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Best states for a help desk administrator
Quoted expert
Kevin Scheibe Ph.D.
- Rank 1 - 10
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- 41 - 51
It seems like help desk administrators are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for help desk administrators aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for help desk administrator jobs.
We figured that the best places for help desk administrator jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.District of Columbia is the best state, and Englewood is the city with the highest pay for help desk administrators.
10 best states for help desk administrators in 2026
1. District of Columbia
Total help desk administrator jobs: 434 Average annual salary: $60,337 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Location Quotient: 1.72
2. New Hampshire
Total help desk administrator jobs: 278 Average annual salary: $55,885 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
3. New Jersey
Total help desk administrator jobs: 1,028 Average annual salary: $64,345 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Location Quotient: 0.86
4. New York
Total help desk administrator jobs: 1,861 Average annual salary: $55,949 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
5. Michigan
Total help desk administrator jobs: 924 Average annual salary: $60,143 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Location Quotient: 0.79
6. Rhode Island
Total help desk administrator jobs: 176 Average annual salary: $53,340 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
7. Illinois
Total help desk administrator jobs: 1,585 Average annual salary: $56,096 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Location Quotient: 0.88
8. Maine
Total help desk administrator jobs: 140 Average annual salary: $57,685 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Location Quotient: 0.7
9. Virginia
Total help desk administrator jobs: 2,066 Average annual salary: $50,891 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Location Quotient: 1.46
10. North Carolina
Total help desk administrator jobs: 1,358 Average annual salary: $52,182 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Location Quotient: 0.94
Help desk administrator jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a help desk administrator
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a help desk administrator
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $60,337 | $40,000 | 693,972 | 434 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $55,885 | $38,000 | 1,342,795 | 278 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $64,345 | $43,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,028 |
| 4 | New York | $55,949 | $38,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,861 |
| 5 | Michigan | $60,143 | $41,000 | 9,962,311 | 924 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $53,340 | $36,000 | 1,059,639 | 176 |
| 7 | Illinois | $56,096 | $38,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,585 |
| 8 | Maine | $57,685 | $40,000 | 1,335,907 | 140 |
| 9 | Virginia | $50,891 | $34,000 | 8,470,020 | 2,066 |
| 10 | North Carolina | $52,182 | $35,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,358 |
| 11 | California | $55,650 | $38,000 | 39,536,653 | 4,380 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $48,927 | $33,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,695 |
| 13 | Vermont | $49,796 | $34,000 | 623,657 | 118 |
| 14 | Maryland | $50,239 | $33,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,567 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | $52,858 | $36,000 | 5,795,483 | 602 |
| 16 | Arizona | $46,410 | $33,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,188 |
| 17 | Utah | $46,043 | $32,000 | 3,101,833 | 706 |
| 18 | Ohio | $49,622 | $33,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,352 |
| 19 | South Dakota | $52,618 | $37,000 | 869,666 | 98 |
| 20 | Washington | $51,451 | $36,000 | 7,405,743 | 975 |
| 21 | Alaska | $48,854 | $39,000 | 739,795 | 157 |
| 22 | Massachusetts | $50,015 | $34,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,378 |
| 23 | Hawaii | $50,418 | $38,000 | 1,427,538 | 162 |
| 24 | Oregon | $48,496 | $33,000 | 4,142,776 | 646 |
| 25 | North Dakota | $45,111 | $32,000 | 755,393 | 139 |
| 26 | Delaware | $49,361 | $33,000 | 961,939 | 150 |
| 27 | Idaho | $46,266 | $32,000 | 1,716,943 | 223 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $44,893 | $31,000 | 6,715,984 | 711 |
| 29 | Texas | $43,890 | $31,000 | 28,304,596 | 3,272 |
