Across the United States, median full-time salaries vary widely depending on the state. From booming coastal economies to regions with lower costs of living, geographic differences play a major role in shaping income levels.

This visualization, via Visual Capitalist's Niccolo Conte, maps out the median full-time salary by state in 2024 using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, the latest data available as of September 2025.

The U.S. overall median full-time salary sits at approximately $61,702 per year, though the gap between the highest and lowest earning states exceeds $50,000.

The data table below shows the median earnings of the full-time, year-round civilian workforce aged 16 and older in every U.S. state:

RankState / DistrictMedian full-time salary (civilians, aged 16+)1District of Columbia$102,9702Massachusetts$79,1133Washington$76,3234Maryland$74,9825New Jersey$74,1646Connecticut$72,8347Colorado$72,0288New York$70,2549California$70,03110New Hampshire$69,27511Alaska$69,06312Virginia$67,30913Rhode Island$67,14214Minnesota$66,93215Illinois$65,51316Oregon$65,36017Vermont$64,97118Utah$62,24919Pennsylvania$61,97320Delaware$61,65121Maine$60,94822Hawaii$60,83623Wisconsin$60,80324Michigan$60,61325Arizona$60,45926Ohio$60,30027North Dakota$60,17028Georgia$59,24029Texas$58,65030Idaho$58,47631North Carolina$57,72732Iowa$57,71633Kansas$57,41834Wyoming$57,34335Indiana$57,30336Nebraska$56,72337Missouri$56,21038Montana$55,99239South Dakota$55,70840South Carolina$55,32541Tennessee$55,31342Nevada$54,80043Florida$54,31144New Mexico$54,00045Kentucky$53,82446Alabama$53,45947Louisiana$52,95948West Virginia$52,08049Oklahoma$51,67650Arkansas$50,89951Mississippi$50,120n/aUnited States$61,702

At the very top is the District of Columbia, where the median full-time salary reaches $102,970—well above any state.

Massachusetts ($79,113), Washington ($76,323), Maryland ($74,982), and New Jersey ($74,164) round out the top five. These states benefit from strong tech, finance, and government sectors that boost wages significantly above the national level.

While it’s primarily coastal states that have a median full-time salary above $70,000, Colorado is the notable exception of a landlocked state with higher median earnings at $72,028.

At the other end of the spectrum, Mississippi ranks last with a median full-time salary of $50,120.

Other low-earning states include Arkansas ($50,899), Oklahoma ($51,676), West Virginia ($52,080), and Louisiana ($52,959). Many of these states are concentrated in the South, reflecting broader regional wage gaps tied to industry mix, job availability, and cost of living.

A clear divide emerges between coastal and interior states. High salaries cluster in the Northeast and on the West Coast, while much of the South lags behind the U.S. median of $61,702.

To learn more about earnings in the U.S., check out this graphic which breaks down how education affects earnings in every single state on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.