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Best states for a substitute paraprofessional
Quoted expert
Terry Chvala
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to substitute paraprofessional jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. We wanted to look at the best states for substitute paraprofessionals -- where there are plenty of substitute paraprofessional jobs to go around and substitute paraprofessionals get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for substitute paraprofessionals. Nevada is the best state for substitute paraprofessionals, where the median salary is $28,126.We found that the South is best for substitute paraprofessionals, and the West is the worst. Pacifica, CA is the best city in the country for substitute paraprofessional jobs, where as Nevada is the best state in the country.
10 best states for substitute paraprofessionals in 2025
1. Nevada
Total substitute paraprofessional jobs: 404 Average annual salary: $28,126 Lowest 10 percent earn: $22,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Location Quotient: 2.16
2. New Mexico
Total substitute paraprofessional jobs: 235 Average annual salary: $28,651 Lowest 10 percent earn: $22,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Location Quotient: 1.34
3. Idaho
Total substitute paraprofessional jobs: 203 Average annual salary: $28,665 Lowest 10 percent earn: $22,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Location Quotient: 1.38
4. Indiana
Total substitute paraprofessional jobs: 520 Average annual salary: $30,210 Lowest 10 percent earn: $23,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Location Quotient: 0.88
5. Washington
Total substitute paraprofessional jobs: 528 Average annual salary: $32,454 Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Location Quotient: 0.81
6. Alaska
Total substitute paraprofessional jobs: 96 Average annual salary: $29,050 Lowest 10 percent earn: $24,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Location Quotient: 1.28
7. Vermont
Total substitute paraprofessional jobs: 119 Average annual salary: $28,003 Lowest 10 percent earn: $23,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Location Quotient: 1.73
8. New York
Total substitute paraprofessional jobs: 1,141 Average annual salary: $30,286 Lowest 10 percent earn: $24,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Location Quotient: 0.99
9. New Jersey
Total substitute paraprofessional jobs: 1,055 Average annual salary: $29,103 Lowest 10 percent earn: $23,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Location Quotient: 1.48
10. Arizona
Total substitute paraprofessional jobs: 1,078 Average annual salary: $27,308 Lowest 10 percent earn: $21,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Location Quotient: 2.06
Substitute paraprofessional jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a substitute paraprofessional
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a substitute paraprofessional
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $28,126 | $22,000 | 2,998,039 | 404 |
| 2 | New Mexico | $28,651 | $22,000 | 2,088,070 | 235 |
| 3 | Idaho | $28,665 | $22,000 | 1,716,943 | 203 |
| 4 | Indiana | $30,210 | $23,000 | 6,666,818 | 520 |
| 5 | Washington | $32,454 | $25,000 | 7,405,743 | 528 |
| 6 | Alaska | $29,050 | $24,000 | 739,795 | 96 |
| 7 | Vermont | $28,003 | $23,000 | 623,657 | 119 |
| 8 | New York | $30,286 | $24,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,141 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $29,103 | $23,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,055 |
| 10 | Arizona | $27,308 | $21,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,078 |
| 11 | Oregon | $29,948 | $24,000 | 4,142,776 | 299 |
| 12 | Nebraska | $27,464 | $21,000 | 1,920,076 | 210 |
| 13 | Ohio | $29,135 | $23,000 | 11,658,609 | 625 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $27,215 | $21,000 | 5,576,606 | 790 |
| 15 | North Dakota | $27,964 | $22,000 | 755,393 | 66 |
| 16 | Illinois | $27,101 | $21,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,495 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $29,749 | $24,000 | 6,859,819 | 601 |
| 18 | California | $30,446 | $24,000 | 39,536,653 | 2,289 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $27,420 | $22,000 | 3,588,184 | 661 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $27,163 | $22,000 | 1,059,639 | 101 |
| 21 | Texas | $27,498 | $21,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,568 |
| 22 | Montana | $26,333 | $20,000 | 1,050,493 | 158 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $26,089 | $20,000 | 12,805,537 | 917 |
