This guide explains how policy is made at the US state level, how state governments work, how you can get a job there, and how this work can allow you to make a difference. The goal is to help you make informed decisions about whether state government is a good place for you to work, which state government jobs you should target and why, and how to find and pursue specific opportunities.

In brief, state governments offer significant opportunities to shape policy and gain valuable experience in public service. States serve as “laboratories of democracy,” often leading the way on emerging policy issues before federal action. State policy offers diverse opportunities across legislative offices, executive agencies, and external organizations like think tanks and advocacy groups. While state policy jobs vary widely—from full-time professional legislatures to part-time citizen legislatures—they can provide valuable pathways to either state leadership roles or federal positions, and they allow professionals to develop expertise, build networks, and make meaningful change. States are increasingly active in emerging technology policy areas (e.g. AI, bio, cyber), though their approaches and resources vary considerably.

Overview of state governments

The US federal system divides power between the national (federal) government and sub-national (state, local, and tribal) governments, which share many structural similarities:

• Constitution: Each state has its own state constitution outlining the government structure, including the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
• Legislative: Like Congress at the federal level, all state legislatures (except Nebraska) are bicameral (i.e. they have a house and senate) with elected representatives and senators representing a subdivision of their state. The legislators propose, debate, and pass state legislation, and serve in committees that often mirror federal ones (e.g. “Ways and Means”).¹
• Executive: The governor serves as chief executive, with power to sign or veto legislation, manage state agencies, appoint judges, and coordinate with other states. Governors are popularly elected, with varying term lengths and limits.
• Judicial: States maintain their own court systems—typically with trial courts (lower), appellate courts (intermediate), and a supreme court (highest)—primarily handling cases involving state law.² (Legal roles are beyond the scope of this resource, but the National Center for State Courts has helpful resources and a job board.)

Each state’s governing structure and exact process is unique. For example, New Hampshire has 400 part-time representatives earning $200 per 2-year term to represent 1.4 million residents, while California pays 120 full-time representatives market salaries to serve 40 million residents. Session lengths also differ: New Mexico alternates between 60-day and 30-day sessions in odd and even years, while Michigan has no set limit.

Relationship between federal and state policy

The US Constitution outlines specific responsibilities for both federal and state governments:

• Federal authorities: The federal government handles issues that impact the entire country (e.g. national defense, interstate commerce, and foreign policy). 
• Shared authorities: Some authorities are shared between federal and state governments, called “concurrent powers.” Examples include setting up courts, levying taxes, and defining crimes and punishments. 
• State authorities: States retain powers that aren’t delegated to the federal government by the Constitution. These include responsibilities like regulating education, public health, policing, zoning, and conducting elections. States also have primary authority over most common law areas³ that affect daily life and business, including contracts, torts, property law, local commercial transactions, and most criminal law. While federal law takes precedence in areas where the Constitution grants authority to the federal government, states retain wide-ranging powers to address local needs and implement policies within their jurisdictions. States must also respect and help enforce the laws of other states.
  • State incentives: The federal government often uses contingent funding programs to incentivize (or disincentive) certain state-level policies; for example, states receive increased federal funding for expanding Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act. 

The Constitution’s “supremacy clause” dictates that if state and federal law conflict, the federal law generally prevails.⁴ It also allows Congress to enact legislation that expressly or implicitly precludes state laws in a particular area, effectively reserving that area of regulation to the federal government (this is called “preemption”). 

Brief profiles on Texas and California

It would take a lifetime to learn the ins and outs of all 50 state governments. The profiles on Texas and California below illustrate some differences between state government structures in more detail. 

Why (not) work for state government

State legislatures pass a higher proportion of introduced bills than Congress and are less prone to suffer from gridlock. Each new law affects hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of people in the state, so jobs in state legislatures (e.g. researching, drafting, and advocating for bills) and state agencies (e.g. implementing laws and programs) can be highly impactful. On the other hand, while Congress often faces more gridlock and division, its policies affect all Americans and often have global reach.

State policies can have influence beyond their borders, setting precedents for federal legislation, shaping industry behavior nationwide, or inspiring other states’ laws. This section explores these opportunities for impact and discusses personal fit considerations.

Opportunities for state-level impact

States shape critical policies meaningfully affecting their constituents’ lives—from education and public health to transportation, public safety, infrastructure, and taxation. Working in state government lets you help craft and implement policies that directly benefit your communities. With smaller constituencies than the federal government, states can craft more targeted policies with greater input from affected groups and maintain closer contact with stakeholders. Like the federal government, state governments often face a significant talent gap, particularly in technical expertise, creating opportunities for individual staffers to meaningfully contribute on these issues. 

