25 Best States For Appraisers and Assessors of Real Estate

If you are an appraiser or assessor of real estate looking to find your perfect new home state, take a look into our list of the 25 best states for appraisers and assessors of real estate.

So, what exactly do appraisers and assessors of real estate do? In short, they decide the assessed value of property (land and/or buildings). Generally they visit sites to provide an estimate before the property is sold, taxed, developed, etc. 

Becoming a real estate appraiser requires education and training. Positions will require at least a bachelor’s degree, as far as formal education, plus some sort of certification. Certification varies by state, but will require an exam. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary of a real estate appraiser is about $51,850 per year (about $24.93 hourly). Working conditions can vary for this field of work. While real estate dealings may seem like an office-specific job, many appraisers and assessors will actually travel to the sites they are currently working on.

If you are interested in working in a different field, you can also check our list of 25 best states for anthropologists and archaeologists.

Deciding which states qualify as the best states for appraisers and assessors of real estate is not a simple task. Different factors matter more to different people. We decided to consult the Bureau of Labor Statistics for information on the average mean wage and the number of employed real estate appraisers and assessors in each state. We then sourced information on the cost of living index from Missouri Economic Research And Information Center. Considering all of these factors, we were able to sort our list.

It is not enough for a state to simply have a high average salary for its real estate appraisers and assessors. It must also be considered that the number of working real estate appraisers and assessors in the state may affect the number of job positions that are open to newcomers. On the other side of that argument, more employed real estate appraisers and assessors points to the possibility of a more steady stream of work available. The cost of living index can also not be considered alone. It is great to have a low cost of living, but this only matters if your salary is also not super low. A low cost of living paired with a high salary is the most advantageous situation. States falling into this category made the top of our list.

Without further ado, here is our list of 25 best states for appraisers and assessors of real estate.

25. Kansas

Cost of living index: 90.4

Annual mean wage: $48,840

Hourly mean wage: $23.48

Number of employees: 720

24. Arizona

Cost of living index: 98.1

Annual mean wage: $53,650

Hourly mean wage: $25.79

Number of employees: 1,150

23. Pennsylvania

Cost of living index: 102.8

Annual mean wage: $56,460

Hourly mean wage: $27.14

Number of employees: 1,570

22. Missouri

Cost of living index: 90.8

Annual mean wage: $50,260

Hourly mean wage: $24.16

Number of employees: 1,780

21. Michigan

Cost of living index: 88.2

Annual mean wage: $49,990

Hourly mean wage: $24.03

Number of employees: 2,530

20. Nebraska

Cost of living index: 91.3

Annual mean wage: $51,980

Hourly mean wage: $24.99

Number of employees: 520

19. Alabama

Cost of living index: 91.2

Annual mean wage: $52,040

Hourly mean wage: $25.01

Number of employees: 710

18. Virginia

Cost of living index: 100.2

Annual mean wage: $58,170

Hourly mean wage: $27.96

Number of employees: 1,480

17. Alaska

Cost of living index: 131.6

Annual mean wage: $76,820

Hourly mean wage: $36.93

Number of employees: 150

16. South Dakota

Cost of living index: 102.8

Annual mean wage: $60,190

Hourly mean wage: $28.93

Number of employees: 280

15. California

Cost of living index: 134.8

Annual mean wage: $79,670

Hourly mean wage: $38.30

Number of employees: 4,220

14. Nevada

Cost of living index: 104.5

Annual mean wage: $61,790

Hourly mean wage: $29.70

Number of employees: 690

13. Illinois

Cost of living index: 95.5

Annual mean wage: $57,450

Hourly mean wage: $27.62

Number of employees: 2,090

12. Tennessee

Cost of living index: 89.8

Annual mean wage: $54,270

Hourly mean wage: $26.09

Number of employees: 900

We’re halfway through our list of best states for appraisers and assessors of real estate, and for the other half, click next.

11. North Carolina

Cost of living index: 94.2

Annual mean wage: $57,070

Hourly mean wage: $27.43

Number of employees: 1,480

10. Wyoming

Cost of living index: 91.7

Annual mean wage: $55,890

Hourly mean wage: $26.87

Number of employees: 240

9. New Jersey

Cost of living index: 121

Annual mean wage: $73,880

Hourly mean wage: $35.51

Number of employees: 1,520

8. Delaware

Cost of living index: 102.6

Annual mean wage: $63,150

Hourly mean wage: $30.36

Number of employees: 180

7. Ohio

Cost of living index: 93

Annual mean wage: $58,670

Hourly mean wage: $28.20

Number of employees: 1,720

6. Washington

Cost of living index: 107.1

Annual mean wage: $67,970

Hourly mean wage: $32.67

Number of employees: 880

5. Wisconsin

Cost of living index: 96.9

Annual mean wage: $61,600

Hourly mean wage: $29.61

Number of employees: 860

4. Texas

Cost of living index: 90.7

Annual mean wage: $61,610

Hourly mean wage: $29.62

Number of employees: 5,750

3. Minnesota

Cost of living index: 101.1

Annual mean wage: $69,000

Hourly mean wage: $33.17

Number of employees: 2,160

2. Colorado

Cost of living index: 102.1

Annual mean wage: $71,720

Hourly mean wage: $34.48

Number of employees: 1,690

1. Iowa

Cost of living index: 91.7

Annual mean wage: $68,720

Hourly mean wage: $33.03

Number of employees: 640

This was our list of 25 best states for appraisers and assessors of real estate. We hope we managed to show you some great options, and what you should expect from each state when deciding where to move.