Best states for a program officer

Q: What is the best state for program officers?

The best state to be a program officer is Arizona based on program officer salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for program officers?

The highest paying state for program officers is Florida based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for program officers?

The worst state for program officers is Florida, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Jann Pataray-Ching, Ph.D.

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 51

We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for program officers in the United States. Program officer positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for program officers.As program officers are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for program officers. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a program officer, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.

The median salary for program officers in Arizona is $86,172. Compare that to the median salary in Florida of $57,958, which ranked worst for program officers, and you can see how your location is important for your career.We found that Arizona is the best state for program officer jobs, whereas Florida is the worst.

10 best states for program officers in 2025

1. Arizona
Total program officer jobs: 1,412
Average annual salary: $86,172
Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000
Location Quotient:
1.64
Program officer jobs in Arizona
2. Connecticut
Total program officer jobs: 717
Average annual salary: $80,794
Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $122,000
Location Quotient:
1.47
Program officer jobs in Connecticut
3. Rhode Island
Total program officer jobs: 283
Average annual salary: $78,164
Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000
Location Quotient:
1.59
Program officer jobs in Rhode Island
4. Oregon
Total program officer jobs: 797
Average annual salary: $82,882
Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000
Location Quotient:
1.31
Program officer jobs in Oregon
5. Minnesota
Total program officer jobs: 1,250
Average annual salary: $80,377
Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000
Location Quotient:
1.28
Program officer jobs in Minnesota
6. Texas
Total program officer jobs: 3,229
Average annual salary: $83,432
Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000
Location Quotient:
1.09
Program officer jobs in Texas
7. West Virginia
Total program officer jobs: 286
Average annual salary: $77,018
Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $122,000
Location Quotient:
1.28
Program officer jobs in West Virginia
8. New Jersey
Total program officer jobs: 1,451
Average annual salary: $85,176
Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000
Location Quotient:
1.25
Program officer jobs in New Jersey
9. Washington
Total program officer jobs: 761
Average annual salary: $94,008
Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000
Location Quotient:
0.71
Program officer jobs in Washington
10. Nevada
Total program officer jobs: 440
Average annual salary: $73,997
Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000
Location Quotient:
1.43
Program officer jobs in Nevada

Program officer jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a program officer

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

Detailed list of the best states for a program officer

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Arizona	$86,172	$52,000	7,016,270	1,412
2	Connecticut	$80,794	$53,000	3,588,184	717
3	Rhode Island	$78,164	$52,000	1,059,639	283
4	Oregon	$82,882	$51,000	4,142,776	797
5	Minnesota	$80,377	$50,000	5,576,606	1,250
6	Texas	$83,432	$50,000	28,304,596	3,229
7	West Virginia	$77,018	$48,000	1,815,857	286
8	New Jersey	$85,176	$55,000	9,005,644	1,451
9	Washington	$94,008	$58,000	7,405,743	761
10	Nevada	$73,997	$45,000	2,998,039	440
11	Pennsylvania	$77,633	$50,000	12,805,537	1,844
12	California	$100,546	$61,000	39,536,653	183
13	New York	$77,507	$50,000	19,849,399	2,642
14	Indiana	$75,288	$47,000	6,666,818	1,077
15	Maine	$73,023	$49,000	1,335,907	275
16	Illinois	$73,075	$45,000	12,802,023	2,462
17	Wyoming	$78,022	$48,000	579,315	2
18	Kentucky	$73,910	$45,000	4,454,189	540
19	North Carolina	$73,651	$45,000	10,273,419	1,511
20	Wisconsin	$71,558	$45,000	5,795,483	1,014
21	Georgia	$71,949	$43,000	10,429,379	1,999
22	Idaho	$67,191	$41,000	1,716,943	486
23	New Mexico	$64,899	$39,000	2,088,070	387
24	Utah	$72,764	$44,000	3,101,833	351
25	Colorado	$67,270	$41,000	5,607,154	1,348
26	North Dakota	$62,018	$39,000	755,393	258
27	South Dakota	$64,126	$40,000	869,666	197
28	Virginia	$72,021	$45,000	8,470,020	1,268
29	Hawaii	$75,982	$52,000	1,427,538	120
30	District of Columbia	$75,601	$48,000	693,972	133
31	Montana	$66,818	$42,000	1,050,493	137
32	New Hampshire	$64,317	$43,000	1,342,795	350
33	Ohio	$64,030	$40,000	11,658,609	1,492
34	Massachusetts	$70,457	$47,000	6,859,819	1,108
35	Michigan	$63,919	$40,000	9,962,311	1,212
36	South Carolina	$63,998	$39,000	5,024,369	696
37	Maryland	$71,860	$46,000	6,052,177	707
38	Louisiana	$63,522	$38,000	4,684,333	506
39	Arkansas	$59,929	$36,000	3,004,279	505
40	Vermont	$67,098	$45,000	623,657	90
41	Kansas	$62,219	$38,000	2,913,123	457
42	Iowa	$60,808	$38,000	3,145,711	654
43	Delaware	$66,081	$42,000	961,939	152
44	Alabama	$58,870	$35,000	4,874,747	853
45	Tennessee	$59,742	$36,000	6,715,984	870
46	Alaska	$68,151	$48,000	739,795	19
47	Oklahoma	$60,353	$36,000	3,930,864	513
48	Mississippi	$59,131	$35,000	2,984,100	404
49	Missouri	$62,681	$38,000	6,113,532	819
50	Nebraska	$59,453	$37,000	1,920,076	400
51	Florida	$57,958	$35,000	20,984,400	1,262

