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Best states for a public information officer
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Dr. Arsalan Memon
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Are you thinking of becoming a public information officer and really want to work at Ohio Department Of Transportation? Turns out, your chances to become a public information officer are better in some states than others.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of public information officers in America is $83,000.
New Jersey is the best state for jobs for public information officers, and South Carolina is the worst. The most common pay in New Jersey is $76,524, while the median pay in South Carolina is $47,960.We found that the South is best for public information officers, and the Northeast is the worst. Fairfield, CA is the best city in the country for public information officer jobs, where as New Jersey is the best state in the country.
10 best states for public information officers in 2025
1. New Jersey
Total public information officer jobs: 1,850 Average annual salary: $76,524 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $113,000 Location Quotient: 1.27
2. North Dakota
Total public information officer jobs: 239 Average annual salary: $68,109 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Location Quotient: 1.4
3. Washington
Total public information officer jobs: 1,558 Average annual salary: $72,905 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $107,000 Location Quotient: 1.16
4. New Hampshire
Total public information officer jobs: 337 Average annual salary: $70,948 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $103,000 Location Quotient: 1.05
5. New York
Total public information officer jobs: 3,108 Average annual salary: $71,065 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Location Quotient: 1.32
6. Arizona
Total public information officer jobs: 1,456 Average annual salary: $65,737 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Location Quotient: 1.36
7. South Dakota
Total public information officer jobs: 219 Average annual salary: $67,006 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Location Quotient: 1.12
8. Massachusetts
Total public information officer jobs: 2,188 Average annual salary: $67,983 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Location Quotient: 1.3
9. Vermont
Total public information officer jobs: 166 Average annual salary: $66,997 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
10. Delaware
Total public information officer jobs: 148 Average annual salary: $77,941 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $116,000 Location Quotient: 0.64
Public information officer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a public information officer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a public information officer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $76,524 | $51,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,850 |
| 2 | North Dakota | $68,109 | $48,000 | 755,393 | 239 |
| 3 | Washington | $72,905 | $49,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,558 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $70,948 | $48,000 | 1,342,795 | 337 |
| 5 | New York | $71,065 | $47,000 | 19,849,399 | 3,108 |
| 6 | Arizona | $65,737 | $44,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,456 |
| 7 | South Dakota | $67,006 | $46,000 | 869,666 | 219 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $67,983 | $46,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,188 |
| 9 | Vermont | $66,997 | $46,000 | 623,657 | 166 |
| 10 | Delaware | $77,941 | $51,000 | 961,939 | 148 |
| 11 | Maryland | $77,503 | $51,000 | 6,052,177 | 952 |
| 12 | Iowa | $67,861 | $46,000 | 3,145,711 | 640 |
| 13 | Illinois | $66,105 | $44,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,570 |
| 14 | New Mexico | $64,999 | $43,000 | 2,088,070 | 405 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $63,129 | $43,000 | 1,059,639 | 316 |
| 16 | Ohio | $67,673 | $44,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,762 |
| 17 | Nevada | $62,155 | $40,000 | 2,998,039 | 543 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $77,506 | $51,000 | 693,972 | 214 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $62,224 | $42,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,032 |
| 20 | California | $71,394 | $46,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,970 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $60,232 | $40,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,249 |
| 22 | Idaho | $58,481 | $39,000 | 1,716,943 | 472 |
| 23 | Kansas | $62,772 | $43,000 | 2,913,123 | 481 |
| 24 | Colorado | $61,543 | $42,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,333 |
| 25 | Arkansas | $61,007 | $41,000 | 3,004,279 | 444 |
| 26 | Virginia | $65,342 | $42,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,547 |
| 27 | Minnesota | $59,086 | $40,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,568 |
