How the Average Wage for Interns in Washington Compares to Other States

By Sam Stebbins Published Mar 6, 8:00AM EST

How the Average Wage for Interns in Washington Compares to Other States — © fizkes / iStock via Getty Images

A majority of employers end up offering full-time jobs to their interns, according to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. In fact, about 70% of interns land a job with their employer after their internship is over. Major companies, including General Electric, Lockheed Martin, Goldman Sachs, IBM, NBCUniversal, and all of the Big Four accounting firms, are known to hire a large percentage of their staff directly from their pool of interns.

Depending on the target industry, an internship could be a crucial step in landing a job, especially for those fresh out of college. However, the financial viability of interning can be a gamble, as internships tend to vary wildly in their pay rates – with many offering little to no compensation. (Here are the highest paying jobs you can get without a college degree.)

According to career search website Zippia, the average hourly wage for interns in Washington stands at $20.92, the highest among the 50 states.

Meanwhile, a recent report from online lender CashNetUSA found that 11.9% of all internships in Washington were unpaid as of August 2022, the 17th largest share of all states.

Click here to see a full list of the states where interns can make the most money.

To determine these rankings, CashNetUSA reviewed internship salary data from more than 100 U.S. industries. Average hourly pay for paid internships in each state was sourced from Zippia.

Rank	State	Avg. hourly intern pay ($)	Unpaid internships as a share of total (%)
1	Washington	20.92	11.93
2	California	20.78	25.79
3	Connecticut	20.39	13.75
4	Nevada	18.89	4.95
5	Oregon	18.88	26.91
6	New York	18.38	27.03
7	Delaware	18.31	33.54
8	Massachusetts	18.15	15.88
9	West Virginia	17.82	7.58
10	Vermont	17.75	8.33
11	North Dakota	17.65	5.97
12	Hawaii	17.46	12.05
13	Wisconsin	17.12	5.56
14	New Hampshire	17.09	9.18
15	Maryland	16.91	7.78
16	Minnesota	16.88	5.00
17	Colorado	16.86	4.73
18	Alaska	16.80	9.84
19	Pennsylvania	16.75	15.65
20	Georgia	16.71	15.01
21	Arizona	16.68	10.04
22	New Jersey	16.42	25.69
23	Montana	16.40	6.67
24	Michigan	16.36	11.18
25	Illinois	15.99	17.57
26	Idaho	15.99	6.25
27	Virginia	15.98	10.88
28	Rhode Island	15.85	13.79
29	Ohio	15.78	5.00
30	Maine	15.75	10.00
31	Texas	15.32	9.44
32	South Dakota	15.21	7.58
33	Utah	15.09	7.64
34	Mississippi	15.01	7.77
35	Florida	14.75	17.94
36	Missouri	14.69	10.00
37	North Carolina	14.68	17.53
38	Kentucky	14.63	6.92
39	Nebraska	14.61	4.24
40	Indiana	14.46	14.89
41	Tennessee	14.26	8.33
42	Iowa	14.00	6.10
43	Oklahoma	13.90	11.11
44	Arkansas	13.79	5.71
45	Kansas	13.51	4.20
46	South Carolina	12.44	7.64
47	Alabama	12.39	7.76
48	Louisiana	12.12	9.92
49	New Mexico	12.03	26.67
50	Wyoming	11.92	9.09

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About the Author Sam Stebbins →

Sam Stebbins is a writer at 247WallSt.com where his primary focus is on government policy, politics, companies, and broad social and economic trends. Sam has been writing in the money and news verticals for over 8 years and holds a bachelor's degree from Hobart College, which he earned in 2010. Sam resides in upstate New York and enjoys hiking, biking, canoeing, and skiing in the Adirondack Mountains and across the Northeast.