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Best states for an operations officer
Quoted expert
Karen Kus
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Job opportunities vary from state to state, and executive management careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to operations officer jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for operations officers.Although there are abundant operations officer jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the West. Washington is the best state in the country for operations officer jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for operations officers. Washington is the best state for operations officers, where the median salary is $82,357.We found that Washington is the best state for operations officer jobs, whereas Utah is the worst.
10 best states for operations officers in 2025
1. Washington
Total operations officer jobs: 1,782 Average annual salary: $82,357 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $159,000 Location Quotient: 1.24
2. North Carolina
Total operations officer jobs: 2,415 Average annual salary: $77,425 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000 Location Quotient: 1.28
3. New York
Total operations officer jobs: 2,283 Average annual salary: $94,056 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $175,000 Location Quotient: 0.91
4. Maryland
Total operations officer jobs: 1,299 Average annual salary: $83,905 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $162,000 Location Quotient: 1.04
5. Minnesota
Total operations officer jobs: 1,878 Average annual salary: $67,209 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000 Location Quotient: 1.44
6. Connecticut
Total operations officer jobs: 577 Average annual salary: $89,349 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $168,000 Location Quotient: 0.89
7. Michigan
Total operations officer jobs: 1,656 Average annual salary: $70,798 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 1.09
8. Ohio
Total operations officer jobs: 1,996 Average annual salary: $70,572 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 0.99
9. Virginia
Total operations officer jobs: 1,828 Average annual salary: $78,146 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000 Location Quotient: 0.99
10. Oregon
Total operations officer jobs: 971 Average annual salary: $65,767 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000 Location Quotient: 1.19
Operations officer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an operations officer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an operations officer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $82,357 | $42,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,782 |
| 2 | North Carolina | $77,425 | $38,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,415 |
| 3 | New York | $94,056 | $50,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,283 |
| 4 | Maryland | $83,905 | $43,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,299 |
| 5 | Minnesota | $67,209 | $32,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,878 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $89,349 | $47,000 | 3,588,184 | 577 |
| 7 | Michigan | $70,798 | $34,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,656 |
| 8 | Ohio | $70,572 | $34,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,996 |
| 9 | Virginia | $78,146 | $39,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,828 |
| 10 | Oregon | $65,767 | $32,000 | 4,142,776 | 971 |
| 11 | Wisconsin | $63,964 | $30,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,249 |
| 12 | New Jersey | $79,660 | $41,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,479 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $88,236 | $45,000 | 693,972 | 201 |
| 14 | South Dakota | $62,535 | $29,000 | 869,666 | 231 |
| 15 | Delaware | $80,964 | $41,000 | 961,939 | 133 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | $66,052 | $33,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,971 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $61,985 | $30,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,507 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $65,897 | $33,000 | 1,059,639 | 229 |
| 19 | Alaska | $72,859 | $44,000 | 739,795 | 104 |
| 20 | Indiana | $53,880 | $25,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,563 |
| 21 | Texas | $57,061 | $28,000 | 28,304,596 | 4,502 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $51,241 | $26,000 | 1,342,795 | 398 |
| 23 | North Dakota | $61,066 | $29,000 | 755,393 | 168 |
| 24 | Maine | $49,158 | $25,000 | 1,335,907 | 332 |
| 25 | Georgia | $49,692 | $24,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,553 |
| 26 | Alabama | $53,532 | $26,000 | 4,874,747 | 926 |
| 27 | West Virginia | $54,394 | $26,000 | 1,815,857 | 288 |
