Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Best states for a chemist scientist
Quoted expert
Dr. James Leahy Ph.D.
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Do you want to become a chemist scientist at Halliburton, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for chemist scientists that you can check out, before you begin your journey. As chemist scientists are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for chemist scientists. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a chemist scientist, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
The median salary for chemist scientists in Delaware is $102,387. Compare that to the median salary in Florida of $49,507, which ranked worst for chemist scientists, and you can see how your location is important for your career.Delaware is the best state, and Vancouver is the city with the highest pay for chemist scientists.
10 best states for chemist scientists in 2025
1. Delaware
Total chemist scientist jobs: 155 Average annual salary: $102,387 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000 Location Quotient: 1.762. Washington
Total chemist scientist jobs: 675 Average annual salary: $106,518 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $171,000 Location Quotient: 1.323. California
Total chemist scientist jobs: 2,745 Average annual salary: $95,821 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 1.344. Vermont
Total chemist scientist jobs: 61 Average annual salary: $90,848 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 1.135. New Jersey
Total chemist scientist jobs: 866 Average annual salary: $85,426 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $122,000 Location Quotient: 1.556. Maryland
Total chemist scientist jobs: 831 Average annual salary: $85,524 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000 Location Quotient: 1.867. Rhode Island
Total chemist scientist jobs: 88 Average annual salary: $85,145 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000 Location Quotient: 1.038. Utah
Total chemist scientist jobs: 220 Average annual salary: $85,271 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000 Location Quotient: 0.989. Massachusetts
Total chemist scientist jobs: 1,269 Average annual salary: $82,539 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $116,000 Location Quotient: 1.9710. Virginia
Total chemist scientist jobs: 993 Average annual salary: $82,896 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000 Location Quotient: 1.5
Chemist scientist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a chemist scientist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a chemist scientist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware | $102,387 | $71,000 | 961,939 | 155 |
| 2 | Washington | $106,518 | $66,000 | 7,405,743 | 675 |
| 3 | California | $95,821 | $60,000 | 39,536,653 | 2,745 |
| 4 | Vermont | $90,848 | $65,000 | 623,657 | 61 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $85,426 | $59,000 | 9,005,644 | 866 |
| 6 | Maryland | $85,524 | $59,000 | 6,052,177 | 831 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $85,145 | $60,000 | 1,059,639 | 88 |
| 8 | Utah | $85,271 | $53,000 | 3,101,833 | 220 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $82,539 | $58,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,269 |
| 10 | Virginia | $82,896 | $57,000 | 8,470,020 | 993 |
| 11 | New Mexico | $79,847 | $51,000 | 2,088,070 | 168 |
| 12 | Texas | $85,754 | $55,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,015 |
| 13 | Tennessee | $86,508 | $58,000 | 6,715,984 | 241 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $98,110 | $67,000 | 693,972 | 75 |
| 15 | Oklahoma | $90,290 | $59,000 | 3,930,864 | 64 |
| 16 | Idaho | $81,049 | $50,000 | 1,716,943 | 96 |
| 17 | Missouri | $80,834 | $54,000 | 6,113,532 | 368 |
| 18 | New York | $78,788 | $55,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,245 |
| 19 | Ohio | $77,893 | $53,000 | 11,658,609 | 496 |
| 20 | Montana | $76,557 | $48,000 | 1,050,493 | 84 |
| 21 | Michigan | $79,031 | $53,000 | 9,962,311 | 325 |
| 22 | West Virginia | $77,781 | $53,000 | 1,815,857 | 61 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $73,850 | $52,000 | 1,342,795 | 152 |
