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Best states for a criminalist
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Sami Mejri Ph.D.
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Criminalist opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for criminalists, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for criminalists.Although there are abundant criminalist jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the South. North Dakota is the best state in the country for criminalist jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for criminalists. North Dakota is the best state for criminalists, where the median salary is $94,640.North Dakota is the best state, and Anchorage is the city with the highest pay for criminalists.
10 best states for criminalists in 2026
1. North Dakota
Total criminalist jobs: 1 Average annual salary: $94,640 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000 Location Quotient: 2.79
2. Delaware
Total criminalist jobs: 2 Average annual salary: $87,775 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 4.14
3. Alaska
Total criminalist jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $122,688 Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $195,000 Location Quotient: 0
4. Nebraska
Total criminalist jobs: 2 Average annual salary: $86,750 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000 Location Quotient: 2.33
5. West Virginia
Total criminalist jobs: 2 Average annual salary: $82,601 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Location Quotient: 3.4
6. Nevada
Total criminalist jobs: 2 Average annual salary: $85,342 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000 Location Quotient: 2.48
7. Mississippi
Total criminalist jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $90,144 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $159,000 Location Quotient: 0
8. California
Total criminalist jobs: 2 Average annual salary: $105,815 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $187,000 Location Quotient: 0.18
9. Rhode Island
Total criminalist jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $89,477 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $155,000 Location Quotient: 0
10. Vermont
Total criminalist jobs: 1 Average annual salary: $84,865 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000 Location Quotient: 3.38
Criminalist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a criminalist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a criminalist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota | $94,640 | $58,000 | 755,393 | 1 |
| 2 | Delaware | $87,775 | $50,000 | 961,939 | 2 |
| 3 | Alaska | $122,688 | $77,000 | 739,795 | 0 |
| 4 | Nebraska | $86,750 | $50,000 | 1,920,076 | 2 |
| 5 | West Virginia | $82,601 | $47,000 | 1,815,857 | 2 |
| 6 | Nevada | $85,342 | $46,000 | 2,998,039 | 2 |
| 7 | Mississippi | $90,144 | $50,000 | 2,984,100 | 0 |
| 8 | California | $105,815 | $59,000 | 39,536,653 | 2 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $89,477 | $51,000 | 1,059,639 | 0 |
| 10 | Vermont | $84,865 | $47,000 | 623,657 | 1 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $88,557 | $50,000 | 6,859,819 | 4 |
| 12 | Maine | $87,690 | $49,000 | 1,335,907 | 0 |
| 13 | Utah | $87,145 | $48,000 | 3,101,833 | 0 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $89,459 | $51,000 | 3,588,184 | 0 |
| 15 | Maryland | $86,738 | $49,000 | 6,052,177 | 3 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $87,240 | $49,000 | 1,342,795 | 0 |
| 17 | Ohio | $82,450 | $47,000 | 11,658,609 | 1 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $78,287 | $45,000 | 12,805,537 | 9 |
| 19 | District of Columbia | $86,223 | $49,000 | 693,972 | 1 |
| 20 | Washington | $78,599 | $44,000 | 7,405,743 | 5 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $73,666 | $44,000 | 5,576,606 | 10 |
| 22 | New Jersey | $81,932 | $47,000 | 9,005,644 | 1 |
| 23 | Kentucky | $75,141 | $42,000 | 4,454,189 | 1 |
| 24 | South Carolina | $71,526 | $39,000 | 5,024,369 | 2 |
| 25 | Texas | $72,089 | $39,000 | 28,304,596 | 9 |
| 26 | Louisiana | $74,586 | $40,000 | 4,684,333 | 0 |
| 27 | Arizona | $72,864 | $39,000 | 7,016,270 | 1 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $73,910 | $40,000 | 2,088,070 | 0 |
| 29 | Iowa | $64,796 | $38,000 | 3,145,711 | 6 |
