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Best states for a resident
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Do you want to become a resident at Mayo Clinic, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for residents that you can check out, before you begin your journey. Pay, benefits, and opportunities vary greatly by state, and it's no different for residents. We found that Connecticut is the best state in the nation for residents, and people in Grand Forks earn the most in the field.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for residents.We found that Connecticut is the best state for resident jobs, whereas Louisiana is the worst.
10 best states for residents in 2026
1. Connecticut
Total resident jobs: 130 Average annual salary: $69,107 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Location Quotient: 1.57
2. Washington
Total resident jobs: 250 Average annual salary: $66,412 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Location Quotient: 1.37
3. Oregon
Total resident jobs: 106 Average annual salary: $65,222 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Location Quotient: 1.03
4. North Dakota
Total resident jobs: 17 Average annual salary: $72,495 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $104,000 Location Quotient: 0.73
5. Alaska
Total resident jobs: 34 Average annual salary: $67,202 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Location Quotient: 1.63
6. Minnesota
Total resident jobs: 568 Average annual salary: $59,622 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Location Quotient: 3.43
7. New York
Total resident jobs: 397 Average annual salary: $64,466 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000 Location Quotient: 1.24
8. Massachusetts
Total resident jobs: 776 Average annual salary: $61,775 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Location Quotient: 3.38
9. Rhode Island
Total resident jobs: 26 Average annual salary: $62,827 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Location Quotient: 0.86
10. Idaho
Total resident jobs: 33 Average annual salary: $62,685 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000 Location Quotient: 0.81
Resident jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a resident
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a resident
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $69,107 | $48,000 | 3,588,184 | 130 |
| 2 | Washington | $66,412 | $45,000 | 7,405,743 | 250 |
| 3 | Oregon | $65,222 | $44,000 | 4,142,776 | 106 |
| 4 | North Dakota | $72,495 | $50,000 | 755,393 | 17 |
| 5 | Alaska | $67,202 | $55,000 | 739,795 | 34 |
| 6 | Minnesota | $59,622 | $40,000 | 5,576,606 | 568 |
| 7 | New York | $64,466 | $44,000 | 19,849,399 | 397 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $61,775 | $43,000 | 6,859,819 | 776 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $62,827 | $44,000 | 1,059,639 | 26 |
| 10 | Idaho | $62,685 | $42,000 | 1,716,943 | 33 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $59,518 | $40,000 | 12,805,537 | 335 |
| 12 | Illinois | $61,668 | $41,000 | 12,802,023 | 295 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $71,969 | $48,000 | 693,972 | 26 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | $56,470 | $38,000 | 5,795,483 | 221 |
| 15 | New Hampshire | $60,212 | $42,000 | 1,342,795 | 32 |
| 16 | Ohio | $56,519 | $37,000 | 11,658,609 | 260 |
| 17 | North Carolina | $57,309 | $38,000 | 10,273,419 | 150 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $59,425 | $41,000 | 9,005,644 | 166 |
| 19 | Maryland | $58,856 | $39,000 | 6,052,177 | 154 |
| 20 | Colorado | $57,239 | $38,000 | 5,607,154 | 134 |
| 21 | California | $60,643 | $40,000 | 39,536,653 | 497 |
| 22 | Hawaii | $63,669 | $52,000 | 1,427,538 | 21 |
| 23 | Arizona | $56,892 | $37,000 | 7,016,270 | 82 |
| 24 | Michigan | $51,337 | $34,000 | 9,962,311 | 298 |
| 25 | West Virginia | $55,804 | $37,000 | 1,815,857 | 13 |
| 26 | Delaware | $57,703 | $39,000 | 961,939 | 13 |
| 27 | Utah | $56,550 | $37,000 | 3,101,833 | 22 |
| 28 | Maine | $51,562 | $36,000 | 1,335,907 | 39 |
| 29 | Kentucky | $50,306 | $33,000 | 4,454,189 | 98 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $49,257 | $32,000 | 6,715,984 | 177 |
| 31 | Florida | $52,641 | $34,000 | 20,984,400 | 362 |
| 32 | Nebraska | $54,812 | $36,000 | 1,920,076 | 23 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $53,477 | $35,000 | 5,024,369 | 60 |
| 34 | Montana | $53,559 | $36,000 | 1,050,493 | 18 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $54,305 | $35,000 | 2,088,070 | 23 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $51,358 | $34,000 | 579,315 | 10 |
| 37 | Vermont | $54,464 | $38,000 | 623,657 | 9 |
| 38 | Virginia | $54,751 | $36,000 | 8,470,020 | 146 |
| 39 | Texas | $51,794 | $33,000 | 28,304,596 | 291 |
| 40 | Missouri | $50,044 | $33,000 | 6,113,532 | 92 |
| 41 | Iowa | $46,968 | $31,000 | 3,145,711 | 86 |
| 42 | Georgia | $48,678 | $32,000 | 10,429,379 | 217 |
| 43 | Alabama | $47,199 | $31,000 | 4,874,747 | 82 |
| 44 | Nevada | $50,294 | $33,000 | 2,998,039 | 27 |
| 45 | Kansas | $48,180 | $32,000 | 2,913,123 | 40 |
| 46 | Indiana | $43,973 | $29,000 | 6,666,818 | 148 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $45,770 | $31,000 | 869,666 | 15 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $46,174 | $30,000 | 3,930,864 | 46 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $40,278 | $26,000 | 2,984,100 | 25 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $43,395 | $28,000 | 3,004,279 | 15 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $39,756 | $26,000 | 4,684,333 | 22 |
Highest paying states for residents
| Rank | State | Avg. Resident Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $69,107 |
| 2 | Washington | $66,412 |
| 3 | Oregon | $65,222 |
| 4 | North Dakota | $72,495 |
| 5 | Alaska | $67,202 |
| 6 | Minnesota | $59,622 |
| 7 | New York | $64,466 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $61,775 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $62,827 |
| 10 | Idaho | $62,685 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $59,518 |
| 12 | Illinois | $61,668 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $71,969 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | $56,470 |
| 15 | New Hampshire | $60,212 |
| 16 | Ohio | $56,519 |
| 17 | North Carolina | $57,309 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $59,425 |
| 19 | Maryland | $58,856 |
| 20 | Colorado | $57,239 |
| 21 | California | $60,643 |
| 22 | Hawaii | $63,669 |
| 23 | Arizona | $56,892 |
| 24 | Michigan | $51,337 |
| 25 | West Virginia | $55,804 |
| 26 | Delaware | $57,703 |
| 27 | Utah | $56,550 |
| 28 | Maine | $51,562 |
| 29 | Kentucky | $50,306 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $49,257 |
| 31 | Florida | $52,641 |
| 32 | Nebraska | $54,812 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $53,477 |
| 34 | Montana | $53,559 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $54,305 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $51,358 |
| 37 | Vermont | $54,464 |
| 38 | Virginia | $54,751 |
| 39 | Texas | $51,794 |
| 40 | Missouri | $50,044 |
| 41 | Iowa | $46,968 |
| 42 | Georgia | $48,678 |
| 43 | Alabama | $47,199 |
| 44 | Nevada | $50,294 |
| 45 | Kansas | $48,180 |
| 46 | Indiana | $43,973 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $45,770 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $46,174 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $40,278 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $43,395 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $39,756 |
Resident best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025