Best states for an associate chemist

Q: What is the best state for associate chemists?

The best state to be an associate chemist is Massachusetts based on associate chemist salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for associate chemists?

The highest paying state for associate chemists is South Dakota based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for associate chemists?

The worst state for associate chemists is Wyoming, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Dr. James Leahy Ph.D.

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 51

Do you want to become an associate chemist at L'Oreal USA, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for associate chemists that you can check out, before you begin your journey. Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of associate chemists in America is $97,000.

To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for associate chemists.Massachusetts is the best state, and Arlington is the city with the highest pay for associate chemists.

10 best states for associate chemists in 2026

1. Massachusetts
Total associate chemist jobs: 509
Average annual salary: $76,089
Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $110,000
Location Quotient:
2.85
Associate chemist jobs in Massachusetts
2. Delaware
Total associate chemist jobs: 35
Average annual salary: $75,891
Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000
Location Quotient:
1.43
Associate chemist jobs in Delaware
3. Maryland
Total associate chemist jobs: 202
Average annual salary: $73,978
Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $114,000
Location Quotient:
1.64
Associate chemist jobs in Maryland
4. New Jersey
Total associate chemist jobs: 259
Average annual salary: $66,040
Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $100,000
Location Quotient:
1.68
Associate chemist jobs in New Jersey
5. Virginia
Total associate chemist jobs: 89
Average annual salary: $87,684
Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000
Location Quotient:
0.49
Associate chemist jobs in Virginia
6. Rhode Island
Total associate chemist jobs: 23
Average annual salary: $65,689
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $96,000
Location Quotient:
0.97
Associate chemist jobs in Rhode Island
7. Connecticut
Total associate chemist jobs: 71
Average annual salary: $65,727
Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $98,000
Location Quotient:
1.1
Associate chemist jobs in Connecticut
8. District of Columbia
Total associate chemist jobs: 17
Average annual salary: $79,545
Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000
Location Quotient:
0.52
Associate chemist jobs in District of Columbia
9. Pennsylvania
Total associate chemist jobs: 308
Average annual salary: $57,238
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000
Location Quotient:
1.36
Associate chemist jobs in Pennsylvania
10. Tennessee
Total associate chemist jobs: 56
Average annual salary: $63,353
Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $98,000
Location Quotient:
0.49
Associate chemist jobs in Tennessee

Associate chemist jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be an associate chemist

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for an associate chemist

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Massachusetts	$76,089	$52,000	6,859,819	509
2	Delaware	$75,891	$49,000	961,939	35
3	Maryland	$73,978	$47,000	6,052,177	202
4	New Jersey	$66,040	$43,000	9,005,644	259
5	Virginia	$87,684	$55,000	8,470,020	89
6	Rhode Island	$65,689	$44,000	1,059,639	23
7	Connecticut	$65,727	$43,000	3,588,184	71
8	District of Columbia	$79,545	$50,000	693,972	17
9	Pennsylvania	$57,238	$37,000	12,805,537	308
10	Tennessee	$63,353	$40,000	6,715,984	56
11	California	$60,225	$37,000	39,536,653	1,035
12	Vermont	$65,311	$47,000	623,657	7
13	Ohio	$56,939	$37,000	11,658,609	168
14	New Mexico	$56,461	$36,000	2,088,070	46
15	New Hampshire	$54,869	$38,000	1,342,795	43
16	South Carolina	$57,533	$36,000	5,024,369	58
17	Oklahoma	$63,297	$42,000	3,930,864	11
18	West Virginia	$60,511	$39,000	1,815,857	6
19	Iowa	$53,388	$36,000	3,145,711	92
20	Texas	$57,125	$36,000	28,304,596	255
21	North Carolina	$54,604	$34,000	10,273,419	205
22	Kentucky	$55,850	$36,000	4,454,189	47
23	Utah	$54,124	$36,000	3,101,833	54
24	New York	$56,259	$37,000	19,849,399	259
25	Minnesota	$54,188	$38,000	5,576,606	128
26	Kansas	$52,333	$35,000	2,913,123	29
27	Michigan	$51,119	$34,000	9,962,311	96
28	Missouri	$51,036	$34,000	6,113,532	115
29	Georgia	$53,841	$34,000	10,429,379	95
30	Indiana	$50,336	$33,000	6,666,818	108
31	Wisconsin	$46,270	$31,000	5,795,483	170
32	Montana	$50,108	$37,000	1,050,493	11
33	Illinois	$49,211	$33,000	12,802,023	264
34	Idaho	$50,624	$34,000	1,716,943	20
35	North Dakota	$46,163	$34,000	755,393	17
36	Colorado	$52,784	$36,000	5,607,154	54
37	Alabama	$49,902	$31,000	4,874,747	29
38	Oregon	$46,475	$30,000	4,142,776	116
39	Washington	$49,474	$33,000	7,405,743	128
40	Louisiana	$51,228	$31,000	4,684,333	14
41	Nevada	$50,552	$31,000	2,998,039	10
42	Hawaii	$54,336	$46,000	1,427,538	5
43	Mississippi	$49,701	$31,000	2,984,100	7
44	Alaska	$46,838	$41,000	739,795	5
45	Arkansas	$44,728	$29,000	3,004,279	43
46	Arizona	$47,234	$30,000	7,016,270	53
47	Florida	$45,255	$27,000	20,984,400	147
48	Nebraska	$42,804	$29,000	1,920,076	17
49	Maine	$38,816	$28,000	1,335,907	10
50	South Dakota	$35,971	$25,000	869,666	7
51	Wyoming	$38,348	$27,000	579,315	2

