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Best states for a chemist lead
Quoted expert
Dr. James Leahy Ph.D.
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It seems like chemist leads are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for chemist leads aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. In order to help you decide which state is the best for chemist leads, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for chemist lead jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for chemist leads. Rhode Island is the best state for chemist leads, where the median salary is $93,715.We found that Rhode Island is the best state for chemist lead jobs, whereas Florida is the worst.
10 best states for chemist leads in 2025
1. Rhode Island
Total chemist lead jobs: 202 Average annual salary: $93,715 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 7.03
2. Delaware
Total chemist lead jobs: 16 Average annual salary: $111,714 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000 Location Quotient: 0.54
3. Tennessee
Total chemist lead jobs: 684 Average annual salary: $93,364 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 4.93
4. Oklahoma
Total chemist lead jobs: 277 Average annual salary: $93,626 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000 Location Quotient: 3.81
5. New Jersey
Total chemist lead jobs: 70 Average annual salary: $100,296 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000 Location Quotient: 0.37
6. Washington
Total chemist lead jobs: 25 Average annual salary: $107,902 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000 Location Quotient: 0.14
7. Michigan
Total chemist lead jobs: 926 Average annual salary: $85,683 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000 Location Quotient: 5.05
8. Missouri
Total chemist lead jobs: 624 Average annual salary: $86,291 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000 Location Quotient: 4.51
9. Vermont
Total chemist lead jobs: 2 Average annual salary: $100,367 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000 Location Quotient: 0.11
10. Utah
Total chemist lead jobs: 487 Average annual salary: $82,768 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000 Location Quotient: 6.45
Chemist lead jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a chemist lead
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a chemist lead
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $93,715 | $67,000 | 1,059,639 | 202 |
| 2 | Delaware | $111,714 | $79,000 | 961,939 | 16 |
| 3 | Tennessee | $93,364 | $64,000 | 6,715,984 | 684 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | $93,626 | $63,000 | 3,930,864 | 277 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $100,296 | $71,000 | 9,005,644 | 70 |
| 6 | Washington | $107,902 | $75,000 | 7,405,743 | 25 |
| 7 | Michigan | $85,683 | $60,000 | 9,962,311 | 926 |
| 8 | Missouri | $86,291 | $60,000 | 6,113,532 | 624 |
| 9 | Vermont | $100,367 | $73,000 | 623,657 | 2 |
| 10 | Utah | $82,768 | $56,000 | 3,101,833 | 487 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $107,072 | $76,000 | 693,972 | 5 |
| 12 | Kentucky | $81,353 | $56,000 | 4,454,189 | 403 |
| 13 | Ohio | $85,080 | $60,000 | 11,658,609 | 54 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $81,324 | $58,000 | 1,342,795 | 245 |
| 15 | New Mexico | $82,213 | $54,000 | 2,088,070 | 179 |
| 16 | Virginia | $90,715 | $64,000 | 8,470,020 | 31 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $87,373 | $62,000 | 3,588,184 | 26 |
| 18 | Maryland | $92,218 | $65,000 | 6,052,177 | 23 |
| 19 | California | $92,568 | $60,000 | 39,536,653 | 177 |
| 20 | Idaho | $79,975 | $55,000 | 1,716,943 | 193 |
| 21 | Massachusetts | $87,131 | $62,000 | 6,859,819 | 63 |
| 22 | New York | $90,117 | $64,000 | 19,849,399 | 40 |
| 23 | South Carolina | $83,383 | $56,000 | 5,024,369 | 16 |
| 24 | Indiana | $81,606 | $57,000 | 6,666,818 | 29 |
