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Best states for a practitioner
Quoted expert
Dr. Kurt Miller
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
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- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to practitioner 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. As practitioners are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for practitioners. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a practitioner, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for practitioners. Connecticut is the best state for practitioners, where the median salary is $111,673.Connecticut is the best state, and New London is the city with the highest pay for practitioners.
10 best states for practitioners in 2026
1. Connecticut
Total practitioner jobs: 234 Average annual salary: $111,673 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $193,000 Location Quotient: 1.66
2. Alaska
Total practitioner jobs: 63 Average annual salary: $106,849 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $171,000 Location Quotient: 1.77
3. Montana
Total practitioner jobs: 100 Average annual salary: $95,304 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $165,000 Location Quotient: 2.04
4. Oregon
Total practitioner jobs: 223 Average annual salary: $98,167 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $171,000 Location Quotient: 1.26
5. Washington
Total practitioner jobs: 408 Average annual salary: $98,226 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $171,000 Location Quotient: 1.31
6. New Jersey
Total practitioner jobs: 313 Average annual salary: $108,552 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $189,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
7. Ohio
Total practitioner jobs: 405 Average annual salary: $97,611 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $176,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
8. Massachusetts
Total practitioner jobs: 603 Average annual salary: $92,975 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $166,000 Location Quotient: 1.54
9. Rhode Island
Total practitioner jobs: 78 Average annual salary: $90,808 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $162,000 Location Quotient: 1.51
10. New York
Total practitioner jobs: 1,061 Average annual salary: $93,970 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $167,000 Location Quotient: 1.94
Practitioner jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a practitioner
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a practitioner
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $111,673 | $64,000 | 3,588,184 | 234 |
| 2 | Alaska | $106,849 | $66,000 | 739,795 | 63 |
| 3 | Montana | $95,304 | $54,000 | 1,050,493 | 100 |
| 4 | Oregon | $98,167 | $56,000 | 4,142,776 | 223 |
| 5 | Washington | $98,226 | $56,000 | 7,405,743 | 408 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $108,552 | $62,000 | 9,005,644 | 313 |
| 7 | Ohio | $97,611 | $54,000 | 11,658,609 | 405 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $92,975 | $52,000 | 6,859,819 | 603 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $90,808 | $50,000 | 1,059,639 | 78 |
| 10 | New York | $93,970 | $52,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,061 |
| 11 | Nevada | $90,548 | $50,000 | 2,998,039 | 108 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $87,027 | $48,000 | 1,342,795 | 113 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $86,316 | $47,000 | 5,795,483 | 223 |
| 14 | California | $93,471 | $53,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,319 |
| 15 | Maine | $80,328 | $44,000 | 1,335,907 | 149 |
| 16 | Minnesota | $84,800 | $46,000 | 5,576,606 | 313 |
| 17 | Indiana | $81,652 | $43,000 | 6,666,818 | 301 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $79,268 | $43,000 | 12,805,537 | 737 |
| 19 | Delaware | $90,857 | $50,000 | 961,939 | 40 |
| 20 | Illinois | $90,802 | $49,000 | 12,802,023 | 357 |
| 21 | Arizona | $83,285 | $46,000 | 7,016,270 | 250 |
| 22 | Maryland | $82,723 | $45,000 | 6,052,177 | 305 |
| 23 | Vermont | $77,005 | $41,000 | 623,657 | 51 |
| 24 | Michigan | $83,947 | $45,000 | 9,962,311 | 214 |
| 25 | North Dakota | $77,321 | $43,000 | 755,393 | 37 |
