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Best states for a publisher
Quoted expert
Cristina Calhoon
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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 publisher jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for publishers.As publishers are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for publishers. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a publisher, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
The median salary for publishers in District of Columbia is $89,656. Compare that to the median salary in Mississippi of $44,542, which ranked worst for publishers, and you can see how your location is important for your career.If you are currently seeking employment as a publisher, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for publishers in 2026
1. District of Columbia
Total publisher jobs: 195 Average annual salary: $89,656 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000 Location Quotient: 4.97
2. Connecticut
Total publisher jobs: 63 Average annual salary: $93,339 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000 Location Quotient: 0.81
3. Virginia
Total publisher jobs: 375 Average annual salary: $78,776 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 1.7
4. California
Total publisher jobs: 849 Average annual salary: $85,312 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 1.24
5. New Hampshire
Total publisher jobs: 29 Average annual salary: $90,692 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $151,000 Location Quotient: 0.71
6. Vermont
Total publisher jobs: 24 Average annual salary: $75,355 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 1.34
7. Illinois
Total publisher jobs: 269 Average annual salary: $77,521 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
8. North Dakota
Total publisher jobs: 20 Average annual salary: $74,897 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $116,000 Location Quotient: 0.92
9. Washington
Total publisher jobs: 192 Average annual salary: $77,756 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Location Quotient: 1.12
10. New York
Total publisher jobs: 732 Average annual salary: $77,366 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 2.44
Publisher jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a publisher
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a publisher
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $89,656 | $55,000 | 693,972 | 195 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $93,339 | $56,000 | 3,588,184 | 63 |
| 3 | Virginia | $78,776 | $48,000 | 8,470,020 | 375 |
| 4 | California | $85,312 | $50,000 | 39,536,653 | 849 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | $90,692 | $54,000 | 1,342,795 | 29 |
| 6 | Vermont | $75,355 | $44,000 | 623,657 | 24 |
| 7 | Illinois | $77,521 | $48,000 | 12,802,023 | 269 |
| 8 | North Dakota | $74,897 | $48,000 | 755,393 | 20 |
| 9 | Washington | $77,756 | $45,000 | 7,405,743 | 192 |
| 10 | New York | $77,366 | $47,000 | 19,849,399 | 732 |
| 11 | Minnesota | $78,018 | $49,000 | 5,576,606 | 117 |
| 12 | New Jersey | $77,051 | $47,000 | 9,005,644 | 189 |
| 13 | Maryland | $76,751 | $47,000 | 6,052,177 | 303 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $74,830 | $44,000 | 6,859,819 | 287 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $74,651 | $46,000 | 1,815,857 | 26 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $73,322 | $45,000 | 12,805,537 | 204 |
| 17 | Rhode Island | $72,174 | $43,000 | 1,059,639 | 24 |
| 18 | Nevada | $71,987 | $42,000 | 2,998,039 | 37 |
| 19 | Maine | $74,693 | $44,000 | 1,335,907 | 14 |
| 20 | Michigan | $70,798 | $43,000 | 9,962,311 | 123 |
| 21 | Idaho | $70,620 | $41,000 | 1,716,943 | 30 |
| 22 | New Mexico | $69,985 | $42,000 | 2,088,070 | 38 |
| 23 | Wyoming | $65,171 | $39,000 | 579,315 | 30 |
| 24 | Delaware | $71,733 | $44,000 | 961,939 | 20 |
| 25 | Texas | $68,364 | $41,000 | 28,304,596 | 396 |
| 26 | Ohio | $68,587 | $42,000 | 11,658,609 | 128 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $69,106 | $43,000 | 4,454,189 | 37 |
| 28 | Colorado | $68,333 | $42,000 | 5,607,154 | 121 |
| 29 | Hawaii | $60,812 | $50,000 | 1,427,538 | 20 |
| 30 | Utah | $65,049 | $38,000 | 3,101,833 | 73 |
| 31 | North Carolina | $65,531 | $40,000 | 10,273,419 | 201 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $65,517 | $41,000 | 6,715,984 | 86 |
| 33 | Arizona | $68,270 | $41,000 | 7,016,270 | 88 |