States also shape how federal policies affect their residents through implementation and oversight. During COVID-19, for instance, states varied widely in their enforcement of federal mask mandates and later set divergent state-level policies. States also exercise considerable discretion in administering federal programs like Medicaid and the Inflation Reduction Act.⁷

In technology policy, states often balance two competing priorities. First, they seek to attract investment through favorable tax codes, labor laws, and regulatory environments.⁸ Second, they aim to protect constituents through regulation, sometimes acting ahead of federal policy to tailor policies to regional preferences. While federal law can eventually override state legislation, states’ faster policymaking allows them to influence national standards and industry behavior in the interim. See resources for tracking state-level technology legislation below.

Monitoring federal preemption is particularly important for emerging technology issues, where jurisdictional boundaries haven’t been formally defined. For instance, Congress could reserve certain aspects of AI legislation (like model regulation) for federal oversight while leaving others (like state agency AI use) to state discretion. The scope of state policy opportunities—and the value of state-level expertise—thus depends significantly on how Congress ultimately divides authority between federal and state governments.

Opportunities for national impact

National-level policy is often informed by state-level legislation. States can serve as “laboratories of democracy,” testing innovative policies for later nationwide adoption.

The “California Effect” exemplifies states’ national influence. When California enacts stricter regulations, companies often adopt these standards nationwide rather than maintaining different standards by state. In addition, California’s policies frequently inspire legislation in other states and at the federal level—for instance, the state’s 1966 vehicle emissions standards shaped the 1970 federal Clean Air Act.⁹

Despite the name, the California Effect isn’t unique to California. Any state can influence national policy, though this impact typically comes from states with large populations, strong economies, or significant industry presence (and national momentum often builds when states from different parties adopt similar policies).¹⁰ For example, Massachusetts pioneered school vaccination requirements, Florida led on computer crime legislation, and Minnesota’s 1970s data privacy laws informed federal standards.

Yet some states avoid regulating issues they view as federal matters, fearing isolated state action could drive away industry without achieving meaningful change. While working at the state level can influence national policy, if you’re primarily interested in federal policy, you should generally pursue federal roles directly. But state positions offer valuable alternatives if you’re geographically constrained, seek experience that might be harder to obtain federally, or if the federal government is less receptive to your issue area or preferred solutions. States with unified government control (“trifectas“) may also offer more opportunities for policy advancement than a frequently gridlocked Congress.

Professional development

State policy work can help you develop professionally, from building deep policy expertise to developing policy-relevant skills and expanding your professional network.

1. Knowledge: You’ll gain a deep understanding of local issues and state policy implementation, learning about state agencies, budgeting processes, and the interplay between state and federal regulations. While legislative staffers often become generalists across multiple areas, executive branch roles typically allow for specialization. Work in non-governmental organizations, like think tanks or advocacy groups, allows you to develop expertise in specific policy domains relevant to the state.
2. Skills: You’ll develop core policy skills based on your role. Generally, legislative positions emphasize research, writing, and coalition-building; executive roles focus on program implementation and interagency coordination; and non-governmental roles typically build research, analysis, and advocacy capabilities.
3. Connections: You’ll build a robust network in your state’s political and policy circles, including elected officials, agency heads, and other influential stakeholders. As careers progress, colleagues often move between government branches or into the private sector, expanding your network further. Non-governmental roles frequently connect you with experts, advocates, and decision-makers across sectors.

State experience can be valuable for future federal positions. Working directly in state-level program development and implementation provides crucial insights for designing federal programs, and understanding the priorities and constraints of state officials—who will ultimately implement or enforce national policy—can help you craft more effective national policies. For example, three of the CDC‘s five directors since 2010 previously worked in state public health departments. But there are important limitations to this. While general skills like policy analysis and stakeholder management transfer well to federal roles, much of your state-specific knowledge and network may have limited relevance outside your state.

State government roles offer accessible entry points to test your fit for policy careers, especially if you’re a student or early in your career. Since state governments mirror the federal structure, you can often experience similar dynamics while facing less competition for positions than at the federal level.

Personal fit considerations

Location: State and local government positions are available nationwide, unlike federal policy jobs which cluster in Washington, DC, making state roles more attractive for those with location constraints.