Highest paying states for associate chemists

Rank	State	Avg. Associate Chemist Salary
1	Massachusetts	$76,089
2	Delaware	$75,891
3	Maryland	$73,978
4	New Jersey	$66,040
5	Virginia	$87,684
6	Rhode Island	$65,689
7	Connecticut	$65,727
8	District of Columbia	$79,545
9	Pennsylvania	$57,238
10	Tennessee	$63,353
11	California	$60,225
12	Vermont	$65,311
13	Ohio	$56,939
14	New Mexico	$56,461
15	New Hampshire	$54,869
16	South Carolina	$57,533
17	Oklahoma	$63,297
18	West Virginia	$60,511
19	Iowa	$53,388
20	Texas	$57,125
21	North Carolina	$54,604
22	Kentucky	$55,850
23	Utah	$54,124
24	New York	$56,259
25	Minnesota	$54,188
26	Kansas	$52,333
27	Michigan	$51,119
28	Missouri	$51,036
29	Georgia	$53,841
30	Indiana	$50,336
31	Wisconsin	$46,270
32	Montana	$50,108
33	Illinois	$49,211
34	Idaho	$50,624
35	North Dakota	$46,163
36	Colorado	$52,784
37	Alabama	$49,902
38	Oregon	$46,475
39	Washington	$49,474
40	Louisiana	$51,228
41	Nevada	$50,552
42	Hawaii	$54,336
43	Mississippi	$49,701
44	Alaska	$46,838
45	Arkansas	$44,728
46	Arizona	$47,234
47	Florida	$45,255
48	Nebraska	$42,804
49	Maine	$38,816
50	South Dakota	$35,971
51	Wyoming	$38,348

Expert opinions on the best states for associate chemists

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for associate chemists to find work opportunities?
Dr. James Leahy Ph.D.
Professor of Chemistry, University of South Florida
One of the great things about chemistry is that there are so many areas for our graduates to work, whether in health care, quality control, energy, defense, or elsewhere. Each of these areas is well represented geographically, with specific concentrations for each. Much of the energy research is based in Texas and Oklahoma. Defense research is often proximal to bases. Healthcare research has hubs in the northeast (primarily Boston) and west coast (mainly the Bay area). Quality control is often wherever manufacturing is taking place. We're fortunate that many of these opportunities are present in the Tampa area, with solar energy, MacDill, biotech companies, and manufacturers like Yuengling and Coca Cola, nearby.

Associate chemist best states FAQs

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Best states for Associate Chemists

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total associate chemist jobs:	509
Average annual salary:	$76,089
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$52,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$110,000
Location Quotient:	2.85

Best states for an associate chemist

10 best states for associate chemists in 2026

1. Massachusetts

2. Delaware

3. Maryland

4. New Jersey

5. Virginia

6. Rhode Island

7. Connecticut

8. District of Columbia

9. Pennsylvania

10. Tennessee