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Best states for a video journalist
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Brant Houston
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Do you want to become a video journalist at CNN, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for video journalists that you can check out, before you begin your journey. As video journalists are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for video journalists. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a video journalist, 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 video journalists.We found that the West is best for video journalists, and the Northeast is the worst. New York, NY is the best city in the country for video journalist jobs, where as New York is the best state in the country.
10 best states for video journalists in 2026
1. New York
Total video journalist jobs: 482 Average annual salary: $95,638 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $164,000 Location Quotient: 2.46
2. Michigan
Total video journalist jobs: 118 Average annual salary: $82,521 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Location Quotient: 1
3. District of Columbia
Total video journalist jobs: 87 Average annual salary: $90,696 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000 Location Quotient: 3.4
4. Washington
Total video journalist jobs: 102 Average annual salary: $91,773 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000 Location Quotient: 0.92
5. Vermont
Total video journalist jobs: 10 Average annual salary: $87,518 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $158,000 Location Quotient: 0.85
6. Maryland
Total video journalist jobs: 94 Average annual salary: $82,957 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
7. New Jersey
Total video journalist jobs: 67 Average annual salary: $93,298 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $160,000 Location Quotient: 0.55
8. Maine
Total video journalist jobs: 10 Average annual salary: $87,223 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $157,000 Location Quotient: 0.49
9. Ohio
Total video journalist jobs: 125 Average annual salary: $78,494 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000 Location Quotient: 0.8
10. Pennsylvania
Total video journalist jobs: 147 Average annual salary: $78,504 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000 Location Quotient: 0.83
Video journalist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a video journalist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a video journalist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $95,638 | $55,000 | 19,849,399 | 482 |
| 2 | Michigan | $82,521 | $47,000 | 9,962,311 | 118 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $90,696 | $52,000 | 693,972 | 87 |
| 4 | Washington | $91,773 | $53,000 | 7,405,743 | 102 |
| 5 | Vermont | $87,518 | $48,000 | 623,657 | 10 |
| 6 | Maryland | $82,957 | $47,000 | 6,052,177 | 94 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $93,298 | $54,000 | 9,005,644 | 67 |
| 8 | Maine | $87,223 | $48,000 | 1,335,907 | 10 |
| 9 | Ohio | $78,494 | $45,000 | 11,658,609 | 125 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $78,504 | $45,000 | 12,805,537 | 147 |
| 11 | Kentucky | $81,653 | $47,000 | 4,454,189 | 31 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $76,991 | $43,000 | 3,588,184 | 53 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $80,681 | $45,000 | 6,859,819 | 114 |
| 14 | Missouri | $75,538 | $44,000 | 6,113,532 | 79 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $79,506 | $44,000 | 1,059,639 | 11 |
| 16 | Tennessee | $67,947 | $39,000 | 6,715,984 | 95 |
| 17 | Nevada | $74,006 | $42,000 | 2,998,039 | 28 |
| 18 | North Carolina | $70,493 | $40,000 | 10,273,419 | 138 |
| 19 | Oregon | $74,005 | $43,000 | 4,142,776 | 58 |
| 20 | Illinois | $76,863 | $44,000 | 12,802,023 | 146 |
| 21 | Delaware | $78,857 | $45,000 | 961,939 | 10 |
| 22 | Virginia | $72,718 | $41,000 | 8,470,020 | 143 |
| 23 | Alaska | $69,702 | $38,000 | 739,795 | 14 |
| 24 | North Dakota | $65,556 | $38,000 | 755,393 | 15 |
| 25 | New Hampshire | $76,728 | $42,000 | 1,342,795 | 10 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $68,495 | $39,000 | 1,815,857 | 20 |
