Xcout IntelXcout Intel answers · Pay
Which US states advertise the highest pay?
According to Xcout Intel's Pay Pulse, California job postings advertised the highest median pay of any US state in October 2026: $172,325 across 18,002 postings, followed by Washington ($165,000) and Massachusetts ($149,375).
Mississippi was lowest of the 43 states with enough postings, at $87,160.
| State | Median posted pay | Postings | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $172,325 | 18,002 | 1,890 |
| Washington | $165,000 | 3,366 | 411 |
| Massachusetts | $149,375 | 4,304 | 640 |
| New York | $143,750 | 9,139 | 1,498 |
| District of Columbia | $138,000 | 1,902 | 359 |
| Maryland | $137,500 | 2,805 | 380 |
| Virginia | $135,500 | 3,566 | 328 |
| New Jersey | $134,125 | 2,091 | 313 |
| Texas | $133,900 | 4,754 | 742 |
| Colorado | $127,046 | 2,315 | 507 |
How we know
Xcout Intel takes the midpoint of each posted annual range and places each posting in a state by its first listed location; the median is over the month's postings in that state.
Full figures: Pay Pulse (frozen edition: 2026-10). How every report is built: methodology.
What this does not show
- A state's median reflects the mix of roles posted there: a state with many engineering postings will read higher than one with many retail postings at the same pay.
- Posted pay is not pay: these are the ranges employers advertise (midpoints), and bonuses and equity are not in them. Only employers that publish ranges are counted, which over-represents states with pay-transparency laws.
- These are not state average pay.
How to cite
Xcout Intel, Pay Pulse, October 2026, intel.xcout.app/answers/highest-paying-us-statesQuote with attribution under the licence. These figures update with each edition of the report; cite the frozen edition for a figure that will not move.