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Best states for an outside sales
Quoted expert
Jonathan Byers
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Are you thinking of becoming an outside sales and really want to work at Fastenal? Turns out, your chances to become an outside sales are better in some states than others.Our research shows that New Jersey is the best state in the country for outside sales.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for outside sales. New Jersey is the best state for outside sales, where the median salary is $99,163.If you are currently seeking employment as an outside sales, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for outside sales in 2025
1. New Jersey
Total outside sales jobs: 4,738 Average annual salary: $99,163 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000 Location Quotient: 1.352. Maine
Total outside sales jobs: 617 Average annual salary: $99,328 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000 Location Quotient: 1.053. New Hampshire
Total outside sales jobs: 811 Average annual salary: $100,657 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 1.054. Pennsylvania
Total outside sales jobs: 7,109 Average annual salary: $90,225 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000 Location Quotient: 1.395. North Carolina
Total outside sales jobs: 4,863 Average annual salary: $89,302 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000 Location Quotient: 1.156. Massachusetts
Total outside sales jobs: 4,036 Average annual salary: $90,814 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000 Location Quotient: 17. Virginia
Total outside sales jobs: 3,958 Average annual salary: $92,350 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 0.958. Indiana
Total outside sales jobs: 2,728 Average annual salary: $79,314 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Location Quotient: 0.949. Michigan
Total outside sales jobs: 2,590 Average annual salary: $84,598 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $110,000 Location Quotient: 0.7610. Wisconsin
Total outside sales jobs: 2,516 Average annual salary: $77,676 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $98,000 Location Quotient: 1.03
Outside sales jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an outside sales
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an outside sales
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $99,163 | $71,000 | 9,005,644 | 4,738 |
| 2 | Maine | $99,328 | $74,000 | 1,335,907 | 617 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $100,657 | $74,000 | 1,342,795 | 811 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $90,225 | $65,000 | 12,805,537 | 7,109 |
| 5 | North Carolina | $89,302 | $63,000 | 10,273,419 | 4,863 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $90,814 | $66,000 | 6,859,819 | 4,036 |
| 7 | Virginia | $92,350 | $65,000 | 8,470,020 | 3,958 |
| 8 | Indiana | $79,314 | $59,000 | 6,666,818 | 2,728 |
| 9 | Michigan | $84,598 | $64,000 | 9,962,311 | 2,590 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | $77,676 | $61,000 | 5,795,483 | 2,516 |
| 11 | Oregon | $78,823 | $62,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,984 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $84,037 | $68,000 | 5,576,606 | 2,393 |
| 13 | Washington | $86,175 | $71,000 | 7,405,743 | 2,520 |
| 14 | Kansas | $77,554 | $58,000 | 2,913,123 | 1,245 |
| 15 | New York | $76,849 | $55,000 | 19,849,399 | 6,459 |
| 16 | Illinois | $76,437 | $58,000 | 12,802,023 | 5,450 |
| 17 | Vermont | $75,952 | $57,000 | 623,657 | 336 |
| 18 | North Dakota | $80,897 | $68,000 | 755,393 | 270 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $78,605 | $62,000 | 579,315 | 211 |
| 20 | Maryland | $78,382 | $56,000 | 6,052,177 | 2,793 |
| 21 | Rhode Island | $71,337 | $51,000 | 1,059,639 | 665 |
| 22 | South Dakota | $77,866 | $63,000 | 869,666 | 338 |
| 23 | Utah | $72,203 | $55,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,543 |
| 24 | Texas | $72,614 | $51,000 | 28,304,596 | 8,892 |
| 25 | Iowa | $76,130 | $59,000 | 3,145,711 | 1,377 |
| 26 | Connecticut | $74,284 | $53,000 | 3,588,184 | 1,491 |
| 27 | Idaho | $75,424 | $60,000 | 1,716,943 | 666 |
| 28 | Missouri | $74,854 | $56,000 | 6,113,532 | 2,355 |
| 29 | Alabama | $71,936 | $51,000 | 4,874,747 | 1,794 |
| 30 | Nebraska | $73,696 | $57,000 | 1,920,076 | 850 |
| 31 | California | $75,545 | $52,000 | 39,536,653 | 12,694 |
