Best states for a music instructor

Q: What is the best state for music instructors?

The best state to be a music instructor is New York based on music instructor salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for music instructors?

The highest paying state for music instructors is West Virginia based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for music instructors?

The worst state for music instructors is West Virginia, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Dr. Carrie Kondor

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

Music instructor opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for music instructors, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for music instructors.Although there are abundant music instructor jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the Midwest. New York is the best state in the country for music instructor jobs.

The median salary for music instructors in New York is $76,108. Compare that to the median salary in West Virginia of $35,779, which ranked worst for music instructors, and you can see how your location is important for your career.We found that the Midwest is best for music instructors, and the Northeast is the worst. New York, NY is the best city in the country for music instructor jobs, where as New York is the best state in the country.

10 best states for music instructors in 2026

1. New York
Total music instructor jobs: 679
Average annual salary: $76,108
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000
Location Quotient:
1.11
Music instructor jobs in New York
2. Michigan
Total music instructor jobs: 432
Average annual salary: $65,518
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $113,000
Location Quotient:
1.17
Music instructor jobs in Michigan
3. Oregon
Total music instructor jobs: 284
Average annual salary: $63,663
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $113,000
Location Quotient:
1.44
Music instructor jobs in Oregon
4. California
Total music instructor jobs: 1,707
Average annual salary: $70,818
Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000
Location Quotient:
1.23
Music instructor jobs in California
5. North Carolina
Total music instructor jobs: 671
Average annual salary: $60,730
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $106,000
Location Quotient:
1.47
Music instructor jobs in North Carolina
6. Massachusetts
Total music instructor jobs: 328
Average annual salary: $73,870
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000
Location Quotient:
0.75
Music instructor jobs in Massachusetts
7. Pennsylvania
Total music instructor jobs: 439
Average annual salary: $68,308
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000
Location Quotient:
0.79
Music instructor jobs in Pennsylvania
8. Virginia
Total music instructor jobs: 615
Average annual salary: $60,182
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $106,000
Location Quotient:
1.37
Music instructor jobs in Virginia
9. Delaware
Total music instructor jobs: 66
Average annual salary: $58,577
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000
Location Quotient:
1.1
Music instructor jobs in Delaware
10. District of Columbia
Total music instructor jobs: 30
Average annual salary: $75,921
Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000
Location Quotient:
0.38
Music instructor jobs in District of Columbia

Music instructor jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a music instructor

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

Detailed list of the best states for a music instructor

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	New York	$76,108	$44,000	19,849,399	679
2	Michigan	$65,518	$37,000	9,962,311	432
3	Oregon	$63,663	$35,000	4,142,776	284
4	California	$70,818	$40,000	39,536,653	1,707
5	North Carolina	$60,730	$34,000	10,273,419	671
6	Massachusetts	$73,870	$44,000	6,859,819	328
7	Pennsylvania	$68,308	$39,000	12,805,537	439
8	Virginia	$60,182	$34,000	8,470,020	615
9	Delaware	$58,577	$33,000	961,939	66
10	District of Columbia	$75,921	$43,000	693,972	30
11	Maryland	$62,646	$35,000	6,052,177	296
12	Connecticut	$71,598	$42,000	3,588,184	98
13	Rhode Island	$58,691	$34,000	1,059,639	47
14	New Jersey	$58,605	$34,000	9,005,644	482
15	Ohio	$55,199	$31,000	11,658,609	382
16	New Hampshire	$58,149	$34,000	1,342,795	59
17	Florida	$54,852	$31,000	20,984,400	723
18	Georgia	$52,169	$30,000	10,429,379	733
19	Idaho	$57,144	$32,000	1,716,943	51
20	Arizona	$53,989	$31,000	7,016,270	233
21	Vermont	$53,702	$32,000	623,657	33
22	Alabama	$53,391	$31,000	4,874,747	150
23	Alaska	$54,436	$28,000	739,795	51
24	Utah	$52,700	$30,000	3,101,833	134
25	Minnesota	$54,584	$31,000	5,576,606	251
26	North Dakota	$52,217	$30,000	755,393	37
27	Nebraska	$53,120	$31,000	1,920,076	76
28	Hawaii	$52,583	$43,000	1,427,538	60
29	Louisiana	$51,916	$30,000	4,684,333	133
30	Iowa	$50,783	$29,000	3,145,711	168
31	Mississippi	$51,105	$29,000	2,984,100	91
32	Washington	$56,621	$31,000	7,405,743	237
33	South Carolina	$47,637	$27,000	5,024,369	384
34	Tennessee	$49,237	$28,000	6,715,984	244
35	Indiana	$51,525	$29,000	6,666,818	139
36	Arkansas	$50,897	$29,000	3,004,279	41
37	Wisconsin	$50,109	$29,000	5,795,483	187
38	Illinois	$50,184	$29,000	12,802,023	451
39	Montana	$44,078	$26,000	1,050,493	83
40	Texas	$47,823	$27,000	28,304,596	880
41	Nevada	$45,395	$25,000	2,998,039	143
42	Kentucky	$47,768	$27,000	4,454,189	150
43	Maine	$49,898	$29,000	1,335,907	42
44	Wyoming	$37,142	$22,000	579,315	51
45	Missouri	$49,440	$29,000	6,113,532	156
46	Colorado	$37,196	$22,000	5,607,154	501
47	New Mexico	$45,871	$26,000	2,088,070	83
48	South Dakota	$45,326	$26,000	869,666	38
49	Kansas	$40,332	$23,000	2,913,123	105
50	Oklahoma	$41,560	$24,000	3,930,864	96
51	West Virginia	$35,779	$20,000	1,815,857	57

