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Best states for an occupational health nurse
Quoted expert
Karla Nygren MSN, MBA, RN, CCRN, CEN, CFRN, CPEN, CPN, TCRN
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to occupational health nurse 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 occupational health nurses, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for occupational health nurse 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 occupational health nurses.If you are currently seeking employment as an occupational health nurse, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for occupational health nurses in 2026
1. Maine
Total occupational health nurse jobs: 1,307 Average annual salary: $89,084 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 1.47
2. Massachusetts
Total occupational health nurse jobs: 6,800 Average annual salary: $90,624 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000 Location Quotient: 1.11
3. New York
Total occupational health nurse jobs: 8,262 Average annual salary: $95,019 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
4. Delaware
Total occupational health nurse jobs: 891 Average annual salary: $87,582 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
5. Michigan
Total occupational health nurse jobs: 5,773 Average annual salary: $79,757 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $116,000 Location Quotient: 1.11
6. Washington
Total occupational health nurse jobs: 5,516 Average annual salary: $80,418 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000 Location Quotient: 1.13
7. California
Total occupational health nurse jobs: 15,078 Average annual salary: $99,809 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 0.77
8. New Jersey
Total occupational health nurse jobs: 4,318 Average annual salary: $93,009 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000 Location Quotient: 0.81
9. Connecticut
Total occupational health nurse jobs: 2,244 Average annual salary: $84,418 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000 Location Quotient: 1.01
10. Pennsylvania
Total occupational health nurse jobs: 7,184 Average annual salary: $80,420 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000 Location Quotient: 0.92
Occupational health nurse jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an occupational health nurse
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an occupational health nurse
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maine | $89,084 | $61,000 | 1,335,907 | 1,307 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $90,624 | $61,000 | 6,859,819 | 6,800 |
| 3 | New York | $95,019 | $64,000 | 19,849,399 | 8,262 |
| 4 | Delaware | $87,582 | $59,000 | 961,939 | 891 |
| 5 | Michigan | $79,757 | $54,000 | 9,962,311 | 5,773 |
| 6 | Washington | $80,418 | $55,000 | 7,405,743 | 5,516 |
| 7 | California | $99,809 | $65,000 | 39,536,653 | 15,078 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $93,009 | $63,000 | 9,005,644 | 4,318 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $84,418 | $57,000 | 3,588,184 | 2,244 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $80,420 | $54,000 | 12,805,537 | 7,184 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $71,470 | $48,000 | 1,342,795 | 1,581 |
| 12 | Hawaii | $95,735 | $66,000 | 1,427,538 | 432 |
| 13 | Wyoming | $71,377 | $51,000 | 579,315 | 443 |
| 14 | Louisiana | $68,547 | $47,000 | 4,684,333 | 3,029 |
| 15 | Nevada | $75,722 | $50,000 | 2,998,039 | 1,318 |
| 16 | Oregon | $84,891 | $57,000 | 4,142,776 | 2,106 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $67,338 | $45,000 | 1,815,857 | 1,239 |
| 18 | Ohio | $68,020 | $46,000 | 11,658,609 | 7,672 |
| 19 | Alaska | $74,693 | $53,000 | 739,795 | 586 |
| 20 | New Mexico | $69,135 | $47,000 | 2,088,070 | 1,495 |
| 21 | Rhode Island | $79,355 | $54,000 | 1,059,639 | 623 |
| 22 | Arizona | $72,110 | $48,000 | 7,016,270 | 4,012 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $71,649 | $50,000 | 5,795,483 | 3,463 |
| 24 | District of Columbia | $87,192 | $58,000 | 693,972 | 611 |
| 25 | Virginia | $74,322 | $50,000 | 8,470,020 | 5,602 |
| 26 | Vermont | $64,524 | $43,000 | 623,657 | 651 |
