Best states for a Cadet

Q: What is the best state for cadets?

The best state to be a cadet is New Jersey based on cadet salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for cadets?

The highest paying state for cadets is Colorado based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for cadets?

The worst state for cadets is Mississippi, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 51

Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for cadets? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for cadet jobs.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of cadets in America is $64,000.

To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for cadets.If you are currently seeking employment as a cadet, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

If you're looking for a Cadet job, here are five companies hiring now:

10 best states for cadets in 2025

1. New Jersey
Total Cadet Jobs: 38
Average Annual Salary: $64,888
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $37,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $111,000
Location Quotient:
1.4
Cadet Jobs in New Jersey
2. Maryland
Total Cadet Jobs: 52
Average Annual Salary: $63,895
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $36,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $110,000
Location Quotient:
2.39
Cadet Jobs in Maryland
3. New York
Total Cadet Jobs: 63
Average Annual Salary: $63,913
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $37,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $108,000
Location Quotient:
1.43
Cadet Jobs in New York
4. District of Columbia
Total Cadet Jobs: 16
Average Annual Salary: $63,793
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $36,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $110,000
Location Quotient:
2.78
Cadet Jobs in District of Columbia
5. Delaware
Total Cadet Jobs: 3
Average Annual Salary: $64,427
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $37,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $111,000
Location Quotient:
0.7
Cadet Jobs in Delaware
6. Connecticut
Total Cadet Jobs: 9
Average Annual Salary: $60,236
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $36,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $100,000
Location Quotient:
0.79
Cadet Jobs in Connecticut
7. Rhode Island
Total Cadet Jobs: 3
Average Annual Salary: $56,877
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $35,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $91,000
Location Quotient:
0.72
Cadet Jobs in Rhode Island
8. Louisiana
Total Cadet Jobs: 19
Average Annual Salary: $49,666
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $31,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $77,000
Location Quotient:
1.74
Cadet Jobs in Louisiana
9. Virginia
Total Cadet Jobs: 52
Average Annual Salary: $52,810
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $30,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $91,000
Location Quotient:
1.61
Cadet Jobs in Virginia
10. Nevada
Total Cadet Jobs: 9
Average Annual Salary: $50,070
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $32,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $76,000
Location Quotient:
1.26
Cadet Jobs in Nevada

Cadet JobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a cadet

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a cadet

Rank	State	Average Salary	Lowest 10% Earn	Population	Job Count
1	New Jersey	$64,888	$37,000	9,005,644	38
2	Maryland	$63,895	$36,000	6,052,177	52
3	New York	$63,913	$37,000	19,849,399	63
4	District of Columbia	$63,793	$36,000	693,972	16
5	Delaware	$64,427	$37,000	961,939	3
6	Connecticut	$60,236	$36,000	3,588,184	9
7	Rhode Island	$56,877	$35,000	1,059,639	3
8	Louisiana	$49,666	$31,000	4,684,333	19
9	Virginia	$52,810	$30,000	8,470,020	52
10	Nevada	$50,070	$32,000	2,998,039	9
11	Illinois	$54,937	$35,000	12,802,023	31
12	Massachusetts	$54,166	$34,000	6,859,819	22
13	Iowa	$51,550	$34,000	3,145,711	8
14	Ohio	$50,059	$30,000	11,658,609	23
15	South Carolina	$44,511	$27,000	5,024,369	27
16	North Carolina	$47,166	$28,000	10,273,419	30
17	Michigan	$44,895	$27,000	9,962,311	31
18	Pennsylvania	$49,505	$28,000	12,805,537	25
19	New Hampshire	$51,005	$33,000	1,342,795	3
20	Montana	$42,846	$30,000	1,050,493	6
21	Minnesota	$44,549	$30,000	5,576,606	20
22	Kansas	$47,860	$32,000	2,913,123	4
23	Wyoming	$39,592	$27,000	579,315	4
24	Arizona	$41,597	$27,000	7,016,270	25
25	South Dakota	$43,326	$30,000	869,666	2
26	Vermont	$48,035	$32,000	623,657	0
27	Washington	$42,496	$29,000	7,405,743	26
28	Kentucky	$44,214	$27,000	4,454,189	5
29	Texas	$41,039	$26,000	28,304,596	65
30	Idaho	$39,017	$27,000	1,716,943	6
31	West Virginia	$43,724	$26,000	1,815,857	1
32	Alaska	$40,335	$31,000	739,795	3
33	Alabama	$40,730	$26,000	4,874,747	8
34	New Mexico	$37,328	$24,000	2,088,070	12
35	Florida	$39,438	$24,000	20,984,400	56
36	Wisconsin	$40,165	$25,000	5,795,483	13
37	Hawaii	$44,685	$37,000	1,427,538	2
38	Tennessee	$38,006	$24,000	6,715,984	19
39	California	$39,412	$25,000	39,536,653	122
40	Georgia	$38,565	$24,000	10,429,379	28
41	Indiana	$39,338	$24,000	6,666,818	9
42	Oklahoma	$36,546	$24,000	3,930,864	10
43	North Dakota	$38,811	$27,000	755,393	1
44	Maine	$38,941	$27,000	1,335,907	0
45	Utah	$34,219	$23,000	3,101,833	17
46	Arkansas	$36,930	$24,000	3,004,279	4
47	Oregon	$39,797	$26,000	4,142,776	6
48	Missouri	$34,937	$23,000	6,113,532	20
49	Nebraska	$35,342	$24,000	1,920,076	4
50	Colorado	$33,958	$23,000	5,607,154	16
51	Mississippi	$35,754	$23,000	2,984,100	1