| 24 | Oregon | $76,352 | $47,000 | 4,142,776 | 332 |
| 25 | South Carolina | $76,247 | $51,000 | 5,024,369 | 252 |
| 26 | Indiana | $74,830 | $50,000 | 6,666,818 | 298 |
| 27 | Colorado | $75,334 | $48,000 | 5,607,154 | 387 |
| 28 | Arizona | $74,467 | $47,000 | 7,016,270 | 297 |
| 29 | Kansas | $73,318 | $49,000 | 2,913,123 | 145 |
| 30 | Iowa | $72,823 | $49,000 | 3,145,711 | 172 |
| 31 | Connecticut | $70,865 | $49,000 | 3,588,184 | 294 |
| 32 | Nevada | $74,617 | $46,000 | 2,998,039 | 88 |
| 33 | Kentucky | $74,513 | $50,000 | 4,454,189 | 132 |
| 34 | Alaska | $68,974 | $52,000 | 739,795 | 58 |
| 35 | Pennsylvania | $64,212 | $44,000 | 12,805,537 | 963 |
| 36 | North Dakota | $63,711 | $42,000 | 755,393 | 75 |
| 37 | Illinois | $67,276 | $45,000 | 12,802,023 | 870 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $71,815 | $46,000 | 4,684,333 | 102 |
| 39 | Georgia | $71,431 | $47,000 | 10,429,379 | 419 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $62,888 | $42,000 | 5,795,483 | 416 |
| 41 | Hawaii | $65,504 | $49,000 | 1,427,538 | 61 |
| 42 | Minnesota | $66,634 | $44,000 | 5,576,606 | 371 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $58,742 | $39,000 | 10,273,419 | 798 |
| 44 | Alabama | $67,722 | $44,000 | 4,874,747 | 158 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $67,973 | $44,000 | 2,984,100 | 45 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $49,925 | $33,000 | 869,666 | 105 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $55,847 | $36,000 | 579,315 | 45 |
| 48 | Maine | $58,304 | $42,000 | 1,335,907 | 78 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $62,937 | $41,000 | 3,004,279 | 105 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $59,286 | $39,000 | 1,920,076 | 87 |
| 51 | Florida | $49,507 | $32,000 | 20,984,400 | 628 |
Highest paying states for chemist scientists
| Rank | State | Avg. Chemist Scientist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware | $102,387 |
| 2 | Washington | $106,518 |
| 3 | California | $95,821 |
| 4 | Vermont | $90,848 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $85,426 |
| 6 | Maryland | $85,524 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $85,145 |
| 8 | Utah | $85,271 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $82,539 |
| 10 | Virginia | $82,896 |
| 11 | New Mexico | $79,847 |
| 12 | Texas | $85,754 |
| 13 | Tennessee | $86,508 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $98,110 |
| 15 | Oklahoma | $90,290 |
| 16 | Idaho | $81,049 |
| 17 | Missouri | $80,834 |
| 18 | New York | $78,788 |
| 19 | Ohio | $77,893 |
| 20 | Montana | $76,557 |
| 21 | Michigan | $79,031 |
| 22 | West Virginia | $77,781 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $73,850 |
| 24 | Oregon | $76,352 |
| 25 | South Carolina | $76,247 |
| 26 | Indiana | $74,830 |
| 27 | Colorado | $75,334 |
| 28 | Arizona | $74,467 |
| 29 | Kansas | $73,318 |
| 30 | Iowa | $72,823 |
| 31 | Connecticut | $70,865 |
| 32 | Nevada | $74,617 |
| 33 | Kentucky | $74,513 |
| 34 | Alaska | $68,974 |
| 35 | Pennsylvania | $64,212 |
| 36 | North Dakota | $63,711 |
| 37 | Illinois | $67,276 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $71,815 |
| 39 | Georgia | $71,431 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $62,888 |
| 41 | Hawaii | $65,504 |
| 42 | Minnesota | $66,634 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $58,742 |
| 44 | Alabama | $67,722 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $67,973 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $49,925 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $55,847 |
| 48 | Maine | $58,304 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $62,937 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $59,286 |
| 51 | Florida | $49,507 |
Expert opinions on the best states for chemist scientists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for chemist scientists 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.
Chemist scientist best states FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common life, physical, and social science questions.
Search for chemist scientist jobs
Updated January 8, 2025