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Best states for a public affairs officer
Quoted expert
John Hartman
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
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- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to public affairs officer 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 public affairs officers -- where there are plenty of public affairs officer jobs to go around and public affairs officers get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
In order to get you the best states for public affairs officers, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.We found that the South is best for public affairs officers, and the Northeast is the worst. Washington, DC is the best city in the country for public affairs officer jobs, where as New York is the best state in the country.
10 best states for public affairs officers in 2026
1. New York
Total public affairs officer jobs: 1,921 Average annual salary: $91,954 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $151,000 Location Quotient: 1.16
2. Virginia
Total public affairs officer jobs: 1,553 Average annual salary: $86,810 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000 Location Quotient: 1.27
3. Rhode Island
Total public affairs officer jobs: 207 Average annual salary: $79,664 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 1.31
4. New Jersey
Total public affairs officer jobs: 1,251 Average annual salary: $88,103 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000 Location Quotient: 1.22
5. Minnesota
Total public affairs officer jobs: 1,025 Average annual salary: $78,274 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 1.19
6. Idaho
Total public affairs officer jobs: 318 Average annual salary: $72,425 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000 Location Quotient: 1.49
7. Connecticut
Total public affairs officer jobs: 350 Average annual salary: $89,269 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000 Location Quotient: 0.81
8. District of Columbia
Total public affairs officer jobs: 156 Average annual salary: $110,306 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $183,000 Location Quotient: 0.72
9. Pennsylvania
Total public affairs officer jobs: 1,466 Average annual salary: $73,291 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $122,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
10. Washington
Total public affairs officer jobs: 840 Average annual salary: $83,276 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 0.89
Public affairs officer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a public affairs officer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a public affairs officer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $91,954 | $55,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,921 |
| 2 | Virginia | $86,810 | $50,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,553 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $79,664 | $49,000 | 1,059,639 | 207 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $88,103 | $53,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,251 |
| 5 | Minnesota | $78,274 | $47,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,025 |
| 6 | Idaho | $72,425 | $42,000 | 1,716,943 | 318 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $89,269 | $54,000 | 3,588,184 | 350 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $110,306 | $66,000 | 693,972 | 156 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $73,291 | $43,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,466 |
| 10 | Washington | $83,276 | $47,000 | 7,405,743 | 840 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $73,432 | $45,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,394 |
| 12 | North Dakota | $70,396 | $43,000 | 755,393 | 128 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $74,073 | $45,000 | 1,342,795 | 207 |
| 14 | Michigan | $72,575 | $43,000 | 9,962,311 | 804 |
| 15 | California | $67,267 | $36,000 | 39,536,653 | 5,121 |
| 16 | Illinois | $65,866 | $39,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,551 |
| 17 | Oregon | $71,062 | $40,000 | 4,142,776 | 446 |
| 18 | Ohio | $68,562 | $40,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,059 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $68,849 | $39,000 | 1,815,857 | 157 |
| 20 | Nevada | $60,306 | $33,000 | 2,998,039 | 347 |
| 21 | Vermont | $64,343 | $39,000 | 623,657 | 96 |
| 22 | Maryland | $65,723 | $38,000 | 6,052,177 | 863 |
| 23 | Georgia | $62,496 | $35,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,326 |
| 24 | Delaware | $71,601 | $42,000 | 961,939 | 17 |
| 25 | Colorado | $63,697 | $37,000 | 5,607,154 | 785 |
| 26 | Alaska | $71,509 | $48,000 | 739,795 | 15 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $63,571 | $36,000 | 4,454,189 | 338 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $59,648 | $33,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,240 |
| 29 | Arkansas | $61,942 | $36,000 | 3,004,279 | 264 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $57,451 | $33,000 | 6,715,984 | 727 |
| 31 | Indiana | $60,755 | $35,000 | 6,666,818 | 705 |
| 32 | Nebraska | $58,230 | $35,000 | 1,920,076 | 254 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $57,378 | $35,000 | 869,666 | 119 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $58,678 | $33,000 | 2,088,070 | 241 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $57,850 | $34,000 | 5,795,483 | 623 |
| 36 | Iowa | $57,379 | $34,000 | 3,145,711 | 396 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $59,343 | $35,000 | 579,315 | 9 |
| 38 | Maine | $54,602 | $33,000 | 1,335,907 | 164 |
| 39 | Florida | $49,934 | $28,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,640 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $55,132 | $31,000 | 5,024,369 | 492 |
| 41 | Utah | $56,099 | $32,000 | 3,101,833 | 51 |
| 42 | Arizona | $48,034 | $27,000 | 7,016,270 | 850 |
| 43 | Montana | $55,707 | $33,000 | 1,050,493 | 30 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $49,450 | $28,000 | 3,930,864 | 387 |
| 45 | Missouri | $53,590 | $31,000 | 6,113,532 | 627 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $43,941 | $25,000 | 2,984,100 | 283 |
| 47 | Alabama | $48,922 | $28,000 | 4,874,747 | 475 |
| 48 | Texas | $51,364 | $29,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,090 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $49,518 | $28,000 | 4,684,333 | 331 |
| 50 | Kansas | $50,074 | $29,000 | 2,913,123 | 277 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $37,152 | $26,000 | 1,427,538 | 7 |
Highest paying states for public affairs officers
| Rank | State | Avg. Public Affairs Officer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $91,954 |
| 2 | Virginia | $86,810 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $79,664 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $88,103 |
| 5 | Minnesota | $78,274 |
| 6 | Idaho | $72,425 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $89,269 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $110,306 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $73,291 |
| 10 | Washington | $83,276 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $73,432 |
| 12 | North Dakota | $70,396 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $74,073 |
| 14 | Michigan | $72,575 |
| 15 | California | $67,267 |
| 16 | Illinois | $65,866 |
| 17 | Oregon | $71,062 |
| 18 | Ohio | $68,562 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $68,849 |
| 20 | Nevada | $60,306 |
| 21 | Vermont | $64,343 |
| 22 | Maryland | $65,723 |
| 23 | Georgia | $62,496 |
| 24 | Delaware | $71,601 |
| 25 | Colorado | $63,697 |
| 26 | Alaska | $71,509 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $63,571 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $59,648 |
| 29 | Arkansas | $61,942 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $57,451 |
| 31 | Indiana | $60,755 |
| 32 | Nebraska | $58,230 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $57,378 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $58,678 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $57,850 |
| 36 | Iowa | $57,379 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $59,343 |
| 38 | Maine | $54,602 |
| 39 | Florida | $49,934 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $55,132 |
| 41 | Utah | $56,099 |
| 42 | Arizona | $48,034 |
| 43 | Montana | $55,707 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $49,450 |
| 45 | Missouri | $53,590 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $43,941 |
| 47 | Alabama | $48,922 |
| 48 | Texas | $51,364 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $49,518 |
| 50 | Kansas | $50,074 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $37,152 |
Expert opinions on the best states for public affairs officers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for public affairs officers to find work opportunities?
John Hartman
Emeritus Professor, Central Michigan University
Generally, faster-growing regions have more opportunities for journalists, so west and south would be best. Some north and east cities are growing, such as Columbus and Indianapolis, and would be attractive. The ability to telecommute opens up new opportunities as well.
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Updated January 8, 2025