Best states for a retention specialist

Q: What is the best state for retention specialists?

The best state to be a retention specialist is Arizona based on retention specialist salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for retention specialists?

The highest paying state for retention specialists is Alabama based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for retention specialists?

The worst state for retention specialists is Alabama, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for retention specialists in the United States. Retention specialist positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for retention specialists.As retention specialists are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for retention specialists. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a retention specialist, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.

To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for retention specialists. Arizona is the best state for retention specialists, where the median salary is $38,472.If you are currently seeking employment as a retention specialist, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for retention specialists in 2026

1. Arizona
Total retention specialist jobs: 1,888
Average annual salary: $38,472
Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Location Quotient:
1.6
Retention specialist jobs in Arizona
2. Wyoming
Total retention specialist jobs: 137
Average annual salary: $39,324
Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Location Quotient:
1.14
Retention specialist jobs in Wyoming
3. New Mexico
Total retention specialist jobs: 457
Average annual salary: $37,003
Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Location Quotient:
1.16
Retention specialist jobs in New Mexico
4. California
Total retention specialist jobs: 4,372
Average annual salary: $48,485
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $68,000
Location Quotient:
0.74
Retention specialist jobs in California
5. Massachusetts
Total retention specialist jobs: 1,580
Average annual salary: $42,506
Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $56,000
Location Quotient:
0.85
Retention specialist jobs in Massachusetts
6. Iowa
Total retention specialist jobs: 916
Average annual salary: $35,535
Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $45,000
Location Quotient:
1.25
Retention specialist jobs in Iowa
7. Delaware
Total retention specialist jobs: 266
Average annual salary: $38,465
Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $54,000
Location Quotient:
1.05
Retention specialist jobs in Delaware
8. Alaska
Total retention specialist jobs: 116
Average annual salary: $43,673
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Location Quotient:
0.69
Retention specialist jobs in Alaska
9. Maryland
Total retention specialist jobs: 972
Average annual salary: $43,889
Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $61,000
Location Quotient:
0.76
Retention specialist jobs in Maryland
10. Arkansas
Total retention specialist jobs: 532
Average annual salary: $35,884
Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Location Quotient:
1.01
Retention specialist jobs in Arkansas

Retention specialist jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a retention specialist

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a retention specialist

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Arizona	$38,472	$28,000	7,016,270	1,888
2	Wyoming	$39,324	$30,000	579,315	137
3	New Mexico	$37,003	$27,000	2,088,070	457
4	California	$48,485	$34,000	39,536,653	4,372
5	Massachusetts	$42,506	$32,000	6,859,819	1,580
6	Iowa	$35,535	$27,000	3,145,711	916
7	Delaware	$38,465	$27,000	961,939	266
8	Alaska	$43,673	$37,000	739,795	116
9	Maryland	$43,889	$31,000	6,052,177	972
10	Arkansas	$35,884	$27,000	3,004,279	532
11	New York	$41,520	$29,000	19,849,399	2,314
12	Oregon	$39,444	$29,000	4,142,776	714
13	Vermont	$36,540	$28,000	623,657	182
14	Minnesota	$37,421	$29,000	5,576,606	1,308
15	Ohio	$34,835	$26,000	11,658,609	2,288
16	Nevada	$35,113	$25,000	2,998,039	568
17	Wisconsin	$35,127	$27,000	5,795,483	1,234
18	Texas	$35,573	$26,000	28,304,596	4,724
19	New Hampshire	$35,906	$27,000	1,342,795	398
20	Florida	$35,880	$25,000	20,984,400	4,154
21	Nebraska	$36,307	$27,000	1,920,076	398
22	Maine	$34,504	$27,000	1,335,907	436
23	Montana	$36,322	$28,000	1,050,493	237
24	Connecticut	$38,962	$28,000	3,588,184	547
25	Pennsylvania	$35,279	$25,000	12,805,537	2,283
26	Missouri	$36,479	$27,000	6,113,532	1,078
27	Tennessee	$34,017	$25,000	6,715,984	1,235
28	Colorado	$37,853	$28,000	5,607,154	1,077
29	North Dakota	$34,410	$27,000	755,393	184
30	Virginia	$38,275	$27,000	8,470,020	1,612
31	Washington	$37,937	$29,000	7,405,743	1,046
32	Kansas	$35,272	$26,000	2,913,123	542
33	District of Columbia	$40,886	$29,000	693,972	159
34	Kentucky	$33,330	$25,000	4,454,189	799
35	Illinois	$35,229	$27,000	12,802,023	2,409
36	North Carolina	$33,926	$25,000	10,273,419	2,028
37	Michigan	$33,419	$25,000	9,962,311	1,691
38	Indiana	$32,769	$25,000	6,666,818	1,426
39	Georgia	$33,813	$25,000	10,429,379	2,126
40	New Jersey	$36,543	$25,000	9,005,644	1,293
41	Rhode Island	$34,509	$25,000	1,059,639	211
42	Utah	$31,932	$24,000	3,101,833	753
43	Mississippi	$31,939	$23,000	2,984,100	472
44	Hawaii	$30,479	$25,000	1,427,538	209
45	Louisiana	$31,387	$22,000	4,684,333	807
46	Idaho	$32,319	$24,000	1,716,943	342
47	South Carolina	$30,706	$23,000	5,024,369	1,013
48	West Virginia	$29,985	$22,000	1,815,857	313
49	South Dakota	$29,703	$23,000	869,666	205
50	Oklahoma	$30,346	$22,000	3,930,864	601
51	Alabama	$29,091	$21,000	4,874,747	855