Specialized skill set or interest area: States implement specific federal and state-funded programs that may align with your expertise. For example, CDC’s National Wastewater Surveillance System supports state public health agencies in establishing wastewater monitoring programs for pathogens—potentially ideal for microbiologists or epidemiologists interested in surveillance systems.

Workload demands: Similar to congressional positions, state legislative staffers often work long hours in a high-stress environment, particularly in states with biennial sessions (e.g. in Texas, most policymaking is concentrated into a five-month session every two years). State agencies and advocacy organizations often operate with smaller teams than their federal counterparts, requiring staff to handle multiple responsibilities, which some people may find challenging.

Job security: Job security varies significantly by role. Policy work may be part-time or seasonal depending on available resources and legislative sessions (e.g. some legislatures rely heavily on session-only staff who turn over annually). While state legislative work is often fairly stable due to incumbent advantages and infrequent party changes, even seemingly secure legislative positions can change unexpectedly due to redistricting, retirements, or intraparty dynamics. For state-level legislative staff, job security also depends on their member’s electoral cycle and term limits.

State agency civil service positions typically offer more stability than legislative roles, though they may face budget fluctuations and administration changes. State-level think tanks and nonprofits face their own challenges, often depending on smaller donor bases and local funding sources that make them particularly sensitive to state economic conditions.

Where and how to work in state policy?

State policy roles vary as widely as the states themselves. While each state has unique priorities and culture, their core components—legislative, executive, judicial, and nongovernmental organizations—resemble the federal structure. This section explores these components and relevant career paths.

Legislature

About 33,000 staff members serve state legislatures across the US. Their jobs vary significantly: some are full-time, others part-time; some are permanent, others session-only; and some are partisan, serving specific legislators, while others are non-partisan, serving the entire legislature or chamber.

Before pursuing legislative positions, research your target state’s hiring cycles and position availability. States with part-time legislators often hire large numbers of session-only staff shortly before sessions begin but rarely hire in off-seasons. The NCSL’s legislative staff census, conducted every 6-7 years, provides a high-level overview to start your research.

Like in Congress, state legislative staffers either work directly for individual legislators or small groups of legislators (“personal staff”) or for a legislative committee focused on a certain issue, like energy or commerce (“committee staff”).

Personal staff

Staff size varies significantly by state, chamber, and committee assignments, ranging from two full-time staff to over fifteen. Personal legislative staff typically fill several key roles depending on office size:¹¹

• Intern: handles initial constituent contact (e.g. meeting with walk-in visitors, answering phone calls and emails) and administrative tasks, with potential for policy work
• Legislative aide/assistant: manages policy portfolios, researches and drafts legislation, works with stakeholders, and supports committee work¹²
• Legislative director: oversees the member’s bill portfolio, develops legislative strategy, and manages legislative aides
• Scheduler: serves as chief administrative staffer, managing the member’s schedule and coordinating events, travel, and media
• Chief of staff: acts as chief policy advisor, develops political strategy, oversees policy decisions, and supervises office operations
• District staff: work from the member’s district office (in contrast to “capitol staff” primarily working out of the state capitol), handling constituent casework and district relations

Roles often overlap, particularly in smaller offices. Generally, you’ll find trade-offs between the scope of individual responsibilities and office size and influence—it’s typically easier to secure senior roles in smaller, less influential offices than in larger, more powerful ones.

Pros and cons

Personal staff can significantly shape state policy. Progression to more senior legislative roles can be rapid, and even college students and early-career professionals often contribute substantially to policy development. With legislators typically overloaded, capable staff frequently take ownership of bills or entire policy portfolios. Staff often directly write and revise legislative language, and can heavily inform their legislator’s perspective and approach. If you’re interested in working in Congress, state legislative roles provide convenient fit tests and valuable experience in policy research, writing, and political dynamics.

But state legislative roles don’t fit everyone. For example, they often demand comfort with significant autonomy and decisions under uncertainty; office culture heavily depends on the legislator’s personality and preferences, which can be difficult to assess externally; political considerations are ever-present and can be frustrating to work around; hours during session can be long and unpredictable, and job security depends on reelection; staff portfolios typically reflect their member’s priorities, which may shift with district interests; and staffers often handle multiple broad policy areas—especially in smaller offices—potentially limiting time for your preferred issues.