| 30 | Nevada | $44,057 | $30,000 | 2,998,039 | 332 |
| 31 | Connecticut | $49,435 | $33,000 | 3,588,184 | 385 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $45,318 | $30,000 | 1,815,857 | 166 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $44,154 | $31,000 | 1,920,076 | 313 |
| 34 | Colorado | $43,219 | $31,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,304 |
| 35 | Iowa | $44,593 | $31,000 | 3,145,711 | 380 |
| 36 | Indiana | $43,830 | $30,000 | 6,666,818 | 776 |
| 37 | Kansas | $43,258 | $30,000 | 2,913,123 | 423 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $43,679 | $31,000 | 3,930,864 | 368 |
| 39 | Montana | $41,166 | $29,000 | 1,050,493 | 233 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $42,877 | $29,000 | 4,454,189 | 447 |
| 41 | Minnesota | $42,496 | $29,000 | 5,576,606 | 947 |
| 42 | Florida | $40,344 | $28,000 | 20,984,400 | 3,018 |
| 43 | Missouri | $41,920 | $29,000 | 6,113,532 | 748 |
| 44 | Georgia | $41,555 | $29,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,389 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $38,961 | $28,000 | 2,088,070 | 293 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $40,548 | $28,000 | 5,024,369 | 608 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $38,023 | $27,000 | 579,315 | 87 |
| 48 | Alabama | $36,621 | $26,000 | 4,874,747 | 604 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $38,294 | $27,000 | 3,004,279 | 240 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $39,020 | $27,000 | 4,684,333 | 330 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $36,680 | $26,000 | 2,984,100 | 243 |
Highest paying states for help desk administrators
| Rank | State | Avg. Help Desk Administrator Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $60,337 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $55,885 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $64,345 |
| 4 | New York | $55,949 |
| 5 | Michigan | $60,143 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $53,340 |
| 7 | Illinois | $56,096 |
| 8 | Maine | $57,685 |
| 9 | Virginia | $50,891 |
| 10 | North Carolina | $52,182 |
| 11 | California | $55,650 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $48,927 |
| 13 | Vermont | $49,796 |
| 14 | Maryland | $50,239 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | $52,858 |
| 16 | Arizona | $46,410 |
| 17 | Utah | $46,043 |
| 18 | Ohio | $49,622 |
| 19 | South Dakota | $52,618 |
| 20 | Washington | $51,451 |
| 21 | Alaska | $48,854 |
| 22 | Massachusetts | $50,015 |
| 23 | Hawaii | $50,418 |
| 24 | Oregon | $48,496 |
| 25 | North Dakota | $45,111 |
| 26 | Delaware | $49,361 |
| 27 | Idaho | $46,266 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $44,893 |
| 29 | Texas | $43,890 |
| 30 | Nevada | $44,057 |
| 31 | Connecticut | $49,435 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $45,318 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $44,154 |
| 34 | Colorado | $43,219 |
| 35 | Iowa | $44,593 |
| 36 | Indiana | $43,830 |
| 37 | Kansas | $43,258 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $43,679 |
| 39 | Montana | $41,166 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $42,877 |
| 41 | Minnesota | $42,496 |
| 42 | Florida | $40,344 |
| 43 | Missouri | $41,920 |
| 44 | Georgia | $41,555 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $38,961 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $40,548 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $38,023 |
| 48 | Alabama | $36,621 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $38,294 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $39,020 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $36,680 |
Expert opinions on the best states for help desk administrators
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for help desk administrators to find work opportunities?
Kevin Scheibe Ph.D.
Professor of Information Systems and Business Analytics, Iowa State University
Interestingly, the organizations that engage with our university to hire students for internships and full-time positions are still there. While hiring for some companies has declined, others have contacted us with more new posts. Our university career fair will be entirely virtual this year, so it will be interesting to see the data afterward. We have consistently seen the demand for students, in the Midwest, and I do not see that changing. There may be an increased interest as people can work in exciting and challenging careers without relocating to large metropolitan areas.
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Updated January 8, 2025