Best states for a hospitality specialist

Q: What is the best state for hospitality specialists?

The best state to be a hospitality specialist is New York based on hospitality specialist salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for hospitality specialists?

The highest paying state for hospitality specialists is Mississippi based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for hospitality specialists?

The worst state for hospitality specialists is Mississippi, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Donna Albano

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Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to hospitality specialist jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. In order to help you decide which state is the best for hospitality specialists, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for hospitality specialist jobs.

We figured that the best places for hospitality specialist 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.New York is the best state, and Fairbanks is the city with the highest pay for hospitality specialists.

10 best states for hospitality specialists in 2025

1. New York
Total hospitality specialist jobs: 1,297
Average annual salary: $47,397
Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $68,000
Location Quotient:
1.05
Hospitality specialist jobs in New York
2. Rhode Island
Total hospitality specialist jobs: 121
Average annual salary: $42,257
Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $59,000
Location Quotient:
1.03
Hospitality specialist jobs in Rhode Island
3. Minnesota
Total hospitality specialist jobs: 597
Average annual salary: $45,180
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $60,000
Location Quotient:
0.93
Hospitality specialist jobs in Minnesota
4. Alaska
Total hospitality specialist jobs: 75
Average annual salary: $48,100
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $58,000
Location Quotient:
0.93
Hospitality specialist jobs in Alaska
5. New Hampshire
Total hospitality specialist jobs: 168
Average annual salary: $41,883
Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $57,000
Location Quotient:
1
Hospitality specialist jobs in New Hampshire
6. New Jersey
Total hospitality specialist jobs: 703
Average annual salary: $46,187
Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $66,000
Location Quotient:
0.92
Hospitality specialist jobs in New Jersey
7. Oregon
Total hospitality specialist jobs: 453
Average annual salary: $39,728
Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $55,000
Location Quotient:
1.14
Hospitality specialist jobs in Oregon
8. Michigan
Total hospitality specialist jobs: 826
Average annual salary: $37,935
Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Location Quotient:
1.11
Hospitality specialist jobs in Michigan
9. Arizona
Total hospitality specialist jobs: 788
Average annual salary: $37,757
Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Location Quotient:
1.4
Hospitality specialist jobs in Arizona
10. Utah
Total hospitality specialist jobs: 355
Average annual salary: $37,998
Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Location Quotient:
1.15
Hospitality specialist jobs in Utah

Hospitality specialist jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a hospitality specialist

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

Detailed list of the best states for a hospitality specialist

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	New York	$47,397	$32,000	19,849,399	1,297
2	Rhode Island	$42,257	$29,000	1,059,639	121
3	Minnesota	$45,180	$33,000	5,576,606	597
4	Alaska	$48,100	$39,000	739,795	75
5	New Hampshire	$41,883	$30,000	1,342,795	168
6	New Jersey	$46,187	$32,000	9,005,644	703
7	Oregon	$39,728	$28,000	4,142,776	453
8	Michigan	$37,935	$27,000	9,962,311	826
9	Arizona	$37,757	$26,000	7,016,270	788
10	Utah	$37,998	$27,000	3,101,833	355
11	Vermont	$40,017	$29,000	623,657	78
12	District of Columbia	$47,043	$32,000	693,972	154
13	North Dakota	$36,521	$27,000	755,393	109
14	Wisconsin	$38,950	$28,000	5,795,483	537
15	Delaware	$37,912	$26,000	961,939	163
16	Connecticut	$44,614	$31,000	3,588,184	259
17	Washington	$43,815	$32,000	7,405,743	607
18	Wyoming	$35,774	$26,000	579,315	66
19	Maryland	$41,913	$29,000	6,052,177	572
20	Pennsylvania	$35,139	$24,000	12,805,537	1,257
21	Montana	$36,056	$27,000	1,050,493	122
22	California	$43,356	$30,000	39,536,653	2,462
23	Iowa	$34,533	$25,000	3,145,711	419
24	Illinois	$37,837	$27,000	12,802,023	1,105
25	Arkansas	$34,564	$24,000	3,004,279	258
26	Massachusetts	$38,736	$27,000	6,859,819	785
27	Maine	$33,531	$25,000	1,335,907	158
28	Ohio	$33,870	$24,000	11,658,609	996
29	Missouri	$36,621	$26,000	6,113,532	503
30	Hawaii	$32,728	$27,000	1,427,538	120
31	Idaho	$32,923	$24,000	1,716,943	175
32	New Mexico	$32,874	$23,000	2,088,070	206
33	Texas	$34,366	$24,000	28,304,596	1,818
34	Nebraska	$32,437	$23,000	1,920,076	234
35	Indiana	$32,779	$23,000	6,666,818	611
36	Colorado	$35,512	$26,000	5,607,154	530
37	Tennessee	$31,817	$22,000	6,715,984	556
38	North Carolina	$31,576	$22,000	10,273,419	1,034
39	Louisiana	$31,710	$22,000	4,684,333	333
40	Georgia	$33,311	$23,000	10,429,379	955
41	Nevada	$29,852	$21,000	2,998,039	269
42	Virginia	$35,237	$24,000	8,470,020	722
43	Oklahoma	$31,693	$22,000	3,930,864	295
44	Florida	$29,580	$21,000	20,984,400	1,932
45	Kansas	$31,051	$22,000	2,913,123	293
46	Alabama	$31,777	$22,000	4,874,747	363
47	South Dakota	$29,555	$22,000	869,666	107
48	Kentucky	$31,143	$22,000	4,454,189	324
49	West Virginia	$30,310	$21,000	1,815,857	117
50	South Carolina	$30,113	$21,000	5,024,369	381
51	Mississippi	$24,329	$17,000	2,984,100	143

