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Best states for an investigative reporter
Quoted expert
Dr. Ronald Sitton Ph.D.
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Job opportunities vary from state to state, and arts, entertainment, sports, and media careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to investigative reporter jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for investigative reporters.Although there are abundant investigative reporter jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the South. New York is the best state in the country for investigative reporter jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for investigative reporters. New York is the best state for investigative reporters, where the median salary is $91,129.If you are currently seeking employment as an investigative reporter, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for investigative reporters in 2025
1. New York
Total investigative reporter jobs: 679 Average annual salary: $91,129 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 2.172. Vermont
Total investigative reporter jobs: 24 Average annual salary: $81,932 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000 Location Quotient: 1.283. District of Columbia
Total investigative reporter jobs: 207 Average annual salary: $85,610 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 5.074. New Jersey
Total investigative reporter jobs: 170 Average annual salary: $88,795 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000 Location Quotient: 0.885. Washington
Total investigative reporter jobs: 197 Average annual salary: $80,710 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $134,000 Location Quotient: 1.116. Maryland
Total investigative reporter jobs: 295 Average annual salary: $78,342 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000 Location Quotient: 1.917. Massachusetts
Total investigative reporter jobs: 295 Average annual salary: $76,897 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 1.328. California
Total investigative reporter jobs: 964 Average annual salary: $77,736 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 1.359. Rhode Island
Total investigative reporter jobs: 25 Average annual salary: $76,094 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 0.8410. Maine
Total investigative reporter jobs: 13 Average annual salary: $81,733 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000 Location Quotient: 0.4
Investigative reporter jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an investigative reporter
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an investigative reporter
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $91,129 | $54,000 | 19,849,399 | 679 |
| 2 | Vermont | $81,932 | $48,000 | 623,657 | 24 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $85,610 | $50,000 | 693,972 | 207 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $88,795 | $53,000 | 9,005,644 | 170 |
| 5 | Washington | $80,710 | $48,000 | 7,405,743 | 197 |
| 6 | Maryland | $78,342 | $46,000 | 6,052,177 | 295 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $76,897 | $45,000 | 6,859,819 | 295 |
| 8 | California | $77,736 | $46,000 | 39,536,653 | 964 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $76,094 | $45,000 | 1,059,639 | 25 |
| 10 | Maine | $81,733 | $48,000 | 1,335,907 | 13 |
| 11 | Michigan | $77,235 | $45,000 | 9,962,311 | 119 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $74,416 | $44,000 | 12,805,537 | 204 |
| 13 | Missouri | $72,182 | $43,000 | 6,113,532 | 121 |
| 14 | Kentucky | $75,719 | $45,000 | 4,454,189 | 45 |
| 15 | Illinois | $71,577 | $42,000 | 12,802,023 | 269 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $71,243 | $42,000 | 5,795,483 | 107 |
| 17 | Delaware | $74,713 | $44,000 | 961,939 | 22 |
| 18 | Connecticut | $73,478 | $43,000 | 3,588,184 | 69 |
| 19 | Ohio | $73,760 | $43,000 | 11,658,609 | 126 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $72,506 | $43,000 | 1,342,795 | 29 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $67,940 | $40,000 | 2,088,070 | 41 |
| 22 | Virginia | $68,378 | $40,000 | 8,470,020 | 361 |
| 23 | North Carolina | $66,418 | $39,000 | 10,273,419 | 200 |
| 24 | Oregon | $65,642 | $39,000 | 4,142,776 | 173 |
| 25 | Nevada | $70,444 | $41,000 | 2,998,039 | 35 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $64,366 | $38,000 | 1,815,857 | 30 |
| 27 | Wyoming | $59,857 | $36,000 | 579,315 | 32 |
| 28 | Iowa | $62,106 | $37,000 | 3,145,711 | 75 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $64,419 | $38,000 | 6,715,984 | 77 |
| 30 | Utah | $60,764 | $36,000 | 3,101,833 | 88 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $60,227 | $36,000 | 755,393 | 23 |
