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Internship salary
Average internship salary
$35,254
Understanding Internship Salaries
Internships serve as vital stepping stones for many entering the workforce. The reported average salary for internships is $35,254 per year, with an hourly rate of approximately $17. However, salaries can differ based on several factors, including the specific location, industry, and the intern's level of experience.
Highest Paying States
Interns in states like California, New York, and Washington often earn more due to the cost of living and demand for skilled interns. Industries such as technology, engineering, and healthcare typically offer higher salaries, reflecting the specialized skills required.
Salary Insights
Understanding regional salary trends is essential for prospective interns. For instance, tech internships in Silicon Valley can exceed the average, providing invaluable experience alongside competitive pay. Tools like Zippia offer insights into state-by-state salary comparisons, enabling candidates to identify opportunities that align with their career goals.
Researching internship salaries enhances your ability to negotiate compensation while ensuring you gain relevant experience in your chosen field.
Let Zippia find your next internship job
Let Zippia find your next internship job
Where can an Internship earn more?
Internship salary estimates from across the web
Average internship salary by state
The average internship salary in Alaska, Washington, and Connecticut are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average internship salary states are Kansas, Mississippi, and South Carolina.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for interns
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $44,084 | $21.19 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $42,560 | $20.46 |
| 3 | North Dakota | $39,028 | $18.76 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $39,577 | $19.03 |
| 5 | Wyoming | $37,686 | $18.12 |
| 6 | Vermont | $37,631 | $18.09 |
| 7 | Nevada | $39,649 | $19.06 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $37,368 | $17.97 |
| 9 | Washington | $42,583 | $20.47 |
| 10 | Oregon | $38,556 | $18.54 |
| 11 | Colorado | $39,080 | $18.79 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $39,441 | $18.96 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $36,925 | $17.75 |
| 14 | Montana | $35,784 | $17.20 |
| 15 | California | $41,870 | $20.13 |
| 16 | Maine | $34,598 | $16.63 |
| 17 | Michigan | $34,919 | $16.79 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $39,701 | $19.09 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $36,739 | $17.66 |
| 20 | Idaho | $34,250 | $16.47 |
| 21 | New York | $38,599 | $18.56 |
| 22 | Nebraska | $33,719 | $16.21 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $35,873 | $17.25 |
| 24 | Arizona | $35,855 | $17.24 |
| 25 | Hawaii | $35,038 | $16.85 |
| 26 | Iowa | $32,963 | $15.85 |
| 27 | Maryland | $35,534 | $17.08 |
| 28 | Ohio | $34,273 | $16.48 |
| 29 | Illinois | $34,839 | $16.75 |
| 30 | Georgia | $34,939 | $16.80 |
| 31 | New Jersey | $35,397 | $17.02 |
| 32 | Utah | $32,927 | $15.83 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $31,204 | $15.00 |
| 34 | Delaware | $31,773 | $15.28 |
| 35 | Kentucky | $32,001 | $15.39 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $31,500 | $15.14 |
| 37 | West Virginia | $30,721 | $14.77 |
| 38 | Virginia | $34,636 | $16.65 |
| 39 | Indiana | $32,486 | $15.62 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $31,914 | $15.34 |
| 41 | Texas | $33,570 | $16.14 |
| 42 | Missouri | $33,182 | $15.95 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $31,190 | $15.00 |
| 44 | Kansas | $30,656 | $14.74 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $29,297 | $14.09 |
| 46 | North Carolina | $32,101 | $15.43 |
| 47 | Florida | $31,385 | $15.09 |
| 48 | New Mexico | $27,349 | $13.15 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $27,142 | $13.05 |
| 50 | Alabama | $27,864 | $13.40 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $28,391 | $13.65 |
Highest paying cities for interns
The highest-paying cities for interns are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $43,161 | $20.75 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $42,657 | $20.51 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $39,684 | $19.08 |
| 4 | Las Vegas, NV | $39,552 | $19.02 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $39,394 | $18.94 |
| 6 | Fort Collins, CO | $39,220 | $18.86 |
| 7 | New York, NY | $38,639 | $18.58 |
| 8 | Portland, OR | $38,522 | $18.52 |
| 9 | Milwaukee, WI | $36,804 | $17.69 |
| 10 | Saint Paul, MN | $36,754 | $17.67 |
| 11 | Philadelphia, PA | $36,043 | $17.33 |
| 12 | Phoenix, AZ | $35,933 | $17.28 |
| 13 | Baltimore, MD | $35,819 | $17.22 |
| 14 | Arlington, VA | $35,633 | $17.13 |
| 15 | Atlanta, GA | $35,055 | $16.85 |
| 16 | Chicago, IL | $34,941 | $16.80 |
| 17 | Lansing, MI | $34,872 | $16.77 |
| 18 | Portland, ME | $34,858 | $16.76 |
| 19 | Columbus, OH | $33,808 | $16.25 |
| 20 | Omaha, NE | $33,764 | $16.23 |
Interns are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Internship salary details
An internship's salary ranges from $24,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $49,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an internship's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $49,000 | $4,083 | $24 |
| 75th Percentile | $42,000 | $3,500 | $20 |
| Average | $35,254 | $2,938 | $17 |
| 25th Percentile | $29,000 | $2,417 | $14 |
| 10th Percentile | $24,000 | $2,000 | $12 |
Highest paying internship jobs
The highest paying types of interns are general internship, product manager internship, and internship coordinator.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office Worker | $41,003 | $3,417 | $19.71 | 84,397 |
| Office Clerk | $30,927 | $2,577 | $14.87 | 106,497 |
| Office Administrator | $37,423 | $3,119 | $17.99 | 118,096 |
| Clerical Aide | $29,426 | $2,452 | $14.15 | 59,698 |
| Center Coordinator | $40,825 | $3,402 | $19.63 | 64,078 |
| Communications Manager Internship | $39,970 | $3,331 | $19.22 | 118,716 |
Top companies hiring interns now:
Which companies pay interns the most?
