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Best states for a development scientist
Quoted expert
Don Snyder
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
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- 41 - 51
Job opportunities vary from state to state, and life, physical, and social science careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to development scientist jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for development scientists.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of development scientists in America is $124,000.
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 development scientists.We found that the South is best for development scientists, and the West is the worst. San Francisco, CA is the best city in the country for development scientist jobs, where as Montana is the best state in the country.
10 best states for development scientists in 2025
1. Montana
Total development scientist jobs: 275 Average annual salary: $105,064 Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Location Quotient: 1.662. Minnesota
Total development scientist jobs: 1,364 Average annual salary: $95,687 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 1.433. Alaska
Total development scientist jobs: 181 Average annual salary: $95,558 Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000 Location Quotient: 1.514. Delaware
Total development scientist jobs: 171 Average annual salary: $103,562 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000 Location Quotient: 0.955. California
Total development scientist jobs: 3,421 Average annual salary: $114,158 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $161,000 Location Quotient: 0.826. Tennessee
Total development scientist jobs: 835 Average annual salary: $92,616 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 0.997. New Jersey
Total development scientist jobs: 1,255 Average annual salary: $95,855 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 1.18. Hawaii
Total development scientist jobs: 175 Average annual salary: $100,053 Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 1.469. Nevada
Total development scientist jobs: 331 Average annual salary: $89,551 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 1.110. Indiana
Total development scientist jobs: 918 Average annual salary: $92,068 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
Development scientist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a development scientist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a development scientist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montana | $105,064 | $77,000 | 1,050,493 | 275 |
| 2 | Minnesota | $95,687 | $71,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,364 |
| 3 | Alaska | $95,558 | $77,000 | 739,795 | 181 |
| 4 | Delaware | $103,562 | $76,000 | 961,939 | 171 |
| 5 | California | $114,158 | $80,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,421 |
| 6 | Tennessee | $92,616 | $67,000 | 6,715,984 | 835 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $95,855 | $71,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,255 |
| 8 | Hawaii | $100,053 | $78,000 | 1,427,538 | 175 |
| 9 | Nevada | $89,551 | $63,000 | 2,998,039 | 331 |
| 10 | Indiana | $92,068 | $67,000 | 6,666,818 | 918 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $89,321 | $67,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,002 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $84,379 | $62,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,396 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $98,506 | $73,000 | 3,588,184 | 311 |
| 14 | Arizona | $84,739 | $60,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,052 |
| 15 | Wyoming | $79,601 | $58,000 | 579,315 | 161 |
| 16 | Maine | $94,455 | $72,000 | 1,335,907 | 104 |
| 17 | Michigan | $82,655 | $61,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,209 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $80,159 | $59,000 | 5,795,483 | 908 |
| 19 | Oregon | $89,126 | $64,000 | 4,142,776 | 397 |
| 20 | Washington | $87,266 | $63,000 | 7,405,743 | 871 |
| 21 | Illinois | $86,878 | $64,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,037 |
| 22 | Ohio | $78,007 | $57,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,473 |
| 23 | South Dakota | $74,845 | $55,000 | 869,666 | 242 |
| 24 | Maryland | $84,341 | $62,000 | 6,052,177 | 945 |
| 25 | Arkansas | $76,046 | $54,000 | 3,004,279 | 401 |
| 26 | Texas | $74,214 | $51,000 | 28,304,596 | 3,876 |