Highest paying states for cadets

Rank	State	Avg. Cadet Salary
1	New Jersey	$64,888
2	Maryland	$63,895
3	New York	$63,913
4	District of Columbia	$63,793
5	Delaware	$64,427
6	Connecticut	$60,236
7	Rhode Island	$56,877
8	Louisiana	$49,666
9	Virginia	$52,810
10	Nevada	$50,070
11	Illinois	$54,937
12	Massachusetts	$54,166
13	Iowa	$51,550
14	Ohio	$50,059
15	South Carolina	$44,511
16	North Carolina	$47,166
17	Michigan	$44,895
18	Pennsylvania	$49,505
19	New Hampshire	$51,005
20	Montana	$42,846
21	Minnesota	$44,549
22	Kansas	$47,860
23	Wyoming	$39,592
24	Arizona	$41,597
25	South Dakota	$43,326
26	Vermont	$48,035
27	Washington	$42,496
28	Kentucky	$44,214
29	Texas	$41,039
30	Idaho	$39,017
31	West Virginia	$43,724
32	Alaska	$40,335
33	Alabama	$40,730
34	New Mexico	$37,328
35	Florida	$39,438
36	Wisconsin	$40,165
37	Hawaii	$44,685
38	Tennessee	$38,006
39	California	$39,412
40	Georgia	$38,565
41	Indiana	$39,338
42	Oklahoma	$36,546
43	North Dakota	$38,811
44	Maine	$38,941
45	Utah	$34,219
46	Arkansas	$36,930
47	Oregon	$39,797
48	Missouri	$34,937
49	Nebraska	$35,342
50	Colorado	$33,958
51	Mississippi	$35,754

Best states for a Cadet

If you're looking for a Cadet job, here are five companies hiring now:

10 best states for cadets in 2025

1. New Jersey

2. Maryland

3. New York

4. District of Columbia

5. Delaware

6. Connecticut

7. Rhode Island

8. Louisiana

9. Virginia

10. Nevada

Cadet JobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a cadet

Detailed list of the best states for a cadet

Highest paying states for cadets

Cadet best states FAQs

What is the best state for cadets?

What is the highest paying state for cadets?

What is the worst state for cadets?

Search for cadet jobs

Total Cadet Jobs:	38
Average Annual Salary:	$64,888
Lowest 10 Percent Earn:	$37,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn:	$111,000
Location Quotient:	1.4