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Best states for a support specialist
Quoted expert
Kathleen Riley
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Do you want to become a support specialist at J. C. Penney, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for support specialists that you can check out, before you begin your journey. Our research found that New Mexico is the best state for support specialists, while New York and New Jersey are ranked highest in terms of median salary. New Mexico has a median salary of $48,429 and New York has the highest median salary among all 50 states for support specialists.
In order to get you the best states for support specialists, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.We found that the Midwest is best for support specialists, and the South is the worst. New York, NY is the best city in the country for support specialist jobs, where as New Mexico is the best state in the country.
10 best states for support specialists in 2026
1. New Mexico
Total support specialist jobs: 380 Average annual salary: $48,429 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Location Quotient: 1.3
2. District of Columbia
Total support specialist jobs: 429 Average annual salary: $51,691 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Location Quotient: 1.71
3. California
Total support specialist jobs: 5,328 Average annual salary: $51,825 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Location Quotient: 1.22
4. New York
Total support specialist jobs: 1,748 Average annual salary: $53,126 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Location Quotient: 0.91
5. Nevada
Total support specialist jobs: 417 Average annual salary: $43,771 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Location Quotient: 1.34
6. Delaware
Total support specialist jobs: 164 Average annual salary: $51,496 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Location Quotient: 0.88
7. Maryland
Total support specialist jobs: 1,053 Average annual salary: $49,263 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Location Quotient: 1.11
8. Virginia
Total support specialist jobs: 1,574 Average annual salary: $47,827 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Location Quotient: 1.12
9. Oklahoma
Total support specialist jobs: 532 Average annual salary: $43,217 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Location Quotient: 1.16
10. New Jersey
Total support specialist jobs: 903 Average annual salary: $52,824 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Location Quotient: 0.76
Support specialist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a support specialist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a support specialist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | $48,429 | $30,000 | 2,088,070 | 380 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $51,691 | $31,000 | 693,972 | 429 |
| 3 | California | $51,825 | $32,000 | 39,536,653 | 5,328 |
| 4 | New York | $53,126 | $31,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,748 |
| 5 | Nevada | $43,771 | $28,000 | 2,998,039 | 417 |
| 6 | Delaware | $51,496 | $31,000 | 961,939 | 164 |
| 7 | Maryland | $49,263 | $30,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,053 |
| 8 | Virginia | $47,827 | $29,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,574 |
| 9 | Oklahoma | $43,217 | $28,000 | 3,930,864 | 532 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $52,824 | $31,000 | 9,005,644 | 903 |
| 11 | Texas | $44,762 | $27,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,620 |
| 12 | Alabama | $41,979 | $26,000 | 4,874,747 | 652 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $43,069 | $26,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,561 |
| 14 | Illinois | $45,460 | $30,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,466 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | $44,995 | $27,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,287 |
| 16 | Michigan | $38,957 | $25,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,574 |
| 17 | Georgia | $44,594 | $27,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,219 |
| 18 | Mississippi | $39,484 | $24,000 | 2,984,100 | 396 |
| 19 | Nebraska | $40,157 | $27,000 | 1,920,076 | 348 |
| 20 | Arizona | $41,759 | $26,000 | 7,016,270 | 858 |
| 21 | Washington | $38,793 | $27,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,438 |
| 22 | Connecticut | $45,184 | $27,000 | 3,588,184 | 359 |
| 23 | South Carolina | $39,654 | $24,000 | 5,024,369 | 773 |
| 24 | Rhode Island | $42,090 | $25,000 | 1,059,639 | 153 |
| 25 | Ohio | $40,306 | $26,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,123 |
| 26 | South Dakota | $35,978 | $25,000 | 869,666 | 227 |
| 27 | Hawaii | $37,936 | $28,000 | 1,427,538 | 189 |
| 28 | Florida | $41,310 | $25,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,118 |
