Pay by state · 53 areas
Occupational Health and Safety Specialist Salary by State (2026)
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists earn the most in District of Columbia at $111,530 a year and the least in Arkansas at $73,130 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $90,150. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, Guam and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $111,530District of Columbia
- National median
- $90,150BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $73,130Arkansas
- Areas reporting
- 53of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for occupational health and safety specialists
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, North Dakota comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1District of Columbia$111,530
- 2Massachusetts$103,970
- 3Washington$102,920
- 4California$102,840
- 5Rhode Island$101,740
All states
Occupational Health and Safety Specialist salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of occupational health and safety specialists OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $111,530 | $97,190 | $132,620 | 280 | $101,482 |
| 2 | MAMassachusetts | $103,970 | $83,260 | $127,320 | 3,390 | $98,310 |
| 3 | WAWashington | $102,920 | $86,110 | $127,050 | 3,570 | $96,175 |
| 4 | CACalifornia | $102,840 | $77,080 | $129,490 | 16,230 | $92,883 |
| 5 | RIRhode Island | $101,740 | $82,800 | $120,430 | 200 | $99,472 |
| 6 | COColorado | $101,400 | $81,110 | $127,210 | 3,080 | $98,397 |
| 7 | NHNew Hampshire | $101,260 | $74,990 | $127,250 | 610 | $97,211 |
| 8 | AKAlaska | $99,270 | $81,470 | $125,590 | 370 | $96,982 |
| 9 | ILIllinois | $98,270 | $79,190 | $117,010 | 2,900 | $98,311 |
| 10 | MEMaine | $97,640 | $74,150 | $107,590 | 600 | $100,608 |
| 11 | MNMinnesota | $96,990 | $79,220 | $112,730 | 2,460 | $98,346 |
| 12 | CTConnecticut | $96,110 | $79,350 | $117,930 | 1,090 | $92,761 |
| 13 | NYNew York | $95,720 | $69,840 | $122,380 | 6,840 | $88,695 |
| 14 | OROregon | $95,240 | $74,150 | $112,180 | 1,820 | $92,143 |
| 15 | HIHawaii | $94,840 | $75,680 | $108,400 | 640 | $86,257 |
| 16 | NVNevada | $94,360 | $75,170 | $109,220 | 1,150 | $94,380 |
| 17 | WYWyoming | $94,030 | $75,370 | $109,960 | 580 | $101,445 |
| 18 | NDNorth Dakota | $93,250 | $73,200 | $119,700 | 540 | $104,824 |
| 19 | MDMaryland | $91,820 | $65,180 | $121,330 | 2,160 | $87,482 |
| 20 | OHOhio | $91,460 | $72,300 | $111,230 | 6,820 | $98,584 |
| 21 | VAVirginia | $90,800 | $70,640 | $113,920 | 3,910 | $89,809 |
| 22 | NJNew Jersey | $90,610 | $70,760 | $110,990 | 3,830 | $83,277 |
| 23 | UTUtah | $90,200 | $69,990 | $108,770 | 1,230 | $91,236 |
| 24 | LALouisiana | $89,560 | $73,700 | $107,290 | 2,380 | $101,534 |
| 25 | AZArizona | $89,480 | $73,700 | $103,630 | 3,220 | $88,878 |
| 26 | FLFlorida | $88,820 | $64,650 | $109,940 | 6,760 | $85,888 |
| 27 | SDSouth Dakota | $88,610 | $73,320 | $100,420 | 250 | $100,027 |
| 28 | SCSouth Carolina | $88,080 | $72,090 | $111,060 | 2,170 | $93,953 |
| 29 | IAIowa | $87,830 | $71,170 | $103,540 | 1,310 | $100,077 |
| 30 | VTVermont | $87,210 | $74,470 | $109,700 | 170 | $89,028 |
| 31 | PAPennsylvania | $87,050 | $72,480 | $107,390 | 4,890 | $89,216 |
| 32 | IDIdaho | $86,920 | $71,770 | $107,800 | 730 | $91,021 |
| 33 | NCNorth Carolina | $86,650 | $73,720 | $105,990 | 4,670 | $91,862 |
| 34 | WVWest Virginia | $86,560 | $58,150 | $109,300 | 1,020 | $96,718 |
| 35 | KSKansas | $86,300 | $68,400 | $113,210 | 1,350 | $95,816 |
| 36 | GAGeorgia | $85,450 | $63,840 | $109,810 | 3,220 | $88,740 |
| 37 | WIWisconsin | $84,750 | $70,700 | $104,850 | 2,250 | $90,069 |
| 38 | NMNew Mexico | $84,510 | $65,920 | $104,500 | 840 | $91,648 |
| 39 | MSMississippi | $84,490 | $61,600 | $105,500 | 1,140 | $97,167 |
| 40 | MIMichigan | $84,080 | $65,920 | $103,990 | 3,350 | $87,386 |
| 41 | NENebraska | $83,990 | $63,340 | $100,900 | 630 | $93,216 |
| 42 | KYKentucky | $83,730 | $68,150 | $106,420 | 2,480 | $92,869 |
| 43 | INIndiana | $83,470 | $65,380 | $105,510 | 3,870 | $89,436 |
| 44 | MOMissouri | $83,090 | $63,980 | $104,670 | 2,660 | $91,492 |
| 45 | ALAlabama | $82,260 | $63,040 | $102,420 | 2,510 | $92,611 |
| 46 | MTMontana | $81,330 | $64,030 | $100,420 | 720 | $85,932 |
| 47 | TNTennessee | $81,190 | $59,990 | $99,060 | 2,690 | $88,375 |
| 48 | DEDelaware | $81,120 | $65,940 | $116,190 | 600 | $81,276 |
| 49 | OKOklahoma | $79,890 | $60,990 | $100,260 | 1,690 | $90,946 |
| 50 | TXTexas | $79,660 | $61,500 | $102,950 | 17,920 | $82,075 |
| 51 | ARArkansas | $73,130 | $57,350 | $95,900 | 850 | $84,118 |
| 52 | GUGuam | $68,030 | $48,470 | $91,560 | 100 | N/A |
| 53 | PRPuerto Rico | $45,630 | $38,620 | $61,780 | 1,430 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For occupational health and safety specialists, that changes the ranking: District of Columbia leads on raw pay at $111,530, while North Dakota leads once prices are taken into account at $104,824.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Occupational Health and Safety Specialist pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays occupational health and safety specialists the most?
District of Columbia reports the highest median wage for occupational health and safety specialists at $111,530 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Massachusetts ($103,970) and Washington ($102,920).
Which state pays occupational health and safety specialists the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Arkansas reports the lowest median for occupational health and safety specialists at $73,130 a year, $38,400 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, Guam reports $68,030 and Puerto Rico reports $45,630.
In which states do occupational health and safety specialists earn over $100,000?
7 of the 50 states and DC have a median of $100,000 or more: District of Columbia ($111,530), Massachusetts ($103,970), Washington ($102,920), California ($102,840), Rhode Island ($101,740), Colorado ($101,400) and New Hampshire ($101,260) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Is the highest-paying state the best for occupational health and safety specialists after cost of living?
Not on this data. District of Columbia pays the most on paper ($111,530) but ranks 3rd of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($101,482). North Dakota leads after that adjustment at $104,824, from a raw median of $93,250. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.