Best states for an environmental chemist

Q: What is the best state for environmental chemists?

The best state to be an environmental chemist is Washington based on environmental chemist salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for environmental chemists?

The highest paying state for environmental chemists is South Dakota based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for environmental chemists?

The worst state for environmental chemists is South Dakota, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
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 environmental chemist jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for environmental chemists.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of environmental chemists in America is $84,000.

Washington is the best state for jobs for environmental chemists, and South Dakota is the worst. The most common pay in Washington is $71,814, while the median pay in South Dakota is $38,312.We found that the Midwest is best for environmental chemists, and the Northeast is the worst. Olympia, WA is the best city in the country for environmental chemist jobs, where as Washington is the best state in the country.

10 best states for environmental chemists in 2025

1. Washington
Total environmental chemist jobs: 247
Average annual salary: $71,814
Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $103,000
Location Quotient:
1.31
Environmental chemist jobs in Washington
2. District of Columbia
Total environmental chemist jobs: 61
Average annual salary: $76,323
Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $116,000
Location Quotient:
1.41
Environmental chemist jobs in District of Columbia
3. New Jersey
Total environmental chemist jobs: 252
Average annual salary: $66,947
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000
Location Quotient:
1.23
Environmental chemist jobs in New Jersey
4. Vermont
Total environmental chemist jobs: 20
Average annual salary: $70,027
Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000
Location Quotient:
1.01
Environmental chemist jobs in Vermont
5. Delaware
Total environmental chemist jobs: 28
Average annual salary: $72,781
Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $111,000
Location Quotient:
0.87
Environmental chemist jobs in Delaware
6. Rhode Island
Total environmental chemist jobs: 37
Average annual salary: $64,840
Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $95,000
Location Quotient:
1.18
Environmental chemist jobs in Rhode Island
7. Massachusetts
Total environmental chemist jobs: 273
Average annual salary: $64,639
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000
Location Quotient:
1.15
Environmental chemist jobs in Massachusetts
8. West Virginia
Total environmental chemist jobs: 48
Average annual salary: $59,491
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $90,000
Location Quotient:
1.22
Environmental chemist jobs in West Virginia
9. Texas
Total environmental chemist jobs: 411
Average annual salary: $67,748
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $102,000
Location Quotient:
0.79
Environmental chemist jobs in Texas
10. Maryland
Total environmental chemist jobs: 134
Average annual salary: $70,174
Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $107,000
Location Quotient:
0.82
Environmental chemist jobs in Maryland

Environmental chemist jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be an environmental chemist

