Best states for a chief science officer

Q: What is the best state for chief science officers?

The best state to be a chief science officer is Nevada based on chief science officer salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for chief science officers?

The highest paying state for chief science officers is Hawaii based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for chief science officers?

The worst state for chief science officers is Hawaii, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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Do you want to become a chief science officer at Us Army Reserves, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for chief science officers that you can check out, before you begin your journey. This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for chief science officer jobs.

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 chief science officers.We found that the South is best for chief science officers, and the Northeast is the worst. Seattle, WA is the best city in the country for chief science officer jobs, where as Nevada is the best state in the country.

10 best states for chief science officers in 2026

1. Nevada
Total chief science officer jobs: 486
Average annual salary: $138,039
Lowest 10 percent earn: $91,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $209,000
Location Quotient:
1.33
Chief science officer jobs in Nevada
2. Illinois
Total chief science officer jobs: 2,416
Average annual salary: $141,170
Lowest 10 percent earn: $92,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $214,000
Location Quotient:
1.16
Chief science officer jobs in Illinois
3. Washington
Total chief science officer jobs: 1,216
Average annual salary: $146,689
Lowest 10 percent earn: $97,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $220,000
Location Quotient:
0.95
Chief science officer jobs in Washington
4. Connecticut
Total chief science officer jobs: 580
Average annual salary: $139,532
Lowest 10 percent earn: $92,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $210,000
Location Quotient:
1
Chief science officer jobs in Connecticut
5. New Hampshire
Total chief science officer jobs: 284
Average annual salary: $137,699
Lowest 10 percent earn: $90,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $210,000
Location Quotient:
0.93
Chief science officer jobs in New Hampshire
6. Rhode Island
Total chief science officer jobs: 270
Average annual salary: $129,966
Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $198,000
Location Quotient:
1.27
Chief science officer jobs in Rhode Island
7. Maryland
Total chief science officer jobs: 1,166
Average annual salary: $143,515
Lowest 10 percent earn: $95,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $214,000
Location Quotient:
1.05
Chief science officer jobs in Maryland
8. Utah
Total chief science officer jobs: 239
Average annual salary: $144,393
Lowest 10 percent earn: $95,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $217,000
Location Quotient:
0.43
Chief science officer jobs in Utah
9. Maine
Total chief science officer jobs: 241
Average annual salary: $129,990
Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $202,000
Location Quotient:
1.04
Chief science officer jobs in Maine
10. Alaska
Total chief science officer jobs: 50
Average annual salary: $148,155
Lowest 10 percent earn: $100,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $217,000
Location Quotient:
0.34
Chief science officer jobs in Alaska

Chief science officer jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a chief science officer

