Top 10 highest-paying professional services states
District of Columbia leads with $157,547. The 10 US states with the highest average annual wage in the professional services sector (NAICS 54), from US Census County Business Patterns 2022.
| # | Name | Avg. annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $157,547 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $144,639 |
| 3 | California | $131,952 |
| 4 | Delaware | $121,400 |
| 5 | New York | $120,762 |
| 6 | Illinois | $116,937 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $115,334 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $111,335 |
| 9 | Washington | $110,080 |
| 10 | Virginia | $108,461 |
Methodology
Average annual wage = total annual payroll / employment for NAICS 54 (professional services). Source: US Census County Business Patterns 2022. States with fewer than 50 establishments in the sector are excluded.
As of 2026-05-28. ACS 2023 5-year + CBP 2022.
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