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Best states for a hearing officer
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
It seems like hearing officers are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for hearing officers aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. Pay, benefits, and opportunities vary greatly by state, and it's no different for hearing officers. We found that Rhode Island is the best state in the nation for hearing officers, and people in Greenwich earn the most in the field.
In order to get you the best states for hearing officers, 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 the West is best for hearing officers, and the Northeast is the worst. Somerville, MA is the best city in the country for hearing officer jobs, where as Rhode Island is the best state in the country.
10 best states for hearing officers in 2026
1. Rhode Island
Total hearing officer jobs: 144 Average annual salary: $89,296 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 1.38
2. Nevada
Total hearing officer jobs: 308 Average annual salary: $85,500 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 1.72
3. Vermont
Total hearing officer jobs: 86 Average annual salary: $87,641 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 1.31
4. Massachusetts
Total hearing officer jobs: 889 Average annual salary: $88,801 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 1.13
5. Connecticut
Total hearing officer jobs: 307 Average annual salary: $89,755 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 1.08
6. Maryland
Total hearing officer jobs: 665 Average annual salary: $87,258 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 1.22
7. New Hampshire
Total hearing officer jobs: 158 Average annual salary: $88,360 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 1.05
8. West Virginia
Total hearing officer jobs: 144 Average annual salary: $82,154 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000 Location Quotient: 1.1
9. New York
Total hearing officer jobs: 1,298 Average annual salary: $82,347 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
10. Ohio
Total hearing officer jobs: 827 Average annual salary: $83,192 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000 Location Quotient: 0.94
Hearing officer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a hearing officer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a hearing officer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $89,296 | $61,000 | 1,059,639 | 144 |
| 2 | Nevada | $85,500 | $57,000 | 2,998,039 | 308 |
| 3 | Vermont | $87,641 | $60,000 | 623,657 | 86 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $88,801 | $61,000 | 6,859,819 | 889 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $89,755 | $61,000 | 3,588,184 | 307 |
| 6 | Maryland | $87,258 | $59,000 | 6,052,177 | 665 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $88,360 | $61,000 | 1,342,795 | 158 |
| 8 | West Virginia | $82,154 | $55,000 | 1,815,857 | 144 |
| 9 | New York | $82,347 | $56,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,298 |
| 10 | Ohio | $83,192 | $56,000 | 11,658,609 | 827 |
| 11 | Virginia | $74,773 | $50,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,253 |
| 12 | South Dakota | $78,256 | $55,000 | 869,666 | 100 |
| 13 | Colorado | $74,959 | $52,000 | 5,607,154 | 703 |
| 14 | Delaware | $88,519 | $60,000 | 961,939 | 2 |
| 15 | Arizona | $72,072 | $48,000 | 7,016,270 | 801 |
| 16 | New Jersey | $75,655 | $51,000 | 9,005,644 | 819 |
| 17 | Maine | $71,146 | $49,000 | 1,335,907 | 140 |
| 18 | Washington | $74,328 | $52,000 | 7,405,743 | 742 |
| 19 | Montana | $79,447 | $57,000 | 1,050,493 | 11 |
| 20 | Kentucky | $76,433 | $52,000 | 4,454,189 | 284 |
| 21 | South Carolina | $72,887 | $49,000 | 5,024,369 | 422 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $73,286 | $50,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,023 |
| 23 | Louisiana | $74,023 | $49,000 | 4,684,333 | 276 |
| 24 | District of Columbia | $86,656 | $58,000 | 693,972 | 5 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $67,164 | $47,000 | 5,576,606 | 716 |
| 26 | Iowa | $66,177 | $46,000 | 3,145,711 | 349 |
| 27 | Florida | $58,477 | $39,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,956 |
| 28 | Oregon | $69,411 | $48,000 | 4,142,776 | 372 |
| 29 | Illinois | $68,337 | $47,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,050 |
| 30 | Alabama | $59,242 | $39,000 | 4,874,747 | 487 |
| 31 | Indiana | $64,885 | $44,000 | 6,666,818 | 543 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $63,619 | $42,000 | 10,273,419 | 833 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $58,583 | $41,000 | 1,920,076 | 217 |
| 34 | Idaho | $65,882 | $46,000 | 1,716,943 | 13 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $53,430 | $36,000 | 2,088,070 | 202 |
| 36 | Kansas | $62,307 | $43,000 | 2,913,123 | 238 |
| 37 | Hawaii | $67,082 | $51,000 | 1,427,538 | 11 |
| 38 | Wyoming | $63,234 | $44,000 | 579,315 | 2 |
| 39 | North Dakota | $47,751 | $34,000 | 755,393 | 117 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $48,824 | $34,000 | 5,795,483 | 571 |
| 41 | Michigan | $57,852 | $40,000 | 9,962,311 | 623 |
| 42 | Missouri | $55,348 | $38,000 | 6,113,532 | 511 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $49,359 | $33,000 | 3,930,864 | 308 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $49,053 | $33,000 | 3,004,279 | 256 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $42,842 | $28,000 | 2,984,100 | 248 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $49,503 | $33,000 | 6,715,984 | 513 |
| 47 | Texas | $51,204 | $34,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,710 |
| 48 | Georgia | $48,596 | $32,000 | 10,429,379 | 980 |
| 49 | California | $50,739 | $34,000 | 39,536,653 | 203 |
| 50 | Alaska | $47,801 | $37,000 | 739,795 | 6 |
| 51 | Utah | $46,753 | $32,000 | 3,101,833 | 21 |
Highest paying states for hearing officers
| Rank | State | Avg. Hearing Officer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $89,296 |
| 2 | Nevada | $85,500 |
| 3 | Vermont | $87,641 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $88,801 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $89,755 |
| 6 | Maryland | $87,258 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $88,360 |
| 8 | West Virginia | $82,154 |
| 9 | New York | $82,347 |
| 10 | Ohio | $83,192 |
| 11 | Virginia | $74,773 |
| 12 | South Dakota | $78,256 |
| 13 | Colorado | $74,959 |
| 14 | Delaware | $88,519 |
| 15 | Arizona | $72,072 |
| 16 | New Jersey | $75,655 |
| 17 | Maine | $71,146 |
| 18 | Washington | $74,328 |
| 19 | Montana | $79,447 |
| 20 | Kentucky | $76,433 |
| 21 | South Carolina | $72,887 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $73,286 |
| 23 | Louisiana | $74,023 |
| 24 | District of Columbia | $86,656 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $67,164 |
| 26 | Iowa | $66,177 |
| 27 | Florida | $58,477 |
| 28 | Oregon | $69,411 |
| 29 | Illinois | $68,337 |
| 30 | Alabama | $59,242 |
| 31 | Indiana | $64,885 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $63,619 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $58,583 |
| 34 | Idaho | $65,882 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $53,430 |
| 36 | Kansas | $62,307 |
| 37 | Hawaii | $67,082 |
| 38 | Wyoming | $63,234 |
| 39 | North Dakota | $47,751 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $48,824 |
| 41 | Michigan | $57,852 |
| 42 | Missouri | $55,348 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $49,359 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $49,053 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $42,842 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $49,503 |
| 47 | Texas | $51,204 |
| 48 | Georgia | $48,596 |
| 49 | California | $50,739 |
| 50 | Alaska | $47,801 |
| 51 | Utah | $46,753 |
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Updated January 8, 2025