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Best states for a spotter
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for spotters? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for spotter jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.Our research found that Minnesota is the best state for spotters, while North Dakota and California are ranked highest in terms of median salary. Minnesota has a median salary of $45,711 and North Dakota has the highest median salary among all 50 states for spotters.
In order to get you the best states for spotters, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.Minnesota is the best state, and Grand Forks is the city with the highest pay for spotters.
10 best states for spotters in 2025
1. Minnesota
Total spotter jobs: 9 Average annual salary: $45,711 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Location Quotient: 2.3
2. Illinois
Total spotter jobs: 21 Average annual salary: $44,536 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Location Quotient: 2.99
3. Wisconsin
Total spotter jobs: 3 Average annual salary: $45,374 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Location Quotient: 0.92
4. North Dakota
Total spotter jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $51,211 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Location Quotient: 0
5. Pennsylvania
Total spotter jobs: 9 Average annual salary: $41,187 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Location Quotient: 1.32
6. New York
Total spotter jobs: 8 Average annual salary: $45,705 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
7. Ohio
Total spotter jobs: 10 Average annual salary: $39,988 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Location Quotient: 1.66
8. Alaska
Total spotter jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $46,082 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Location Quotient: 0
9. Vermont
Total spotter jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $44,947 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Location Quotient: 0
10. Connecticut
Total spotter jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $46,176 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Location Quotient: 0
Spotter jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a spotter
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a spotter
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota | $45,711 | $34,000 | 5,576,606 | 9 |
| 2 | Illinois | $44,536 | $33,000 | 12,802,023 | 21 |
| 3 | Wisconsin | $45,374 | $34,000 | 5,795,483 | 3 |
| 4 | North Dakota | $51,211 | $39,000 | 755,393 | 0 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | $41,187 | $29,000 | 12,805,537 | 9 |
| 6 | New York | $45,705 | $32,000 | 19,849,399 | 8 |
| 7 | Ohio | $39,988 | $29,000 | 11,658,609 | 10 |
| 8 | Alaska | $46,082 | $34,000 | 739,795 | 0 |
| 9 | Vermont | $44,947 | $33,000 | 623,657 | 0 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $46,176 | $32,000 | 3,588,184 | 0 |
| 11 | Nebraska | $43,462 | $32,000 | 1,920,076 | 0 |
| 12 | California | $47,883 | $32,000 | 39,536,653 | 8 |
| 13 | Michigan | $40,200 | $29,000 | 9,962,311 | 5 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $45,682 | $32,000 | 6,859,819 | 0 |
| 15 | Washington | $43,004 | $29,000 | 7,405,743 | 3 |
| 16 | Iowa | $41,822 | $31,000 | 3,145,711 | 1 |
| 17 | Delaware | $39,715 | $27,000 | 961,939 | 2 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $40,672 | $28,000 | 9,005,644 | 6 |
| 19 | Montana | $37,950 | $28,000 | 1,050,493 | 2 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $39,449 | $28,000 | 1,342,795 | 1 |
| 21 | Idaho | $38,052 | $27,000 | 1,716,943 | 2 |
| 22 | Maine | $41,351 | $31,000 | 1,335,907 | 0 |
| 23 | Rhode Island | $40,609 | $28,000 | 1,059,639 | 0 |
| 24 | Arizona | $38,649 | $26,000 | 7,016,270 | 4 |
| 25 | Indiana | $36,148 | $27,000 | 6,666,818 | 6 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $36,121 | $26,000 | 1,815,857 | 1 |
| 27 | Maryland | $39,940 | $28,000 | 6,052,177 | 3 |
| 28 | Nevada | $36,418 | $24,000 | 2,998,039 | 2 |
| 29 | South Dakota | $38,033 | $28,000 | 869,666 | 0 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $37,786 | $28,000 | 579,315 | 0 |
| 31 | Oregon | $38,970 | $26,000 | 4,142,776 | 1 |
| 32 | Hawaii | $41,026 | $32,000 | 1,427,538 | 0 |
| 33 | Missouri | $36,850 | $27,000 | 6,113,532 | 2 |
| 34 | Utah | $32,960 | $23,000 | 3,101,833 | 4 |
| 35 | Kentucky | $33,936 | $25,000 | 4,454,189 | 2 |
| 36 | Kansas | $33,701 | $25,000 | 2,913,123 | 2 |
| 37 | Alabama | $33,062 | $24,000 | 4,874,747 | 3 |
| 38 | Colorado | $37,164 | $27,000 | 5,607,154 | 0 |
| 39 | Mississippi | $30,312 | $22,000 | 2,984,100 | 4 |
| 40 | District of Columbia | $38,671 | $27,000 | 693,972 | 0 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $33,532 | $24,000 | 10,273,419 | 4 |
| 42 | Georgia | $31,162 | $23,000 | 10,429,379 | 13 |
| 43 | Virginia | $35,388 | $25,000 | 8,470,020 | 2 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $31,989 | $24,000 | 3,930,864 | 1 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $31,157 | $22,000 | 2,088,070 | 1 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $30,488 | $23,000 | 3,004,279 | 1 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $28,813 | $21,000 | 6,715,984 | 4 |
| 48 | Florida | $30,810 | $22,000 | 20,984,400 | 8 |
| 49 | Texas | $30,360 | $22,000 | 28,304,596 | 8 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $30,620 | $22,000 | 5,024,369 | 1 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $27,008 | $20,000 | 4,684,333 | 1 |
Highest paying states for spotters
| Rank | State | Avg. Spotter Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota | $45,711 |
| 2 | Illinois | $44,536 |
| 3 | Wisconsin | $45,374 |
| 4 | North Dakota | $51,211 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | $41,187 |
| 6 | New York | $45,705 |
| 7 | Ohio | $39,988 |
| 8 | Alaska | $46,082 |
| 9 | Vermont | $44,947 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $46,176 |
| 11 | Nebraska | $43,462 |
| 12 | California | $47,883 |
| 13 | Michigan | $40,200 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $45,682 |
| 15 | Washington | $43,004 |
| 16 | Iowa | $41,822 |
| 17 | Delaware | $39,715 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $40,672 |
| 19 | Montana | $37,950 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $39,449 |
| 21 | Idaho | $38,052 |
| 22 | Maine | $41,351 |
| 23 | Rhode Island | $40,609 |
| 24 | Arizona | $38,649 |
| 25 | Indiana | $36,148 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $36,121 |
| 27 | Maryland | $39,940 |
| 28 | Nevada | $36,418 |
| 29 | South Dakota | $38,033 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $37,786 |
| 31 | Oregon | $38,970 |
| 32 | Hawaii | $41,026 |
| 33 | Missouri | $36,850 |
| 34 | Utah | $32,960 |
| 35 | Kentucky | $33,936 |
| 36 | Kansas | $33,701 |
| 37 | Alabama | $33,062 |
| 38 | Colorado | $37,164 |
| 39 | Mississippi | $30,312 |
| 40 | District of Columbia | $38,671 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $33,532 |
| 42 | Georgia | $31,162 |
| 43 | Virginia | $35,388 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $31,989 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $31,157 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $30,488 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $28,813 |
| 48 | Florida | $30,810 |
| 49 | Texas | $30,360 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $30,620 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $27,008 |
Spotter best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025