Best states for a payroll administrator

Q: What is the best state for payroll administrators?

The best state to be a payroll administrator is New York based on payroll administrator salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for payroll administrators?

The highest paying state for payroll administrators is South Dakota based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for payroll administrators?

The worst state for payroll administrators is South Dakota, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Dr. Anna Frank

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Do you want to become a payroll administrator at Robert Half, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for payroll administrators that you can check out, before you begin your journey. We wanted to look at the best states for payroll administrators -- where there are plenty of payroll administrator jobs to go around and payroll administrators get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.

To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for payroll administrators. New York is the best state for payroll administrators, where the median salary is $59,326.If you are currently seeking employment as a payroll administrator, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for payroll administrators in 2025

1. New York
Total payroll administrator jobs: 1,507
Average annual salary: $59,326
Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $86,000
Location Quotient:
1.07
Payroll administrator jobs in New York
2. Massachusetts
Total payroll administrator jobs: 1,157
Average annual salary: $55,300
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $79,000
Location Quotient:
1.15
Payroll administrator jobs in Massachusetts
3. Connecticut
Total payroll administrator jobs: 365
Average annual salary: $57,551
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000
Location Quotient:
1.01
Payroll administrator jobs in Connecticut
4. North Dakota
Total payroll administrator jobs: 117
Average annual salary: $51,655
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $69,000
Location Quotient:
1.15
Payroll administrator jobs in North Dakota
5. Alaska
Total payroll administrator jobs: 122
Average annual salary: $53,638
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $64,000
Location Quotient:
1.33
Payroll administrator jobs in Alaska
6. Vermont
Total payroll administrator jobs: 97
Average annual salary: $51,643
Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $73,000
Location Quotient:
1.15
Payroll administrator jobs in Vermont
7. New Hampshire
Total payroll administrator jobs: 203
Average annual salary: $52,627
Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $75,000
Location Quotient:
1.06
Payroll administrator jobs in New Hampshire
8. Washington
Total payroll administrator jobs: 864
Average annual salary: $53,812
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $73,000
Location Quotient:
1.08
Payroll administrator jobs in Washington
9. Maine
Total payroll administrator jobs: 114
Average annual salary: $59,401
Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $84,000
Location Quotient:
0.78
Payroll administrator jobs in Maine
10. California
Total payroll administrator jobs: 3,661
Average annual salary: $56,423
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000
Location Quotient:
1.14
Payroll administrator jobs in California

Payroll administrator jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a payroll administrator

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a payroll administrator

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	New York	$59,326	$40,000	19,849,399	1,507
2	Massachusetts	$55,300	$38,000	6,859,819	1,157
3	Connecticut	$57,551	$39,000	3,588,184	365
4	North Dakota	$51,655	$38,000	755,393	117
5	Alaska	$53,638	$44,000	739,795	122
6	Vermont	$51,643	$36,000	623,657	97
7	New Hampshire	$52,627	$36,000	1,342,795	203
8	Washington	$53,812	$39,000	7,405,743	864
9	Maine	$59,401	$41,000	1,335,907	114
10	California	$56,423	$39,000	39,536,653	3,661
11	District of Columbia	$70,935	$48,000	693,972	85
12	Wyoming	$52,496	$38,000	579,315	57
13	Oregon	$50,653	$36,000	4,142,776	584
14	New Jersey	$54,277	$37,000	9,005,644	847
15	Illinois	$51,370	$36,000	12,802,023	1,315
16	West Virginia	$51,978	$36,000	1,815,857	132
17	Rhode Island	$49,536	$34,000	1,059,639	137
18	Arizona	$47,062	$33,000	7,016,270	858
19	Colorado	$49,298	$35,000	5,607,154	933
20	Nevada	$47,630	$33,000	2,998,039	242
21	Pennsylvania	$47,527	$32,000	12,805,537	1,305
22	Texas	$46,942	$33,000	28,304,596	2,526
23	Virginia	$54,752	$37,000	8,470,020	401
24	Minnesota	$49,076	$35,000	5,576,606	749
25	Utah	$45,458	$32,000	3,101,833	463
26	Maryland	$54,536	$37,000	6,052,177	347
27	Kentucky	$46,350	$33,000	4,454,189	350
28	Montana	$45,105	$33,000	1,050,493	159
29	Michigan	$46,806	$32,000	9,962,311	736
30	Georgia	$47,178	$33,000	10,429,379	1,032
31	Ohio	$45,077	$31,000	11,658,609	1,041
32	North Carolina	$45,077	$31,000	10,273,419	993
33	Oklahoma	$45,860	$33,000	3,930,864	238
34	Nebraska	$43,674	$31,000	1,920,076	268
35	Kansas	$44,388	$32,000	2,913,123	290
36	Mississippi	$45,293	$32,000	2,984,100	170
37	Delaware	$45,340	$31,000	961,939	126
38	Missouri	$43,872	$31,000	6,113,532	596
39	Florida	$40,666	$28,000	20,984,400	2,113
40	Iowa	$43,622	$31,000	3,145,711	316
41	Wisconsin	$42,890	$30,000	5,795,483	553
42	Idaho	$41,305	$29,000	1,716,943	187
43	New Mexico	$39,000	$27,000	2,088,070	236
44	Hawaii	$38,437	$30,000	1,427,538	104
45	Arkansas	$42,250	$30,000	3,004,279	228
46	Tennessee	$40,014	$28,000	6,715,984	598
47	Alabama	$37,032	$26,000	4,874,747	476
48	Indiana	$38,920	$27,000	6,666,818	577
49	South Carolina	$38,498	$27,000	5,024,369	418
50	Louisiana	$38,549	$27,000	4,684,333	219
51	South Dakota	$35,441	$25,000	869,666	76

