National Salary Info » Highest Paying States for Athletes and Sports Competitors

Highest-paying States for Athletes and Sports Competitors

The highest-paying states for athletes and sports competitors (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of athletes and sports competitors in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $213,980, Colorado is the highest paying state for athletes and sports competitors. It is followed by New Jersey (average annual salary $199,990). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of athletes and sports competitors in a specific state, use the links in the table.

Table 1. Highest-paying States for Athletes and Sports Competitors (2022 Survey)

Rank	State	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	Colorado	$213,980	$48,440	360
2	New Jersey	$199,990	$62,530	380
3	Texas	$193,710	$63,960	1,110
4	Florida	$124,490	$38,060	1,650
5	Indiana	$99,100	$34,680	310
6	Massachusetts	$99,010	$58,920	400
7	Ohio	$97,500	$90,230	530
8	Virginia	$87,350	$40,820	60
9	Utah	$86,990	$24,980	350
10	Iowa	$83,480	$30,820	130
11	Minnesota	$83,220	$63,340	130
12	Connecticut	$80,460	$40,350	210
13	Oregon	$78,460	$28,910	190
14	New York	$77,030	$44,170	230
15	Kansas	$75,550	$37,320	150
16	Pennsylvania	$74,500	$27,720	190
17	Georgia	$63,610	$35,130	80
18	North Carolina	$60,820	$22,890	740
19	California	$59,520	$30,900	140
20	Washington	$57,060	$58,800	140
21	Maryland	$57,050	$44,190	110
22	Rhode Island	$56,870	$21,020	0
23	Michigan	$55,410	$25,260	50
24	South Carolina	$50,300	$29,490	100
25	Louisiana	$49,720	$30,820	250
26	Nebraska	$49,550	$19,730	80
27	New Mexico	$49,460	$49,390	0
28	Missouri	$49,330	$30,300	100
29	Idaho	$47,220	$22,820	40
30	Illinois	$44,470	$22,880	170
31	Kentucky	$44,070	$27,050	170
32	Tennessee	$41,120	$17,920	710
33	Mississippi	$37,600	$21,230	30
34	Oklahoma	$34,640	$20,050	120
35	Arkansas	$32,940	$30,630	320
36	Wisconsin	$30,810	$22,450	220
37	Nevada	$29,910	$24,730	50
38	Arizona	$28,320	$27,890	670
39	Alabama	$27,520	$23,470	300

Note: some states are missing from this table because the median salary information of athletes and sports competitors in those states is not available at this time.