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Best states for a lead artist
Quoted expert
Dr. Julia Gaines
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to lead artist 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. Although there are abundant lead artist jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the Midwest. Nevada is the best state in the country for lead artist jobs.
We figured that the best places for lead artist 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.We found that the Midwest is best for lead artists, and the Northeast is the worst. San Francisco, CA is the best city in the country for lead artist jobs, where as Nevada is the best state in the country.
10 best states for lead artists in 2025
1. Nevada
Total lead artist jobs: 282 Average annual salary: $128,538 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $204,000 Location Quotient: 2.992. Rhode Island
Total lead artist jobs: 183 Average annual salary: $116,846 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $186,000 Location Quotient: 3.343. New Hampshire
Total lead artist jobs: 278 Average annual salary: $112,463 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $180,000 Location Quotient: 3.524. Idaho
Total lead artist jobs: 226 Average annual salary: $84,502 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000 Location Quotient: 3.055. Connecticut
Total lead artist jobs: 69 Average annual salary: $116,449 Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $187,000 Location Quotient: 0.466. District of Columbia
Total lead artist jobs: 42 Average annual salary: $110,368 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $181,000 Location Quotient: 0.557. Washington
Total lead artist jobs: 196 Average annual salary: $98,391 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $161,000 Location Quotient: 0.598. Pennsylvania
Total lead artist jobs: 1,558 Average annual salary: $80,224 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Location Quotient: 2.979. New York
Total lead artist jobs: 344 Average annual salary: $94,256 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $155,000 Location Quotient: 0.5910. Delaware
Total lead artist jobs: 15 Average annual salary: $112,868 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $184,000 Location Quotient: 0.26
Lead artist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a lead artist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a lead artist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $128,538 | $80,000 | 2,998,039 | 282 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $116,846 | $73,000 | 1,059,639 | 183 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $112,463 | $70,000 | 1,342,795 | 278 |
| 4 | Idaho | $84,502 | $51,000 | 1,716,943 | 226 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $116,449 | $72,000 | 3,588,184 | 69 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $110,368 | $66,000 | 693,972 | 42 |
| 7 | Washington | $98,391 | $59,000 | 7,405,743 | 196 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $80,224 | $48,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,558 |
| 9 | New York | $94,256 | $57,000 | 19,849,399 | 344 |
| 10 | Delaware | $112,868 | $69,000 | 961,939 | 15 |
| 11 | California | $96,388 | $58,000 | 39,536,653 | 894 |
| 12 | New Mexico | $80,496 | $48,000 | 2,088,070 | 203 |
| 13 | Michigan | $77,007 | $45,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,006 |
| 14 | Maryland | $96,191 | $57,000 | 6,052,177 | 96 |
| 15 | Oregon | $78,936 | $48,000 | 4,142,776 | 95 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $79,006 | $45,000 | 10,273,419 | 126 |
| 17 | Maine | $79,331 | $49,000 | 1,335,907 | 17 |
| 18 | Illinois | $79,308 | $46,000 | 12,802,023 | 145 |
| 19 | Tennessee | $67,343 | $39,000 | 6,715,984 | 730 |
| 20 | Utah | $67,074 | $40,000 | 3,101,833 | 537 |
| 21 | Arkansas | $68,080 | $40,000 | 3,004,279 | 293 |
| 22 | Kansas | $70,170 | $42,000 | 2,913,123 | 302 |
| 23 | Kentucky | $67,402 | $39,000 | 4,454,189 | 443 |
| 24 | West Virginia | $75,054 | $43,000 | 1,815,857 | 13 |
| 25 | Iowa | $71,242 | $42,000 | 3,145,711 | 54 |
| 26 | Virginia | $70,638 | $41,000 | 8,470,020 | 157 |
| 27 | Indiana | $71,178 | $41,000 | 6,666,818 | 66 |