| 32 | Arizona | $72,239 | $52,000 | 7,016,270 | 2,284 |
| 33 | Tennessee | $67,658 | $49,000 | 6,715,984 | 2,707 |
| 34 | District of Columbia | $82,046 | $58,000 | 693,972 | 443 |
| 35 | Ohio | $64,297 | $47,000 | 11,658,609 | 5,670 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $70,683 | $52,000 | 3,004,279 | 896 |
| 37 | Colorado | $73,039 | $56,000 | 5,607,154 | 2,157 |
| 38 | Montana | $65,939 | $55,000 | 1,050,493 | 495 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | $68,129 | $50,000 | 3,930,864 | 1,180 |
| 40 | Alaska | $72,548 | $66,000 | 739,795 | 181 |
| 41 | Nevada | $67,255 | $48,000 | 2,998,039 | 840 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $60,810 | $45,000 | 4,454,189 | 1,755 |
| 43 | Florida | $61,874 | $43,000 | 20,984,400 | 7,535 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $61,945 | $44,000 | 5,024,369 | 2,000 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $68,370 | $50,000 | 2,088,070 | 646 |
| 46 | Georgia | $63,872 | $45,000 | 10,429,379 | 4,115 |
| 47 | Delaware | $65,040 | $46,000 | 961,939 | 461 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $61,909 | $43,000 | 4,684,333 | 922 |
| 49 | West Virginia | $53,805 | $39,000 | 1,815,857 | 572 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $55,565 | $40,000 | 2,984,100 | 541 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $51,536 | $39,000 | 1,427,538 | 259 |
Highest paying states for outside sales
| Rank | State | Avg. Outside Sales Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $99,163 |
| 2 | Maine | $99,328 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $100,657 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $90,225 |
| 5 | North Carolina | $89,302 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $90,814 |
| 7 | Virginia | $92,350 |
| 8 | Indiana | $79,314 |
| 9 | Michigan | $84,598 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | $77,676 |
| 11 | Oregon | $78,823 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $84,037 |
| 13 | Washington | $86,175 |
| 14 | Kansas | $77,554 |
| 15 | New York | $76,849 |
| 16 | Illinois | $76,437 |
| 17 | Vermont | $75,952 |
| 18 | North Dakota | $80,897 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $78,605 |
| 20 | Maryland | $78,382 |
| 21 | Rhode Island | $71,337 |
| 22 | South Dakota | $77,866 |
| 23 | Utah | $72,203 |
| 24 | Texas | $72,614 |
| 25 | Iowa | $76,130 |
| 26 | Connecticut | $74,284 |
| 27 | Idaho | $75,424 |
| 28 | Missouri | $74,854 |
| 29 | Alabama | $71,936 |
| 30 | Nebraska | $73,696 |
| 31 | California | $75,545 |
| 32 | Arizona | $72,239 |
| 33 | Tennessee | $67,658 |
| 34 | District of Columbia | $82,046 |
| 35 | Ohio | $64,297 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $70,683 |
| 37 | Colorado | $73,039 |
| 38 | Montana | $65,939 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | $68,129 |
| 40 | Alaska | $72,548 |
| 41 | Nevada | $67,255 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $60,810 |
| 43 | Florida | $61,874 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $61,945 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $68,370 |
| 46 | Georgia | $63,872 |
| 47 | Delaware | $65,040 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $61,909 |
| 49 | West Virginia | $53,805 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $55,565 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $51,536 |
Expert opinions on the best states for outside sales
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for outside saleses to find work opportunities?
Jonathan Byers
Assistant Director, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Like most Liberal Arts graduates, people with History degrees will most likely develop a number of the professional skills mentioned above that can be applicable in many different industry areas. In today's job market, college graduates are not bound to one type of job opportunity. History majors from Virginia Tech have found employment in Higher Education, Law, Politics, Public Policy, Business, Marketing, Information Technology, Information Management, International Affairs, Local & State Government, and the Federal Government. They have found opportunities in many different locations across the United Students. A person who finds a job depends on how much they are willing to network with other professionals and be strategic and intentional with their job search strategies.
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Updated January 8, 2025