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

Detailed list of the best states for an environmental chemist

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Washington	$71,814	$50,000	7,405,743	247
2	District of Columbia	$76,323	$49,000	693,972	61
3	New Jersey	$66,947	$44,000	9,005,644	252
4	Vermont	$70,027	$49,000	623,657	20
5	Delaware	$72,781	$47,000	961,939	28
6	Rhode Island	$64,840	$43,000	1,059,639	37
7	Massachusetts	$64,639	$44,000	6,859,819	273
8	West Virginia	$59,491	$39,000	1,815,857	48
9	Texas	$67,748	$44,000	28,304,596	411
10	Maryland	$70,174	$45,000	6,052,177	134
11	Virginia	$63,990	$41,000	8,470,020	271
12	Connecticut	$60,708	$40,000	3,588,184	162
13	Tennessee	$63,799	$42,000	6,715,984	119
14	Oklahoma	$65,818	$44,000	3,930,864	50
15	Ohio	$59,108	$39,000	11,658,609	264
16	New Mexico	$56,538	$38,000	2,088,070	57
17	Minnesota	$58,255	$41,000	5,576,606	184
18	Utah	$57,433	$39,000	3,101,833	73
19	Iowa	$55,275	$38,000	3,145,711	107
20	Alaska	$56,288	$47,000	739,795	57
21	New York	$60,809	$40,000	19,849,399	315
22	Michigan	$58,755	$39,000	9,962,311	153
23	New Hampshire	$56,316	$39,000	1,342,795	41
24	Kentucky	$55,766	$37,000	4,454,189	70
25	Kansas	$54,703	$38,000	2,913,123	62
26	Pennsylvania	$51,891	$34,000	12,805,537	325
27	South Carolina	$56,864	$37,000	5,024,369	75
28	North Dakota	$49,844	$36,000	755,393	51
29	Idaho	$54,383	$38,000	1,716,943	36
30	Hawaii	$53,046	$45,000	1,427,538	26
31	Montana	$55,205	$40,000	1,050,493	23
32	Illinois	$54,590	$37,000	12,802,023	269
33	Georgia	$54,418	$36,000	10,429,379	209
34	North Carolina	$53,929	$35,000	10,273,419	189
35	Wisconsin	$47,549	$32,000	5,795,483	244
36	California	$49,687	$32,000	39,536,653	980
37	Missouri	$51,923	$35,000	6,113,532	127
38	Colorado	$54,464	$38,000	5,607,154	111
39	Florida	$49,249	$32,000	20,984,400	417
40	Arkansas	$46,137	$31,000	3,004,279	75
41	Maine	$41,403	$29,000	1,335,907	73
42	Alabama	$49,876	$33,000	4,874,747	77
43	Nebraska	$45,037	$31,000	1,920,076	68
44	Louisiana	$50,250	$33,000	4,684,333	60
45	Nevada	$50,293	$33,000	2,998,039	35
46	Oregon	$51,289	$34,000	4,142,776	62
47	Indiana	$45,878	$30,000	6,666,818	150
48	Mississippi	$49,660	$32,000	2,984,100	34
49	Wyoming	$41,020	$29,000	579,315	16
50	Arizona	$47,596	$31,000	7,016,270	117
51	South Dakota	$38,312	$27,000	869,666	13

Highest paying states for environmental chemists

Rank	State	Avg. Environmental Chemist Salary
1	Washington	$71,814
2	District of Columbia	$76,323
3	New Jersey	$66,947
4	Vermont	$70,027
5	Delaware	$72,781
6	Rhode Island	$64,840
7	Massachusetts	$64,639
8	West Virginia	$59,491
9	Texas	$67,748
10	Maryland	$70,174
11	Virginia	$63,990
12	Connecticut	$60,708
13	Tennessee	$63,799
14	Oklahoma	$65,818
15	Ohio	$59,108
16	New Mexico	$56,538
17	Minnesota	$58,255
18	Utah	$57,433
19	Iowa	$55,275
20	Alaska	$56,288
21	New York	$60,809
22	Michigan	$58,755
23	New Hampshire	$56,316
24	Kentucky	$55,766
25	Kansas	$54,703
26	Pennsylvania	$51,891
27	South Carolina	$56,864
28	North Dakota	$49,844
29	Idaho	$54,383
30	Hawaii	$53,046
31	Montana	$55,205
32	Illinois	$54,590
33	Georgia	$54,418
34	North Carolina	$53,929
35	Wisconsin	$47,549
36	California	$49,687
37	Missouri	$51,923
38	Colorado	$54,464
39	Florida	$49,249
40	Arkansas	$46,137
41	Maine	$41,403
42	Alabama	$49,876
43	Nebraska	$45,037
44	Louisiana	$50,250
45	Nevada	$50,293
46	Oregon	$51,289
47	Indiana	$45,878
48	Mississippi	$49,660
49	Wyoming	$41,020
50	Arizona	$47,596
51	South Dakota	$38,312

Environmental chemist best states FAQs

What is the best state for environmental chemists?

What is the highest paying state for environmental chemists?

What is the worst state for environmental chemists?

Have more questions? See all answers to common life, physical, and social science questions.

Search for environmental chemist jobs

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Environmental Chemist
Best states for Environmental Chemists

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs

Total environmental chemist jobs:	247
Average annual salary:	$71,814
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$50,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$103,000
Location Quotient:	1.31

Best states for an environmental chemist

10 best states for environmental chemists in 2025

1. Washington

2. District of Columbia

3. New Jersey

4. Vermont

5. Delaware

6. Rhode Island

7. Massachusetts

8. West Virginia

9. Texas

10. Maryland