| 27 | Utah | $65,373 | $38,000 | 3,101,833 | 54 |
| 28 | California | $67,890 | $39,000 | 39,536,653 | 634 |
| 29 | Arkansas | $63,162 | $37,000 | 3,004,279 | 41 |
| 30 | Iowa | $66,002 | $38,000 | 3,145,711 | 48 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $69,803 | $40,000 | 5,576,606 | 57 |
| 32 | New Mexico | $70,558 | $40,000 | 2,088,070 | 11 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $64,841 | $37,000 | 5,795,483 | 73 |
| 34 | Arizona | $67,001 | $38,000 | 7,016,270 | 67 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $63,122 | $37,000 | 3,930,864 | 43 |
| 36 | Louisiana | $62,966 | $36,000 | 4,684,333 | 45 |
| 37 | Texas | $61,149 | $35,000 | 28,304,596 | 298 |
| 38 | Colorado | $60,693 | $35,000 | 5,607,154 | 100 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $60,760 | $35,000 | 1,920,076 | 32 |
| 40 | Idaho | $64,323 | $37,000 | 1,716,943 | 15 |
| 41 | Wyoming | $64,269 | $37,000 | 579,315 | 5 |
| 42 | Georgia | $61,277 | $35,000 | 10,429,379 | 144 |
| 43 | Indiana | $63,870 | $36,000 | 6,666,818 | 39 |
| 44 | Alabama | $57,715 | $33,000 | 4,874,747 | 65 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $55,460 | $32,000 | 2,984,100 | 30 |
| 46 | Kansas | $59,927 | $35,000 | 2,913,123 | 28 |
| 47 | Montana | $60,870 | $35,000 | 1,050,493 | 13 |
| 48 | Florida | $55,067 | $31,000 | 20,984,400 | 229 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $56,496 | $32,000 | 5,024,369 | 58 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $58,578 | $34,000 | 869,666 | 9 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $45,797 | $33,000 | 1,427,538 | 11 |
Highest paying states for video journalists
| Rank | State | Avg. Video Journalist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $95,638 |
| 2 | Michigan | $82,521 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $90,696 |
| 4 | Washington | $91,773 |
| 5 | Vermont | $87,518 |
| 6 | Maryland | $82,957 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $93,298 |
| 8 | Maine | $87,223 |
| 9 | Ohio | $78,494 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $78,504 |
| 11 | Kentucky | $81,653 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $76,991 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $80,681 |
| 14 | Missouri | $75,538 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $79,506 |
| 16 | Tennessee | $67,947 |
| 17 | Nevada | $74,006 |
| 18 | North Carolina | $70,493 |
| 19 | Oregon | $74,005 |
| 20 | Illinois | $76,863 |
| 21 | Delaware | $78,857 |
| 22 | Virginia | $72,718 |
| 23 | Alaska | $69,702 |
| 24 | North Dakota | $65,556 |
| 25 | New Hampshire | $76,728 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $68,495 |
| 27 | Utah | $65,373 |
| 28 | California | $67,890 |
| 29 | Arkansas | $63,162 |
| 30 | Iowa | $66,002 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $69,803 |
| 32 | New Mexico | $70,558 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $64,841 |
| 34 | Arizona | $67,001 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $63,122 |
| 36 | Louisiana | $62,966 |
| 37 | Texas | $61,149 |
| 38 | Colorado | $60,693 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $60,760 |
| 40 | Idaho | $64,323 |
| 41 | Wyoming | $64,269 |
| 42 | Georgia | $61,277 |
| 43 | Indiana | $63,870 |
| 44 | Alabama | $57,715 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $55,460 |
| 46 | Kansas | $59,927 |
| 47 | Montana | $60,870 |
| 48 | Florida | $55,067 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $56,496 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $58,578 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $45,797 |
Expert opinions on the best states for video journalists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for video journalists to find work opportunities?
Brant Houston
Professor and Knight Chair in Investigative & Enterprise Reporting Director of Graduate Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Any place with healthy nonprofit newsrooms and more than 250 (you can find them listed the Institute for Nonprofit News) across the country is an excellent place to look, and the pay is often more than at for-profits these days. One area where there are many nonprofits in Chicago.
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Updated January 8, 2025