Internship salaries at Qorvo and Cambridge Associates are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average internship salary at companies like IBM and American Water are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qorvo | $80,146 | $38.53 |
| 2 | Cambridge Associates | $79,614 | $38.28 |
| 3 | IBM | $74,274 | $35.71 |
| 4 | American Water | $67,899 | $32.64 |
| 5 | Zgf Architects | $64,125 | $30.83 |
| 6 | OGE Energy | $63,804 | $30.68 |
| 7 | McKinsey & Company Inc | $62,787 | $30.19 |
| 8 | HCL Technologies | $61,725 | $29.68 |
| 9 | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | $60,920 | $29.29 |
| 10 | Los Alamos National Laboratory | $60,651 | $29.16 |
| 11 | ZS | $59,762 | $28.73 |
| 12 | Atos | $59,705 | $28.70 |
| 13 | Battelle | $59,256 | $28.49 |
| 14 | HP | $56,709 | $27.26 |
| 15 | Mandiant | $56,601 | $27.21 |
| 16 | FireEye | $56,412 | $27.12 |
| 17 | Nebraska Public Power District | $56,228 | $27.03 |
| 18 | Schneider Electric Industrial Services | $55,891 | $26.87 |
| 19 | Splunk | $55,751 | $26.80 |
| 20 | Wiss Janney Elstner | $55,677 | $26.77 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Internship salary by industry
The average internship salary varies across industries:
- The average internship salary in the telecommunication industry is $36,977, the highest of any industry.
- The average internship salary in the finance industry is $35,191.
- Interns in the retail industry earn an average salary of $33,514, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for interns
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Telecommunication | $36,977 | $17.78 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $35,191 | $16.92 |
| 3 | Professional | $35,028 | $16.84 |
| 4 | Health Care | $34,078 | $16.38 |
| 5 | Media | $33,921 | $16.31 |
| 6 | Finance | $33,721 | $16.21 |
| 7 | Government | $33,533 | $16.12 |
| 8 | Retail | $33,514 | $16.11 |
High paying internship jobs
Internship salary trends
The average internship salary has risen by $8,122 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average internship earned $27,132 annually, but today, they earn $35,254 a year. That works out to a 16% change in pay for interns over the last decade.
Compare internship salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average internship salary over time
Compare internship salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Internship salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $35,300 | $16.95 | +3.7% |
| 2024 | $34,000 | $16.33 | +3.8% |
| 2023 | $32,700 | $15.70 | +3.8% |
| 2022 | $31,400 | $15.11 | +2.9% |
| 2021 | $30,500 | $14.67 | +3.3% |
Recently added internship salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audubon Engineering | Conservation Ranching Intern | Sacramento, CA | 06/30/2025 | $41,740 |
| Audubon Engineering | Urban Conservation Intern | New Orleans, LA | 06/30/2025 | $39,653 |
| Sanford Health | Radiology Intern | Sheldon, IA | 06/30/2025 | $33,392 |
| American Red Cross | SAF Paid Intern | San Diego, CA | 06/30/2025 | $34,436 |
| Apltd Branding | Intern | Aurora, CO | 06/30/2025 | $39,653 |
| City of Gainesville | Fleet Intern | Gainesville, FL | 06/30/2025 | $31,305 |
| Jefferson County, Co | Caseworker Intern | Boone, CO | 06/30/2025 | $39,653 |
| HNTB | Intern Planner-WED (FOR Current/Previous Hntb Interns Only)-Summer 2025 | Los Angeles, CA | 06/30/2025 | $52,321 |
| Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco | Intern, CFI (Consumer Finance Institute)-Evergreen Requisition | Philadelphia, PA | 06/30/2025 | $43,827 |
| Sartorius AG | Warehouse Intern-Onsite/New | New Oxford, PA | 06/30/2025 | $33,392 |
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