Best states for a grader

Q: What is the best state for graders?

The best state to be a grader is Alaska based on grader salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for graders?

The highest paying state for graders is Florida based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for graders?

The worst state for graders is Oklahoma, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
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Job opportunities vary from state to state, and farming, fishing, and forestry careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to grader jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for graders.As graders are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for graders. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a grader, 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 graders. Alaska is the best state for graders, where the median salary is $41,636.We found that the South is best for graders, and the Northeast is the worst. South Bend, IN is the best city in the country for grader jobs, where as Alaska is the best state in the country.

10 best states for graders in 2025

1. Alaska
Total grader jobs: 6
Average annual salary: $41,636
Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $66,000
Location Quotient:
9.33
Grader jobs in Alaska
2. Vermont
Total grader jobs: 5
Average annual salary: $39,317
Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Location Quotient:
8.46
Grader jobs in Vermont
3. Maine
Total grader jobs: 2
Average annual salary: $37,677
Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Location Quotient:
1.96
Grader jobs in Maine
4. Indiana
Total grader jobs: 9
Average annual salary: $35,971
Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Location Quotient:
1.78
Grader jobs in Indiana
5. New Hampshire
Total grader jobs: 1
Average annual salary: $37,091
Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $49,000
Location Quotient:
0.74
Grader jobs in New Hampshire
6. Kansas
Total grader jobs: 6
Average annual salary: $31,492
Lowest 10 percent earn: $22,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Location Quotient:
2.58
Grader jobs in Kansas
7. New York
Total grader jobs: 3
Average annual salary: $38,068
Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $54,000
Location Quotient:
0.3
Grader jobs in New York
8. North Dakota
Total grader jobs: 0
Average annual salary: $35,248
Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Location Quotient:
0
Grader jobs in North Dakota
9. Nevada
Total grader jobs: 4
Average annual salary: $30,707
Lowest 10 percent earn: $20,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Location Quotient:
2.48
Grader jobs in Nevada
10. Ohio
Total grader jobs: 17
Average annual salary: $30,231
Lowest 10 percent earn: $21,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Location Quotient:
2.16
Grader jobs in Ohio

Grader jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a grader

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a grader

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Alaska	$41,636	$25,000	739,795	6
2	Vermont	$39,317	$30,000	623,657	5
3	Maine	$37,677	$29,000	1,335,907	2
4	Indiana	$35,971	$25,000	6,666,818	9
5	New Hampshire	$37,091	$27,000	1,342,795	1
6	Kansas	$31,492	$22,000	2,913,123	6
7	New York	$38,068	$26,000	19,849,399	3
8	North Dakota	$35,248	$25,000	755,393	0
9	Nevada	$30,707	$20,000	2,998,039	4
10	Ohio	$30,231	$21,000	11,658,609	17
11	Wisconsin	$31,615	$22,000	5,795,483	4
12	New Jersey	$32,735	$22,000	9,005,644	6
13	Massachusetts	$34,610	$25,000	6,859,819	1
14	Minnesota	$33,267	$24,000	5,576,606	1
15	Connecticut	$34,188	$24,000	3,588,184	0
16	West Virginia	$31,581	$22,000	1,815,857	0
17	Delaware	$33,283	$22,000	961,939	0
18	Rhode Island	$32,800	$23,000	1,059,639	0
19	Maryland	$32,971	$22,000	6,052,177	2
20	Hawaii	$32,298	$23,000	1,427,538	1
21	Nebraska	$27,692	$19,000	1,920,076	10
22	South Dakota	$30,481	$21,000	869,666	0
23	Kentucky	$28,572	$20,000	4,454,189	4
24	Iowa	$30,248	$21,000	3,145,711	1
25	Mississippi	$27,803	$20,000	2,984,100	2
26	Montana	$30,694	$21,000	1,050,493	0
27	Oregon	$28,425	$18,000	4,142,776	7
28	Washington	$29,953	$19,000	7,405,743	5
29	Utah	$27,962	$18,000	3,101,833	2
30	California	$29,929	$19,000	39,536,653	21
31	Missouri	$26,955	$19,000	6,113,532	6
32	Illinois	$28,785	$20,000	12,802,023	3
33	Arkansas	$25,153	$18,000	3,004,279	4
34	Louisiana	$27,078	$19,000	4,684,333	2
35	Virginia	$27,510	$19,000	8,470,020	8
36	Arizona	$27,952	$18,000	7,016,270	1
37	Colorado	$28,735	$20,000	5,607,154	1
38	South Carolina	$24,593	$18,000	5,024,369	7
39	New Mexico	$27,642	$18,000	2,088,070	0
40	Tennessee	$25,945	$18,000	6,715,984	2
41	Alabama	$25,078	$18,000	4,874,747	4
42	Wyoming	$26,967	$18,000	579,315	0
43	Pennsylvania	$25,264	$17,000	12,805,537	14
44	North Carolina	$26,371	$18,000	10,273,419	6
45	District of Columbia	$29,386	$20,000	693,972	0
46	Michigan	$24,970	$17,000	9,962,311	10
47	Georgia	$25,123	$18,000	10,429,379	7
48	Idaho	$23,634	$15,000	1,716,943	2
49	Texas	$24,333	$17,000	28,304,596	11
50	Florida	$22,289	$16,000	20,984,400	12
51	Oklahoma	$23,707	$16,000	3,930,864	0

Highest paying states for graders

Rank	State	Avg. Grader Salary
1	Alaska	$41,636
2	Vermont	$39,317
3	Maine	$37,677
4	Indiana	$35,971
5	New Hampshire	$37,091
6	Kansas	$31,492
7	New York	$38,068
8	North Dakota	$35,248
9	Nevada	$30,707
10	Ohio	$30,231
11	Wisconsin	$31,615
12	New Jersey	$32,735
13	Massachusetts	$34,610
14	Minnesota	$33,267
15	Connecticut	$34,188
16	West Virginia	$31,581
17	Delaware	$33,283
18	Rhode Island	$32,800
19	Maryland	$32,971
20	Hawaii	$32,298
21	Nebraska	$27,692
22	South Dakota	$30,481
23	Kentucky	$28,572
24	Iowa	$30,248
25	Mississippi	$27,803
26	Montana	$30,694
27	Oregon	$28,425
28	Washington	$29,953
29	Utah	$27,962
30	California	$29,929
31	Missouri	$26,955
32	Illinois	$28,785
33	Arkansas	$25,153
34	Louisiana	$27,078
35	Virginia	$27,510
36	Arizona	$27,952
37	Colorado	$28,735
38	South Carolina	$24,593
39	New Mexico	$27,642
40	Tennessee	$25,945
41	Alabama	$25,078
42	Wyoming	$26,967
43	Pennsylvania	$25,264
44	North Carolina	$26,371
45	District of Columbia	$29,386
46	Michigan	$24,970
47	Georgia	$25,123
48	Idaho	$23,634
49	Texas	$24,333
50	Florida	$22,289
51	Oklahoma	$23,707

Grader best states FAQs

What is the best state for graders?

What is the highest paying state for graders?

What is the worst state for graders?

Have more questions? See all answers to common farming, fishing, and forestry questions.

Search for grader jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse farming, fishing, and forestry jobs

Total grader jobs:	6
Average annual salary:	$41,636
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$25,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$66,000
Location Quotient:	9.33

Best states for a grader

10 best states for graders in 2025

1. Alaska

2. Vermont

3. Maine

4. Indiana

5. New Hampshire

6. Kansas

7. New York

8. North Dakota

9. Nevada

10. Ohio