Where pay goes furthest
District of Columbia has the highest median wage across all occupations, $91,540. Once prices are taken into account, the top state is District of Columbia, where the $91,540 median buys what $83,293 buys at national-average prices.
The adjustment divides each state’s median by its regional price parity (RPP), a Bureau of Economic Analysis index of price levels relative to the U.S. average (= 100). BEA notes that housing rents are often the main driver of the differences. RPPs are for 2024, the latest year published; wages are for May 2025.
| No. | State | Adjusted median | Median | Price level | Rank before adjusting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $83,293 | $91,540 | 109.9 | 1 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $60,128 | $63,590 | 105.8 | 2 |
| 3 | Alaska | $59,594 | $61,000 | 102.4 | 4 |
| 4 | North Dakota | $58,993 | $52,480 | 89.0 | 18 |
| 5 | Washington | $58,862 | $62,990 | 107.0 | 3 |
| 6 | Colorado | $58,029 | $59,800 | 103.1 | 5 |
| 7 | Minnesota | $57,716 | $56,920 | 98.6 | 12 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $57,610 | $59,690 | 103.6 | 6 |
| 9 | Vermont | $57,565 | $56,390 | 98.0 | 14 |
| 10 | Maryland | $56,698 | $59,510 | 105.0 | 8 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $55,514 | $56,780 | 102.3 | 13 |
| 12 | Iowa | $55,309 | $48,540 | 87.8 | 32 |
| 13 | New York | $55,290 | $59,670 | 107.9 | 7 |
| 14 | Oregon | $55,147 | $57,000 | 103.4 | 11 |
| 15 | Virginia | $55,082 | $55,690 | 101.1 | 17 |
| 16 | Nebraska | $54,360 | $48,980 | 90.1 | 29 |
| 17 | Wyoming | $54,234 | $50,270 | 92.7 | 22 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $53,830 | $58,570 | 108.8 | 9 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $53,646 | $55,880 | 104.2 | 16 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | $53,425 | $50,270 | 94.1 | 23 |
| 21 | Kansas | $53,304 | $48,010 | 90.1 | 34 |
| 22 | Ohio | $53,226 | $49,380 | 92.8 | 27 |
| 23 | South Dakota | $53,146 | $47,080 | 88.6 | 43 |
| 24 | Maine | $52,993 | $51,430 | 97.0 | 21 |
| 25 | Missouri | $52,633 | $47,800 | 90.8 | 39 |
| 26 | California | $52,601 | $58,240 | 110.7 | 10 |
| 27 | Delaware | $52,290 | $52,190 | 99.8 | 19 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $52,041 | $46,920 | 90.2 | 44 |
| 29 | Illinois | $51,982 | $51,960 | 100.0 | 20 |
| 30 | Oklahoma | $51,911 | $45,600 | 87.8 | 47 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $51,606 | $45,520 | 88.2 | 48 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $51,573 | $47,380 | 91.9 | 41 |
| 33 | Montana | $51,498 | $48,740 | 94.6 | 30 |
| 34 | Alabama | $51,417 | $45,670 | 88.8 | 46 |
| 35 | Indiana | $51,281 | $47,860 | 93.3 | 38 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $51,223 | $56,320 | 110.0 | 15 |
| 37 | Michigan | $51,207 | $49,270 | 96.2 | 28 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $51,197 | $47,210 | 92.2 | 42 |
| 39 | Pennsylvania | $50,926 | $49,690 | 97.6 | 26 |
| 40 | North Carolina | $50,856 | $47,970 | 94.3 | 35 |
| 41 | Utah | $50,686 | $50,110 | 98.9 | 24 |
| 42 | West Virginia | $50,616 | $45,300 | 89.5 | 49 |
| 43 | Idaho | $50,234 | $47,970 | 95.5 | 36 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $50,186 | $43,630 | 86.9 | 50 |
| 45 | Texas | $50,094 | $48,620 | 97.1 | 31 |
| 46 | Georgia | $50,024 | $48,170 | 96.3 | 33 |
| 47 | Arizona | $49,723 | $50,060 | 100.7 | 25 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $49,590 | $46,490 | 93.7 | 45 |
| 49 | Nevada | $47,670 | $47,660 | 100.0 | 40 |
| 50 | Florida | $46,299 | $47,880 | 103.4 | 37 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $46,140 | $40,120 | 87.0 | 51 |
National median for all occupations: $50,980. A price level above 100 means prices are higher than the national average. Price parities cover all goods and services, including rents; they do not account for state income taxes.