Best states for a merchant

Q: What is the best state for merchants?

The best state to be a merchant is District of Columbia based on merchant salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for merchants?

The highest paying state for merchants is Missouri based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for merchants?

The worst state for merchants is Missouri, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 51

Do you want to become a merchant at Costco Wholesale, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for merchants that you can check out, before you begin your journey. Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of merchants in America is $119,000.

In order to get you the best states for merchants, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.We found that the Midwest is best for merchants, and the Northeast is the worst. San Francisco, CA is the best city in the country for merchant jobs, where as District of Columbia is the best state in the country.

10 best states for merchants in 2026

1. District of Columbia
Total merchant jobs: 64
Average annual salary: $105,907
Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $178,000
Location Quotient:
1.25
Merchant jobs in District of Columbia
2. New Hampshire
Total merchant jobs: 64
Average annual salary: $90,712
Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $159,000
Location Quotient:
1.2
Merchant jobs in New Hampshire
3. Massachusetts
Total merchant jobs: 296
Average annual salary: $101,477
Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $175,000
Location Quotient:
1.06
Merchant jobs in Massachusetts
4. California
Total merchant jobs: 798
Average annual salary: $111,436
Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $180,000
Location Quotient:
0.89
Merchant jobs in California
5. Florida
Total merchant jobs: 522
Average annual salary: $87,592
Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000
Location Quotient:
1.1
Merchant jobs in Florida
6. Rhode Island
Total merchant jobs: 38
Average annual salary: $88,642
Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000
Location Quotient:
1.02
Merchant jobs in Rhode Island
7. Pennsylvania
Total merchant jobs: 443
Average annual salary: $82,331
Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $141,000
Location Quotient:
1.25
Merchant jobs in Pennsylvania
8. Ohio
Total merchant jobs: 374
Average annual salary: $81,094
Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $141,000
Location Quotient:
1.2
Merchant jobs in Ohio
9. North Dakota
Total merchant jobs: 41
Average annual salary: $77,836
Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000
Location Quotient:
1.44
Merchant jobs in North Dakota
10. Nevada
Total merchant jobs: 56
Average annual salary: $87,453
Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000
Location Quotient:
0.88
Merchant jobs in Nevada

Merchant jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a merchant

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

Detailed list of the best states for a merchant

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	District of Columbia	$105,907	$62,000	693,972	64
2	New Hampshire	$90,712	$51,000	1,342,795	64
3	Massachusetts	$101,477	$58,000	6,859,819	296
4	California	$111,436	$68,000	39,536,653	798
5	Florida	$87,592	$52,000	20,984,400	522
6	Rhode Island	$88,642	$50,000	1,059,639	38
7	Pennsylvania	$82,331	$47,000	12,805,537	443
8	Ohio	$81,094	$46,000	11,658,609	374
9	North Dakota	$77,836	$47,000	755,393	41
10	Nevada	$87,453	$52,000	2,998,039	56
11	Washington	$90,566	$53,000	7,405,743	189
12	New York	$84,947	$49,000	19,849,399	501
13	Oregon	$93,895	$55,000	4,142,776	92
14	Arizona	$80,556	$49,000	7,016,270	190
15	Connecticut	$84,259	$48,000	3,588,184	109
16	Vermont	$80,348	$44,000	623,657	31
17	North Carolina	$78,234	$46,000	10,273,419	315
18	Michigan	$77,690	$44,000	9,962,311	270
19	New Jersey	$85,501	$49,000	9,005,644	232
20	Delaware	$77,767	$45,000	961,939	77
21	New Mexico	$78,764	$47,000	2,088,070	57
22	Maryland	$84,897	$49,000	6,052,177	174
23	Texas	$76,496	$46,000	28,304,596	636
24	Louisiana	$74,702	$44,000	4,684,333	108
25	Arkansas	$73,602	$44,000	3,004,279	82
26	West Virginia	$75,645	$43,000	1,815,857	36
27	Alaska	$80,454	$49,000	739,795	19
28	Montana	$77,011	$47,000	1,050,493	30
29	Colorado	$76,530	$46,000	5,607,154	189
30	South Carolina	$76,031	$44,000	5,024,369	106
31	Kentucky	$73,607	$42,000	4,454,189	100
32	Oklahoma	$71,908	$43,000	3,930,864	106
33	Tennessee	$71,198	$42,000	6,715,984	184
34	Wyoming	$75,180	$45,000	579,315	13
35	Virginia	$77,902	$45,000	8,470,020	218
36	South Dakota	$73,331	$44,000	869,666	25
37	Idaho	$72,011	$43,000	1,716,943	53
38	Hawaii	$87,454	$61,000	1,427,538	18
39	Alabama	$72,618	$43,000	4,874,747	108
40	Indiana	$65,143	$37,000	6,666,818	275
41	Mississippi	$72,060	$42,000	2,984,100	57
42	Illinois	$71,862	$41,000	12,802,023	378
43	Maine	$66,003	$36,000	1,335,907	59
44	Minnesota	$74,149	$43,000	5,576,606	139
45	Nebraska	$72,096	$43,000	1,920,076	48
46	Utah	$69,023	$41,000	3,101,833	87
47	Georgia	$68,449	$40,000	10,429,379	285
48	Kansas	$71,141	$42,000	2,913,123	52
49	Iowa	$63,626	$37,000	3,145,711	99
50	Wisconsin	$65,154	$37,000	5,795,483	135
51	Missouri	$62,684	$37,000	6,113,532	142