| 32 | Arizona | $64,065 | $38,000 | 7,016,270 | 104 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $64,252 | $38,000 | 5,576,606 | 119 |
| 34 | Arkansas | $61,748 | $37,000 | 3,004,279 | 44 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $62,106 | $37,000 | 3,930,864 | 42 |
| 36 | Louisiana | $62,633 | $37,000 | 4,684,333 | 38 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $57,943 | $35,000 | 1,920,076 | 52 |
| 38 | Alaska | $56,950 | $34,000 | 739,795 | 29 |
| 39 | Colorado | $58,468 | $35,000 | 5,607,154 | 141 |
| 40 | Texas | $59,615 | $35,000 | 28,304,596 | 391 |
| 41 | Indiana | $59,743 | $35,000 | 6,666,818 | 83 |
| 42 | Idaho | $57,326 | $34,000 | 1,716,943 | 39 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $45,882 | $36,000 | 1,427,538 | 23 |
| 44 | Kansas | $58,026 | $35,000 | 2,913,123 | 51 |
| 45 | Georgia | $59,054 | $35,000 | 10,429,379 | 168 |
| 46 | Florida | $54,047 | $32,000 | 20,984,400 | 338 |
| 47 | Montana | $54,709 | $33,000 | 1,050,493 | 23 |
| 48 | Alabama | $56,581 | $34,000 | 4,874,747 | 55 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $54,537 | $33,000 | 869,666 | 13 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $53,599 | $32,000 | 5,024,369 | 65 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $54,853 | $33,000 | 2,984,100 | 20 |
Highest paying states for investigative reporters
| Rank | State | Avg. Investigative Reporter Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $91,129 |
| 2 | Vermont | $81,932 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $85,610 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $88,795 |
| 5 | Washington | $80,710 |
| 6 | Maryland | $78,342 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $76,897 |
| 8 | California | $77,736 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $76,094 |
| 10 | Maine | $81,733 |
| 11 | Michigan | $77,235 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $74,416 |
| 13 | Missouri | $72,182 |
| 14 | Kentucky | $75,719 |
| 15 | Illinois | $71,577 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $71,243 |
| 17 | Delaware | $74,713 |
| 18 | Connecticut | $73,478 |
| 19 | Ohio | $73,760 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $72,506 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $67,940 |
| 22 | Virginia | $68,378 |
| 23 | North Carolina | $66,418 |
| 24 | Oregon | $65,642 |
| 25 | Nevada | $70,444 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $64,366 |
| 27 | Wyoming | $59,857 |
| 28 | Iowa | $62,106 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $64,419 |
| 30 | Utah | $60,764 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $60,227 |
| 32 | Arizona | $64,065 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $64,252 |
| 34 | Arkansas | $61,748 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $62,106 |
| 36 | Louisiana | $62,633 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $57,943 |
| 38 | Alaska | $56,950 |
| 39 | Colorado | $58,468 |
| 40 | Texas | $59,615 |
| 41 | Indiana | $59,743 |
| 42 | Idaho | $57,326 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $45,882 |
| 44 | Kansas | $58,026 |
| 45 | Georgia | $59,054 |
| 46 | Florida | $54,047 |
| 47 | Montana | $54,709 |
| 48 | Alabama | $56,581 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $54,537 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $53,599 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $54,853 |
Expert opinions on the best states for investigative reporters
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for investigative reporters to find work opportunities?
Dr. Ronald Sitton Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Arkansas State University
With corporate media continuing to downsize and local media disappearing, some may find it difficult to suggest ANY good places to find work. However, opportunities now exist that haven't existed in a century. Where once one had to own a press in order to publish, now the internet provides a press to almost anyone. This will give entrepreneurs the opportunity to make their own jobs covering a niche, such as focusing on city government in cities and towns that no longer have a traditional outlet. The idea, "Build it and they will come", actually works here - i.e., if journalists can professionally and adequately cover traditional news where no coverage exists anymore, citizens will notice and attend to the outlet to stay informed on local occurrences. We've seen this in a few different places in Arkansas where entrepreneurs saw a need and started their own outlet; the advertisers soon followed as the outlets provided the only area for miles around for their target audience of local customers.
Investigative reporter best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025