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Best states for a retail buyer
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Retail buyer opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for retail buyers, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for retail buyers.In fact, our research shows that Michigan is the best state for retail buyers in America. The best city in America for retail buyers with the highest pay is Edison, NJ.
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 retail buyers.We found that Michigan is the best state for retail buyer jobs, whereas Hawaii is the worst.
10 best states for retail buyers in 2026
1. Michigan
Total retail buyer jobs: 1,392 Average annual salary: $55,743 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Location Quotient: 1.54
2. Iowa
Total retail buyer jobs: 535 Average annual salary: $55,402 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Location Quotient: 1.26
3. Illinois
Total retail buyer jobs: 1,607 Average annual salary: $56,507 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Location Quotient: 1.15
4. Ohio
Total retail buyer jobs: 1,149 Average annual salary: $57,853 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $84,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
5. New Jersey
Total retail buyer jobs: 830 Average annual salary: $61,570 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $90,000 Location Quotient: 0.89
6. Pennsylvania
Total retail buyer jobs: 1,190 Average annual salary: $56,453 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Location Quotient: 0.87
7. Indiana
Total retail buyer jobs: 980 Average annual salary: $51,083 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Location Quotient: 1.28
8. Delaware
Total retail buyer jobs: 122 Average annual salary: $58,009 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Location Quotient: 0.83
9. Connecticut
Total retail buyer jobs: 405 Average annual salary: $56,381 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Location Quotient: 1.05
10. New Hampshire
Total retail buyer jobs: 256 Average annual salary: $52,464 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Location Quotient: 1.25
Retail buyer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a retail buyer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a retail buyer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | $55,743 | $38,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,392 |
| 2 | Iowa | $55,402 | $39,000 | 3,145,711 | 535 |
| 3 | Illinois | $56,507 | $39,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,607 |
| 4 | Ohio | $57,853 | $39,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,149 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $61,570 | $41,000 | 9,005,644 | 830 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $56,453 | $38,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,190 |
| 7 | Indiana | $51,083 | $35,000 | 6,666,818 | 980 |
| 8 | Delaware | $58,009 | $39,000 | 961,939 | 122 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $56,381 | $38,000 | 3,588,184 | 405 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $52,464 | $36,000 | 1,342,795 | 256 |
| 11 | Mississippi | $50,176 | $35,000 | 2,984,100 | 328 |
| 12 | Arkansas | $50,275 | $35,000 | 3,004,279 | 350 |
| 13 | New York | $59,122 | $40,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,159 |
| 14 | Vermont | $51,024 | $36,000 | 623,657 | 117 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $55,047 | $38,000 | 1,059,639 | 92 |
| 16 | Kansas | $53,340 | $37,000 | 2,913,123 | 307 |
| 17 | North Carolina | $52,050 | $35,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,136 |
| 18 | Massachusetts | $53,865 | $37,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,141 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $51,853 | $37,000 | 5,576,606 | 786 |
| 20 | Wyoming | $49,112 | $35,000 | 579,315 | 91 |
| 21 | Nebraska | $51,885 | $37,000 | 1,920,076 | 215 |
| 22 | Missouri | $51,795 | $36,000 | 6,113,532 | 623 |
| 23 | Alabama | $48,922 | $34,000 | 4,874,747 | 575 |
| 24 | North Dakota | $49,089 | $35,000 | 755,393 | 119 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $48,689 | $34,000 | 6,715,984 | 707 |
| 26 | Utah | $50,233 | $36,000 | 3,101,833 | 351 |
| 27 | Virginia | $53,365 | $36,000 | 8,470,020 | 881 |
| 28 | Maryland | $54,043 | $36,000 | 6,052,177 | 658 |
| 29 | District of Columbia | $57,276 | $38,000 | 693,972 | 41 |
| 30 | South Dakota | $49,439 | $35,000 | 869,666 | 88 |
| 31 | Florida | $48,483 | $33,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,067 |
| 32 | Alaska | $50,914 | $43,000 | 739,795 | 90 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $49,074 | $33,000 | 5,024,369 | 463 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $47,946 | $33,000 | 5,795,483 | 636 |
| 35 | Idaho | $47,736 | $34,000 | 1,716,943 | 212 |
| 36 | Nevada | $49,880 | $34,000 | 2,998,039 | 164 |
| 37 | West Virginia | $45,882 | $31,000 | 1,815,857 | 182 |
| 38 | Montana | $48,563 | $35,000 | 1,050,493 | 123 |
| 39 | Georgia | $47,488 | $32,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,296 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $44,323 | $30,000 | 4,454,189 | 657 |
| 41 | Oregon | $48,433 | $34,000 | 4,142,776 | 472 |
| 42 | Maine | $46,412 | $33,000 | 1,335,907 | 175 |
| 43 | Washington | $48,759 | $35,000 | 7,405,743 | 801 |
| 44 | New Mexico | $48,428 | $34,000 | 2,088,070 | 195 |
| 45 | Arizona | $46,485 | $32,000 | 7,016,270 | 766 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $45,625 | $31,000 | 4,684,333 | 392 |
| 47 | California | $46,578 | $31,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,268 |
| 48 | Colorado | $41,554 | $30,000 | 5,607,154 | 878 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $46,314 | $33,000 | 3,930,864 | 270 |
| 50 | Texas | $43,596 | $30,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,996 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $37,346 | $29,000 | 1,427,538 | 58 |
Highest paying states for retail buyers
| Rank | State | Avg. Retail Buyer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | $55,743 |
| 2 | Iowa | $55,402 |
| 3 | Illinois | $56,507 |
| 4 | Ohio | $57,853 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $61,570 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $56,453 |
| 7 | Indiana | $51,083 |
| 8 | Delaware | $58,009 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $56,381 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $52,464 |
| 11 | Mississippi | $50,176 |
| 12 | Arkansas | $50,275 |
| 13 | New York | $59,122 |
| 14 | Vermont | $51,024 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $55,047 |
| 16 | Kansas | $53,340 |
| 17 | North Carolina | $52,050 |
| 18 | Massachusetts | $53,865 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $51,853 |
| 20 | Wyoming | $49,112 |
| 21 | Nebraska | $51,885 |
| 22 | Missouri | $51,795 |
| 23 | Alabama | $48,922 |
| 24 | North Dakota | $49,089 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $48,689 |
| 26 | Utah | $50,233 |
| 27 | Virginia | $53,365 |
| 28 | Maryland | $54,043 |
| 29 | District of Columbia | $57,276 |
| 30 | South Dakota | $49,439 |
| 31 | Florida | $48,483 |
| 32 | Alaska | $50,914 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $49,074 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $47,946 |
| 35 | Idaho | $47,736 |
| 36 | Nevada | $49,880 |
| 37 | West Virginia | $45,882 |
| 38 | Montana | $48,563 |
| 39 | Georgia | $47,488 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $44,323 |
| 41 | Oregon | $48,433 |
| 42 | Maine | $46,412 |
| 43 | Washington | $48,759 |
| 44 | New Mexico | $48,428 |
| 45 | Arizona | $46,485 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $45,625 |
| 47 | California | $46,578 |
| 48 | Colorado | $41,554 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $46,314 |
| 50 | Texas | $43,596 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $37,346 |
Retail buyer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025