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Best states for a piano instructor
Quoted expert
Dr. Lori Gray
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to piano instructor jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. In order to help you decide which state is the best for piano instructors, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for piano instructor jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for piano instructors. South Carolina is the best state for piano instructors, where the median salary is $57,459.We found that South Carolina is the best state for piano instructor jobs, whereas Arkansas is the worst.
10 best states for piano instructors in 2025
1. South Carolina
Total piano instructor jobs: 313 Average annual salary: $57,459 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $90,000 Location Quotient: 1.64
2. New York
Total piano instructor jobs: 531 Average annual salary: $71,119 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
3. Nevada
Total piano instructor jobs: 129 Average annual salary: $55,877 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Location Quotient: 1.45
4. New Jersey
Total piano instructor jobs: 420 Average annual salary: $61,005 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $100,000 Location Quotient: 1.24
5. Massachusetts
Total piano instructor jobs: 280 Average annual salary: $75,074 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000 Location Quotient: 0.71
6. West Virginia
Total piano instructor jobs: 54 Average annual salary: $58,173 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Location Quotient: 0.83
7. Michigan
Total piano instructor jobs: 402 Average annual salary: $55,143 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Location Quotient: 1.22
8. Maine
Total piano instructor jobs: 37 Average annual salary: $61,781 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $100,000 Location Quotient: 0.65
9. New Hampshire
Total piano instructor jobs: 49 Average annual salary: $61,591 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $100,000 Location Quotient: 0.66
10. Connecticut
Total piano instructor jobs: 93 Average annual salary: $62,558 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $103,000 Location Quotient: 0.66
Piano instructor jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a piano instructor
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a piano instructor
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Carolina | $57,459 | $36,000 | 5,024,369 | 313 |
| 2 | New York | $71,119 | $43,000 | 19,849,399 | 531 |
| 3 | Nevada | $55,877 | $35,000 | 2,998,039 | 129 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $61,005 | $37,000 | 9,005,644 | 420 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $75,074 | $45,000 | 6,859,819 | 280 |
| 6 | West Virginia | $58,173 | $35,000 | 1,815,857 | 54 |
| 7 | Michigan | $55,143 | $34,000 | 9,962,311 | 402 |
| 8 | Maine | $61,781 | $38,000 | 1,335,907 | 37 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $61,591 | $37,000 | 1,342,795 | 49 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $62,558 | $37,000 | 3,588,184 | 93 |
| 11 | Louisiana | $53,629 | $34,000 | 4,684,333 | 133 |
| 12 | Illinois | $56,962 | $35,000 | 12,802,023 | 378 |
| 13 | Indiana | $57,055 | $35,000 | 6,666,818 | 118 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | $54,335 | $34,000 | 5,795,483 | 179 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $53,748 | $32,000 | 1,059,639 | 42 |
| 16 | Idaho | $54,615 | $34,000 | 1,716,943 | 49 |
| 17 | Arizona | $53,015 | $34,000 | 7,016,270 | 222 |
| 18 | California | $53,886 | $34,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,679 |
| 19 | Vermont | $52,476 | $32,000 | 623,657 | 30 |
| 20 | Delaware | $52,135 | $31,000 | 961,939 | 66 |
| 21 | Utah | $51,569 | $32,000 | 3,101,833 | 118 |
| 22 | South Dakota | $50,925 | $32,000 | 869,666 | 35 |
| 23 | Washington | $54,566 | $33,000 | 7,405,743 | 227 |
| 24 | Montana | $49,679 | $31,000 | 1,050,493 | 66 |
| 25 | Wyoming | $48,192 | $30,000 | 579,315 | 36 |
| 26 | Oklahoma | $52,388 | $33,000 | 3,930,864 | 87 |
| 27 | North Dakota | $49,618 | $32,000 | 755,393 | 34 |
| 28 | Hawaii | $55,970 | $49,000 | 1,427,538 | 50 |
