Here's a different take on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment and Wage estimates page. I've downloaded all the data and ranked states (for every occupation with at least 100 workers).

You can use the drop-down menus to filter by state or by occupation.

Occupation Selected: Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders

Click on state name to filter.
State Jobs Average
Salary		 Rank
Washington 490 $40,870 1
Maryland 210 $38,060 2
Minnesota 580 $37,920 3
Oregon 530 $37,760 4
Maine 200 $35,920 5
Colorado 240 $35,100 6
Nebraska 260 $34,690 7
Arkansas 800 $34,670 8
Louisiana 400 $34,400 9
Idaho 160 $34,340 10
Massachusetts 130 $33,930 11
Wisconsin 540 $33,530 12
Pennsylvania 1,630 $32,910 13
Michigan 620 $32,480 14
California 1,590 $32,270 15
Oklahoma 270 $32,230 16
Indiana 1,230 $32,210 17
North Dakota 100 $32,070 18
Ohio 1,630 $31,950 19
Kansas 200 $31,460 20
South Carolina 820 $31,380 21
North Carolina 1,220 $31,270 22
New Jersey 660 $31,090 23
Mississippi 540 $31,020 24
New York 770 $31,010 25
Alabama 900 $30,990 26
Kentucky 970 $30,820 27
Tennessee 1,790 $30,660 28
Florida 480 $30,340 29
New Hampshire 100 $30,030 30
Iowa 300 $29,950 31
Georgia 1,440 $29,780 32
Texas 2,110 $28,950 33
Virginia 760 $28,790 34
Illinois 510 $28,480 35
Missouri 490 $27,780 36
Utah 130 $27,490 37
West Virginia 310 $26,260 38