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

Detailed list of the best states for a chief science officer

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Nevada	$138,039	$91,000	2,998,039	486
2	Illinois	$141,170	$92,000	12,802,023	2,416
3	Washington	$146,689	$97,000	7,405,743	1,216
4	Connecticut	$139,532	$92,000	3,588,184	580
5	New Hampshire	$137,699	$90,000	1,342,795	284
6	Rhode Island	$129,966	$85,000	1,059,639	270
7	Maryland	$143,515	$95,000	6,052,177	1,166
8	Utah	$144,393	$95,000	3,101,833	239
9	Maine	$129,990	$83,000	1,335,907	241
10	Alaska	$148,155	$100,000	739,795	50
11	Pennsylvania	$129,401	$85,000	12,805,537	1,966
12	New Jersey	$135,164	$89,000	9,005,644	1,828
13	Massachusetts	$131,829	$86,000	6,859,819	2,057
14	Georgia	$128,640	$83,000	10,429,379	1,785
15	North Dakota	$125,449	$81,000	755,393	180
16	Virginia	$144,645	$96,000	8,470,020	736
17	California	$132,831	$86,000	39,536,653	6,782
18	New York	$129,917	$85,000	19,849,399	4,076
19	Vermont	$128,526	$82,000	623,657	148
20	Idaho	$124,572	$80,000	1,716,943	409
21	Minnesota	$127,596	$82,000	5,576,606	1,318
22	Texas	$125,181	$80,000	28,304,596	3,490
23	Arizona	$124,341	$80,000	7,016,270	1,251
24	Michigan	$126,237	$81,000	9,962,311	1,127
25	Wisconsin	$125,434	$81,000	5,795,483	811
26	Oregon	$128,345	$83,000	4,142,776	673
27	District of Columbia	$126,794	$83,000	693,972	359
28	North Carolina	$122,985	$79,000	10,273,419	1,680
29	Indiana	$124,383	$80,000	6,666,818	910
30	West Virginia	$121,822	$79,000	1,815,857	215
31	Ohio	$122,305	$79,000	11,658,609	1,473
32	South Carolina	$122,383	$79,000	5,024,369	673
33	Kentucky	$121,384	$78,000	4,454,189	493
34	South Dakota	$116,032	$74,000	869,666	177
35	New Mexico	$117,838	$75,000	2,088,070	343
36	Louisiana	$121,941	$77,000	4,684,333	456
37	Tennessee	$114,835	$73,000	6,715,984	943
38	Delaware	$119,107	$77,000	961,939	208
39	Missouri	$119,229	$76,000	6,113,532	849
40	Colorado	$116,291	$75,000	5,607,154	1,018
41	Mississippi	$113,220	$71,000	2,984,100	350
42	Arkansas	$111,933	$71,000	3,004,279	379
43	Iowa	$112,282	$71,000	3,145,711	552
44	Montana	$118,338	$76,000	1,050,493	103
45	Nebraska	$108,194	$68,000	1,920,076	364
46	Oklahoma	$102,501	$64,000	3,930,864	467
47	Alabama	$109,153	$69,000	4,874,747	613
48	Kansas	$101,133	$64,000	2,913,123	405
49	Wyoming	$97,776	$62,000	579,315	56
50	Florida	$98,385	$60,000	20,984,400	1,237
51	Hawaii	$94,298	$59,000	1,427,538	54

Highest paying states for chief science officers

Rank	State	Avg. Chief Science Officer Salary
1	Nevada	$138,039
2	Illinois	$141,170
3	Washington	$146,689
4	Connecticut	$139,532
5	New Hampshire	$137,699
6	Rhode Island	$129,966
7	Maryland	$143,515
8	Utah	$144,393
9	Maine	$129,990
10	Alaska	$148,155
11	Pennsylvania	$129,401
12	New Jersey	$135,164
13	Massachusetts	$131,829
14	Georgia	$128,640
15	North Dakota	$125,449
16	Virginia	$144,645
17	California	$132,831
18	New York	$129,917
19	Vermont	$128,526
20	Idaho	$124,572
21	Minnesota	$127,596
22	Texas	$125,181
23	Arizona	$124,341
24	Michigan	$126,237
25	Wisconsin	$125,434
26	Oregon	$128,345
27	District of Columbia	$126,794
28	North Carolina	$122,985
29	Indiana	$124,383
30	West Virginia	$121,822
31	Ohio	$122,305
32	South Carolina	$122,383
33	Kentucky	$121,384
34	South Dakota	$116,032
35	New Mexico	$117,838
36	Louisiana	$121,941
37	Tennessee	$114,835
38	Delaware	$119,107
39	Missouri	$119,229
40	Colorado	$116,291
41	Mississippi	$113,220
42	Arkansas	$111,933
43	Iowa	$112,282
44	Montana	$118,338
45	Nebraska	$108,194
46	Oklahoma	$102,501
47	Alabama	$109,153
48	Kansas	$101,133
49	Wyoming	$97,776
50	Florida	$98,385
51	Hawaii	$94,298

Best states for a chief science officer

10 best states for chief science officers in 2026

1. Nevada

2. Illinois

3. Washington

4. Connecticut

5. New Hampshire

6. Rhode Island

7. Maryland

8. Utah

9. Maine

10. Alaska

Chief science officer jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a chief science officer

Detailed list of the best states for a chief science officer

Highest paying states for chief science officers

Chief science officer best states FAQs

What is the best state for chief science officers?

What is the highest paying state for chief science officers?

What is the worst state for chief science officers?

Search for chief science officer jobs

Total chief science officer jobs:	486
Average annual salary:	$138,039
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$91,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$209,000
Location Quotient:	1.33