Best states for a placement specialist

Q: What is the best state for placement specialists?

The best state to be a placement specialist is Hawaii based on placement specialist salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for placement specialists?

The highest paying state for placement specialists is Montana based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for placement specialists?

The worst state for placement specialists is Illinois, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Nola Pearce

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It seems like placement specialists are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for placement specialists aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. Pay, benefits, and opportunities vary greatly by state, and it's no different for placement specialists. We found that Hawaii is the best state in the nation for placement specialists, and people in Monterey earn the most in the field.

To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for placement specialists.If you are currently seeking employment as a placement specialist, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for placement specialists in 2025

1. Hawaii
Total placement specialist jobs: 78
Average annual salary: $61,269
Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $75,000
Location Quotient:
1.93
Placement specialist jobs in Hawaii
2. District of Columbia
Total placement specialist jobs: 144
Average annual salary: $56,311
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $84,000
Location Quotient:
1.78
Placement specialist jobs in District of Columbia
3. Arizona
Total placement specialist jobs: 307
Average annual salary: $51,000
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000
Location Quotient:
1.09
Placement specialist jobs in Arizona
4. Alaska
Total placement specialist jobs: 62
Average annual salary: $51,346
Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $60,000
Location Quotient:
1.54
Placement specialist jobs in Alaska
5. New York
Total placement specialist jobs: 711
Average annual salary: $52,378
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $79,000
Location Quotient:
1.15
Placement specialist jobs in New York
6. Oregon
Total placement specialist jobs: 216
Average annual salary: $51,885
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $74,000
Location Quotient:
1.08
Placement specialist jobs in Oregon
7. North Dakota
Total placement specialist jobs: 54
Average annual salary: $46,335
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $62,000
Location Quotient:
1.21
Placement specialist jobs in North Dakota
8. Nevada
Total placement specialist jobs: 119
Average annual salary: $46,663
Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $70,000
Location Quotient:
1.18
Placement specialist jobs in Nevada
9. Colorado
Total placement specialist jobs: 261
Average annual salary: $53,947
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000
Location Quotient:
0.91
Placement specialist jobs in Colorado
10. California
Total placement specialist jobs: 1,123
Average annual salary: $63,423
Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $96,000
Location Quotient:
0.8
Placement specialist jobs in California

Placement specialist jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a placement specialist

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

Detailed list of the best states for a placement specialist

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Hawaii	$61,269	$49,000	1,427,538	78
2	District of Columbia	$56,311	$37,000	693,972	144
3	Arizona	$51,000	$33,000	7,016,270	307
4	Alaska	$51,346	$43,000	739,795	62
5	New York	$52,378	$34,000	19,849,399	711
6	Oregon	$51,885	$35,000	4,142,776	216
7	North Dakota	$46,335	$34,000	755,393	54
8	Nevada	$46,663	$30,000	2,998,039	119
9	Colorado	$53,947	$38,000	5,607,154	261
10	California	$63,423	$41,000	39,536,653	1,123
11	Washington	$52,509	$37,000	7,405,743	291
12	New Mexico	$44,785	$30,000	2,088,070	106
13	Maryland	$48,765	$32,000	6,052,177	376
14	Rhode Island	$47,368	$31,000	1,059,639	55
15	Kentucky	$45,339	$31,000	4,454,189	167
16	Kansas	$43,432	$30,000	2,913,123	163
17	Pennsylvania	$44,487	$29,000	12,805,537	549
18	South Dakota	$41,469	$30,000	869,666	62
19	Delaware	$44,050	$28,000	961,939	78
20	Utah	$44,347	$30,000	3,101,833	148
21	Michigan	$42,843	$30,000	9,962,311	369
22	North Carolina	$42,314	$28,000	10,273,419	556
23	New Jersey	$48,951	$32,000	9,005,644	297
24	West Virginia	$41,715	$28,000	1,815,857	79
25	Missouri	$44,319	$31,000	6,113,532	256
26	Alabama	$42,123	$28,000	4,874,747	220
27	Wyoming	$39,775	$28,000	579,315	51
28	Massachusetts	$45,094	$30,000	6,859,819	453
29	Virginia	$45,844	$30,000	8,470,020	433
30	Connecticut	$46,102	$30,000	3,588,184	143
31	Arkansas	$40,300	$28,000	3,004,279	148
32	Louisiana	$41,691	$28,000	4,684,333	172
33	Iowa	$39,384	$28,000	3,145,711	258
34	Oklahoma	$40,923	$28,000	3,930,864	168
35	Wisconsin	$42,557	$30,000	5,795,483	230
36	Texas	$43,489	$29,000	28,304,596	868
37	Minnesota	$42,465	$31,000	5,576,606	305
38	Mississippi	$40,049	$27,000	2,984,100	119
39	Indiana	$40,642	$28,000	6,666,818	305
40	Vermont	$39,218	$28,000	623,657	49
41	Idaho	$40,046	$27,000	1,716,943	89
42	Maine	$38,357	$28,000	1,335,907	69
43	Nebraska	$35,977	$25,000	1,920,076	148
44	Georgia	$39,202	$27,000	10,429,379	505
45	Montana	$35,300	$25,000	1,050,493	72
46	South Carolina	$40,424	$27,000	5,024,369	177
47	Florida	$35,745	$23,000	20,984,400	884
48	Tennessee	$35,413	$24,000	6,715,984	286
49	New Hampshire	$37,670	$26,000	1,342,795	79
50	Ohio	$36,793	$25,000	11,658,609	421
51	Illinois	$37,875	$26,000	12,802,023	484