| 26 | District of Columbia | $88,357 | $48,000 | 693,972 | 58 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $75,463 | $42,000 | 2,088,070 | 102 |
| 28 | Wyoming | $75,742 | $42,000 | 579,315 | 24 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $74,688 | $39,000 | 1,815,857 | 59 |
| 30 | Texas | $77,330 | $43,000 | 28,304,596 | 658 |
| 31 | Hawaii | $76,965 | $57,000 | 1,427,538 | 42 |
| 32 | South Dakota | $71,377 | $39,000 | 869,666 | 45 |
| 33 | Idaho | $77,687 | $43,000 | 1,716,943 | 43 |
| 34 | Virginia | $77,872 | $41,000 | 8,470,020 | 272 |
| 35 | Nebraska | $69,822 | $38,000 | 1,920,076 | 81 |
| 36 | Iowa | $73,795 | $39,000 | 3,145,711 | 85 |
| 37 | Utah | $73,430 | $40,000 | 3,101,833 | 93 |
| 38 | Mississippi | $66,370 | $37,000 | 2,984,100 | 86 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | $68,883 | $38,000 | 3,930,864 | 101 |
| 40 | Colorado | $73,764 | $40,000 | 5,607,154 | 175 |
| 41 | Arkansas | $61,854 | $34,000 | 3,004,279 | 115 |
| 42 | Louisiana | $61,895 | $34,000 | 4,684,333 | 142 |
| 43 | Georgia | $65,941 | $36,000 | 10,429,379 | 386 |
| 44 | Missouri | $68,673 | $37,000 | 6,113,532 | 172 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $64,459 | $34,000 | 4,454,189 | 114 |
| 46 | North Carolina | $67,507 | $36,000 | 10,273,419 | 261 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $61,062 | $33,000 | 6,715,984 | 181 |
| 48 | Kansas | $64,084 | $35,000 | 2,913,123 | 82 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $59,556 | $32,000 | 5,024,369 | 157 |
| 50 | Florida | $56,712 | $32,000 | 20,984,400 | 522 |
| 51 | Alabama | $57,032 | $31,000 | 4,874,747 | 102 |
Highest paying states for practitioners
| Rank | State | Avg. Practitioner Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $111,673 |
| 2 | Alaska | $106,849 |
| 3 | Montana | $95,304 |
| 4 | Oregon | $98,167 |
| 5 | Washington | $98,226 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $108,552 |
| 7 | Ohio | $97,611 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $92,975 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $90,808 |
| 10 | New York | $93,970 |
| 11 | Nevada | $90,548 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $87,027 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $86,316 |
| 14 | California | $93,471 |
| 15 | Maine | $80,328 |
| 16 | Minnesota | $84,800 |
| 17 | Indiana | $81,652 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $79,268 |
| 19 | Delaware | $90,857 |
| 20 | Illinois | $90,802 |
| 21 | Arizona | $83,285 |
| 22 | Maryland | $82,723 |
| 23 | Vermont | $77,005 |
| 24 | Michigan | $83,947 |
| 25 | North Dakota | $77,321 |
| 26 | District of Columbia | $88,357 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $75,463 |
| 28 | Wyoming | $75,742 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $74,688 |
| 30 | Texas | $77,330 |
| 31 | Hawaii | $76,965 |
| 32 | South Dakota | $71,377 |
| 33 | Idaho | $77,687 |
| 34 | Virginia | $77,872 |
| 35 | Nebraska | $69,822 |
| 36 | Iowa | $73,795 |
| 37 | Utah | $73,430 |
| 38 | Mississippi | $66,370 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | $68,883 |
| 40 | Colorado | $73,764 |
| 41 | Arkansas | $61,854 |
| 42 | Louisiana | $61,895 |
| 43 | Georgia | $65,941 |
| 44 | Missouri | $68,673 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $64,459 |
| 46 | North Carolina | $67,507 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $61,062 |
| 48 | Kansas | $64,084 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $59,556 |
| 50 | Florida | $56,712 |
| 51 | Alabama | $57,032 |
Expert opinions on the best states for practitioners
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for practitioners to find work opportunities?
Dr. Kurt Miller
Assistant Professor, Social Work Program Director, Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School
What is exciting about the profession of social work is that they can be found in all countries. They work in rural and urban settings. They advocate in public, private, and non-profit organizations. They engage all types of communities. They collaborate with many other professionals. Rather than considering a specific locale for job opportunities, it is crucial to consider how social workers respond to all social contexts. Social workers are needed everywhere.
Practitioner best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025