| 28 | Illinois | $56,995 | $26,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,295 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $51,676 | $25,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,199 |
| 30 | Iowa | $47,449 | $22,000 | 3,145,711 | 797 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $53,180 | $25,000 | 5,024,369 | 867 |
| 32 | Idaho | $44,515 | $21,000 | 1,716,943 | 539 |
| 33 | Kentucky | $45,906 | $21,000 | 4,454,189 | 828 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $48,340 | $24,000 | 4,684,333 | 685 |
| 35 | Colorado | $53,490 | $26,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,026 |
| 36 | Nebraska | $44,953 | $21,000 | 1,920,076 | 507 |
| 37 | California | $58,667 | $29,000 | 39,536,653 | 2,674 |
| 38 | Nevada | $41,055 | $20,000 | 2,998,039 | 578 |
| 39 | Missouri | $43,499 | $21,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,264 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $46,588 | $22,000 | 579,315 | 94 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $43,220 | $21,000 | 3,930,864 | 605 |
| 42 | Montana | $47,066 | $22,000 | 1,050,493 | 163 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $31,232 | $15,000 | 2,984,100 | 605 |
| 44 | Arizona | $43,565 | $21,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,187 |
| 45 | Vermont | $46,496 | $23,000 | 623,657 | 123 |
| 46 | Kansas | $41,056 | $20,000 | 2,913,123 | 640 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $33,389 | $16,000 | 3,004,279 | 593 |
| 48 | New Mexico | $40,605 | $20,000 | 2,088,070 | 396 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $41,026 | $30,000 | 1,427,538 | 84 |
| 50 | Florida | $42,274 | $22,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,337 |
| 51 | Utah | $38,547 | $19,000 | 3,101,833 | 527 |
Highest paying states for operations officers
| Rank | State | Avg. Operations Officer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $82,357 |
| 2 | North Carolina | $77,425 |
| 3 | New York | $94,056 |
| 4 | Maryland | $83,905 |
| 5 | Minnesota | $67,209 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $89,349 |
| 7 | Michigan | $70,798 |
| 8 | Ohio | $70,572 |
| 9 | Virginia | $78,146 |
| 10 | Oregon | $65,767 |
| 11 | Wisconsin | $63,964 |
| 12 | New Jersey | $79,660 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $88,236 |
| 14 | South Dakota | $62,535 |
| 15 | Delaware | $80,964 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | $66,052 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $61,985 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $65,897 |
| 19 | Alaska | $72,859 |
| 20 | Indiana | $53,880 |
| 21 | Texas | $57,061 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $51,241 |
| 23 | North Dakota | $61,066 |
| 24 | Maine | $49,158 |
| 25 | Georgia | $49,692 |
| 26 | Alabama | $53,532 |
| 27 | West Virginia | $54,394 |
| 28 | Illinois | $56,995 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $51,676 |
| 30 | Iowa | $47,449 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $53,180 |
| 32 | Idaho | $44,515 |
| 33 | Kentucky | $45,906 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $48,340 |
| 35 | Colorado | $53,490 |
| 36 | Nebraska | $44,953 |
| 37 | California | $58,667 |
| 38 | Nevada | $41,055 |
| 39 | Missouri | $43,499 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $46,588 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $43,220 |
| 42 | Montana | $47,066 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $31,232 |
| 44 | Arizona | $43,565 |
| 45 | Vermont | $46,496 |
| 46 | Kansas | $41,056 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $33,389 |
| 48 | New Mexico | $40,605 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $41,026 |
| 50 | Florida | $42,274 |
| 51 | Utah | $38,547 |
Expert opinions on the best states for operations officers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for operations officers to find work opportunities?
Karen Kus
Assistant Director of Career Services, SUNY Potsdam
Our graduates mostly stay within New York state, so it is a bit challenging for me to identify specific geographic areas that hire graduates with a degree in history. Larger metropolitan cities usually have more opportunities available, but candidate competition is likely higher. Since one can do so much with a degree in history, like work as a teacher, curator, researcher, etc., it's challenging to pinpoint a geographic area since the field of history can be open-ended. For instance, one might have luck landing a teaching position in New York or work as a researcher in Boston. I find if one is looking to find work that directly engages with history, it may be a good idea to explore opportunities in geographic areas that are known for or frequently celebrate history, like Washington, D.C. for instance.
Operations officer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025