| 28 | Connecticut | $62,731 | $42,000 | 3,588,184 | 627 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $62,452 | $41,000 | 4,684,333 | 527 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $56,816 | $37,000 | 1,815,857 | 282 |
| 31 | Missouri | $59,663 | $40,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,025 |
| 32 | Indiana | $56,459 | $37,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,141 |
| 33 | Oregon | $56,466 | $37,000 | 4,142,776 | 881 |
| 34 | Michigan | $56,386 | $37,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,340 |
| 35 | Texas | $55,937 | $37,000 | 28,304,596 | 3,542 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $52,407 | $33,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,083 |
| 37 | Georgia | $53,626 | $35,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,101 |
| 38 | Alaska | $57,309 | $47,000 | 739,795 | 110 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $51,635 | $34,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,120 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $54,724 | $36,000 | 4,454,189 | 586 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $50,582 | $34,000 | 3,930,864 | 588 |
| 42 | Maine | $51,810 | $35,000 | 1,335,907 | 250 |
| 43 | Montana | $54,978 | $38,000 | 1,050,493 | 148 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $52,137 | $36,000 | 579,315 | 79 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $48,071 | $33,000 | 1,920,076 | 430 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $45,619 | $30,000 | 2,984,100 | 450 |
| 47 | Utah | $53,029 | $36,000 | 3,101,833 | 353 |
| 48 | Alabama | $49,002 | $32,000 | 4,874,747 | 770 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $52,597 | $42,000 | 1,427,538 | 17 |
| 50 | Florida | $53,291 | $35,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,418 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $47,960 | $31,000 | 5,024,369 | 776 |
Highest paying states for public information officers
| Rank | State | Avg. Public Information Officer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $76,524 |
| 2 | North Dakota | $68,109 |
| 3 | Washington | $72,905 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $70,948 |
| 5 | New York | $71,065 |
| 6 | Arizona | $65,737 |
| 7 | South Dakota | $67,006 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $67,983 |
| 9 | Vermont | $66,997 |
| 10 | Delaware | $77,941 |
| 11 | Maryland | $77,503 |
| 12 | Iowa | $67,861 |
| 13 | Illinois | $66,105 |
| 14 | New Mexico | $64,999 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $63,129 |
| 16 | Ohio | $67,673 |
| 17 | Nevada | $62,155 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $77,506 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $62,224 |
| 20 | California | $71,394 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $60,232 |
| 22 | Idaho | $58,481 |
| 23 | Kansas | $62,772 |
| 24 | Colorado | $61,543 |
| 25 | Arkansas | $61,007 |
| 26 | Virginia | $65,342 |
| 27 | Minnesota | $59,086 |
| 28 | Connecticut | $62,731 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $62,452 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $56,816 |
| 31 | Missouri | $59,663 |
| 32 | Indiana | $56,459 |
| 33 | Oregon | $56,466 |
| 34 | Michigan | $56,386 |
| 35 | Texas | $55,937 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $52,407 |
| 37 | Georgia | $53,626 |
| 38 | Alaska | $57,309 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $51,635 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $54,724 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $50,582 |
| 42 | Maine | $51,810 |
| 43 | Montana | $54,978 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $52,137 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $48,071 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $45,619 |
| 47 | Utah | $53,029 |
| 48 | Alabama | $49,002 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $52,597 |
| 50 | Florida | $53,291 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $47,960 |
Expert opinions on the best states for public information officers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for public information officers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Arsalan Memon
Assistant Professor and Chair, Lewis University
With a BA in philosophy or philosophy of law, most students go to graduate school or law school. But students can do other things. There are many factors to consider in thinking about work opportunities (to name two): 1) some funding to pursue graduate work (e.g., grants, fellowships, scholarships, teaching assistantships, research assistantships, etc.) and 2) the economic situation (e.g., because of the current pandemic, a lot of universities are no longer accepting new graduate students). A lot of our students go to John Marshall Law School. Very few students from Lewis continue graduate work in philosophy. I would also add: it ultimately depends on the student's interest.
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Updated January 8, 2025