Highest paying states for music instructors

Rank	State	Avg. Music Instructor Salary
1	New York	$76,108
2	Michigan	$65,518
3	Oregon	$63,663
4	California	$70,818
5	North Carolina	$60,730
6	Massachusetts	$73,870
7	Pennsylvania	$68,308
8	Virginia	$60,182
9	Delaware	$58,577
10	District of Columbia	$75,921
11	Maryland	$62,646
12	Connecticut	$71,598
13	Rhode Island	$58,691
14	New Jersey	$58,605
15	Ohio	$55,199
16	New Hampshire	$58,149
17	Florida	$54,852
18	Georgia	$52,169
19	Idaho	$57,144
20	Arizona	$53,989
21	Vermont	$53,702
22	Alabama	$53,391
23	Alaska	$54,436
24	Utah	$52,700
25	Minnesota	$54,584
26	North Dakota	$52,217
27	Nebraska	$53,120
28	Hawaii	$52,583
29	Louisiana	$51,916
30	Iowa	$50,783
31	Mississippi	$51,105
32	Washington	$56,621
33	South Carolina	$47,637
34	Tennessee	$49,237
35	Indiana	$51,525
36	Arkansas	$50,897
37	Wisconsin	$50,109
38	Illinois	$50,184
39	Montana	$44,078
40	Texas	$47,823
41	Nevada	$45,395
42	Kentucky	$47,768
43	Maine	$49,898
44	Wyoming	$37,142
45	Missouri	$49,440
46	Colorado	$37,196
47	New Mexico	$45,871
48	South Dakota	$45,326
49	Kansas	$40,332
50	Oklahoma	$41,560
51	West Virginia	$35,779

Expert opinions on the best states for music instructors

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for music instructors to find work opportunities?
Dr. Carrie Kondor
Director, Linfield University
Still, I can say that I believe graduates will find more job possibilities than before, given the broader continuum of teaching environments that this pandemic has opened up!

Music instructor best states FAQs

What is the best state for music instructors?

What is the highest paying state for music instructors?

What is the worst state for music instructors?

Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.

Search for music instructor jobs

Zippia Careers
Education, Training, and Library Industry
Music Instructor
Best states for Music Instructors

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse education, training, and library jobs

Total music instructor jobs:	679
Average annual salary:	$76,108
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$44,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$129,000
Location Quotient:	1.11

Best states for a music instructor

10 best states for music instructors in 2026

1. New York

2. Michigan

3. Oregon

4. California

5. North Carolina

6. Massachusetts

7. Pennsylvania

8. Virginia

9. Delaware

10. District of Columbia