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Best states for an instructional assistant
Quoted expert
Terry Chvala
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Instructional assistant opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for instructional assistants, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for instructional assistants.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 instructional assistant jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for instructional assistants. Alaska is the best state for instructional assistants, where the median salary is $39,779.We found that the South is best for instructional assistants, and the Northeast is the worst. Salem, OR is the best city in the country for instructional assistant jobs, where as Alaska is the best state in the country.
10 best states for instructional assistants in 2025
1. Alaska
Total instructional assistant jobs: 100 Average annual salary: $39,779 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Location Quotient: 1.38
2. Vermont
Total instructional assistant jobs: 104 Average annual salary: $35,425 Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Location Quotient: 1.56
3. Rhode Island
Total instructional assistant jobs: 103 Average annual salary: $39,536 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
4. New Hampshire
Total instructional assistant jobs: 308 Average annual salary: $33,629 Lowest 10 percent earn: $23,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Location Quotient: 2.02
5. Oregon
Total instructional assistant jobs: 313 Average annual salary: $38,482 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Location Quotient: 0.87
6. Maine
Total instructional assistant jobs: 108 Average annual salary: $36,336 Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Location Quotient: 0.94
7. Delaware
Total instructional assistant jobs: 151 Average annual salary: $35,039 Lowest 10 percent earn: $23,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Location Quotient: 1.38
8. New York
Total instructional assistant jobs: 1,139 Average annual salary: $37,782 Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Location Quotient: 1.02
9. Massachusetts
Total instructional assistant jobs: 645 Average annual salary: $39,672 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Location Quotient: 0.81
10. Illinois
Total instructional assistant jobs: 1,424 Average annual salary: $33,726 Lowest 10 percent earn: $24,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Location Quotient: 1.37
Instructional assistant jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an instructional assistant
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an instructional assistant
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $39,779 | $33,000 | 739,795 | 100 |
| 2 | Vermont | $35,425 | $25,000 | 623,657 | 104 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $39,536 | $27,000 | 1,059,639 | 103 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $33,629 | $23,000 | 1,342,795 | 308 |
| 5 | Oregon | $38,482 | $28,000 | 4,142,776 | 313 |
| 6 | Maine | $36,336 | $26,000 | 1,335,907 | 108 |
| 7 | Delaware | $35,039 | $23,000 | 961,939 | 151 |
| 8 | New York | $37,782 | $25,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,139 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $39,672 | $27,000 | 6,859,819 | 645 |
| 10 | Illinois | $33,726 | $24,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,424 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $33,895 | $22,000 | 9,005,644 | 989 |
| 12 | Washington | $36,614 | $27,000 | 7,405,743 | 512 |
| 13 | Nevada | $30,386 | $22,000 | 2,998,039 | 397 |
| 14 | Michigan | $31,449 | $21,000 | 9,962,311 | 916 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $31,555 | $21,000 | 3,588,184 | 600 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | $31,230 | $23,000 | 3,930,864 | 289 |
| 17 | North Dakota | $33,212 | $25,000 | 755,393 | 64 |
| 18 | New Mexico | $29,771 | $22,000 | 2,088,070 | 258 |
| 19 | Tennessee | $30,434 | $22,000 | 6,715,984 | 431 |
| 20 | District of Columbia | $33,758 | $23,000 | 693,972 | 142 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $30,178 | $22,000 | 5,576,606 | 632 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $31,020 | $21,000 | 12,805,537 | 884 |
| 23 | California | $34,238 | $25,000 | 39,536,653 | 2,146 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $31,892 | $22,000 | 5,795,483 | 350 |
| 25 | Arizona | $28,686 | $21,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,059 |