| 27 | Maryland | $71,278 | $48,000 | 6,052,177 | 4,302 |
| 28 | Minnesota | $67,355 | $49,000 | 5,576,606 | 4,143 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | $62,282 | $43,000 | 3,930,864 | 2,234 |
| 30 | Florida | $61,445 | $43,000 | 20,984,400 | 15,435 |
| 31 | Kentucky | $62,101 | $43,000 | 4,454,189 | 2,549 |
| 32 | Texas | $63,037 | $43,000 | 28,304,596 | 14,077 |
| 33 | North Dakota | $57,373 | $43,000 | 755,393 | 851 |
| 34 | Illinois | $68,314 | $48,000 | 12,802,023 | 6,410 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $60,358 | $42,000 | 3,004,279 | 1,873 |
| 36 | Georgia | $62,693 | $43,000 | 10,429,379 | 6,539 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $59,863 | $41,000 | 2,984,100 | 1,513 |
| 38 | Indiana | $56,988 | $39,000 | 6,666,818 | 6,012 |
| 39 | North Carolina | $58,696 | $39,000 | 10,273,419 | 7,114 |
| 40 | Utah | $63,024 | $44,000 | 3,101,833 | 817 |
| 41 | Colorado | $63,116 | $45,000 | 5,607,154 | 3,700 |
| 42 | Alabama | $59,662 | $41,000 | 4,874,747 | 2,589 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $52,995 | $39,000 | 869,666 | 954 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $60,998 | $41,000 | 5,024,369 | 2,588 |
| 45 | Iowa | $56,019 | $40,000 | 3,145,711 | 2,618 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $58,875 | $40,000 | 6,715,984 | 3,457 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $57,590 | $41,000 | 1,920,076 | 1,446 |
| 48 | Montana | $52,707 | $38,000 | 1,050,493 | 883 |
| 49 | Missouri | $60,493 | $42,000 | 6,113,532 | 3,344 |
| 50 | Kansas | $53,499 | $38,000 | 2,913,123 | 2,239 |
| 51 | Idaho | $57,065 | $40,000 | 1,716,943 | 1,015 |
Highest paying states for occupational health nurses
| Rank | State | Avg. Occupational Health Nurse Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maine | $89,084 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $90,624 |
| 3 | New York | $95,019 |
| 4 | Delaware | $87,582 |
| 5 | Michigan | $79,757 |
| 6 | Washington | $80,418 |
| 7 | California | $99,809 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $93,009 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $84,418 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $80,420 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $71,470 |
| 12 | Hawaii | $95,735 |
| 13 | Wyoming | $71,377 |
| 14 | Louisiana | $68,547 |
| 15 | Nevada | $75,722 |
| 16 | Oregon | $84,891 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $67,338 |
| 18 | Ohio | $68,020 |
| 19 | Alaska | $74,693 |
| 20 | New Mexico | $69,135 |
| 21 | Rhode Island | $79,355 |
| 22 | Arizona | $72,110 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $71,649 |
| 24 | District of Columbia | $87,192 |
| 25 | Virginia | $74,322 |
| 26 | Vermont | $64,524 |
| 27 | Maryland | $71,278 |
| 28 | Minnesota | $67,355 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | $62,282 |
| 30 | Florida | $61,445 |
| 31 | Kentucky | $62,101 |
| 32 | Texas | $63,037 |
| 33 | North Dakota | $57,373 |
| 34 | Illinois | $68,314 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $60,358 |
| 36 | Georgia | $62,693 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $59,863 |
| 38 | Indiana | $56,988 |
| 39 | North Carolina | $58,696 |
| 40 | Utah | $63,024 |
| 41 | Colorado | $63,116 |
| 42 | Alabama | $59,662 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $52,995 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $60,998 |
| 45 | Iowa | $56,019 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $58,875 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $57,590 |
| 48 | Montana | $52,707 |
| 49 | Missouri | $60,493 |
| 50 | Kansas | $53,499 |
| 51 | Idaho | $57,065 |
Expert opinions on the best states for occupational health nurses
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for occupational health nurses to find work opportunities?
Karla Nygren MSN, MBA, RN, CCRN, CEN, CFRN, CPEN, CPN, TCRN
CPN-at-Large Representative, Pediatric Nursing Certification Board, PNCB
Opportunities will exist everywhere, from rural to frontier to urban. If they aren't visible when they graduate, wait a bit, and the pendulum will swing.
Occupational health nurse best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025