| 34 | Georgia | $67,908 | $42,000 | 10,429,379 | 164 |
| 35 | Florida | $66,674 | $41,000 | 20,984,400 | 285 |
| 36 | Oklahoma | $66,179 | $41,000 | 3,930,864 | 44 |
| 37 | Oregon | $55,117 | $32,000 | 4,142,776 | 173 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $64,640 | $40,000 | 3,004,279 | 35 |
| 39 | Alaska | $50,383 | $28,000 | 739,795 | 27 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $60,173 | $37,000 | 5,795,483 | 93 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $63,255 | $39,000 | 5,024,369 | 60 |
| 42 | Alabama | $61,767 | $38,000 | 4,874,747 | 50 |
| 43 | Montana | $49,965 | $30,000 | 1,050,493 | 23 |
| 44 | Missouri | $47,146 | $29,000 | 6,113,532 | 117 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $43,233 | $27,000 | 1,920,076 | 52 |
| 46 | Kansas | $49,265 | $31,000 | 2,913,123 | 45 |
| 47 | Indiana | $54,864 | $34,000 | 6,666,818 | 73 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $49,251 | $31,000 | 869,666 | 12 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $51,767 | $31,000 | 4,684,333 | 27 |
| 50 | Iowa | $48,236 | $30,000 | 3,145,711 | 46 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $44,542 | $27,000 | 2,984,100 | 16 |
Highest paying states for publishers
| Rank | State | Avg. Publisher Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $89,656 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $93,339 |
| 3 | Virginia | $78,776 |
| 4 | California | $85,312 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | $90,692 |
| 6 | Vermont | $75,355 |
| 7 | Illinois | $77,521 |
| 8 | North Dakota | $74,897 |
| 9 | Washington | $77,756 |
| 10 | New York | $77,366 |
| 11 | Minnesota | $78,018 |
| 12 | New Jersey | $77,051 |
| 13 | Maryland | $76,751 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $74,830 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $74,651 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $73,322 |
| 17 | Rhode Island | $72,174 |
| 18 | Nevada | $71,987 |
| 19 | Maine | $74,693 |
| 20 | Michigan | $70,798 |
| 21 | Idaho | $70,620 |
| 22 | New Mexico | $69,985 |
| 23 | Wyoming | $65,171 |
| 24 | Delaware | $71,733 |
| 25 | Texas | $68,364 |
| 26 | Ohio | $68,587 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $69,106 |
| 28 | Colorado | $68,333 |
| 29 | Hawaii | $60,812 |
| 30 | Utah | $65,049 |
| 31 | North Carolina | $65,531 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $65,517 |
| 33 | Arizona | $68,270 |
| 34 | Georgia | $67,908 |
| 35 | Florida | $66,674 |
| 36 | Oklahoma | $66,179 |
| 37 | Oregon | $55,117 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $64,640 |
| 39 | Alaska | $50,383 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $60,173 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $63,255 |
| 42 | Alabama | $61,767 |
| 43 | Montana | $49,965 |
| 44 | Missouri | $47,146 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $43,233 |
| 46 | Kansas | $49,265 |
| 47 | Indiana | $54,864 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $49,251 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $51,767 |
| 50 | Iowa | $48,236 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $44,542 |
Expert opinions on the best states for publishers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for publishers to find work opportunities?
Cristina Calhoon
Senior Career Instructor, Undergraduate Advisor, University of Oregon
The skills that Classics graduates learn (good communication skills; careful, clear, and well-organized oral and written presentation; research, comparison, and analysis of ancient sources; linguistic proficiency in more than one language) make them flexible and adaptable. Graduate school is the goal of many of our graduates, who complete law and medical degrees in prestigious programs throughout the nation.
Some also do very well in business school, where the breadth of their academic background, the adaptability of their skills, and their analytical and communication proficiency make them highly competitive with respect to graduates from strictly pre-professional programs.
In addition to occupations in all levels of education, academic research, and archeology, some Classics graduates have also established careers in management, public relations, fundraising, administration, as well as a library, archival, and museum work, while some have also created opportunities for themselves in computer occupations, arts, and media.
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Updated January 8, 2025