Considering chamber and party

Senators and representatives both maintain staff, but senators typically have larger offices, longer terms, more constituents, and more committee assignments. While individual senators generally shape policy more than representatives, advancement to senior positions is often faster in the lower chamber, and individual staffers’ portfolios tend to be broader.

As of January 2025, 38 states had “government trifectas” where one party controls both legislative chambers and the governorship. Trifectas typically enable more efficient legislation compared to divided governments—an advantage of many states over the frequently “gridlocked” federal government. The majority party generally controls which legislation reaches the floor through committee leadership, making minority party influence difficult. So, when working in a trifecta state, consider how your legislator’s party affiliation will affect your experience and opportunities for impact (like in Congress, being in the majority is generally better).

Lastly, serving as personal staff clearly signals your partisan affiliation, potentially limiting your future career opportunities—with effects that grow more significant as you progress beyond entry-level positions and internships.

Committee staff

Committees review and deliberate legislation in specific subject areas. In the typical process, legislators propose bills that must pass through committee review before reaching a full chamber vote. Committees decide whether a bill is reported out (either to the next committee or to the floor for a vote) or whether that bill dies or is sent to “study” (not progressed that legislative cycle). Legislative leaders (e.g. the Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor) assign members to committees and select chairs who significantly influence which bills advance. Most legislators serve on multiple committees—for example, a senator might simultaneously serve on education, business, local government, and health committees. 

State committee structure and leadership differs from Congress. Unlike Congress, state legislatures rarely use subcommittees. While congressional committees have majority party Chairs and minority party Ranking Members, state committees typically just have a Chair and Vice Chair, often both from the majority party. State committees also usually operate with smaller, nonpartisan professional staffs, rather than separate majority and minority teams, as is the case in Congress. Some larger states like California and New York more closely mirror congressional committee structure, but they’re exceptions.

Committee staff support committee operations throughout the legislative process, including by handling administrative tasks, conducting research, analyzing legislation, and providing technical expertise to members. They often work closely with the personal staff of committee members.

Committee influence varies significantly. You can assess a committee’s influence by examining its formal responsibilities, how many bills were referred to it, the chair’s track record, media coverage, and the committee type, of which there are three main ones:¹³ 

1. Standing committees (permanent, with defined subject areas) 
2. Select/special committees (temporary, focused on specific issues)
3. Joint committees (comprising members from both chambers, often to resolve differences in bill versions).

Pros and cons

Committee roles offer several advantages. Staff can specialize in specific policy areas and review multiple related bills, while building hands-on experience in legislative drafting. These positions typically provide more stability than personal staff roles, as they’re not tied to individual legislators’ careers. While equally demanding, they involve less constituent work and offer deeper policy focus, though they may provide less insight into elected officials’ daily responsibilities (which might be relevant if you’re considering running for office one day).

Committee staff positions are generally less partisan than personal staff roles, reducing the risk of developing strong partisan affiliations or having your reputation tied to specific legislators.

Researching legislative offices and committees

Understanding which committees have jurisdiction over your policy interests and which members care about these issues is crucial for navigating state legislatures. Below are resources and strategies for this research, focusing on emerging technology issues (but similar strategies apply to researching other issues).

Executive branch

Executive branch staff implement policies, oversee state programs, and maintain government operations. While state structures vary, all have governors elected by citizens. Many states also directly elect other officials like lieutenant governors, attorneys general, and secretaries of state. These leaders oversee state agencies managed by political appointees and career civil servants.

This section focuses on two main categories of state executive work: governor’s offices and state-level departments and agencies.

Governor’s office

Governors’ responsibilities vary by state but generally mirror many presidential functions. Common authorities include:

• Proposing state budgets through agency coordination
• Making political appointments to agencies, departments, boards, and commissions
• Exercising veto powers over legislation (either line-item or full veto¹⁴)
• Calling special legislative sessions for urgent issues
• Issuing executive orders to state agencies and officials

Organization

Governor offices typically follow one of three structures: strict hierarchy (all staff report through a chief of staff), limited hierarchy (chief of staff coordinates but senior staff have direct governor access in specific areas), or “spokes of the wheel” (multiple senior staff report directly to the governor).

Common sub-offices support specific functions or policy areas, including legislative affairs, budget, legal counsel, constituent relations, communications, and appointments. Senior staff oversee these offices and advise on policy decisions, often supported by specialized staff depending on the state’s resources.