Highest paying states for program officers

Rank	State	Avg. Program Officer Salary
1	Arizona	$86,172
2	Connecticut	$80,794
3	Rhode Island	$78,164
4	Oregon	$82,882
5	Minnesota	$80,377
6	Texas	$83,432
7	West Virginia	$77,018
8	New Jersey	$85,176
9	Washington	$94,008
10	Nevada	$73,997
11	Pennsylvania	$77,633
12	California	$100,546
13	New York	$77,507
14	Indiana	$75,288
15	Maine	$73,023
16	Illinois	$73,075
17	Wyoming	$78,022
18	Kentucky	$73,910
19	North Carolina	$73,651
20	Wisconsin	$71,558
21	Georgia	$71,949
22	Idaho	$67,191
23	New Mexico	$64,899
24	Utah	$72,764
25	Colorado	$67,270
26	North Dakota	$62,018
27	South Dakota	$64,126
28	Virginia	$72,021
29	Hawaii	$75,982
30	District of Columbia	$75,601
31	Montana	$66,818
32	New Hampshire	$64,317
33	Ohio	$64,030
34	Massachusetts	$70,457
35	Michigan	$63,919
36	South Carolina	$63,998
37	Maryland	$71,860
38	Louisiana	$63,522
39	Arkansas	$59,929
40	Vermont	$67,098
41	Kansas	$62,219
42	Iowa	$60,808
43	Delaware	$66,081
44	Alabama	$58,870
45	Tennessee	$59,742
46	Alaska	$68,151
47	Oklahoma	$60,353
48	Mississippi	$59,131
49	Missouri	$62,681
50	Nebraska	$59,453
51	Florida	$57,958

Expert opinions on the best states for program officers

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for program officers to find work opportunities?
Jann Pataray-Ching, Ph.D.
Professor and Department Chair, Coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction, Cal Poly Pomona
There are jobs available in pockets throughout the nation. In California, due to the post-recession teacher layoffs, many districts are in need of STEM, Special Education, and bilingual education teachers, especially in rural and low-income areas. The state has budgeted $70 million to get more qualified STEM teachers in the classroom.

Best states for a program officer

10 best states for program officers in 2025

1. Arizona

2. Connecticut

3. Rhode Island

4. Oregon

5. Minnesota

6. Texas

7. West Virginia

8. New Jersey

9. Washington

10. Nevada

Program officer jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a program officer

Detailed list of the best states for a program officer

Highest paying states for program officers

Expert opinions on the best states for program officers

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for program officers to find work opportunities?

Program officer best states FAQs

What is the best state for program officers?

What is the highest paying state for program officers?

What is the worst state for program officers?

Search for program officer jobs

Total program officer jobs:	1,412
Average annual salary:	$86,172
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$52,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$140,000
Location Quotient:	1.64