| 26 | Idaho | $29,378 | $22,000 | 1,716,943 | 160 |
| 27 | Maryland | $30,863 | $21,000 | 6,052,177 | 794 |
| 28 | Montana | $28,564 | $21,000 | 1,050,493 | 153 |
| 29 | Mississippi | $29,811 | $21,000 | 2,984,100 | 148 |
| 30 | South Dakota | $28,442 | $21,000 | 869,666 | 77 |
| 31 | Texas | $28,801 | $21,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,556 |
| 32 | Colorado | $28,577 | $21,000 | 5,607,154 | 766 |
| 33 | Virginia | $30,035 | $21,000 | 8,470,020 | 740 |
| 34 | Utah | $29,578 | $22,000 | 3,101,833 | 190 |
| 35 | West Virginia | $29,869 | $20,000 | 1,815,857 | 79 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $26,548 | $19,000 | 579,315 | 76 |
| 37 | Indiana | $28,620 | $20,000 | 6,666,818 | 456 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $33,011 | $28,000 | 1,427,538 | 52 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $26,874 | $19,000 | 1,920,076 | 214 |
| 40 | Iowa | $26,653 | $19,000 | 3,145,711 | 261 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $27,027 | $19,000 | 10,273,419 | 675 |
| 42 | Missouri | $27,659 | $20,000 | 6,113,532 | 398 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $25,277 | $18,000 | 5,024,369 | 366 |
| 44 | Kansas | $24,374 | $18,000 | 2,913,123 | 282 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $25,072 | $18,000 | 4,684,333 | 231 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $25,421 | $18,000 | 4,454,189 | 232 |
| 47 | Ohio | $25,166 | $17,000 | 11,658,609 | 633 |
| 48 | Alabama | $25,587 | $18,000 | 4,874,747 | 256 |
| 49 | Florida | $22,430 | $16,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,265 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $23,861 | $17,000 | 3,004,279 | 158 |
| 51 | Georgia | $23,940 | $17,000 | 10,429,379 | 575 |
Highest paying states for instructional assistants
| Rank | State | Avg. Instructional Assistant Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $39,779 |
| 2 | Vermont | $35,425 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $39,536 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $33,629 |
| 5 | Oregon | $38,482 |
| 6 | Maine | $36,336 |
| 7 | Delaware | $35,039 |
| 8 | New York | $37,782 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $39,672 |
| 10 | Illinois | $33,726 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $33,895 |
| 12 | Washington | $36,614 |
| 13 | Nevada | $30,386 |
| 14 | Michigan | $31,449 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $31,555 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | $31,230 |
| 17 | North Dakota | $33,212 |
| 18 | New Mexico | $29,771 |
| 19 | Tennessee | $30,434 |
| 20 | District of Columbia | $33,758 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $30,178 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $31,020 |
| 23 | California | $34,238 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $31,892 |
| 25 | Arizona | $28,686 |
| 26 | Idaho | $29,378 |
| 27 | Maryland | $30,863 |
| 28 | Montana | $28,564 |
| 29 | Mississippi | $29,811 |
| 30 | South Dakota | $28,442 |
| 31 | Texas | $28,801 |
| 32 | Colorado | $28,577 |
| 33 | Virginia | $30,035 |
| 34 | Utah | $29,578 |
| 35 | West Virginia | $29,869 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $26,548 |
| 37 | Indiana | $28,620 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $33,011 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $26,874 |
| 40 | Iowa | $26,653 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $27,027 |
| 42 | Missouri | $27,659 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $25,277 |
| 44 | Kansas | $24,374 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $25,072 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $25,421 |
| 47 | Ohio | $25,166 |
| 48 | Alabama | $25,587 |
| 49 | Florida | $22,430 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $23,861 |
| 51 | Georgia | $23,940 |
Expert opinions on the best states for instructional assistants
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for instructional assistants to find work opportunities?
Terry Chvala
Senior Lecturer of Early Childhood Education, University of Houston-Clear Lake
Although oil & gas continue to suffer locally and regionally, there is still a growing trend that people continue to move to Texas. So this area continues to be a positive job market for educators and other industry. Most area school districts have become fairly competitive (with each other, but nowhere near northern and northeastern states and many others) on their starting teacher pay.
Instructional assistant best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025