Pros and cons

Governor’s office roles offer unique benefits and challenges. Staff gain comprehensive understanding of state operations and build broad networks across agencies, the legislature, and other stakeholders. While staff members don’t directly write legislation, they can shape policy through budget proposals, veto recommendations, overseeing policy implementation in state agencies, legislative coordination, and endorsing candidates before elections. Governors from the majority party may also advance priorities through allied legislators, who may introduce bills on the governor’s behalf.

The work can be demanding, with long hours and tight deadlines, particularly when concluding the legislative session, during which the governor must approve or veto all legislation that passed out of the legislature. Workload typically eases when the legislature isn’t in session. Each governor’s management style significantly shapes office culture, and staff portfolios reflect gubernatorial priorities. Working in a governor’s office also signals partisan affiliation, potentially affecting future career options.

State-level departments and agencies

Departments and agencies form state governments’ operational core, managing and delivering services that directly impact residents’ daily lives. These agencies implement state laws and manage programs across public safety, health, education, transportation, technology, and other essential areas. Their work affects millions and often sets standards adopted by other states.

While agency structures vary by state, certain essential departments exist everywhere. Below are key agencies often involved in implementing emerging technology policy.

Researching executive offices

Consider these key questions when researching executive opportunities related to emerging technology policy:

Think tanks, nonprofits, and other external groups

Think tanks

State think tanks inform legislation and implementation through research, data analyses, and policy recommendations (a similar role to federal think tanks). Examples of broadly scoped state-level think tanks include:

• California: Public Policy Institute of California 
• Colorado: Colorado Center on Law and Policy
• Delaware: Delaware Public Policy Institute
• Florida: Florida Policy Institute
• Illinois: Illinois Policy Institute
• Massachusetts: MassINC
• Michigan: Mackinac Center for Public Policy
• New York: Empire Center for Public Policy
• Texas: Texas Public Policy Foundation 
• Washington: Washington Policy Center
• Wisconsin: Wisconsin Policy Forum

Unlike federal think tanks which cover nearly every policy area, most state think tanks operate with smaller budgets and focus on state-specific issues. While finding state-level think tanks focused on your specific interests may thus be more challenging, these organizations—especially if they’re well-established and integrated into the state’s policymaking process—can provide valuable networking opportunities, research experience, and policy knowledge.

Nonprofits, associations, and advocacy groups 

State governments rely heavily on external expertise, particularly from organizations like:

• National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL): a bipartisan organization providing research and technical assistance for state policymakers
• National Governors Association (NGA): a bipartisan association representing US governors, facilitating collaboration on state and federal policies
• The Council of State Governments (CSG): a bipartisan nonprofit serving all three branches of state government by fostering interstate cooperation, providing policy research and analysis, and offering leadership development programs
• Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO): a bipartisan nonprofit supporting state public health agencies, including via technical assistance and learning opportunities for state health agency staff
• National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO): a nonprofit organization assisting local health departments by providing advocacy, resources, and technical assistance

Many issue-specific organizations also shape state policy by drafting policy proposals, mobilizing grassroots support, running public education campaigns, advocating for legislation, building coalitions, monitoring implementation efforts, and offering technical expertise—thereby bridging policymakers and constituents, professional groups, and industries. Examples include:

• Californians for Consumer Privacy was instrumental in enacting the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and continues to advocate for robust state privacy protections.
• New York Alliance for Digital Equity promotes equal access to broadband and other digital tools across New York.
• Illinois Science & Technology Coalition supports research and development funding, STEM education, and commercialization of new technologies. It represents major Illinois research universities, federal labs, corporations, and civic organizations.
• The Missouri Science and Technology (MOST) Policy Initiative provides nonpartisan research for Missouri legislators on topics like public drinking water quality, data centers, and tariffs on solar products.

In California, organizations can even formally co-sponsor bills, meaning they work closely with a legislator’s office to develop and progress a bill.

Researching nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)

State-level think tanks and NGOs typically have more limited resources than their federal counterparts, often focusing on broader state issues rather than specific policy areas (though emerging technology issues may be part of a larger policy portfolio). When researching organizations, consider:

Choosing which state to work in 

Most policy professionals pursue roles in their home states, where they have personal connections and cultural knowledge relevant to state policymaking. These local ties often matter to hiring managers.

