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Best states for a preparator
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to preparator 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. We wanted to look at the best states for preparators -- where there are plenty of preparator jobs to go around and preparators get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
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 preparators.We found that Alaska is the best state for preparator jobs, whereas Idaho is the worst.
10 best states for preparators in 2025
1. Alaska
Total preparator jobs: 5 Average annual salary: $67,285 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $131,000 Location Quotient: 10.06
2. Maine
Total preparator jobs: 4 Average annual salary: $60,732 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000 Location Quotient: 5.07
3. New York
Total preparator jobs: 8 Average annual salary: $80,658 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $161,000 Location Quotient: 1.05
4. Rhode Island
Total preparator jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $75,260 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 0
5. Vermont
Total preparator jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $60,599 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000 Location Quotient: 0
6. Connecticut
Total preparator jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $61,783 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 0
7. District of Columbia
Total preparator jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $65,893 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000 Location Quotient: 0
8. Massachusetts
Total preparator jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $60,814 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 0
9. New Hampshire
Total preparator jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $56,551 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $116,000 Location Quotient: 0
10. Michigan
Total preparator jobs: 8 Average annual salary: $46,348 Lowest 10 percent earn: $23,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Location Quotient: 1.73
Preparator jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a preparator
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a preparator
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $67,285 | $34,000 | 739,795 | 5 |
| 2 | Maine | $60,732 | $30,000 | 1,335,907 | 4 |
| 3 | New York | $80,658 | $40,000 | 19,849,399 | 8 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $75,260 | $37,000 | 1,059,639 | 0 |
| 5 | Vermont | $60,599 | $30,000 | 623,657 | 0 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $61,783 | $29,000 | 3,588,184 | 0 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $65,893 | $31,000 | 693,972 | 0 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $60,814 | $29,000 | 6,859,819 | 0 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $56,551 | $27,000 | 1,342,795 | 0 |
| 10 | Michigan | $46,348 | $23,000 | 9,962,311 | 8 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $57,294 | $26,000 | 9,005,644 | 0 |
| 12 | Delaware | $56,598 | $26,000 | 961,939 | 0 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $51,160 | $24,000 | 12,805,537 | 0 |
| 14 | California | $51,514 | $24,000 | 39,536,653 | 17 |
| 15 | Maryland | $52,126 | $24,000 | 6,052,177 | 0 |
| 16 | Virginia | $49,769 | $23,000 | 8,470,020 | 4 |
| 17 | Illinois | $40,523 | $22,000 | 12,802,023 | 14 |
| 18 | Texas | $40,424 | $20,000 | 28,304,596 | 22 |
| 19 | Ohio | $40,313 | $20,000 | 11,658,609 | 8 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $42,562 | $24,000 | 5,576,606 | 3 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $41,615 | $20,000 | 1,815,857 | 0 |
| 22 | Nebraska | $37,384 | $21,000 | 1,920,076 | 4 |
| 23 | Arizona | $40,248 | $19,000 | 7,016,270 | 5 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $41,019 | $22,000 | 5,795,483 | 1 |
| 25 | North Carolina | $38,763 | $19,000 | 10,273,419 | 8 |
| 26 | Colorado | $39,136 | $22,000 | 5,607,154 | 5 |
| 27 | Iowa | $34,568 | $19,000 | 3,145,711 | 9 |
| 28 | Indiana | $38,665 | $20,000 | 6,666,818 | 2 |
| 29 | Oregon | $34,318 | $17,000 | 4,142,776 | 9 |
| 30 | North Dakota | $37,338 | $22,000 | 755,393 | 0 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $34,041 | $19,000 | 869,666 | 1 |
| 32 | South Carolina | $36,348 | $19,000 | 5,024,369 | 0 |
| 33 | Nevada | $35,948 | $17,000 | 2,998,039 | 0 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $31,684 | $16,000 | 2,088,070 | 3 |
| 35 | Utah | $32,096 | $17,000 | 3,101,833 | 3 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $39,346 | $22,000 | 1,427,538 | 0 |
| 37 | Washington | $35,993 | $18,000 | 7,405,743 | 0 |
| 38 | Florida | $33,809 | $17,000 | 20,984,400 | 0 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $32,718 | $17,000 | 4,454,189 | 0 |
| 40 | Montana | $29,958 | $16,000 | 1,050,493 | 2 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $28,510 | $15,000 | 6,715,984 | 10 |
| 42 | Alabama | $29,023 | $15,000 | 4,874,747 | 5 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $30,375 | $16,000 | 3,930,864 | 1 |
| 44 | Missouri | $29,687 | $16,000 | 6,113,532 | 5 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $29,803 | $16,000 | 2,984,100 | 0 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $30,235 | $15,000 | 4,684,333 | 2 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $29,575 | $16,000 | 3,004,279 | 0 |
| 48 | Wyoming | $26,901 | $15,000 | 579,315 | 1 |
| 49 | Georgia | $30,626 | $16,000 | 10,429,379 | 0 |
| 50 | Kansas | $28,548 | $15,000 | 2,913,123 | 0 |
| 51 | Idaho | $24,266 | $13,000 | 1,716,943 | 1 |
Highest paying states for preparators
| Rank | State | Avg. Preparator Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $67,285 |
| 2 | Maine | $60,732 |
| 3 | New York | $80,658 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $75,260 |
| 5 | Vermont | $60,599 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $61,783 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $65,893 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $60,814 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $56,551 |
| 10 | Michigan | $46,348 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $57,294 |
| 12 | Delaware | $56,598 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $51,160 |
| 14 | California | $51,514 |
| 15 | Maryland | $52,126 |
| 16 | Virginia | $49,769 |
| 17 | Illinois | $40,523 |
| 18 | Texas | $40,424 |
| 19 | Ohio | $40,313 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $42,562 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $41,615 |
| 22 | Nebraska | $37,384 |
| 23 | Arizona | $40,248 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $41,019 |
| 25 | North Carolina | $38,763 |
| 26 | Colorado | $39,136 |
| 27 | Iowa | $34,568 |
| 28 | Indiana | $38,665 |
| 29 | Oregon | $34,318 |
| 30 | North Dakota | $37,338 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $34,041 |
| 32 | South Carolina | $36,348 |
| 33 | Nevada | $35,948 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $31,684 |
| 35 | Utah | $32,096 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $39,346 |
| 37 | Washington | $35,993 |
| 38 | Florida | $33,809 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $32,718 |
| 40 | Montana | $29,958 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $28,510 |
| 42 | Alabama | $29,023 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $30,375 |
| 44 | Missouri | $29,687 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $29,803 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $30,235 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $29,575 |
| 48 | Wyoming | $26,901 |
| 49 | Georgia | $30,626 |
| 50 | Kansas | $28,548 |
| 51 | Idaho | $24,266 |
Preparator best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025