Highest paying states for merchants

Rank	State	Avg. Merchant Salary
1	District of Columbia	$105,907
2	New Hampshire	$90,712
3	Massachusetts	$101,477
4	California	$111,436
5	Florida	$87,592
6	Rhode Island	$88,642
7	Pennsylvania	$82,331
8	Ohio	$81,094
9	North Dakota	$77,836
10	Nevada	$87,453
11	Washington	$90,566
12	New York	$84,947
13	Oregon	$93,895
14	Arizona	$80,556
15	Connecticut	$84,259
16	Vermont	$80,348
17	North Carolina	$78,234
18	Michigan	$77,690
19	New Jersey	$85,501
20	Delaware	$77,767
21	New Mexico	$78,764
22	Maryland	$84,897
23	Texas	$76,496
24	Louisiana	$74,702
25	Arkansas	$73,602
26	West Virginia	$75,645
27	Alaska	$80,454
28	Montana	$77,011
29	Colorado	$76,530
30	South Carolina	$76,031
31	Kentucky	$73,607
32	Oklahoma	$71,908
33	Tennessee	$71,198
34	Wyoming	$75,180
35	Virginia	$77,902
36	South Dakota	$73,331
37	Idaho	$72,011
38	Hawaii	$87,454
39	Alabama	$72,618
40	Indiana	$65,143
41	Mississippi	$72,060
42	Illinois	$71,862
43	Maine	$66,003
44	Minnesota	$74,149
45	Nebraska	$72,096
46	Utah	$69,023
47	Georgia	$68,449
48	Kansas	$71,141
49	Iowa	$63,626
50	Wisconsin	$65,154
51	Missouri	$62,684

Merchant best states FAQs

What is the best state for merchants?

What is the highest paying state for merchants?

What is the worst state for merchants?

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

Search for merchant jobs

Zippia Careers
Sales Industry
Merchant
Best states for Merchants

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse sales jobs

Total merchant jobs:	64
Average annual salary:	$105,907
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$62,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$178,000
Location Quotient:	1.25

Best states for a merchant

10 best states for merchants in 2026

1. District of Columbia

2. New Hampshire

3. Massachusetts

4. California

5. Florida

6. Rhode Island

7. Pennsylvania

8. Ohio

9. North Dakota

10. Nevada