Highest paying states for placement specialists

Rank	State	Avg. Placement Specialist Salary
1	Hawaii	$61,269
2	District of Columbia	$56,311
3	Arizona	$51,000
4	Alaska	$51,346
5	New York	$52,378
6	Oregon	$51,885
7	North Dakota	$46,335
8	Nevada	$46,663
9	Colorado	$53,947
10	California	$63,423
11	Washington	$52,509
12	New Mexico	$44,785
13	Maryland	$48,765
14	Rhode Island	$47,368
15	Kentucky	$45,339
16	Kansas	$43,432
17	Pennsylvania	$44,487
18	South Dakota	$41,469
19	Delaware	$44,050
20	Utah	$44,347
21	Michigan	$42,843
22	North Carolina	$42,314
23	New Jersey	$48,951
24	West Virginia	$41,715
25	Missouri	$44,319
26	Alabama	$42,123
27	Wyoming	$39,775
28	Massachusetts	$45,094
29	Virginia	$45,844
30	Connecticut	$46,102
31	Arkansas	$40,300
32	Louisiana	$41,691
33	Iowa	$39,384
34	Oklahoma	$40,923
35	Wisconsin	$42,557
36	Texas	$43,489
37	Minnesota	$42,465
38	Mississippi	$40,049
39	Indiana	$40,642
40	Vermont	$39,218
41	Idaho	$40,046
42	Maine	$38,357
43	Nebraska	$35,977
44	Georgia	$39,202
45	Montana	$35,300
46	South Carolina	$40,424
47	Florida	$35,745
48	Tennessee	$35,413
49	New Hampshire	$37,670
50	Ohio	$36,793
51	Illinois	$37,875

Expert opinions on the best states for placement specialists

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for placement specialists to find work opportunities?
Nola Pearce
Practice Director / Account Executive, ETSTech-Ops
Depending on your chosen career scope, there are opportunities across the United States - urban, suburban, rural. If you have a wide range of interests and career experience, geographic possibilities are endless. If you are very specific within an industry, material, or application, there are pockets of locations that might be better than another. I recommend that you reach out to professionals within the industry or profession that you have interest in.

Placement specialist best states FAQs

What is the best state for placement specialists?

What is the highest paying state for placement specialists?

What is the worst state for placement specialists?

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Search for placement specialist jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs

Total placement specialist jobs:	78
Average annual salary:	$61,269
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$49,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$75,000
Location Quotient:	1.93

Best states for a placement specialist

10 best states for placement specialists in 2025

1. Hawaii

2. District of Columbia

3. Arizona

4. Alaska

5. New York

6. Oregon

7. North Dakota

8. Nevada

9. Colorado

10. California