| 27 | New York | $83,342 | $62,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,663 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $73,142 | $52,000 | 2,088,070 | 446 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $78,188 | $56,000 | 10,273,419 | 987 |
| 30 | Iowa | $75,689 | $56,000 | 3,145,711 | 485 |
| 31 | Oklahoma | $76,528 | $55,000 | 3,930,864 | 312 |
| 32 | Rhode Island | $79,658 | $59,000 | 1,059,639 | 106 |
| 33 | Vermont | $79,049 | $60,000 | 623,657 | 77 |
| 34 | Missouri | $72,964 | $53,000 | 6,113,532 | 948 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $68,449 | $51,000 | 755,393 | 211 |
| 36 | Virginia | $79,228 | $58,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,099 |
| 37 | Colorado | $81,024 | $58,000 | 5,607,154 | 414 |
| 38 | District of Columbia | $82,881 | $61,000 | 693,972 | 142 |
| 39 | West Virginia | $70,238 | $51,000 | 1,815,857 | 205 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $70,647 | $51,000 | 4,454,189 | 506 |
| 41 | Kansas | $69,400 | $50,000 | 2,913,123 | 487 |
| 42 | Florida | $68,974 | $45,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,408 |
| 43 | Alabama | $71,737 | $50,000 | 4,874,747 | 547 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $63,337 | $46,000 | 1,920,076 | 352 |
| 45 | New Hampshire | $74,175 | $56,000 | 1,342,795 | 151 |
| 46 | Idaho | $74,391 | $53,000 | 1,716,943 | 112 |
| 47 | Georgia | $56,482 | $40,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,547 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $59,321 | $42,000 | 5,024,369 | 614 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $62,528 | $42,000 | 4,684,333 | 352 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $59,559 | $41,000 | 2,984,100 | 244 |
| 51 | Utah | $59,869 | $42,000 | 3,101,833 | 245 |
Highest paying states for development scientists
| Rank | State | Avg. Development Scientist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montana | $105,064 |
| 2 | Minnesota | $95,687 |
| 3 | Alaska | $95,558 |
| 4 | Delaware | $103,562 |
| 5 | California | $114,158 |
| 6 | Tennessee | $92,616 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $95,855 |
| 8 | Hawaii | $100,053 |
| 9 | Nevada | $89,551 |
| 10 | Indiana | $92,068 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $89,321 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $84,379 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $98,506 |
| 14 | Arizona | $84,739 |
| 15 | Wyoming | $79,601 |
| 16 | Maine | $94,455 |
| 17 | Michigan | $82,655 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $80,159 |
| 19 | Oregon | $89,126 |
| 20 | Washington | $87,266 |
| 21 | Illinois | $86,878 |
| 22 | Ohio | $78,007 |
| 23 | South Dakota | $74,845 |
| 24 | Maryland | $84,341 |
| 25 | Arkansas | $76,046 |
| 26 | Texas | $74,214 |
| 27 | New York | $83,342 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $73,142 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $78,188 |
| 30 | Iowa | $75,689 |
| 31 | Oklahoma | $76,528 |
| 32 | Rhode Island | $79,658 |
| 33 | Vermont | $79,049 |
| 34 | Missouri | $72,964 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $68,449 |
| 36 | Virginia | $79,228 |
| 37 | Colorado | $81,024 |
| 38 | District of Columbia | $82,881 |
| 39 | West Virginia | $70,238 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $70,647 |
| 41 | Kansas | $69,400 |
| 42 | Florida | $68,974 |
| 43 | Alabama | $71,737 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $63,337 |
| 45 | New Hampshire | $74,175 |
| 46 | Idaho | $74,391 |
| 47 | Georgia | $56,482 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $59,321 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $62,528 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $59,559 |
| 51 | Utah | $59,869 |
Expert opinions on the best states for development scientists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for development scientists to find work opportunities?
Don Snyder
Associate Director, Industry Advising: STEM, William and Mary
Strong tech markets in the U.S. include Austin, Raleigh, Atlanta, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Columbus. Some markets are established in tech, while other markets are more up-and-coming. Smaller cities that may be "off the radar" include Huntsville and Tucson. Graduates need to look at different factors when exploring cities, including the cost of living. The dollar will go a lot further in Raleigh than in San Francisco. And some cities that were once more affordable may have a higher cost of living now due to the recent influx of residents.
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Updated January 8, 2025