| 25 | Nevada | $76,624 | $50,000 | 2,998,039 | 262 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $84,715 | $59,000 | 1,815,857 | 2 |
| 27 | Montana | $77,819 | $55,000 | 1,050,493 | 131 |
| 28 | Kansas | $77,177 | $53,000 | 2,913,123 | 280 |
| 29 | Alaska | $75,494 | $65,000 | 739,795 | 103 |
| 30 | Texas | $81,383 | $53,000 | 28,304,596 | 49 |
| 31 | Iowa | $79,234 | $55,000 | 3,145,711 | 5 |
| 32 | Alabama | $72,371 | $48,000 | 4,874,747 | 17 |
| 33 | Arkansas | $66,109 | $45,000 | 3,004,279 | 274 |
| 34 | Georgia | $77,243 | $52,000 | 10,429,379 | 20 |
| 35 | Illinois | $73,392 | $51,000 | 12,802,023 | 60 |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | $67,706 | $48,000 | 12,805,537 | 86 |
| 37 | Minnesota | $71,379 | $50,000 | 5,576,606 | 38 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $67,953 | $47,000 | 5,795,483 | 40 |
| 39 | Wyoming | $55,919 | $39,000 | 579,315 | 85 |
| 40 | Oregon | $75,002 | $52,000 | 4,142,776 | 9 |
| 41 | Louisiana | $73,514 | $48,000 | 4,684,333 | 3 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $72,372 | $48,000 | 2,984,100 | 2 |
| 43 | North Dakota | $68,372 | $48,000 | 755,393 | 3 |
| 44 | Colorado | $74,973 | $52,000 | 5,607,154 | 14 |
| 45 | North Carolina | $67,522 | $47,000 | 10,273,419 | 41 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $62,891 | $44,000 | 1,920,076 | 201 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $57,766 | $45,000 | 1,427,538 | 92 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $53,687 | $38,000 | 869,666 | 97 |
| 49 | Arizona | $69,357 | $45,000 | 7,016,270 | 12 |
| 50 | Maine | $60,190 | $44,000 | 1,335,907 | 3 |
| 51 | Florida | $51,198 | $33,000 | 20,984,400 | 23 |
Highest paying states for chemist leads
| Rank | State | Avg. Chemist Lead Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $93,715 |
| 2 | Delaware | $111,714 |
| 3 | Tennessee | $93,364 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | $93,626 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $100,296 |
| 6 | Washington | $107,902 |
| 7 | Michigan | $85,683 |
| 8 | Missouri | $86,291 |
| 9 | Vermont | $100,367 |
| 10 | Utah | $82,768 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $107,072 |
| 12 | Kentucky | $81,353 |
| 13 | Ohio | $85,080 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $81,324 |
| 15 | New Mexico | $82,213 |
| 16 | Virginia | $90,715 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $87,373 |
| 18 | Maryland | $92,218 |
| 19 | California | $92,568 |
| 20 | Idaho | $79,975 |
| 21 | Massachusetts | $87,131 |
| 22 | New York | $90,117 |
| 23 | South Carolina | $83,383 |
| 24 | Indiana | $81,606 |
| 25 | Nevada | $76,624 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $84,715 |
| 27 | Montana | $77,819 |
| 28 | Kansas | $77,177 |
| 29 | Alaska | $75,494 |
| 30 | Texas | $81,383 |
| 31 | Iowa | $79,234 |
| 32 | Alabama | $72,371 |
| 33 | Arkansas | $66,109 |
| 34 | Georgia | $77,243 |
| 35 | Illinois | $73,392 |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | $67,706 |
| 37 | Minnesota | $71,379 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $67,953 |
| 39 | Wyoming | $55,919 |
| 40 | Oregon | $75,002 |
| 41 | Louisiana | $73,514 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $72,372 |
| 43 | North Dakota | $68,372 |
| 44 | Colorado | $74,973 |
| 45 | North Carolina | $67,522 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $62,891 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $57,766 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $53,687 |
| 49 | Arizona | $69,357 |
| 50 | Maine | $60,190 |
| 51 | Florida | $51,198 |
Expert opinions on the best states for chemist leads
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for chemist leads 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.
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Updated January 8, 2025