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Best states for an observer
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Job opportunities vary from state to state, and protective service careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to observer jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for observers.Our research shows that Massachusetts is the best state in the country for observers.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for observers. Massachusetts is the best state for observers, where the median salary is $54,706.We found that the West is best for observers, and the Northeast is the worst. Fall River, MA is the best city in the country for observer jobs, where as Massachusetts is the best state in the country.
10 best states for observers in 2025
1. Massachusetts
Total observer jobs: 37 Average annual salary: $54,706 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Location Quotient: 5.562. Connecticut
Total observer jobs: 6 Average annual salary: $46,395 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Location Quotient: 2.53. Vermont
Total observer jobs: 1 Average annual salary: $43,785 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Location Quotient: 1.84. Maine
Total observer jobs: 2 Average annual salary: $41,453 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Location Quotient: 2.085. Rhode Island
Total observer jobs: 1 Average annual salary: $42,074 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Location Quotient: 1.146. California
Total observer jobs: 19 Average annual salary: $46,335 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Location Quotient: 0.97. New Hampshire
Total observer jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $44,800 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Location Quotient: 08. Wisconsin
Total observer jobs: 6 Average annual salary: $36,911 Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Location Quotient: 1.59. Nevada
Total observer jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $41,956 Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Location Quotient: 010. Indiana
Total observer jobs: 5 Average annual salary: $37,459 Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Location Quotient: 1.05
Observer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an observer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an observer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $54,706 | $36,000 | 6,859,819 | 37 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $46,395 | $30,000 | 3,588,184 | 6 |
| 3 | Vermont | $43,785 | $30,000 | 623,657 | 1 |
| 4 | Maine | $41,453 | $28,000 | 1,335,907 | 2 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $42,074 | $27,000 | 1,059,639 | 1 |
| 6 | California | $46,335 | $29,000 | 39,536,653 | 19 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $44,800 | $29,000 | 1,342,795 | 0 |
| 8 | Wisconsin | $36,911 | $26,000 | 5,795,483 | 6 |
| 9 | Nevada | $41,956 | $26,000 | 2,998,039 | 0 |
| 10 | Indiana | $37,459 | $26,000 | 6,666,818 | 5 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $40,817 | $26,000 | 12,805,537 | 1 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $39,143 | $27,000 | 5,576,606 | 3 |
| 13 | Alaska | $37,516 | $22,000 | 739,795 | 2 |
| 14 | Delaware | $40,811 | $26,000 | 961,939 | 0 |
| 15 | North Carolina | $36,089 | $24,000 | 10,273,419 | 10 |
| 16 | New Jersey | $36,952 | $24,000 | 9,005,644 | 13 |
| 17 | Virginia | $38,825 | $26,000 | 8,470,020 | 3 |
| 18 | Michigan | $36,066 | $25,000 | 9,962,311 | 3 |
| 19 | Kansas | $36,320 | $25,000 | 2,913,123 | 1 |
| 20 | New Mexico | $33,922 | $22,000 | 2,088,070 | 4 |
| 21 | North Dakota | $33,439 | $23,000 | 755,393 | 2 |
| 22 | Alabama | $34,935 | $24,000 | 4,874,747 | 1 |
| 23 | Arizona | $35,504 | $23,000 | 7,016,270 | 2 |
| 24 | New York | $36,023 | $23,000 | 19,849,399 | 13 |
| 25 | Maryland | $38,648 | $25,000 | 6,052,177 | 1 |
| 26 | South Carolina | $33,278 | $23,000 | 5,024,369 | 6 |
| 27 | South Dakota | $35,020 | $24,000 | 869,666 | 0 |
| 28 | District of Columbia | $37,257 | $24,000 | 693,972 | 1 |
| 29 | Montana | $32,735 | $22,000 | 1,050,493 | 2 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $34,099 | $23,000 | 579,315 | 0 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $34,338 | $23,000 | 4,684,333 | 0 |
| 32 | Illinois | $33,513 | $23,000 | 12,802,023 | 12 |
| 33 | Texas | $33,530 | $22,000 | 28,304,596 | 12 |
| 34 | West Virginia | $33,519 | $22,000 | 1,815,857 | 0 |
| 35 | Florida | $32,563 | $22,000 | 20,984,400 | 13 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $37,061 | $27,000 | 1,427,538 | 0 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $32,090 | $22,000 | 6,715,984 | 0 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $32,602 | $22,000 | 3,930,864 | 0 |
| 39 | Georgia | $31,868 | $22,000 | 10,429,379 | 5 |
| 40 | Idaho | $32,929 | $21,000 | 1,716,943 | 0 |
| 41 | Arkansas | $31,724 | $22,000 | 3,004,279 | 0 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $30,096 | $21,000 | 1,920,076 | 2 |
| 43 | Ohio | $31,088 | $21,000 | 11,658,609 | 2 |
| 44 | Iowa | $29,368 | $20,000 | 3,145,711 | 5 |
| 45 | Oregon | $31,689 | $19,000 | 4,142,776 | 1 |
| 46 | Missouri | $29,843 | $20,000 | 6,113,532 | 6 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $29,546 | $20,000 | 2,984,100 | 2 |
| 48 | Colorado | $31,597 | $21,000 | 5,607,154 | 1 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $29,333 | $20,000 | 4,454,189 | 0 |
| 50 | Washington | $29,024 | $18,000 | 7,405,743 | 1 |
| 51 | Utah | $28,170 | $18,000 | 3,101,833 | 0 |
Highest paying states for observers
| Rank | State | Avg. Observer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $54,706 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $46,395 |
| 3 | Vermont | $43,785 |
| 4 | Maine | $41,453 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $42,074 |
| 6 | California | $46,335 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $44,800 |
| 8 | Wisconsin | $36,911 |
| 9 | Nevada | $41,956 |
| 10 | Indiana | $37,459 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $40,817 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $39,143 |
| 13 | Alaska | $37,516 |
| 14 | Delaware | $40,811 |
| 15 | North Carolina | $36,089 |
| 16 | New Jersey | $36,952 |
| 17 | Virginia | $38,825 |
| 18 | Michigan | $36,066 |
| 19 | Kansas | $36,320 |
| 20 | New Mexico | $33,922 |
| 21 | North Dakota | $33,439 |
| 22 | Alabama | $34,935 |
| 23 | Arizona | $35,504 |
| 24 | New York | $36,023 |
| 25 | Maryland | $38,648 |
| 26 | South Carolina | $33,278 |
| 27 | South Dakota | $35,020 |
| 28 | District of Columbia | $37,257 |
| 29 | Montana | $32,735 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $34,099 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $34,338 |
| 32 | Illinois | $33,513 |
| 33 | Texas | $33,530 |
| 34 | West Virginia | $33,519 |
| 35 | Florida | $32,563 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $37,061 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $32,090 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $32,602 |
| 39 | Georgia | $31,868 |
| 40 | Idaho | $32,929 |
| 41 | Arkansas | $31,724 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $30,096 |
| 43 | Ohio | $31,088 |
| 44 | Iowa | $29,368 |
| 45 | Oregon | $31,689 |
| 46 | Missouri | $29,843 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $29,546 |
| 48 | Colorado | $31,597 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $29,333 |
| 50 | Washington | $29,024 |
| 51 | Utah | $28,170 |
Observer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025