Highest paying states for payroll administrators

Rank	State	Avg. Payroll Administrator Salary
1	New York	$59,326
2	Massachusetts	$55,300
3	Connecticut	$57,551
4	North Dakota	$51,655
5	Alaska	$53,638
6	Vermont	$51,643
7	New Hampshire	$52,627
8	Washington	$53,812
9	Maine	$59,401
10	California	$56,423
11	District of Columbia	$70,935
12	Wyoming	$52,496
13	Oregon	$50,653
14	New Jersey	$54,277
15	Illinois	$51,370
16	West Virginia	$51,978
17	Rhode Island	$49,536
18	Arizona	$47,062
19	Colorado	$49,298
20	Nevada	$47,630
21	Pennsylvania	$47,527
22	Texas	$46,942
23	Virginia	$54,752
24	Minnesota	$49,076
25	Utah	$45,458
26	Maryland	$54,536
27	Kentucky	$46,350
28	Montana	$45,105
29	Michigan	$46,806
30	Georgia	$47,178
31	Ohio	$45,077
32	North Carolina	$45,077
33	Oklahoma	$45,860
34	Nebraska	$43,674
35	Kansas	$44,388
36	Mississippi	$45,293
37	Delaware	$45,340
38	Missouri	$43,872
39	Florida	$40,666
40	Iowa	$43,622
41	Wisconsin	$42,890
42	Idaho	$41,305
43	New Mexico	$39,000
44	Hawaii	$38,437
45	Arkansas	$42,250
46	Tennessee	$40,014
47	Alabama	$37,032
48	Indiana	$38,920
49	South Carolina	$38,498
50	Louisiana	$38,549
51	South Dakota	$35,441

Expert opinions on the best states for payroll administrators

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for payroll administrators to find work opportunities?
Dr. Anna Frank
Exercise Science, DePaul University
This was on ZipRecruiter-outdoor jobs.
Try the Top Five
If location isn't a factor in your outdoor job search, then consider heading to one of the top five states who offer the most employment opportunities to be had under the sun (and stars). Those are:
1. California
2. Florida
3. Texas
4. New York
5. North Carolina

Payroll administrator best states FAQs

What is the best state for payroll administrators?

What is the highest paying state for payroll administrators?

What is the worst state for payroll administrators?

Have more questions? See all answers to common office and administrative questions.

Search for payroll administrator jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs

Total payroll administrator jobs:	1,507
Average annual salary:	$59,326
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$40,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$86,000
Location Quotient:	1.07

Best states for a payroll administrator

10 best states for payroll administrators in 2025

1. New York

2. Massachusetts

3. Connecticut

4. North Dakota

5. Alaska

6. Vermont

7. New Hampshire

8. Washington

9. Maine

10. California