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Best states for a pastoral assistant
Quoted expert
Dr. Jill DeTemple Ph.D.
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Are you thinking of becoming a pastoral assistant and really want to work at First Baptist Church of Glenarden? Turns out, your chances to become a pastoral assistant are better in some states than others.In order to help you decide which state is the best for pastoral assistants, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for pastoral assistant jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for pastoral assistants. Hawaii is the best state for pastoral assistants, where the median salary is $55,851.Hawaii is the best state, and Hilo is the city with the highest pay for pastoral assistants.
10 best states for pastoral assistants in 2026
1. Hawaii
Total pastoral assistant jobs: 58 Average annual salary: $55,851 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Location Quotient: 1.37
2. Colorado
Total pastoral assistant jobs: 369 Average annual salary: $45,661 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Location Quotient: 1.23
3. California
Total pastoral assistant jobs: 1,569 Average annual salary: $45,963 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
4. Alaska
Total pastoral assistant jobs: 77 Average annual salary: $42,443 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Location Quotient: 1.82
5. Wyoming
Total pastoral assistant jobs: 34 Average annual salary: $38,739 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Location Quotient: 1.12
6. Massachusetts
Total pastoral assistant jobs: 601 Average annual salary: $41,007 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Location Quotient: 1.29
7. Rhode Island
Total pastoral assistant jobs: 48 Average annual salary: $42,188 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Location Quotient: 0.78
8. Michigan
Total pastoral assistant jobs: 366 Average annual salary: $39,373 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
9. Connecticut
Total pastoral assistant jobs: 156 Average annual salary: $41,398 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
10. Minnesota
Total pastoral assistant jobs: 348 Average annual salary: $38,843 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Location Quotient: 1.03
Pastoral assistant jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a pastoral assistant
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a pastoral assistant
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $55,851 | $46,000 | 1,427,538 | 58 |
| 2 | Colorado | $45,661 | $34,000 | 5,607,154 | 369 |
| 3 | California | $45,963 | $33,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,569 |
| 4 | Alaska | $42,443 | $36,000 | 739,795 | 77 |
| 5 | Wyoming | $38,739 | $29,000 | 579,315 | 34 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $41,007 | $29,000 | 6,859,819 | 601 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $42,188 | $30,000 | 1,059,639 | 48 |
| 8 | Michigan | $39,373 | $29,000 | 9,962,311 | 366 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $41,398 | $29,000 | 3,588,184 | 156 |
| 10 | Minnesota | $38,843 | $30,000 | 5,576,606 | 348 |
| 11 | North Dakota | $40,308 | $32,000 | 755,393 | 33 |
| 12 | Washington | $40,293 | $30,000 | 7,405,743 | 336 |
| 13 | New York | $39,380 | $27,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,087 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $40,788 | $28,000 | 693,972 | 112 |
| 15 | Utah | $36,923 | $27,000 | 3,101,833 | 177 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $36,579 | $25,000 | 12,805,537 | 560 |
| 17 | Missouri | $38,649 | $29,000 | 6,113,532 | 203 |
| 18 | Illinois | $38,260 | $29,000 | 12,802,023 | 498 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $40,044 | $27,000 | 9,005,644 | 356 |
| 20 | Virginia | $37,568 | $26,000 | 8,470,020 | 535 |
| 21 | North Carolina | $36,598 | $26,000 | 10,273,419 | 408 |
| 22 | Maryland | $39,612 | $27,000 | 6,052,177 | 300 |
| 23 | Florida | $35,714 | $25,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,044 |
| 24 | Nebraska | $35,856 | $27,000 | 1,920,076 | 114 |
| 25 | Oregon | $38,034 | $28,000 | 4,142,776 | 181 |