| 29 | Kansas | $36,006 | $24,000 | 2,913,123 | 613 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $39,615 | $25,000 | 1,815,857 | 151 |
| 31 | Wyoming | $37,216 | $26,000 | 579,315 | 98 |
| 32 | Utah | $36,370 | $25,000 | 3,101,833 | 562 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $39,021 | $26,000 | 5,795,483 | 690 |
| 34 | Kentucky | $35,697 | $23,000 | 4,454,189 | 718 |
| 35 | Louisiana | $37,805 | $23,000 | 4,684,333 | 526 |
| 36 | Tennessee | $37,935 | $24,000 | 6,715,984 | 697 |
| 37 | Colorado | $38,667 | $26,000 | 5,607,154 | 789 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $34,522 | $22,000 | 3,004,279 | 493 |
| 39 | Oregon | $36,988 | $25,000 | 4,142,776 | 669 |
| 40 | Alaska | $32,804 | $28,000 | 739,795 | 135 |
| 41 | Indiana | $37,485 | $24,000 | 6,666,818 | 732 |
| 42 | North Carolina | $38,069 | $23,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,203 |
| 43 | Iowa | $35,231 | $24,000 | 3,145,711 | 534 |
| 44 | Missouri | $34,138 | $22,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,128 |
| 45 | North Dakota | $32,728 | $24,000 | 755,393 | 154 |
| 46 | Montana | $32,807 | $24,000 | 1,050,493 | 197 |
| 47 | Minnesota | $36,229 | $25,000 | 5,576,606 | 855 |
| 48 | Idaho | $34,318 | $24,000 | 1,716,943 | 247 |
| 49 | Vermont | $34,463 | $22,000 | 623,657 | 113 |
| 50 | Maine | $31,481 | $21,000 | 1,335,907 | 215 |
| 51 | New Hampshire | $32,664 | $20,000 | 1,342,795 | 229 |
Highest paying states for support specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. Support Specialist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | $48,429 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $51,691 |
| 3 | California | $51,825 |
| 4 | New York | $53,126 |
| 5 | Nevada | $43,771 |
| 6 | Delaware | $51,496 |
| 7 | Maryland | $49,263 |
| 8 | Virginia | $47,827 |
| 9 | Oklahoma | $43,217 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $52,824 |
| 11 | Texas | $44,762 |
| 12 | Alabama | $41,979 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $43,069 |
| 14 | Illinois | $45,460 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | $44,995 |
| 16 | Michigan | $38,957 |
| 17 | Georgia | $44,594 |
| 18 | Mississippi | $39,484 |
| 19 | Nebraska | $40,157 |
| 20 | Arizona | $41,759 |
| 21 | Washington | $38,793 |
| 22 | Connecticut | $45,184 |
| 23 | South Carolina | $39,654 |
| 24 | Rhode Island | $42,090 |
| 25 | Ohio | $40,306 |
| 26 | South Dakota | $35,978 |
| 27 | Hawaii | $37,936 |
| 28 | Florida | $41,310 |
| 29 | Kansas | $36,006 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $39,615 |
| 31 | Wyoming | $37,216 |
| 32 | Utah | $36,370 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $39,021 |
| 34 | Kentucky | $35,697 |
| 35 | Louisiana | $37,805 |
| 36 | Tennessee | $37,935 |
| 37 | Colorado | $38,667 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $34,522 |
| 39 | Oregon | $36,988 |
| 40 | Alaska | $32,804 |
| 41 | Indiana | $37,485 |
| 42 | North Carolina | $38,069 |
| 43 | Iowa | $35,231 |
| 44 | Missouri | $34,138 |
| 45 | North Dakota | $32,728 |
| 46 | Montana | $32,807 |
| 47 | Minnesota | $36,229 |
| 48 | Idaho | $34,318 |
| 49 | Vermont | $34,463 |
| 50 | Maine | $31,481 |
| 51 | New Hampshire | $32,664 |
Expert opinions on the best states for support specialists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for support specialists to find work opportunities?
Kathleen Riley
Professor, American University
My computer science students from the class of 2020 had a variety of experiences when they entered the job market after graduation. Those who had already signed on at companies like Amazon or Google, whose business stayed strong during the pandemic and whose workplace models adjusted easily to remote work, had a relatively easy time starting their industry jobs. Others, especially those who had planned to work for companies whose business depended on clients or industries which suffered under the pandemic, saw delays, changes in their work plans, and even cancellations of contracts; several found themselves job hunting again over the summer, interviewing remotely and having to assess companies without setting foot outside their own home. Fortunately, there are still a lot of jobs out there for Computer Science graduates, and most of the students I know have found other placements or are well into that process.
We all know about the abundance of computer science opportunities in the Silicon Valley, the Dulles Technology corridor, and other tech hubs, but there is also an abundance of computer science opportunities in large and small cities throughout the country. In addition to businesses whose focus or products are technology-related, many other businesses have significant technology and computer science needs that are provided in-house, and those who thrive and survive will continue to hire.
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Updated January 8, 2025