Best states for a student athlete

Q: What is the best state for student athletes?

The best state to be a student athlete is New York based on student athlete salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for student athletes?

The highest paying state for student athletes is Wyoming based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for student athletes?

The worst state for student athletes is Georgia, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 51

Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for student athletes? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for student athlete 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.Although there are abundant student athlete jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the South. New York is the best state in the country for student athlete jobs.

We figured that the best places for student athlete jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.We found that New York is the best state for student athlete jobs, whereas Georgia is the worst.

10 best states for student athletes in 2025

1. New York
Total student athlete jobs: 330
Average annual salary: $69,180
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $122,000
Location Quotient:
1.68
Student athlete jobs in New York
2. Vermont
Total student athlete jobs: 19
Average annual salary: $64,714
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $116,000
Location Quotient:
1.62
Student athlete jobs in Vermont
3. Rhode Island
Total student athlete jobs: 28
Average annual salary: $61,183
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $109,000
Location Quotient:
1.5
Student athlete jobs in Rhode Island
4. Delaware
Total student athlete jobs: 44
Average annual salary: $56,059
Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000
Location Quotient:
2.29
Student athlete jobs in Delaware
5. Massachusetts
Total student athlete jobs: 126
Average annual salary: $66,088
Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000
Location Quotient:
0.9
Student athlete jobs in Massachusetts
6. Connecticut
Total student athlete jobs: 55
Average annual salary: $60,903
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $108,000
Location Quotient:
1.08
Student athlete jobs in Connecticut
7. Maine
Total student athlete jobs: 21
Average annual salary: $57,566
Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $103,000
Location Quotient:
1.03
Student athlete jobs in Maine
8. Oregon
Total student athlete jobs: 80
Average annual salary: $55,641
Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000
Location Quotient:
1.26
Student athlete jobs in Oregon
9. District of Columbia
Total student athlete jobs: 30
Average annual salary: $61,229
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $107,000
Location Quotient:
1.17
Student athlete jobs in District of Columbia
10. Nebraska
Total student athlete jobs: 49
Average annual salary: $50,416
Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000
Location Quotient:
1.44
Student athlete jobs in Nebraska

Student athlete jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a student athlete

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

Detailed list of the best states for a student athlete

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	New York	$69,180	$38,000	19,849,399	330
2	Vermont	$64,714	$35,000	623,657	19
3	Rhode Island	$61,183	$34,000	1,059,639	28
4	Delaware	$56,059	$31,000	961,939	44
5	Massachusetts	$66,088	$36,000	6,859,819	126
6	Connecticut	$60,903	$34,000	3,588,184	55
7	Maine	$57,566	$31,000	1,335,907	21
8	Oregon	$55,641	$31,000	4,142,776	80
9	District of Columbia	$61,229	$34,000	693,972	30
10	Nebraska	$50,416	$30,000	1,920,076	49
11	New Jersey	$59,950	$33,000	9,005,644	123
12	West Virginia	$62,288	$36,000	1,815,857	15
13	Pennsylvania	$54,533	$30,000	12,805,537	195
14	North Dakota	$48,040	$29,000	755,393	19
15	Minnesota	$55,616	$33,000	5,576,606	77
16	California	$59,429	$34,000	39,536,653	337
17	Mississippi	$46,674	$28,000	2,984,100	41
18	New Mexico	$48,981	$28,000	2,088,070	33
19	Hawaii	$53,352	$43,000	1,427,538	21
20	Arizona	$46,497	$27,000	7,016,270	122
21	Virginia	$52,041	$29,000	8,470,020	145
22	New Hampshire	$50,889	$28,000	1,342,795	22
23	Nevada	$51,050	$29,000	2,998,039	22
24	Washington	$48,368	$27,000	7,405,743	124
25	Alaska	$52,149	$29,000	739,795	2
26	Illinois	$46,029	$27,000	12,802,023	220
27	Michigan	$46,846	$27,000	9,962,311	93
28	Indiana	$44,247	$26,000	6,666,818	112
29	Louisiana	$46,738	$28,000	4,684,333	33
30	Texas	$46,546	$27,000	28,304,596	238
31	South Carolina	$45,834	$27,000	5,024,369	53
32	Tennessee	$39,437	$23,000	6,715,984	122
33	Alabama	$38,714	$23,000	4,874,747	93
34	Iowa	$38,008	$22,000	3,145,711	133
35	Missouri	$40,110	$23,000	6,113,532	111
36	Arkansas	$36,667	$21,000	3,004,279	72
37	Wisconsin	$41,592	$24,000	5,795,483	69
38	Ohio	$41,235	$23,000	11,658,609	123
39	Colorado	$43,534	$25,000	5,607,154	86
40	Idaho	$40,375	$23,000	1,716,943	24
41	North Carolina	$42,062	$24,000	10,273,419	94
42	Wyoming	$27,158	$16,000	579,315	22
43	Maryland	$43,609	$24,000	6,052,177	71
44	Kentucky	$35,095	$20,000	4,454,189	71
45	Oklahoma	$38,037	$22,000	3,930,864	44
46	Montana	$33,667	$19,000	1,050,493	23
47	Utah	$36,241	$20,000	3,101,833	48
48	Kansas	$28,123	$16,000	2,913,123	60
49	Florida	$38,458	$23,000	20,984,400	169
50	South Dakota	$33,367	$20,000	869,666	15
51	Georgia	$34,268	$20,000	10,429,379	95

Highest paying states for student athletes

Rank	State	Avg. Student Athlete Salary
1	New York	$69,180
2	Vermont	$64,714
3	Rhode Island	$61,183
4	Delaware	$56,059
5	Massachusetts	$66,088
6	Connecticut	$60,903
7	Maine	$57,566
8	Oregon	$55,641
9	District of Columbia	$61,229
10	Nebraska	$50,416
11	New Jersey	$59,950
12	West Virginia	$62,288
13	Pennsylvania	$54,533
14	North Dakota	$48,040
15	Minnesota	$55,616
16	California	$59,429
17	Mississippi	$46,674
18	New Mexico	$48,981
19	Hawaii	$53,352
20	Arizona	$46,497
21	Virginia	$52,041
22	New Hampshire	$50,889
23	Nevada	$51,050
24	Washington	$48,368
25	Alaska	$52,149
26	Illinois	$46,029
27	Michigan	$46,846
28	Indiana	$44,247
29	Louisiana	$46,738
30	Texas	$46,546
31	South Carolina	$45,834
32	Tennessee	$39,437
33	Alabama	$38,714
34	Iowa	$38,008
35	Missouri	$40,110
36	Arkansas	$36,667
37	Wisconsin	$41,592
38	Ohio	$41,235
39	Colorado	$43,534
40	Idaho	$40,375
41	North Carolina	$42,062
42	Wyoming	$27,158
43	Maryland	$43,609
44	Kentucky	$35,095
45	Oklahoma	$38,037
46	Montana	$33,667
47	Utah	$36,241
48	Kansas	$28,123
49	Florida	$38,458
50	South Dakota	$33,367
51	Georgia	$34,268

Student athlete best states FAQs

What is the best state for student athletes?

What is the highest paying state for student athletes?

What is the worst state for student athletes?

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Best states for Student Athletes

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total student athlete jobs:	330
Average annual salary:	$69,180
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$38,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$122,000
Location Quotient:	1.68

Best states for a student athlete

10 best states for student athletes in 2025

1. New York

2. Vermont

3. Rhode Island

4. Delaware

5. Massachusetts

6. Connecticut

7. Maine

8. Oregon

9. District of Columbia

10. Nebraska