| 26 | Arizona | $35,974 | $26,000 | 7,016,270 | 329 |
| 27 | South Carolina | $36,637 | $26,000 | 5,024,369 | 175 |
| 28 | Alabama | $36,624 | $26,000 | 4,874,747 | 140 |
| 29 | Kansas | $36,670 | $27,000 | 2,913,123 | 106 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $33,884 | $26,000 | 5,795,483 | 339 |
| 31 | Vermont | $37,898 | $28,000 | 623,657 | 27 |
| 32 | Delaware | $38,626 | $26,000 | 961,939 | 39 |
| 33 | Tennessee | $34,795 | $25,000 | 6,715,984 | 245 |
| 34 | Maine | $35,832 | $27,000 | 1,335,907 | 47 |
| 35 | Mississippi | $34,707 | $25,000 | 2,984,100 | 80 |
| 36 | Ohio | $31,957 | $23,000 | 11,658,609 | 599 |
| 37 | West Virginia | $32,734 | $23,000 | 1,815,857 | 67 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | $35,067 | $25,000 | 1,342,795 | 64 |
| 39 | Montana | $31,391 | $24,000 | 1,050,493 | 90 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $32,892 | $24,000 | 4,454,189 | 145 |
| 41 | Iowa | $31,336 | $24,000 | 3,145,711 | 194 |
| 42 | Texas | $32,455 | $23,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,016 |
| 43 | Idaho | $32,289 | $24,000 | 1,716,943 | 86 |
| 44 | Nevada | $32,252 | $23,000 | 2,998,039 | 107 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $32,598 | $23,000 | 4,684,333 | 105 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $31,474 | $24,000 | 869,666 | 24 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $31,211 | $23,000 | 3,004,279 | 70 |
| 48 | Georgia | $31,280 | $22,000 | 10,429,379 | 390 |
| 49 | Indiana | $29,875 | $22,000 | 6,666,818 | 264 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $30,657 | $23,000 | 3,930,864 | 90 |
| 51 | New Mexico | $31,184 | $23,000 | 2,088,070 | 56 |
Highest paying states for pastoral assistants
| Rank | State | Avg. Pastoral Assistant Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $55,851 |
| 2 | Colorado | $45,661 |
| 3 | California | $45,963 |
| 4 | Alaska | $42,443 |
| 5 | Wyoming | $38,739 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $41,007 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $42,188 |
| 8 | Michigan | $39,373 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $41,398 |
| 10 | Minnesota | $38,843 |
| 11 | North Dakota | $40,308 |
| 12 | Washington | $40,293 |
| 13 | New York | $39,380 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $40,788 |
| 15 | Utah | $36,923 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $36,579 |
| 17 | Missouri | $38,649 |
| 18 | Illinois | $38,260 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $40,044 |
| 20 | Virginia | $37,568 |
| 21 | North Carolina | $36,598 |
| 22 | Maryland | $39,612 |
| 23 | Florida | $35,714 |
| 24 | Nebraska | $35,856 |
| 25 | Oregon | $38,034 |
| 26 | Arizona | $35,974 |
| 27 | South Carolina | $36,637 |
| 28 | Alabama | $36,624 |
| 29 | Kansas | $36,670 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $33,884 |
| 31 | Vermont | $37,898 |
| 32 | Delaware | $38,626 |
| 33 | Tennessee | $34,795 |
| 34 | Maine | $35,832 |
| 35 | Mississippi | $34,707 |
| 36 | Ohio | $31,957 |
| 37 | West Virginia | $32,734 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | $35,067 |
| 39 | Montana | $31,391 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $32,892 |
| 41 | Iowa | $31,336 |
| 42 | Texas | $32,455 |
| 43 | Idaho | $32,289 |
| 44 | Nevada | $32,252 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $32,598 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $31,474 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $31,211 |
| 48 | Georgia | $31,280 |
| 49 | Indiana | $29,875 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $30,657 |
| 51 | New Mexico | $31,184 |
Expert opinions on the best states for pastoral assistants
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for pastoral assistants to find work opportunities?
Dr. Jill DeTemple Ph.D.
Department Chair, Professor, Southern Methodist University
We're not a field (read here as industry), so this question doesn't exactly pertain. Our graduates end up all over the country and in international work, from Los Angeles to the Rio Grande Valley, to New York, to Chicago, to Ulan Bator.
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Updated January 8, 2025