Best States for Fundraisers: California Ranks #1 While New York Offers Higher Pay

Across the top 10 states in LaborCove’s rankings for fundraisers, several clear patterns emerge. First, all ten have median annual salaries above the national median of $72,550, but they vary in how salary, employment, and Geography Scores intersect. California ranks first overall with the largest reported employment count, while New York ranks second despite having a higher median salary. Other states like Massachusetts, Washington, and Maryland occupy the next positions with similar salary levels but differing employment counts and Geography Scores. The middle of the ranking features New Jersey, Minnesota, Virginia, and Colorado, which cluster in a relatively narrow band of Geography Scores while differing in both salary and employment levels. North Dakota rounds out the top 10 with a higher median salary than the national figure but a much smaller reported employment count. Together, these results show that no single metric—salary, employment, or score—fully explains a state’s position; LaborCove’s rankings instead reflect a combined view of the available data.

Nationally, fundraisers earn a median annual salary of $72,550. Every state in the top 10 has a higher median salary than this national figure. Among these states, Virginia has the median salary closest to the national benchmark, at $72,610. The national employment count for fundraisers is 111,040. Within that context, the largest reported state market in this ranking has 12,860 employed fundraisers, indicating that even the biggest single state in the list represents a fraction of national employment. The national projected employment growth rate for fundraisers is 4.3%. This projection describes the occupation across the United States overall and is not a state-level or metro-level projection. No geographic growth rates are supplied in this dataset, so this national figure is used only as broad occupational context.

California holds the #1 rank in LaborCove’s state list for fundraisers, with a median annual salary of $79,710, an employment count of 12,860, and a Geography Score of 86.52. It has both the highest Geography Score and the largest reported employment among the top 10 states. New York ranks #2 with a Geography Score of 83.45, a median salary of $80,540, and 11,600 employed fundraisers. New York’s median salary is higher than California’s, while its employment count is lower. Both states offer median salaries above the national median of $72,550. California’s Geography Score is higher than New York’s, while New York’s salary level exceeds California’s, illustrating that the Geography Score is not a simple function of salary alone.

Massachusetts holds the #3 rank with a median annual salary of $79,060, 6,160 employed fundraisers, and a Geography Score of 69.01. Its median salary is higher than the national median and lower than both California’s and New York’s. Washington ranks #4 with a median salary of $79,000, an employment count of 3,870, and a Geography Score of 61.94. Its median salary is slightly lower than Massachusetts’ figure and above the national median. Maryland ranks #5 with a Geography Score of 57.99, a median annual salary of $79,780, and 2,010 employed fundraisers. Maryland’s median salary is higher than that of Massachusetts and Washington, yet its Geography Score is lower than both, underscoring that the overall ranking reflects more than salary alone.

New Jersey ranks #6 with a median annual salary of $77,170, an employment count of 1,950, and a Geography Score of 55.66. Its median salary is higher than the national median and lower than Maryland’s. Minnesota is ranked #7, with a median salary of $76,910, 3,190 employed fundraisers, and a Geography Score of 54.89. Minnesota’s salary is lower than New Jersey’s but higher than the national median. Virginia holds the #8 rank with a median salary of $72,610, 4,010 employed fundraisers, and a Geography Score of 53.45. Virginia’s median salary is slightly higher than the national median and lower than Minnesota’s. Colorado ranks #9, with a Geography Score of 53.29, a median salary of $74,440, and 2,470 employed fundraisers. Colorado’s median salary is higher than Virginia’s and the national median, while its Geography Score is slightly lower than Virginia’s.

North Dakota completes the top 10 with a #10 rank, a median annual salary of $76,040, 340 employed fundraisers, and a Geography Score of 50.84. Its median salary is higher than the national median and higher than Virginia’s and Colorado’s. Compared with states such as California and New York, North Dakota’s reported employment count of 340 is much smaller than California’s 12,860 and New York’s 11,600. Despite its smaller employment total, North Dakota’s median salary sits in the upper portion of the top 10 salary range. North Dakota’s position shows that a state can rank in the top 10 with a relatively small employment count when its overall Geography Score, salary, and other inputs considered by LaborCove support that ranking.

LaborCove’s Best States rankings for fundraisers use structured labor-market data and a proprietary Geography Score to compare locations. For this article, national employment and salary figures for occupation 13-1131 (Fundraisers) refer to Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) observations with a reference period of May 2025. The report year of 2026 indicates when the data are published and organized, not when the underlying employment was observed. At the national level, we use the median annual salary, total employment, and a national projected employment growth rate of 4.3% as occupational context. The national projected growth figure applies to the occupation across the United States and is not a forecast for any specific state. For states, LaborCove incorporates each location’s median annual salary, reported employment count for fundraisers, and a LaborCove Geography Score into the ranking. The Geography Score summarizes LaborCove’s evaluation of a state’s data for this occupation, but the specific weight of any one metric in that score is not disclosed. Users should interpret these rankings as a structured comparison of states, not as personalized advice. Individual decisions about where to work should consider personal circumstances and priorities alongside the LaborCove results.