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Best states for a public affairs specialist
Quoted expert
Valerie Black
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Job opportunities vary from state to state, and arts, entertainment, sports, and media careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to public affairs specialist jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for public affairs specialists.Although there are abundant public affairs specialist jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the Midwest. District of Columbia is the best state in the country for public affairs specialist jobs.
We figured that the best places for public affairs specialist jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.District of Columbia is the best state, and Arlington is the city with the highest pay for public affairs specialists.
10 best states for public affairs specialists in 2025
1. District of Columbia
Total public affairs specialist jobs: 312 Average annual salary: $98,254 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 3.06
2. Virginia
Total public affairs specialist jobs: 703 Average annual salary: $92,207 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000 Location Quotient: 1.23
3. Rhode Island
Total public affairs specialist jobs: 78 Average annual salary: $77,634 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $115,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
4. Connecticut
Total public affairs specialist jobs: 187 Average annual salary: $86,760 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
5. New Jersey
Total public affairs specialist jobs: 500 Average annual salary: $82,899 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000 Location Quotient: 1.04
6. Maryland
Total public affairs specialist jobs: 402 Average annual salary: $82,437 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 1.04
7. Washington
Total public affairs specialist jobs: 425 Average annual salary: $83,061 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
8. Delaware
Total public affairs specialist jobs: 98 Average annual salary: $70,536 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $108,000 Location Quotient: 1.29
9. New York
Total public affairs specialist jobs: 883 Average annual salary: $75,980 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $114,000 Location Quotient: 1.13
10. Massachusetts
Total public affairs specialist jobs: 636 Average annual salary: $71,842 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $106,000 Location Quotient: 1.14
Public affairs specialist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a public affairs specialist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a public affairs specialist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $98,254 | $63,000 | 693,972 | 312 |
| 2 | Virginia | $92,207 | $58,000 | 8,470,020 | 703 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $77,634 | $52,000 | 1,059,639 | 78 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $86,760 | $57,000 | 3,588,184 | 187 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $82,899 | $54,000 | 9,005,644 | 500 |
| 6 | Maryland | $82,437 | $53,000 | 6,052,177 | 402 |
| 7 | Washington | $83,061 | $50,000 | 7,405,743 | 425 |
| 8 | Delaware | $70,536 | $46,000 | 961,939 | 98 |
| 9 | New York | $75,980 | $50,000 | 19,849,399 | 883 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $71,842 | $48,000 | 6,859,819 | 636 |
| 11 | California | $74,529 | $44,000 | 39,536,653 | 2,083 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $70,204 | $45,000 | 12,805,537 | 645 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $68,615 | $43,000 | 1,815,857 | 84 |
| 14 | Alaska | $68,551 | $51,000 | 739,795 | 69 |
| 15 | Georgia | $65,102 | $39,000 | 10,429,379 | 663 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $72,930 | $48,000 | 1,342,795 | 77 |
| 17 | Oregon | $67,271 | $40,000 | 4,142,776 | 248 |
| 18 | Idaho | $69,458 | $42,000 | 1,716,943 | 80 |
| 19 | Vermont | $64,483 | $43,000 | 623,657 | 53 |
| 20 | North Dakota | $67,680 | $44,000 | 755,393 | 42 |
| 21 | Arkansas | $64,902 | $39,000 | 3,004,279 | 133 |
| 22 | Utah | $61,366 | $37,000 | 3,101,833 | 223 |
| 23 | Wyoming | $59,100 | $37,000 | 579,315 | 54 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $61,082 | $37,000 | 10,273,419 | 622 |
| 25 | Colorado | $66,506 | $41,000 | 5,607,154 | 348 |
| 26 | Illinois | $63,612 | $40,000 | 12,802,023 | 706 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $64,327 | $40,000 | 4,454,189 | 137 |
| 28 | Nevada | $61,422 | $36,000 | 2,998,039 | 126 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $61,497 | $37,000 | 6,715,984 | 299 |
| 30 | Texas | $61,667 | $37,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,116 |
| 31 | Ohio | $62,521 | $39,000 | 11,658,609 | 441 |
| 32 | Indiana | $60,701 | $38,000 | 6,666,818 | 307 |
| 33 | Michigan | $59,307 | $38,000 | 9,962,311 | 405 |
| 34 | Minnesota | $60,588 | $39,000 | 5,576,606 | 371 |
| 35 | Iowa | $56,896 | $36,000 | 3,145,711 | 249 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $52,684 | $38,000 | 1,427,538 | 72 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $59,044 | $37,000 | 5,795,483 | 284 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $57,923 | $36,000 | 1,920,076 | 129 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $60,877 | $36,000 | 2,088,070 | 80 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $56,392 | $36,000 | 869,666 | 56 |
| 41 | Missouri | $58,778 | $36,000 | 6,113,532 | 276 |
| 42 | Montana | $53,464 | $33,000 | 1,050,493 | 70 |
| 43 | Arizona | $50,841 | $30,000 | 7,016,270 | 402 |
| 44 | Florida | $43,347 | $25,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,146 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $56,773 | $34,000 | 5,024,369 | 209 |
| 46 | Maine | $54,790 | $37,000 | 1,335,907 | 56 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $51,472 | $31,000 | 3,930,864 | 160 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $50,758 | $30,000 | 4,684,333 | 172 |
| 49 | Alabama | $51,233 | $31,000 | 4,874,747 | 223 |
| 50 | Kansas | $50,852 | $31,000 | 2,913,123 | 136 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $46,239 | $28,000 | 2,984,100 | 62 |
Highest paying states for public affairs specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. Public Affairs Specialist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $98,254 |
| 2 | Virginia | $92,207 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $77,634 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $86,760 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $82,899 |
| 6 | Maryland | $82,437 |
| 7 | Washington | $83,061 |
| 8 | Delaware | $70,536 |
| 9 | New York | $75,980 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $71,842 |
| 11 | California | $74,529 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $70,204 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $68,615 |
| 14 | Alaska | $68,551 |
| 15 | Georgia | $65,102 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $72,930 |
| 17 | Oregon | $67,271 |
| 18 | Idaho | $69,458 |
| 19 | Vermont | $64,483 |
| 20 | North Dakota | $67,680 |
| 21 | Arkansas | $64,902 |
| 22 | Utah | $61,366 |
| 23 | Wyoming | $59,100 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $61,082 |
| 25 | Colorado | $66,506 |
| 26 | Illinois | $63,612 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $64,327 |
| 28 | Nevada | $61,422 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $61,497 |
| 30 | Texas | $61,667 |
| 31 | Ohio | $62,521 |
| 32 | Indiana | $60,701 |
| 33 | Michigan | $59,307 |
| 34 | Minnesota | $60,588 |
| 35 | Iowa | $56,896 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $52,684 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $59,044 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $57,923 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $60,877 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $56,392 |
| 41 | Missouri | $58,778 |
| 42 | Montana | $53,464 |
| 43 | Arizona | $50,841 |
| 44 | Florida | $43,347 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $56,773 |
| 46 | Maine | $54,790 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $51,472 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $50,758 |
| 49 | Alabama | $51,233 |
| 50 | Kansas | $50,852 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $46,239 |
Expert opinions on the best states for public affairs specialists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for public affairs specialists to find work opportunities?
Valerie Black
Instructor, Johnson C. Smith University
I don't believe one geographic location will be better than any other. I think there be opportunities everywhere, and the skills they've developed in college will be critically important when they are applying for jobs. Some media companies are explicitly looking for college graduates for some of their positions. There may not be as many open positions as before the pandemic, but there will be opportunities everywhere.
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Updated January 8, 2025