| 30 | Illinois | $74,774 | $43,000 | 12,802,023 | 1 |
| 31 | Virginia | $70,074 | $39,000 | 8,470,020 | 9 |
| 32 | South Dakota | $69,173 | $41,000 | 869,666 | 0 |
| 33 | New York | $71,608 | $41,000 | 19,849,399 | 1 |
| 34 | Montana | $68,435 | $39,000 | 1,050,493 | 0 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $64,912 | $38,000 | 5,795,483 | 2 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $62,648 | $41,000 | 1,427,538 | 1 |
| 37 | Oregon | $69,627 | $38,000 | 4,142,776 | 0 |
| 38 | Colorado | $64,459 | $36,000 | 5,607,154 | 2 |
| 39 | Florida | $66,493 | $36,000 | 20,984,400 | 0 |
| 40 | Indiana | $63,316 | $36,000 | 6,666,818 | 0 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $49,781 | $28,000 | 3,930,864 | 6 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $49,830 | $28,000 | 3,004,279 | 4 |
| 43 | Michigan | $61,388 | $35,000 | 9,962,311 | 0 |
| 44 | North Carolina | $52,799 | $29,000 | 10,273,419 | 8 |
| 45 | Alabama | $60,293 | $33,000 | 4,874,747 | 0 |
| 46 | Wyoming | $60,866 | $35,000 | 579,315 | 0 |
| 47 | Kansas | $47,386 | $27,000 | 2,913,123 | 5 |
| 48 | Missouri | $55,795 | $32,000 | 6,113,532 | 1 |
| 49 | Georgia | $50,860 | $28,000 | 10,429,379 | 5 |
| 50 | Idaho | $57,812 | $32,000 | 1,716,943 | 0 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $51,809 | $29,000 | 6,715,984 | 0 |
Highest paying states for criminalists
| Rank | State | Avg. Criminalist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota | $94,640 |
| 2 | Delaware | $87,775 |
| 3 | Alaska | $122,688 |
| 4 | Nebraska | $86,750 |
| 5 | West Virginia | $82,601 |
| 6 | Nevada | $85,342 |
| 7 | Mississippi | $90,144 |
| 8 | California | $105,815 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $89,477 |
| 10 | Vermont | $84,865 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $88,557 |
| 12 | Maine | $87,690 |
| 13 | Utah | $87,145 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $89,459 |
| 15 | Maryland | $86,738 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $87,240 |
| 17 | Ohio | $82,450 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $78,287 |
| 19 | District of Columbia | $86,223 |
| 20 | Washington | $78,599 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $73,666 |
| 22 | New Jersey | $81,932 |
| 23 | Kentucky | $75,141 |
| 24 | South Carolina | $71,526 |
| 25 | Texas | $72,089 |
| 26 | Louisiana | $74,586 |
| 27 | Arizona | $72,864 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $73,910 |
| 29 | Iowa | $64,796 |
| 30 | Illinois | $74,774 |
| 31 | Virginia | $70,074 |
| 32 | South Dakota | $69,173 |
| 33 | New York | $71,608 |
| 34 | Montana | $68,435 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $64,912 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $62,648 |
| 37 | Oregon | $69,627 |
| 38 | Colorado | $64,459 |
| 39 | Florida | $66,493 |
| 40 | Indiana | $63,316 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $49,781 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $49,830 |
| 43 | Michigan | $61,388 |
| 44 | North Carolina | $52,799 |
| 45 | Alabama | $60,293 |
| 46 | Wyoming | $60,866 |
| 47 | Kansas | $47,386 |
| 48 | Missouri | $55,795 |
| 49 | Georgia | $50,860 |
| 50 | Idaho | $57,812 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $51,809 |
Expert opinions on the best states for criminalists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for criminalists to find work opportunities?
Sami Mejri Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Science, Assistant Dean, Graduate Programs, Tiffin University
With the rising cost of living, a college graduate's ideal first job may not be in their home state or favorite vacation town. According to Business Insider, MidWestern cities like Columbus-Ohio, Cincinnati-Ohio, Madison-Wisconsin, Milwaukee-Wisconsin, and Indianapolis-Indiana were some of the best geographical areas to live for college graduates. The cost of living in these Midwestern states remains relatively lower than coastal areas, making these locations ideal for college graduates entering the workforce. However, college graduates with degrees in healthcare, computer science, and data analytics may not be limited to these geographical areas, given employers' incentives to these in-demand jobs.
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Updated January 8, 2025