| 29 | Georgia | $47,782 | $30,000 | 10,429,379 | 654 |
| 30 | Oregon | $49,198 | $30,000 | 4,142,776 | 249 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $51,806 | $32,000 | 5,576,606 | 208 |
| 32 | Ohio | $48,740 | $30,000 | 11,658,609 | 340 |
| 33 | Tennessee | $49,938 | $31,000 | 6,715,984 | 174 |
| 34 | Kansas | $49,301 | $31,000 | 2,913,123 | 95 |
| 35 | Texas | $47,754 | $30,000 | 28,304,596 | 772 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $46,219 | $28,000 | 10,273,419 | 521 |
| 37 | Florida | $46,985 | $30,000 | 20,984,400 | 715 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $46,168 | $28,000 | 4,454,189 | 123 |
| 39 | Colorado | $42,123 | $27,000 | 5,607,154 | 495 |
| 40 | District of Columbia | $50,889 | $31,000 | 693,972 | 28 |
| 41 | New Mexico | $45,757 | $29,000 | 2,088,070 | 76 |
| 42 | Virginia | $43,726 | $26,000 | 8,470,020 | 580 |
| 43 | Maryland | $45,835 | $27,000 | 6,052,177 | 259 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $42,436 | $27,000 | 2,984,100 | 87 |
| 45 | Missouri | $47,301 | $30,000 | 6,113,532 | 140 |
| 46 | Alaska | $35,098 | $21,000 | 739,795 | 52 |
| 47 | Pennsylvania | $44,984 | $27,000 | 12,805,537 | 352 |
| 48 | Nebraska | $46,552 | $29,000 | 1,920,076 | 65 |
| 49 | Iowa | $33,721 | $21,000 | 3,145,711 | 157 |
| 50 | Alabama | $41,096 | $26,000 | 4,874,747 | 145 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $42,886 | $27,000 | 3,004,279 | 37 |
Highest paying states for piano instructors
| Rank | State | Avg. Piano Instructor Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Carolina | $57,459 |
| 2 | New York | $71,119 |
| 3 | Nevada | $55,877 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $61,005 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $75,074 |
| 6 | West Virginia | $58,173 |
| 7 | Michigan | $55,143 |
| 8 | Maine | $61,781 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $61,591 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $62,558 |
| 11 | Louisiana | $53,629 |
| 12 | Illinois | $56,962 |
| 13 | Indiana | $57,055 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | $54,335 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $53,748 |
| 16 | Idaho | $54,615 |
| 17 | Arizona | $53,015 |
| 18 | California | $53,886 |
| 19 | Vermont | $52,476 |
| 20 | Delaware | $52,135 |
| 21 | Utah | $51,569 |
| 22 | South Dakota | $50,925 |
| 23 | Washington | $54,566 |
| 24 | Montana | $49,679 |
| 25 | Wyoming | $48,192 |
| 26 | Oklahoma | $52,388 |
| 27 | North Dakota | $49,618 |
| 28 | Hawaii | $55,970 |
| 29 | Georgia | $47,782 |
| 30 | Oregon | $49,198 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $51,806 |
| 32 | Ohio | $48,740 |
| 33 | Tennessee | $49,938 |
| 34 | Kansas | $49,301 |
| 35 | Texas | $47,754 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $46,219 |
| 37 | Florida | $46,985 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $46,168 |
| 39 | Colorado | $42,123 |
| 40 | District of Columbia | $50,889 |
| 41 | New Mexico | $45,757 |
| 42 | Virginia | $43,726 |
| 43 | Maryland | $45,835 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $42,436 |
| 45 | Missouri | $47,301 |
| 46 | Alaska | $35,098 |
| 47 | Pennsylvania | $44,984 |
| 48 | Nebraska | $46,552 |
| 49 | Iowa | $33,721 |
| 50 | Alabama | $41,096 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $42,886 |
Expert opinions on the best states for piano instructors
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for piano instructors to find work opportunities?
Dr. Lori Gray
Associate Professor: Director of Music Education, Boise State University
The unfortunate reality is that there is a teacher shortage across the United States. However, this can be positive for graduates seeking jobs in Education. Even with a teacher shortage, graduates need to maintain a realistic view of the job market and be flexible in where they are willing to live. The job search process will be quite challenging if graduates limit themselves to one town or a particular job type. I urge our Music Education majors to be open-minded about the kinds of jobs they are willing to consider and explore a few locations.
Piano instructor best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025