Highest paying states for retention specialists

Rank	State	Avg. Retention Specialist Salary
1	Arizona	$38,472
2	Wyoming	$39,324
3	New Mexico	$37,003
4	California	$48,485
5	Massachusetts	$42,506
6	Iowa	$35,535
7	Delaware	$38,465
8	Alaska	$43,673
9	Maryland	$43,889
10	Arkansas	$35,884
11	New York	$41,520
12	Oregon	$39,444
13	Vermont	$36,540
14	Minnesota	$37,421
15	Ohio	$34,835
16	Nevada	$35,113
17	Wisconsin	$35,127
18	Texas	$35,573
19	New Hampshire	$35,906
20	Florida	$35,880
21	Nebraska	$36,307
22	Maine	$34,504
23	Montana	$36,322
24	Connecticut	$38,962
25	Pennsylvania	$35,279
26	Missouri	$36,479
27	Tennessee	$34,017
28	Colorado	$37,853
29	North Dakota	$34,410
30	Virginia	$38,275
31	Washington	$37,937
32	Kansas	$35,272
33	District of Columbia	$40,886
34	Kentucky	$33,330
35	Illinois	$35,229
36	North Carolina	$33,926
37	Michigan	$33,419
38	Indiana	$32,769
39	Georgia	$33,813
40	New Jersey	$36,543
41	Rhode Island	$34,509
42	Utah	$31,932
43	Mississippi	$31,939
44	Hawaii	$30,479
45	Louisiana	$31,387
46	Idaho	$32,319
47	South Carolina	$30,706
48	West Virginia	$29,985
49	South Dakota	$29,703
50	Oklahoma	$30,346
51	Alabama	$29,091

Retention specialist best states FAQs

What is the best state for retention specialists?

What is the highest paying state for retention specialists?

What is the worst state for retention specialists?

Have more questions? See all answers to common office and administrative questions.

Search for retention specialist jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs

Total retention specialist jobs:	1,888
Average annual salary:	$38,472
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$28,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$52,000
Location Quotient:	1.6

Best states for a retention specialist

10 best states for retention specialists in 2026

1. Arizona

2. Wyoming

3. New Mexico

4. California

5. Massachusetts

6. Iowa

7. Delaware

8. Alaska

9. Maryland

10. Arkansas