Sort by any column. Employment is the number of packers and packagers, hand OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
Packer and Packager, Hand Salary by State (2026)
Packers and Packagers, Hand earn the most in Kansas at $44,460 a year and the least in Guam at $21,030 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $36,280. All 54 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $44,460
- National median
- $36,280
- Lowest median
- $21,030
- States reporting
- 54
Kansas
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Guam
of 54 OEWS areas
Top 5 states for Packers and Packagers, Hand
- 1. Kansas$44,460 median · $49,363 adjusted · 9,900 employed
- 2. New Jersey$43,840 median · $40,292 adjusted · 71,260 employed
- 3. Alaska$41,670 median · $40,710 adjusted · 560 employed
- 4. District of Columbia$40,910 median · $37,224 adjusted · 170 employed
- 5. Colorado$40,730 median · $39,524 adjusted · 4,120 employed
Lowest-paying states for Packers and Packagers, Hand
- 54. Guam$21,030 median · no price parity · 240 employed
- 53. Puerto Rico$21,840 median · no price parity · 3,840 employed
- 52. U.S. Virgin Islands$22,880 median · no price parity · 100 employed
- 51. Louisiana$27,710 median · $31,415 adjusted · 2,280 employed
- 50. New Mexico$28,070 median · $30,441 adjusted · 1,050 employed
Packer and Packager, Hand salary in every state
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas | $44,460 | $38,020 | $44,570 | 9,900 | $49,363 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $43,840 | $36,030 | $44,930 | 71,260 | $40,292 |
| 3 | Alaska | $41,670 | $34,960 | $47,010 | 560 | $40,710 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $40,910 | $37,140 | $43,990 | 170 | $37,224 |
| 5 | Colorado | $40,730 | $37,850 | $46,580 | 4,120 | $39,524 |
| 6 | Minnesota | $40,310 | $36,650 | $46,950 | 5,460 | $40,874 |
| 7 | Vermont | $39,440 | $36,460 | $43,640 | 810 | $40,262 |
| 8 | Washington | $39,220 | $35,880 | $45,310 | 11,940 | $36,650 |
| 9 | Nebraska | $38,880 | $35,630 | $45,910 | 3,010 | $43,151 |
| 10 | Missouri | $37,670 | $33,440 | $40,240 | 5,910 | $41,479 |
| 11 | Iowa | $37,470 | $33,260 | $43,010 | 4,090 | $42,695 |
| 12 | Indiana | $37,420 | $33,430 | $43,850 | 9,690 | $40,095 |
| 13 | Nevada | $37,400 | $34,950 | $41,600 | 3,750 | $37,408 |
| 14 | Delaware | $37,290 | $36,170 | $40,000 | 2,030 | $37,362 |
| 15 | California | $37,260 | $35,290 | $42,420 | 79,730 | $33,652 |
| 16 | New York | $37,260 | $34,230 | $43,360 | 14,830 | $34,525 |
| 17 | Arizona | $37,060 | $32,970 | $42,730 | 7,380 | $36,811 |
| 18 | Ohio | $37,000 | $32,370 | $40,800 | 20,700 | $39,882 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $36,960 | $33,640 | $42,380 | 22,990 | $37,880 |
| 20 | Idaho | $36,920 | $28,660 | $42,950 | 2,020 | $38,662 |
| 21 | Kentucky | $36,850 | $33,090 | $45,250 | 5,900 | $40,872 |
| 22 | Rhode Island | $36,730 | $31,480 | $44,570 | 1,830 | $35,911 |
| 23 | Maine | $36,330 | $30,660 | $41,930 | 1,460 | $37,434 |
| 24 | Oregon | $36,190 | $33,700 | $40,170 | 6,370 | $35,013 |
| 25 | Illinois | $36,090 | $34,230 | $40,020 | 23,270 | $36,105 |
| 26 | Utah | $36,060 | $30,640 | $39,840 | 5,740 | $36,474 |
| 27 | Wisconsin | $36,010 | $31,300 | $43,250 | 13,130 | $38,270 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $35,980 | $30,470 | $40,460 | 14,030 | $39,164 |
| 29 | Hawaii | $35,930 | $30,140 | $42,830 | 2,010 | $32,678 |
| 30 | Connecticut | $35,890 | $34,430 | $39,470 | 4,280 | $34,640 |
| 31 | Maryland | $35,860 | $33,220 | $40,020 | 4,230 | $34,166 |
| 32 | Michigan | $35,340 | $31,270 | $37,970 | 15,590 | $36,729 |
| 33 | Virginia | $35,000 | $29,360 | $39,950 | 7,790 | $34,618 |
| 34 | Montana | $34,960 | $28,730 | $43,200 | 1,490 | $36,938 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $34,520 | $28,190 | $40,240 | 3,900 | $39,297 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $34,360 | $29,130 | $39,040 | 19,600 | $36,427 |
| 37 | Massachusetts | $34,200 | $32,520 | $37,360 | 15,330 | $32,338 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $33,930 | $30,920 | $36,840 | 3,050 | $39,028 |
| 39 | Georgia | $33,260 | $27,840 | $37,900 | 17,380 | $34,540 |
| 40 | Mississippi | $33,240 | $27,060 | $35,780 | 3,490 | $38,228 |
| 41 | Texas | $33,090 | $28,330 | $37,190 | 46,510 | $34,093 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $32,180 | $27,660 | $37,860 | 7,610 | $34,326 |
| 43 | Wyoming | $32,110 | $28,250 | $36,340 | 340 | $34,642 |
| 44 | Alabama | $31,770 | $26,760 | $37,300 | 7,050 | $35,768 |
| 45 | North Dakota | $31,440 | $26,890 | $39,640 | 470 | $35,342 |
| 46 | New Hampshire | $30,700 | $29,400 | $34,610 | 3,300 | $29,472 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $28,760 | $27,980 | $36,120 | 1,040 | $32,466 |
| 48 | West Virginia | $28,740 | $27,660 | $36,670 | 1,140 | $32,113 |
| 49 | Florida | $28,280 | $27,600 | $34,640 | 38,860 | $27,346 |
| 50 | New Mexico | $28,070 | $26,160 | $35,590 | 1,050 | $30,441 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $27,710 | $21,860 | $36,660 | 2,280 | $31,415 |
| 52 | U.S. Virgin Islands | $22,880 | $21,960 | $27,200 | 100 | N/A |
| 53 | Puerto Rico | $21,840 | $21,840 | $22,050 | 3,840 | N/A |
| 54 | Guam | $21,030 | $20,860 | $22,030 | 240 | N/A |
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 Packers and Packagers, Hand, that changes the ranking: Kansas leads on raw pay at $44,460, while Kansas leads once prices are taken into account at $49,363.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Packer and Packager, Hand pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Packers and Packagers, Hand the most?
Kansas reports the highest median wage for Packers and Packagers, Hand at $44,460 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by New Jersey ($43,840) and Alaska ($41,670).
Which state pays Packers and Packagers, Hand the least?
Guam reports the lowest median for Packers and Packagers, Hand at $21,030 a year, $23,430 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Packers and Packagers, Hand earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Kansas first at $49,363 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $44,460. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
← Back to the full Packer and Packager, Hand career profile for outlook, skills and how to become one