If you’re interested in policy work and have geographic flexibility, you should generally first consider federal-level policy in DC given its concentration of policy opportunities. But if you’re specifically pursuing state-level work and are open to multiple locations, consider these factors when choosing between states:

• Relevance to policy interests: states vary significantly in their policy priorities and leadership across issues.¹⁶ Research which states actively address your areas of interest (e.g. reviewing recent legislative sessions) through tools like LegiScan and NCSL‘s legislative databases.
• Industry presence: states with strong industry concentrations often lead related policy areas. For example, California frequently pioneers tech policy given its Silicon Valley base, while Massachusetts often leads in biotechnology given its research and healthcare institutions.
• Network connections: professional relationships are key to state government work. You may find it easier to break in and contribute more meaningfully where you have relevant connections from prior work (e.g. campaigning), studies, or other local involvement.
• Personal ties: since local government work remains largely in-person, consider locations where you have community connections. These ties can make your work more rewarding and sustainable.

• Resources: state governments vary widely in structure and resources. Research which legislatures maintain full-time staff, how governors’ offices operate, what federal grants support relevant state departments, and the state budget on your preferred policy issues.
• Partisan affiliation: if you have clear partisan leanings, you may find it more satisfying and impactful to work in a state where your preferred party holds power.
• Political environment: states with “government trifectas” (single-party control) can move policy forward more quickly. This can both make the work itself more pleasant and make it easier to contribute to policy change.

Internships and jobs in state government

Internships & fellowships

Internship programs exist across governor’s offices, state agencies, legislatures, and non-governmental organizations, mostly concentrated in summer or during the legislative session, but with opportunities available year-round. State policy institutions are frequently underfunded—but as a silver lining, this creates opportunities for interns and fellows who can work at a lower cost. Established internship programs offered by universities, external groups, or government are good place to start—these programs usually evaluate candidates based on their qualifications and commitment to public service and depend less on networking.

• Some legislatures offer in-house internship programs, like the New York State Assembly’s intern program. (But in many states, individual legislators find interns independently, often by partnering with external programs or running their own search process—see more below on legislative internships).
• Governor’s offices and state agencies often run their own student internship programs (e.g. Massachusetts’ Governor’s Office, Texas Health and Human Services). 
• Many universities offer state government internship programs where students spend a semester living and working in the state’s capital (e.g. Colorado State University). Some also offer funding for students pursuing un(der)paid government internships. Even if your university doesn’t run an internship program, their government or political science department might provide publicly-available lists of state, local, and federal level policy internship opportunities for their students (e.g. Massachusetts opportunities, California opportunities). 
• Some think-tanks and nonprofits offer funding or placements for students in state-government—these can be issue-specific or general, and nonpartisan or partisan (e.g. Texas Clements Legislative Study Program).

Beyond internships, several states offer full-time science and technology policy fellowships, such as California’s CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellowship, Idaho’s Science & Technology Policy Fellowship, Missouri’s Science and Technology (MOST) Policy Initiative, and New York’s State Science Policy Fellowship, among many others.

To find state-level internship and fellowship opportunities, check out the job boards below and and search for specific state institutions of interest along with terms like “internship” or “fellowship.”

Legislative internships & fellowships

Former legislative experience, especially during session, is often seen as the one of the strongest credentials for state legislative roles. Hiring candidates with existing knowledge of state legislative rules, procedures, and norms can save chiefs of staff valuable time—particularly during the intensive session period. This means that getting state legislative experience early—even interning for just a few hours a week—can open future doors.

Outside of established university and external programs, individual legislative offices often rely on internal networks for hiring interns and staff. Emailing, calling, or even visiting the office in-person to express your interest is sometimes the only way to “apply” for these spots. Reaching out to a specific staff member is often more effective, but locating staff contact information can be challenging. If specific contact information isn’t readily available online, call the office to express your interest and ask who you could send your resume to. Much of our congressional internship advice also applies to state legislative internships—but note that the application process is often less structured at the state-level.

If you can’t temporarily relocate to the state capitol for an internship, consider working with your local state senator or representative’s district office instead. While district positions typically focus more on constituent services and administrative tasks rather than policy work, they can be a more convenient way to build your network and learn how the legislature operates.

Jobs 

State government roles are often more accessible than federal positions, especially for early-career professionals, but getting a job still requires persistence and often networking. Check out our guide on full-time policy roles (it focuses on the federal level, but similar strategies apply at both levels).