Highest paying states for hospitality specialists

Rank	State	Avg. Hospitality Specialist Salary
1	New York	$47,397
2	Rhode Island	$42,257
3	Minnesota	$45,180
4	Alaska	$48,100
5	New Hampshire	$41,883
6	New Jersey	$46,187
7	Oregon	$39,728
8	Michigan	$37,935
9	Arizona	$37,757
10	Utah	$37,998
11	Vermont	$40,017
12	District of Columbia	$47,043
13	North Dakota	$36,521
14	Wisconsin	$38,950
15	Delaware	$37,912
16	Connecticut	$44,614
17	Washington	$43,815
18	Wyoming	$35,774
19	Maryland	$41,913
20	Pennsylvania	$35,139
21	Montana	$36,056
22	California	$43,356
23	Iowa	$34,533
24	Illinois	$37,837
25	Arkansas	$34,564
26	Massachusetts	$38,736
27	Maine	$33,531
28	Ohio	$33,870
29	Missouri	$36,621
30	Hawaii	$32,728
31	Idaho	$32,923
32	New Mexico	$32,874
33	Texas	$34,366
34	Nebraska	$32,437
35	Indiana	$32,779
36	Colorado	$35,512
37	Tennessee	$31,817
38	North Carolina	$31,576
39	Louisiana	$31,710
40	Georgia	$33,311
41	Nevada	$29,852
42	Virginia	$35,237
43	Oklahoma	$31,693
44	Florida	$29,580
45	Kansas	$31,051
46	Alabama	$31,777
47	South Dakota	$29,555
48	Kentucky	$31,143
49	West Virginia	$30,310
50	South Carolina	$30,113
51	Mississippi	$24,329

Expert opinions on the best states for hospitality specialists

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for hospitality specialists to find work opportunities?
Donna Albano
Associate Professor, Stockton University
New Jersey has always been a fertile employment landscape for hospitality graduates due to its rich hospitality and tourism industry. Because hospitality & tourism is a global employment opportunity, this answer is currently tied to how different states recover from COVID-19. Graduates can work anywhere in the world, in a plethora of industry segments.

Hospitality specialist best states FAQs

What is the best state for hospitality specialists?

What is the highest paying state for hospitality specialists?

What is the worst state for hospitality specialists?

Have more questions? See all answers to common office and administrative questions.

Search for hospitality specialist jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs

Total hospitality specialist jobs:	1,297
Average annual salary:	$47,397
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$32,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$68,000
Location Quotient:	1.05

Best states for a hospitality specialist

10 best states for hospitality specialists in 2025

1. New York

2. Rhode Island

3. Minnesota

4. Alaska

5. New Hampshire

6. New Jersey

7. Oregon

8. Michigan

9. Arizona

10. Utah