| 28 | Arizona | $70,755 | $43,000 | 7,016,270 | 70 |
| 29 | New Jersey | $76,349 | $46,000 | 9,005,644 | 68 |
| 30 | Texas | $67,761 | $40,000 | 28,304,596 | 333 |
| 31 | Wyoming | $53,972 | $32,000 | 579,315 | 102 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $69,858 | $43,000 | 755,393 | 9 |
| 33 | Colorado | $69,954 | $42,000 | 5,607,154 | 75 |
| 34 | Alaska | $56,954 | $38,000 | 739,795 | 111 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $63,737 | $37,000 | 5,795,483 | 107 |
| 36 | Vermont | $67,174 | $40,000 | 623,657 | 10 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $56,986 | $33,000 | 3,930,864 | 311 |
| 38 | Florida | $65,561 | $37,000 | 20,984,400 | 205 |
| 39 | Ohio | $47,375 | $27,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,329 |
| 40 | Hawaii | $52,776 | $36,000 | 1,427,538 | 109 |
| 41 | Georgia | $53,754 | $31,000 | 10,429,379 | 175 |
| 42 | Missouri | $47,746 | $28,000 | 6,113,532 | 658 |
| 43 | Montana | $47,809 | $29,000 | 1,050,493 | 139 |
| 44 | Massachusetts | $55,054 | $33,000 | 6,859,819 | 152 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $47,764 | $28,000 | 1,920,076 | 225 |
| 46 | Alabama | $52,634 | $30,000 | 4,874,747 | 47 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $52,449 | $30,000 | 2,984,100 | 22 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $42,087 | $25,000 | 869,666 | 112 |
| 49 | Minnesota | $52,882 | $31,000 | 5,576,606 | 76 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $46,725 | $27,000 | 4,684,333 | 36 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $43,556 | $25,000 | 5,024,369 | 40 |
Highest paying states for lead artists
| Rank | State | Avg. Lead Artist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $128,538 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $116,846 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $112,463 |
| 4 | Idaho | $84,502 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $116,449 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $110,368 |
| 7 | Washington | $98,391 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $80,224 |
| 9 | New York | $94,256 |
| 10 | Delaware | $112,868 |
| 11 | California | $96,388 |
| 12 | New Mexico | $80,496 |
| 13 | Michigan | $77,007 |
| 14 | Maryland | $96,191 |
| 15 | Oregon | $78,936 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $79,006 |
| 17 | Maine | $79,331 |
| 18 | Illinois | $79,308 |
| 19 | Tennessee | $67,343 |
| 20 | Utah | $67,074 |
| 21 | Arkansas | $68,080 |
| 22 | Kansas | $70,170 |
| 23 | Kentucky | $67,402 |
| 24 | West Virginia | $75,054 |
| 25 | Iowa | $71,242 |
| 26 | Virginia | $70,638 |
| 27 | Indiana | $71,178 |
| 28 | Arizona | $70,755 |
| 29 | New Jersey | $76,349 |
| 30 | Texas | $67,761 |
| 31 | Wyoming | $53,972 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $69,858 |
| 33 | Colorado | $69,954 |
| 34 | Alaska | $56,954 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $63,737 |
| 36 | Vermont | $67,174 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $56,986 |
| 38 | Florida | $65,561 |
| 39 | Ohio | $47,375 |
| 40 | Hawaii | $52,776 |
| 41 | Georgia | $53,754 |
| 42 | Missouri | $47,746 |
| 43 | Montana | $47,809 |
| 44 | Massachusetts | $55,054 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $47,764 |
| 46 | Alabama | $52,634 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $52,449 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $42,087 |
| 49 | Minnesota | $52,882 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $46,725 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $43,556 |
Expert opinions on the best states for lead artists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for lead artists to find work opportunities?
Dr. Julia Gaines
Director, Professor, Percussion, University of Missouri - Columbia
Education is still a top market, and that will be needed in every state. Even private studios have evolved to teaching online, all over the world. The location has now become a bit more irrelevant. As long as you can work with a computer well, you should be able to get a job in the education field. Even international opportunities will be more relevant to students, at this point.
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Updated January 8, 2025