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Best states for a lieutenant
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to lieutenant 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 lieutenants, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for lieutenant jobs.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for lieutenants.We found that the Midwest is best for lieutenants, and the West is the worst. Denver, CO is the best city in the country for lieutenant jobs, where as Colorado is the best state in the country.
10 best states for lieutenants in 2026
1. Colorado
Total lieutenant jobs: 4 Average annual salary: $64,522 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Location Quotient: 0.89
2. New York
Total lieutenant jobs: 16 Average annual salary: $55,302 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Location Quotient: 1.64
3. Idaho
Total lieutenant jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $59,725 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Location Quotient: 0
4. Maine
Total lieutenant jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $57,879 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Location Quotient: 0
5. Ohio
Total lieutenant jobs: 6 Average annual salary: $51,834 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Location Quotient: 0.77
6. Nevada
Total lieutenant jobs: 4 Average annual salary: $48,275 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Location Quotient: 2.52
7. Texas
Total lieutenant jobs: 59 Average annual salary: $47,415 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Location Quotient: 3.84
8. West Virginia
Total lieutenant jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $51,618 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Location Quotient: 0
9. Kentucky
Total lieutenant jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $51,171 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Location Quotient: 0
10. New Mexico
Total lieutenant jobs: 1 Average annual salary: $48,461 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Location Quotient: 0.67
Lieutenant jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a lieutenant
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a lieutenant
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado | $64,522 | $55,000 | 5,607,154 | 4 |
| 2 | New York | $55,302 | $47,000 | 19,849,399 | 16 |
| 3 | Idaho | $59,725 | $51,000 | 1,716,943 | 0 |
| 4 | Maine | $57,879 | $51,000 | 1,335,907 | 0 |
| 5 | Ohio | $51,834 | $44,000 | 11,658,609 | 6 |
| 6 | Nevada | $48,275 | $39,000 | 2,998,039 | 4 |
| 7 | Texas | $47,415 | $40,000 | 28,304,596 | 59 |
| 8 | West Virginia | $51,618 | $43,000 | 1,815,857 | 0 |
| 9 | Kentucky | $51,171 | $43,000 | 4,454,189 | 0 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $48,461 | $40,000 | 2,088,070 | 1 |
| 11 | Illinois | $51,070 | $43,000 | 12,802,023 | 0 |
| 12 | Iowa | $48,318 | $41,000 | 3,145,711 | 0 |
| 13 | Kansas | $47,914 | $40,000 | 2,913,123 | 0 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $46,214 | $40,000 | 1,342,795 | 3 |
| 15 | California | $53,268 | $44,000 | 39,536,653 | 11 |
| 16 | Tennessee | $44,820 | $38,000 | 6,715,984 | 5 |
| 17 | Rhode Island | $46,565 | $40,000 | 1,059,639 | 0 |
| 18 | Oklahoma | $44,776 | $38,000 | 3,930,864 | 2 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $48,864 | $42,000 | 9,005,644 | 2 |
| 20 | Arizona | $44,906 | $37,000 | 7,016,270 | 5 |
| 21 | Delaware | $46,861 | $40,000 | 961,939 | 0 |
| 22 | District of Columbia | $46,564 | $39,000 | 693,972 | 3 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $45,126 | $38,000 | 12,805,537 | 4 |
| 24 | Virginia | $44,106 | $37,000 | 8,470,020 | 21 |
| 25 | Oregon | $45,811 | $39,000 | 4,142,776 | 2 |
| 26 | Wyoming | $44,585 | $38,000 | 579,315 | 0 |
| 27 | Alabama | $43,630 | $37,000 | 4,874,747 | 2 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $43,416 | $36,000 | 10,273,419 | 7 |
| 29 | Washington | $44,440 | $38,000 | 7,405,743 | 6 |
| 30 | Georgia | $44,615 | $37,000 | 10,429,379 | 0 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $44,891 | $39,000 | 5,576,606 | 0 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $42,775 | $37,000 | 755,393 | 0 |
| 33 | Missouri | $41,939 | $35,000 | 6,113,532 | 7 |
| 34 | Alaska | $42,713 | $39,000 | 739,795 | 0 |
| 35 | Utah | $43,045 | $36,000 | 3,101,833 | 0 |
| 36 | Florida | $43,799 | $37,000 | 20,984,400 | 0 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $42,342 | $36,000 | 1,920,076 | 0 |
| 38 | Indiana | $34,443 | $29,000 | 6,666,818 | 12 |
| 39 | Mississippi | $41,522 | $35,000 | 2,984,100 | 0 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $34,729 | $29,000 | 3,004,279 | 3 |
| 41 | Montana | $33,339 | $29,000 | 1,050,493 | 1 |
| 42 | Michigan | $35,626 | $30,000 | 9,962,311 | 0 |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $34,759 | $30,000 | 5,795,483 | 2 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $32,194 | $27,000 | 5,024,369 | 25 |
| 45 | Maryland | $33,129 | $28,000 | 6,052,177 | 4 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $33,073 | $28,000 | 869,666 | 0 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $35,036 | $30,000 | 1,427,538 | 0 |
| 48 | Connecticut | $33,201 | $28,000 | 3,588,184 | 0 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $32,473 | $27,000 | 4,684,333 | 0 |
| 50 | Massachusetts | $32,917 | $28,000 | 6,859,819 | 0 |
| 51 | Vermont | $32,718 | $28,000 | 623,657 | 0 |
Highest paying states for lieutenants
| Rank | State | Avg. Lieutenant Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado | $64,522 |
| 2 | New York | $55,302 |
| 3 | Idaho | $59,725 |
| 4 | Maine | $57,879 |
| 5 | Ohio | $51,834 |
| 6 | Nevada | $48,275 |
| 7 | Texas | $47,415 |
| 8 | West Virginia | $51,618 |
| 9 | Kentucky | $51,171 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $48,461 |
| 11 | Illinois | $51,070 |
| 12 | Iowa | $48,318 |
| 13 | Kansas | $47,914 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $46,214 |
| 15 | California | $53,268 |
| 16 | Tennessee | $44,820 |
| 17 | Rhode Island | $46,565 |
| 18 | Oklahoma | $44,776 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $48,864 |
| 20 | Arizona | $44,906 |
| 21 | Delaware | $46,861 |
| 22 | District of Columbia | $46,564 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $45,126 |
| 24 | Virginia | $44,106 |
| 25 | Oregon | $45,811 |
| 26 | Wyoming | $44,585 |
| 27 | Alabama | $43,630 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $43,416 |
| 29 | Washington | $44,440 |
| 30 | Georgia | $44,615 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $44,891 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $42,775 |
| 33 | Missouri | $41,939 |
| 34 | Alaska | $42,713 |
| 35 | Utah | $43,045 |
| 36 | Florida | $43,799 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $42,342 |
| 38 | Indiana | $34,443 |
| 39 | Mississippi | $41,522 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $34,729 |
| 41 | Montana | $33,339 |
| 42 | Michigan | $35,626 |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $34,759 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $32,194 |
| 45 | Maryland | $33,129 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $33,073 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $35,036 |
| 48 | Connecticut | $33,201 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $32,473 |
| 50 | Massachusetts | $32,917 |
| 51 | Vermont | $32,718 |
Lieutenant best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025