| 24 | Kansas | $25,286 | $20,000 | 2,913,123 | 309 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $27,005 | $21,000 | 5,795,483 | 359 |
| 26 | Hawaii | $30,490 | $26,000 | 1,427,538 | 59 |
| 27 | Maine | $25,673 | $21,000 | 1,335,907 | 120 |
| 28 | New Hampshire | $25,231 | $20,000 | 1,342,795 | 280 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $24,448 | $19,000 | 579,315 | 97 |
| 30 | Michigan | $24,854 | $19,000 | 9,962,311 | 846 |
| 31 | District of Columbia | $28,679 | $22,000 | 693,972 | 111 |
| 32 | Colorado | $25,330 | $20,000 | 5,607,154 | 740 |
| 33 | Maryland | $26,461 | $20,000 | 6,052,177 | 746 |
| 34 | Utah | $26,300 | $20,000 | 3,101,833 | 179 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $25,015 | $19,000 | 869,666 | 74 |
| 36 | Missouri | $25,348 | $20,000 | 6,113,532 | 434 |
| 37 | Delaware | $24,029 | $19,000 | 961,939 | 165 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $24,268 | $19,000 | 3,004,279 | 196 |
| 39 | Mississippi | $24,403 | $19,000 | 2,984,100 | 167 |
| 40 | Iowa | $24,210 | $19,000 | 3,145,711 | 283 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $23,628 | $18,000 | 3,930,864 | 300 |
| 42 | North Carolina | $23,267 | $18,000 | 10,273,419 | 705 |
| 43 | West Virginia | $23,398 | $18,000 | 1,815,857 | 76 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $22,454 | $18,000 | 5,024,369 | 364 |
| 45 | Georgia | $23,636 | $19,000 | 10,429,379 | 669 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $22,553 | $18,000 | 4,684,333 | 250 |
| 47 | Kentucky | $23,527 | $18,000 | 4,454,189 | 225 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $22,685 | $18,000 | 6,715,984 | 423 |
| 49 | Virginia | $23,483 | $18,000 | 8,470,020 | 681 |
| 50 | Florida | $21,514 | $17,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,336 |
| 51 | Alabama | $22,585 | $18,000 | 4,874,747 | 248 |
Highest paying states for substitute paraprofessionals
| Rank | State | Avg. Substitute Paraprofessional Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $28,126 |
| 2 | New Mexico | $28,651 |
| 3 | Idaho | $28,665 |
| 4 | Indiana | $30,210 |
| 5 | Washington | $32,454 |
| 6 | Alaska | $29,050 |
| 7 | Vermont | $28,003 |
| 8 | New York | $30,286 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $29,103 |
| 10 | Arizona | $27,308 |
| 11 | Oregon | $29,948 |
| 12 | Nebraska | $27,464 |
| 13 | Ohio | $29,135 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $27,215 |
| 15 | North Dakota | $27,964 |
| 16 | Illinois | $27,101 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $29,749 |
| 18 | California | $30,446 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $27,420 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $27,163 |
| 21 | Texas | $27,498 |
| 22 | Montana | $26,333 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $26,089 |
| 24 | Kansas | $25,286 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $27,005 |
| 26 | Hawaii | $30,490 |
| 27 | Maine | $25,673 |
| 28 | New Hampshire | $25,231 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $24,448 |
| 30 | Michigan | $24,854 |
| 31 | District of Columbia | $28,679 |
| 32 | Colorado | $25,330 |
| 33 | Maryland | $26,461 |
| 34 | Utah | $26,300 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $25,015 |
| 36 | Missouri | $25,348 |
| 37 | Delaware | $24,029 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $24,268 |
| 39 | Mississippi | $24,403 |
| 40 | Iowa | $24,210 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $23,628 |
| 42 | North Carolina | $23,267 |
| 43 | West Virginia | $23,398 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $22,454 |
| 45 | Georgia | $23,636 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $22,553 |
| 47 | Kentucky | $23,527 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $22,685 |
| 49 | Virginia | $23,483 |
| 50 | Florida | $21,514 |
| 51 | Alabama | $22,585 |
Expert opinions on the best states for substitute paraprofessionals
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for substitute paraprofessionals to find work opportunities?
Terry Chvala
Senior Lecturer of Early Childhood Education, University of Houston-Clear Lake
Although oil & gas continue to suffer locally and regionally, there is still a growing trend that people continue to move to Texas. So this area continues to be a positive job market for educators and other industry. Most area school districts have become fairly competitive (with each other, but nowhere near northern and northeastern states and many others) on their starting teacher pay.
Substitute paraprofessional best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025