Best states for a material worker

Q: What is the best state for material workers?

The best state to be a material worker is Utah based on material worker salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for material workers?

The highest paying state for material workers is Alabama based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for material workers?

The worst state for material workers is New Mexico, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for material workers? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for material worker jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.We wanted to look at the best states for material workers -- where there are plenty of material worker jobs to go around and material workers get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.

We figured that the best places for material worker 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 South is best for material workers, and the Midwest is the worst. New York, NY is the best city in the country for material worker jobs, where as Utah is the best state in the country.

10 best states for material workers in 2025

1. Utah
Total material worker jobs: 534
Average annual salary: $46,453
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $61,000
Location Quotient:
1.64
Material worker jobs in Utah
2. Nebraska
Total material worker jobs: 365
Average annual salary: $46,215
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $60,000
Location Quotient:
1.61
Material worker jobs in Nebraska
3. Minnesota
Total material worker jobs: 292
Average annual salary: $51,842
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $67,000
Location Quotient:
0.43
Material worker jobs in Minnesota
4. Wisconsin
Total material worker jobs: 371
Average annual salary: $46,752
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $61,000
Location Quotient:
0.66
Material worker jobs in Wisconsin
5. Washington
Total material worker jobs: 1,145
Average annual salary: $45,839
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $61,000
Location Quotient:
1.54
Material worker jobs in Washington
6. Oregon
Total material worker jobs: 686
Average annual salary: $44,740
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $60,000
Location Quotient:
1.62
Material worker jobs in Oregon
7. North Dakota
Total material worker jobs: 24
Average annual salary: $51,549
Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $66,000
Location Quotient:
0.25
Material worker jobs in North Dakota
8. Connecticut
Total material worker jobs: 427
Average annual salary: $46,776
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $63,000
Location Quotient:
1.26
Material worker jobs in Connecticut
9. Alaska
Total material worker jobs: 17
Average annual salary: $50,963
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $61,000
Location Quotient:
0.2
Material worker jobs in Alaska
10. District of Columbia
Total material worker jobs: 104
Average annual salary: $51,780
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $70,000
Location Quotient:
0.61
Material worker jobs in District of Columbia

Material worker jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a material worker

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a material worker

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Utah	$46,453	$34,000	3,101,833	534
2	Nebraska	$46,215	$35,000	1,920,076	365
3	Minnesota	$51,842	$39,000	5,576,606	292
4	Wisconsin	$46,752	$35,000	5,795,483	371
5	Washington	$45,839	$34,000	7,405,743	1,145
6	Oregon	$44,740	$33,000	4,142,776	686
7	North Dakota	$51,549	$40,000	755,393	24
8	Connecticut	$46,776	$34,000	3,588,184	427
9	Alaska	$50,963	$42,000	739,795	17
10	District of Columbia	$51,780	$38,000	693,972	104
11	Idaho	$44,041	$32,000	1,716,943	216
12	Nevada	$45,533	$33,000	2,998,039	81
13	New York	$50,350	$36,000	19,849,399	312
14	Indiana	$42,835	$32,000	6,666,818	448
15	Michigan	$44,691	$33,000	9,962,311	321
16	New Hampshire	$41,262	$30,000	1,342,795	309
17	California	$44,137	$32,000	39,536,653	4,284
18	South Carolina	$39,670	$30,000	5,024,369	774
19	Montana	$44,077	$33,000	1,050,493	24
20	Ohio	$40,604	$30,000	11,658,609	567
21	Rhode Island	$43,422	$32,000	1,059,639	35
22	West Virginia	$38,165	$28,000	1,815,857	252
23	Oklahoma	$39,771	$30,000	3,930,864	420
24	Colorado	$42,255	$32,000	5,607,154	715
25	Vermont	$42,747	$32,000	623,657	32
26	Hawaii	$48,930	$38,000	1,427,538	15
27	Iowa	$40,201	$30,000	3,145,711	179
28	Massachusetts	$44,333	$32,000	6,859,819	268
29	Pennsylvania	$40,244	$29,000	12,805,537	497
30	Tennessee	$37,129	$28,000	6,715,984	1,196
31	South Dakota	$37,196	$28,000	869,666	192
32	Kansas	$39,514	$30,000	2,913,123	138
33	Texas	$38,577	$29,000	28,304,596	2,829
34	Georgia	$38,508	$29,000	10,429,379	1,616
35	Maryland	$42,977	$31,000	6,052,177	297
36	Florida	$39,031	$29,000	20,984,400	2,350
37	Wyoming	$39,828	$30,000	579,315	8
38	Kentucky	$38,165	$28,000	4,454,189	291
39	Delaware	$39,738	$28,000	961,939	128
40	Missouri	$37,407	$28,000	6,113,532	952
41	Arizona	$39,124	$29,000	7,016,270	215
42	Louisiana	$36,843	$28,000	4,684,333	473
43	Virginia	$39,164	$28,000	8,470,020	1,254
44	New Jersey	$40,828	$29,000	9,005,644	194
45	Illinois	$37,861	$28,000	12,802,023	661
46	North Carolina	$34,479	$26,000	10,273,419	1,517
47	Maine	$37,914	$29,000	1,335,907	25
48	Mississippi	$35,965	$27,000	2,984,100	124
49	Arkansas	$35,861	$27,000	3,004,279	81
50	Alabama	$32,283	$24,000	4,874,747	606
51	New Mexico	$33,360	$25,000	2,088,070	266

Highest paying states for material workers

Rank	State	Avg. Material Worker Salary
1	Utah	$46,453
2	Nebraska	$46,215
3	Minnesota	$51,842
4	Wisconsin	$46,752
5	Washington	$45,839
6	Oregon	$44,740
7	North Dakota	$51,549
8	Connecticut	$46,776
9	Alaska	$50,963
10	District of Columbia	$51,780
11	Idaho	$44,041
12	Nevada	$45,533
13	New York	$50,350
14	Indiana	$42,835
15	Michigan	$44,691
16	New Hampshire	$41,262
17	California	$44,137
18	South Carolina	$39,670
19	Montana	$44,077
20	Ohio	$40,604
21	Rhode Island	$43,422
22	West Virginia	$38,165
23	Oklahoma	$39,771
24	Colorado	$42,255
25	Vermont	$42,747
26	Hawaii	$48,930
27	Iowa	$40,201
28	Massachusetts	$44,333
29	Pennsylvania	$40,244
30	Tennessee	$37,129
31	South Dakota	$37,196
32	Kansas	$39,514
33	Texas	$38,577
34	Georgia	$38,508
35	Maryland	$42,977
36	Florida	$39,031
37	Wyoming	$39,828
38	Kentucky	$38,165
39	Delaware	$39,738
40	Missouri	$37,407
41	Arizona	$39,124
42	Louisiana	$36,843
43	Virginia	$39,164
44	New Jersey	$40,828
45	Illinois	$37,861
46	North Carolina	$34,479
47	Maine	$37,914
48	Mississippi	$35,965
49	Arkansas	$35,861
50	Alabama	$32,283
51	New Mexico	$33,360

Material worker best states FAQs

What is the best state for material workers?

What is the highest paying state for material workers?

What is the worst state for material workers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common transportation questions.

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Best states for Material Workers

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total material worker jobs:	534
Average annual salary:	$46,453
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$34,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$61,000
Location Quotient:	1.64

Best states for a material worker

10 best states for material workers in 2025

1. Utah

2. Nebraska

3. Minnesota

4. Wisconsin

5. Washington

6. Oregon

7. North Dakota

8. Connecticut

9. Alaska

10. District of Columbia