There are several job boards specifically for state-level positions:

• NCSL job board with state-level policy positions
• NCSL directory of each state’s legislature’s job boards
• GovtJobs job board for state and local job postings
• Careers In Government job board

State agency jobs

For state agency jobs, you should regularly monitor both official employment websites of states you’re interested (e.g. Florida, Texas) and the websites of specific agencies and departments (e.g. Florida Department of Health, Texas Department of Information). While networking is valuable across all state government roles, it’s often less critical for state agency work than for work in the legislature or governor’s office. More important is tailoring your application materials to the required qualifications—due to the complex and specific structure of many government hiring processes, it’s often worth investing extra time to optimize your resume. You can explore our federal agency application advice here, much of which is relevant to state-level agency applications.

Legislative jobs

State legislatures frequently have job boards where individual offices can post openings (e.g. Texas House and California Senate). But legislative positions are heavily network-dependent; many posted roles are filled internally, and some positions never appear on job boards at all. Emailing, calling, or visiting the office in-person is sometimes necessary. You might also want to check the LinkedIn profiles of Chief of Staff or Legislative Directors, who may post about openings to their networks there. Your state’s legislature might also have a resume bank that you can submit your resume to (though again, your odds of success without any networking are often slim).

Hiring in state legislatures typically follows the legislative calendar, so you’ll want to check when your state’s legislatures is in session. Most legislatures hire session staff in the months leading up to sessions, with senior positions requiring longer recruitment and onboarding periods.

Another common pathway to state legislative jobs is through campaign work. Many state legislators retain their primary campaign staff once elected, and strong performance as a campaign staffer or volunteer can position you for greater responsibility post-election. Since many state legislative districts have established partisan leanings, primary campaigns are often more competitive and provide a stronger credential (assuming your Member wins). You’ll need to check the individual election deadlines for your state, but primaries and run-off elections are generally held in spring and summer, with the general election in the fall. Our campaign guide provides more in-depth guidance on which types of campaigns to pursue.

As with most legislative hiring, networking is also essential for most campaign positions, which are often not posted or filled publicly. Especially at the state level, much campaign work is unpaid field work (e.g. making calls, door-to-door campaigning, and holding signs at polling places). To start volunteering, you can usually visit a campaign’s official website and look for a “Volunteer” or “Get Involved” section, or reach out directly to local campaign offices. If you’re a high school or college student, you could also try joining campus political groups, which may offer opportunities to get involved with state or local campaigns. If you’re joining a campaign, you’ll want to first research your candidate and their competitor(s)—demonstrating a strong grasp of your candidate’s platform can distinguish you for potential policy roles post-campaign.

Career progression paths in state government

Typical job titles and exact career pathways vary by state, but some common paths in state institutions are: 

• Governor’s office
  • Entry level: Intern/Fellow → Staff Assistant/Special Assistant → (Assistant/Junior) Policy Advisor
  • Mid level: Policy Advisor → Deputy Policy Director → Policy Director (for specific issue areas like education, healthcare, etc.)
  • Senior level: Senior Policy Director → Deputy Chief of Staff → Chief of Staff
• State agencies
  • Entry level: Program Specialist/Policy Analyst → Senior Policy Analyst
  • Mid level: Policy Manager/Director → Division Director/Bureau Chief (titles vary by agency)
  • Senior level: Deputy Director → Executive Director/Commissioner/Secretary
• Legislative office
  • Entry level: Intern → Legislative Aide/Assistant
  • Mid level: Policy Analyst/Advisor → Senior Policy Analyst/Committee Aide 
  • Senior level: Legislative Director → Deputy Chief of Staff → Chief of Staff

Movement between these institutions is common and often advantageous for career growth—for example, a legislative director from a state senate office might become a senior policy director in the governor’s office or a deputy director at a state agency. Experience in one institution often facilitates advancement across the state government ecosystem.

Further resources

• State Legislature Websites, Congress 
• State Executive Offices, Ballotpedia
• 2024 State Legislative Sessions Calendar, Quorum
• 2024 State Legislative Trends Report, Quorum
• State Legislative Staff Report, National Conference of State Legislatures (NSCL)
• 50-State Searchable Bill Tracking Databases, NCSL
• Governors’ office functions, National Governor’s Association
  

Books: 

• Why States Matter: An Introduction to State Politics, Gary Moncrief & Peverill Squire (2017)
• State and Local Government, Ann O’M. Bowman & Richard C. Kearney (2017)

Related articles

Congress

Think tanks

Executive branch

Multilateral governance careers

National labs and FFRDCs

Intelligence community (IC)

Political campaigning

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Footnotes