $24,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Location Quotient: 1.41
Government relations internship jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a government relations internship
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a government relations internship
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota | $40,014 | $28,000 | 755,393 | 138 |
| 2 | Alaska | $42,042 | $32,000 | 739,795 | 124 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $43,276 | $29,000 | 693,972 | 289 |
| 4 | Oregon | $41,196 | $27,000 | 4,142,776 | 353 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $38,886 | $26,000 | 1,059,639 | 168 |
| 6 | Idaho | $37,040 | $24,000 | 1,716,943 | 259 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $37,400 | $26,000 | 1,342,795 | 206 |
| 8 | Minnesota | $41,486 | $28,000 | 5,576,606 | 418 |
| 9 | Washington | $43,303 | $29,000 | 7,405,743 | 399 |
| 10 | Arkansas | $34,998 | $24,000 | 3,004,279 | 257 |
| 11 | Virginia | $40,540 | $27,000 | 8,470,020 | 634 |
| 12 | Michigan | $35,924 | $24,000 | 9,962,311 | 642 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $39,798 | $27,000 | 6,859,819 | 627 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $41,007 | $27,000 | 9,005,644 | 470 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $37,029 | $24,000 | 3,588,184 | 338 |
| 16 | Vermont | $34,220 | $24,000 | 623,657 | 176 |
| 17 | Delaware | $34,674 | $23,000 | 961,939 | 206 |
| 18 | New York | $39,013 | $25,000 | 19,849,399 | 952 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $32,516 | $22,000 | 579,315 | 135 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | $35,680 | $24,000 | 5,795,483 | 374 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $33,375 | $22,000 | 1,815,857 | 146 |
| 22 | California | $39,620 | $26,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,880 |
| 23 | Maryland | $37,385 | $24,000 | 6,052,177 | 527 |
| 24 | South Dakota | $31,747 | $22,000 | 869,666 | 178 |
| 25 | Kentucky | $32,953 | $22,000 | 4,454,189 | 276 |
| 26 | Ohio | $34,118 | $23,000 | 11,658,609 | 370 |
| 27 | Nevada | $32,110 | $21,000 | 2,998,039 | 159 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $32,407 | $22,000 | 6,715,984 | 365 |
| 29 | Colorado | $33,818 | $23,000 | 5,607,154 | 413 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $32,901 | $21,000 | 12,805,537 | 670 |
| 31 | North Carolina | $32,868 | $23,000 | 10,273,419 | 558 |
| 32 | Utah | $31,050 | $20,000 | 3,101,833 | 300 |
| 33 | Arizona | $31,415 | $21,000 | 7,016,270 | 435 |
| 34 | Iowa | $30,718 | $21,000 | 3,145,711 | 276 |
| 35 | Montana | $29,832 | $20,000 | 1,050,493 | 161 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $30,622 | $25,000 | 1,427,538 | 117 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $29,315 | $20,000 | 1,920,076 | 222 |
| 38 | Maine | $28,849 | $20,000 | 1,335,907 | 220 |
| 39 | Illinois | $31,319 | $21,000 | 12,802,023 | 741 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $29,742 | $21,000 | 5,024,369 | 264 |
| 41 | New Mexico | $28,048 | $19,000 | 2,088,070 | 179 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $28,206 | $19,000 | 3,930,864 | 245 |
| 43 | Indiana | $29,002 | $20,000 | 6,666,818 | 319 |
| 44 | Kansas | $27,645 | $19,000 | 2,913,123 | 231 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $28,069 | $19,000 | 4,684,333 | 238 |
| 46 | Alabama | $27,779 | $19,000 | 4,874,747 | 283 |
| 47 | Missouri | $29,067 | $20,000 | 6,113,532 | 310 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $25,293 | $17,000 | 2,984,100 | 201 |
| 49 | Texas | $28,941 | $19,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,101 |
| 50 | Georgia | $28,927 | $20,000 | 10,429,379 | 557 |
| 51 | Florida | $26,947 | $19,000 | 20,984,400 | 813 |
Highest paying states for government relations interns
| Rank | State | Avg. Government Relations Internship Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota | $40,014 |
| 2 | Alaska | $42,042 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $43,276 |
| 4 | Oregon | $41,196 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $38,886 |
| 6 | Idaho | $37,040 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $37,400 |
| 8 | Minnesota | $41,486 |
| 9 | Washington | $43,303 |
| 10 | Arkansas | $34,998 |
| 11 | Virginia | $40,540 |
| 12 | Michigan | $35,924 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $39,798 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $41,007 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $37,029 |
| 16 | Vermont | $34,220 |
| 17 | Delaware | $34,674 |
| 18 | New York | $39,013 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $32,516 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | $35,680 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $33,375 |
| 22 | California | $39,620 |
| 23 | Maryland | $37,385 |
| 24 | South Dakota | $31,747 |
| 25 | Kentucky | $32,953 |
| 26 | Ohio | $34,118 |
| 27 | Nevada | $32,110 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $32,407 |
| 29 | Colorado | $33,818 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $32,901 |
| 31 | North Carolina | $32,868 |
| 32 | Utah | $31,050 |
| 33 | Arizona | $31,415 |
| 34 | Iowa | $30,718 |
| 35 | Montana | $29,832 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $30,622 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $29,315 |
| 38 | Maine | $28,849 |
| 39 | Illinois | $31,319 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $29,742 |
| 41 | New Mexico | $28,048 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $28,206 |
| 43 | Indiana | $29,002 |
| 44 | Kansas | $27,645 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $28,069 |
| 46 | Alabama | $27,779 |
| 47 | Missouri | $29,067 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $25,293 |
| 49 | Texas | $28,941 |
| 50 | Georgia | $28,927 |
| 51 | Florida | $26,947 |
Expert opinions on the best states for government relations interns
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for government relations internships to find work opportunities?
Julie Way
Director, Milwaukee School of Engineering
While there are job opportunities for STEM students almost anywhere in the country, certainly large metropolitan areas hire more prolifically than rural and geographically challenging. I found a USAToday article that lists the top 15 cities hiring high tech workers, however, these lists will change year to year.
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Updated January 8, 2025