Real pay, after cost of living.
California pays $55,740 but costs 113.4 percent of the national average. Washington pays $54,460at 106.8. After adjusting both, the gap narrows and several Midwest and Southern states leap up the rankings. This is the chart competitors are missing.
Biggest winners after adjustment
States that climb most when COL is factored in
- Ohioraw #28 → adj #10+18 spots
- Wisconsinraw #24 → adj #9+15 spots
- Iowaraw #37 → adj #22+15 spots
- Missouriraw #38 → adj #23+15 spots
- Michiganraw #22 → adj #8+14 spots
Biggest losers after adjustment
States that fall most when COL is factored in
- Hawaiiraw #6 → adj #38-32 spots
- Marylandraw #12 → adj #34-22 spots
- Floridaraw #29 → adj #50-21 spots
- New Jerseyraw #7 → adj #24-17 spots
- Arizonaraw #27 → adj #43-16 spots
Sortable cost-of-living table
| State | Raw salary | COL index | Adjusted↓ | Adj rank | Raw rank | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $54,460 | 106.8 | $50,993 | #1 | #3 | +2 |
| California | $55,740 | 113.4 | $49,153 | #2 | #1 | -1 |
| New York | $55,540 | 115.7 | $48,003 | #3 | #2 | -1 |
| Connecticut | $50,760 | 107.5 | $47,219 | #4 | #4 | 0 |
| Oregon | $47,860 | 101.8 | $47,014 | #5 | #8 | +3 |
| Massachusetts | $50,240 | 108.6 | $46,262 | #6 | #5 | -1 |
| Minnesota | $45,280 | 98.1 | $46,157 | #7 | #13 | +6 |
| Michigan | $42,560 | 93.1 | $45,714 | #8 | #22 | +14 |
| Wisconsin | $42,180 | 93.4 | $45,161 | #9 | #24 | +15 |
| Ohio | $41,240 | 91.5 | $45,071 | #10 | #28 | +18 |
| Alaska | $47,280 | 105.4 | $44,858 | #11 | #9 | -2 |
| Colorado | $47,120 | 105.1 | $44,833 | #12 | #10 | -2 |
| Nevada | $44,760 | 100.3 | $44,626 | #13 | #14 | +1 |
| Illinois | $43,820 | 98.2 | $44,623 | #14 | #17 | +3 |
| North Carolina | $41,860 | 94.0 | $44,532 | #15 | #25 | +10 |
| Pennsylvania | $43,280 | 97.3 | $44,481 | #16 | #19 | +3 |
| New Hampshire | $46,280 | 104.2 | $44,415 | #17 | #11 | -6 |
| North Dakota | $40,640 | 92.4 | $43,983 | #18 | #30 | +12 |
| Indiana | $40,120 | 91.3 | $43,943 | #19 | #33 | +14 |
| Texas | $42,360 | 96.4 | $43,942 | #20 | #23 | +3 |
| Rhode Island | $44,120 | 101.1 | $43,640 | #21 | #16 | -5 |
| Iowa | $39,260 | 90.4 | $43,429 | #22 | #37 | +15 |
| Missouri | $39,080 | 90.0 | $43,422 | #23 | #38 | +15 |
| New Jersey | $48,920 | 112.8 | $43,369 | #24 | #7 | -17 |
| Nebraska | $39,540 | 91.3 | $43,308 | #25 | #35 | +10 |
| Georgia | $40,280 | 93.2 | $43,219 | #26 | #31 | +5 |
| Maine | $42,780 | 99.4 | $43,038 | #27 | #21 | -6 |
| Virginia | $44,580 | 103.6 | $43,031 | #28 | #15 | -13 |
| Kansas | $38,920 | 90.8 | $42,863 | #29 | #39 | +10 |
| Delaware | $43,620 | 102.2 | $42,681 | #30 | #18 | -12 |
| South Dakota | $38,360 | 90.2 | $42,528 | #31 | #43 | +12 |
| Vermont | $43,140 | 101.9 | $42,336 | #32 | #20 | -12 |
| Wyoming | $39,780 | 94.1 | $42,274 | #33 | #34 | +1 |
| Maryland | $45,660 | 108.1 | $42,239 | #34 | #12 | -22 |
| Kentucky | $37,640 | 89.2 | $42,197 | #35 | #44 | +9 |
| South Carolina | $38,740 | 91.9 | $42,155 | #36 | #40 | +4 |
| Tennessee | $38,480 | 91.4 | $42,101 | #37 | #41 | +4 |
| Hawaii | $49,860 | 119.3 | $41,794 | #38 | #6 | -32 |
| Montana | $40,160 | 96.2 | $41,746 | #39 | #32 | -7 |
| Utah | $41,860 | 100.3 | $41,735 | #40 | #26 | -14 |
| Alabama | $36,240 | 87.1 | $41,607 | #41 | #47 | +6 |
| West Virginia | $35,820 | 86.4 | $41,458 | #42 | #48 | +6 |
| Arizona | $41,580 | 100.5 | $41,373 | #43 | #27 | -16 |
| Oklahoma | $36,840 | 89.1 | $41,347 | #44 | #45 | +1 |
| Idaho | $39,480 | 95.8 | $41,211 | #45 | #36 | -9 |
| Arkansas | $35,440 | 86.9 | $40,783 | #46 | #49 | +3 |
| New Mexico | $38,460 | 94.6 | $40,655 | #47 | #42 | -5 |
| Mississippi | $34,820 | 85.7 | $40,630 | #48 | #50 | +2 |
| Louisiana | $36,560 | 90.5 | $40,398 | #49 | #46 | -3 |
| Florida | $40,720 | 100.9 | $40,357 | #50 | #29 | -21 |
Adjusted = (raw salary ÷ BEA RPP) × 100. Sources: BLS OEWS May 2024 + BEA Regional Price Parities 2023.
California vs Colorado, the math
- California raw salary$55,740
- California COL index113.4
- California adjusted$49,153
- Colorado raw salary$47,120
- Colorado COL index105.1
- Colorado adjusted$44,833
Raw gap of $8,620 → adjusted gap of $4,320.
Takeaways
- High-salary states like California, Hawaii, and New York lose the most purchasing power after adjustment.
- Midwest and Southern states often look much better once COL is in the mix.
- Washington offers the best blend of high salary and moderate COL among top-paying states.
- COL adjustment doesn't capture state income tax, housing supply, or commute time.
- Within-state variation matters: rural California is far cheaper than San Francisco.
How we adjust
We use BEA Regional Price Parities to normalise BLS salary data. RPPs measure the differences in price levels across states for consumer goods and services including rents. An index of 100 represents the national average. California at 113.4 means prices run 13.4 percent above average. Mississippi at 85.7 means prices run 14.3 percent below. The formula is adjusted = (raw ÷ RPP) × 100. The metric is useful but not perfect: it ignores within-state variation, state income tax, and individual spending patterns.
Pair COL data with the salary estimator.