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Best states for a payroll manager
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Are you thinking of becoming a payroll manager and really want to work at Robert Half? Turns out, your chances to become a payroll manager are better in some states than others.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of payroll managers in America is $117,000.
We figured that the best places for payroll manager jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.We found that California is the best state for payroll manager jobs, whereas South Dakota is the worst.
10 best states for payroll managers in 2026
1. California
Total payroll manager jobs: 486 Average annual salary: $113,050 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $158,000 Location Quotient: 1.26
2. Utah
Total payroll manager jobs: 50 Average annual salary: $95,193 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 1.19
3. Nevada
Total payroll manager jobs: 23 Average annual salary: $92,035 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 0.83
4. Washington
Total payroll manager jobs: 78 Average annual salary: $94,470 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 0.81
5. Arizona
Total payroll manager jobs: 95 Average annual salary: $85,181 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000 Location Quotient: 1.23
6. Connecticut
Total payroll manager jobs: 66 Average annual salary: $87,183 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000 Location Quotient: 1.51
7. District of Columbia
Total payroll manager jobs: 30 Average annual salary: $94,875 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 1.36
8. Massachusetts
Total payroll manager jobs: 122 Average annual salary: $89,268 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $122,000 Location Quotient: 1.01
9. Wyoming
Total payroll manager jobs: 2 Average annual salary: $94,068 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 0.25
10. West Virginia
Total payroll manager jobs: 9 Average annual salary: $87,835 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Location Quotient: 0.45
Payroll manager jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a payroll manager
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a payroll manager
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $113,050 | $80,000 | 39,536,653 | 486 |
| 2 | Utah | $95,193 | $69,000 | 3,101,833 | 50 |
| 3 | Nevada | $92,035 | $65,000 | 2,998,039 | 23 |
| 4 | Washington | $94,470 | $69,000 | 7,405,743 | 78 |
| 5 | Arizona | $85,181 | $61,000 | 7,016,270 | 95 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $87,183 | $63,000 | 3,588,184 | 66 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $94,875 | $69,000 | 693,972 | 30 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $89,268 | $64,000 | 6,859,819 | 122 |
| 9 | Wyoming | $94,068 | $70,000 | 579,315 | 2 |
| 10 | West Virginia | $87,835 | $64,000 | 1,815,857 | 9 |
| 11 | Alaska | $88,107 | $71,000 | 739,795 | 11 |
| 12 | Texas | $84,343 | $60,000 | 28,304,596 | 244 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $81,346 | $60,000 | 5,795,483 | 82 |
| 14 | Illinois | $84,874 | $63,000 | 12,802,023 | 169 |
| 15 | Oregon | $83,474 | $61,000 | 4,142,776 | 66 |
| 16 | New York | $86,915 | $63,000 | 19,849,399 | 176 |
| 17 | North Carolina | $81,910 | $60,000 | 10,273,419 | 121 |
| 18 | Kansas | $84,240 | $63,000 | 2,913,123 | 26 |
| 19 | North Dakota | $78,869 | $59,000 | 755,393 | 15 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $83,317 | $62,000 | 5,576,606 | 90 |
| 21 | Colorado | $86,891 | $64,000 | 5,607,154 | 58 |
| 22 | Hawaii | $89,560 | $70,000 | 1,427,538 | 12 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $83,689 | $60,000 | 1,342,795 | 17 |
| 24 | Virginia | $81,010 | $59,000 | 8,470,020 | 194 |
| 25 | Michigan | $79,772 | $58,000 | 9,962,311 | 68 |
| 26 | Indiana | $77,667 | $57,000 | 6,666,818 | 81 |
| 27 | Idaho | $78,821 | $57,000 | 1,716,943 | 21 |
| 28 | Ohio | $75,613 | $55,000 | 11,658,609 | 148 |
| 29 | Georgia | $80,197 | $58,000 | 10,429,379 | 100 |
| 30 | Rhode Island | $75,640 | $54,000 | 1,059,639 | 22 |
| 31 | Mississippi | $79,604 | $58,000 | 2,984,100 | 7 |
| 32 | Vermont | $79,035 | $57,000 | 623,657 | 8 |
| 33 | New Jersey | $78,552 | $57,000 | 9,005,644 | 122 |
| 34 | Maryland | $76,175 | $55,000 | 6,052,177 | 145 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $77,749 | $57,000 | 3,930,864 | 15 |
| 36 | Iowa | $76,209 | $57,000 | 3,145,711 | 31 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $69,838 | $51,000 | 6,715,984 | 92 |
| 38 | Montana | $75,563 | $56,000 | 1,050,493 | 12 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $75,895 | $55,000 | 2,088,070 | 8 |
| 40 | Florida | $71,380 | $50,000 | 20,984,400 | 236 |
| 41 | Delaware | $75,638 | $55,000 | 961,939 | 11 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $69,785 | $52,000 | 1,920,076 | 28 |
| 43 | Pennsylvania | $67,052 | $48,000 | 12,805,537 | 182 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $70,862 | $52,000 | 4,454,189 | 30 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $71,738 | $52,000 | 5,024,369 | 32 |
| 46 | Missouri | $70,711 | $52,000 | 6,113,532 | 58 |
| 47 | Maine | $70,631 | $51,000 | 1,335,907 | 8 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $65,440 | $48,000 | 3,004,279 | 26 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $70,792 | $50,000 | 4,684,333 | 12 |
| 50 | Alabama | $61,579 | $45,000 | 4,874,747 | 18 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $61,583 | $46,000 | 869,666 | 3 |
Highest paying states for payroll managers
| Rank | State | Avg. Payroll Manager Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $113,050 |
| 2 | Utah | $95,193 |
| 3 | Nevada | $92,035 |
| 4 | Washington | $94,470 |
| 5 | Arizona | $85,181 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $87,183 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $94,875 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $89,268 |
| 9 | Wyoming | $94,068 |
| 10 | West Virginia | $87,835 |
| 11 | Alaska | $88,107 |
| 12 | Texas | $84,343 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $81,346 |
| 14 | Illinois | $84,874 |
| 15 | Oregon | $83,474 |
| 16 | New York | $86,915 |
| 17 | North Carolina | $81,910 |
| 18 | Kansas | $84,240 |
| 19 | North Dakota | $78,869 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $83,317 |
| 21 | Colorado | $86,891 |
| 22 | Hawaii | $89,560 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $83,689 |
| 24 | Virginia | $81,010 |
| 25 | Michigan | $79,772 |
| 26 | Indiana | $77,667 |
| 27 | Idaho | $78,821 |
| 28 | Ohio | $75,613 |
| 29 | Georgia | $80,197 |
| 30 | Rhode Island | $75,640 |
| 31 | Mississippi | $79,604 |
| 32 | Vermont | $79,035 |
| 33 | New Jersey | $78,552 |
| 34 | Maryland | $76,175 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $77,749 |
| 36 | Iowa | $76,209 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $69,838 |
| 38 | Montana | $75,563 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $75,895 |
| 40 | Florida | $71,380 |
| 41 | Delaware | $75,638 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $69,785 |
| 43 | Pennsylvania | $67,052 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $70,862 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $71,738 |
| 46 | Missouri | $70,711 |
| 47 | Maine | $70,631 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $65,440 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $70,792 |
| 50 | Alabama | $61,579 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $61,583 |
Payroll manager best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025