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Best states for a tattoo artist
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Job opportunities vary from state to state, and personal care and attendants careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to tattoo artist jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for tattoo artists.As tattoo artists are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for tattoo artists. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a tattoo artist, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for tattoo artists.California is the best state, and Easton is the city with the highest pay for tattoo artists.
10 best states for tattoo artists in 2026
1. California
Total tattoo artist jobs: 335 Average annual salary: $63,870 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Location Quotient: 2.58
2. New York
Total tattoo artist jobs: 67 Average annual salary: $64,522 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $134,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
3. Wisconsin
Total tattoo artist jobs: 61 Average annual salary: $55,855 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $104,000 Location Quotient: 2.49
4. New Hampshire
Total tattoo artist jobs: 10 Average annual salary: $58,088 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000 Location Quotient: 1.29
5. Massachusetts
Total tattoo artist jobs: 22 Average annual salary: $64,311 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Location Quotient: 0.54
6. Indiana
Total tattoo artist jobs: 56 Average annual salary: $54,026 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $104,000 Location Quotient: 1.92
7. Pennsylvania
Total tattoo artist jobs: 15 Average annual salary: $68,769 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000 Location Quotient: 0.29
8. Alaska
Total tattoo artist jobs: 1 Average annual salary: $66,941 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Location Quotient: 0.27
9. Maine
Total tattoo artist jobs: 3 Average annual salary: $59,334 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000 Location Quotient: 0.51
10. Delaware
Total tattoo artist jobs: 3 Average annual salary: $60,773 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 0.54
Tattoo artist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a tattoo artist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a tattoo artist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $63,870 | $30,000 | 39,536,653 | 335 |
| 2 | New York | $64,522 | $31,000 | 19,849,399 | 67 |
| 3 | Wisconsin | $55,855 | $29,000 | 5,795,483 | 61 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $58,088 | $27,000 | 1,342,795 | 10 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $64,311 | $31,000 | 6,859,819 | 22 |
| 6 | Indiana | $54,026 | $27,000 | 6,666,818 | 56 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | $68,769 | $33,000 | 12,805,537 | 15 |
| 8 | Alaska | $66,941 | $33,000 | 739,795 | 1 |
| 9 | Maine | $59,334 | $29,000 | 1,335,907 | 3 |
| 10 | Delaware | $60,773 | $29,000 | 961,939 | 3 |
| 11 | Maryland | $57,562 | $27,000 | 6,052,177 | 41 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $61,393 | $29,000 | 1,059,639 | 1 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $61,920 | $29,000 | 3,588,184 | 4 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $54,089 | $26,000 | 10,273,419 | 30 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $62,251 | $29,000 | 9,005,644 | 9 |
| 16 | North Dakota | $49,140 | $28,000 | 755,393 | 4 |
| 17 | Nevada | $52,033 | $24,000 | 2,998,039 | 5 |
| 18 | Michigan | $48,537 | $24,000 | 9,962,311 | 28 |
| 19 | Alabama | $47,542 | $24,000 | 4,874,747 | 17 |
| 20 | Georgia | $47,845 | $24,000 | 10,429,379 | 44 |
| 21 | Vermont | $58,565 | $28,000 | 623,657 | 0 |
| 22 | Florida | $49,348 | $24,000 | 20,984,400 | 54 |
| 23 | District of Columbia | $58,210 | $28,000 | 693,972 | 2 |
| 24 | Washington | $44,308 | $21,000 | 7,405,743 | 73 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $46,143 | $25,000 | 5,576,606 | 26 |
| 26 | Virginia | $46,418 | $22,000 | 8,470,020 | 35 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $46,605 | $24,000 | 3,930,864 | 6 |
| 28 | Ohio | $45,373 | $22,000 | 11,658,609 | 23 |
| 29 | Arizona | $43,750 | $21,000 | 7,016,270 | 20 |
| 30 | Kentucky | $40,763 | $20,000 | 4,454,189 | 21 |
| 31 | West Virginia | $46,949 | $23,000 | 1,815,857 | 0 |
| 32 | Iowa | $39,385 | $21,000 | 3,145,711 | 21 |
| 33 | New Mexico | $42,894 | $21,000 | 2,088,070 | 5 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $43,054 | $21,000 | 4,684,333 | 8 |
| 35 | Oregon | $42,768 | $20,000 | 4,142,776 | 23 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $42,921 | $24,000 | 1,427,538 | 4 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $42,402 | $21,000 | 6,715,984 | 9 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $38,251 | $21,000 | 869,666 | 4 |
| 39 | Idaho | $42,782 | $21,000 | 1,716,943 | 3 |
| 40 | Texas | $40,019 | $20,000 | 28,304,596 | 72 |
| 41 | Wyoming | $37,383 | $19,000 | 579,315 | 4 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $37,965 | $20,000 | 1,920,076 | 10 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $40,455 | $20,000 | 2,984,100 | 4 |
| 44 | Illinois | $40,139 | $21,000 | 12,802,023 | 27 |
| 45 | Utah | $37,583 | $18,000 | 3,101,833 | 16 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $41,050 | $20,000 | 5,024,369 | 5 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $36,807 | $19,000 | 3,004,279 | 6 |
| 48 | Missouri | $38,451 | $20,000 | 6,113,532 | 11 |
| 49 | Montana | $35,900 | $19,000 | 1,050,493 | 3 |
| 50 | Kansas | $36,854 | $19,000 | 2,913,123 | 7 |
| 51 | Colorado | $34,902 | $18,000 | 5,607,154 | 9 |
Highest paying states for tattoo artists
| Rank | State | Avg. Tattoo Artist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $63,870 |
| 2 | New York | $64,522 |
| 3 | Wisconsin | $55,855 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $58,088 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $64,311 |
| 6 | Indiana | $54,026 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | $68,769 |
| 8 | Alaska | $66,941 |
| 9 | Maine | $59,334 |
| 10 | Delaware | $60,773 |
| 11 | Maryland | $57,562 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $61,393 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $61,920 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $54,089 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $62,251 |
| 16 | North Dakota | $49,140 |
| 17 | Nevada | $52,033 |
| 18 | Michigan | $48,537 |
| 19 | Alabama | $47,542 |
| 20 | Georgia | $47,845 |
| 21 | Vermont | $58,565 |
| 22 | Florida | $49,348 |
| 23 | District of Columbia | $58,210 |
| 24 | Washington | $44,308 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $46,143 |
| 26 | Virginia | $46,418 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $46,605 |
| 28 | Ohio | $45,373 |
| 29 | Arizona | $43,750 |
| 30 | Kentucky | $40,763 |
| 31 | West Virginia | $46,949 |
| 32 | Iowa | $39,385 |
| 33 | New Mexico | $42,894 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $43,054 |
| 35 | Oregon | $42,768 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $42,921 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $42,402 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $38,251 |
| 39 | Idaho | $42,782 |
| 40 | Texas | $40,019 |
| 41 | Wyoming | $37,383 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $37,965 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $40,455 |
| 44 | Illinois | $40,139 |
| 45 | Utah | $37,583 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $41,050 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $36,807 |
| 48 | Missouri | $38,451 |
| 49 | Montana | $35,900 |
| 50 | Kansas | $36,854 |
| 51 | Colorado | $34,902 |
Tattoo artist best states FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common personal care and attendants questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025