Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Best states for an experimental physicist
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
It seems like experimental physicists are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for experimental physicists aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. We wanted to look at the best states for experimental physicists -- where there are plenty of experimental physicist jobs to go around and experimental physicists get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
We figured that the best places for experimental physicist jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.Alaska is the best state, and Fairbanks is the city with the highest pay for experimental physicists.
10 best states for experimental physicists in 2026
1. Alaska
Total experimental physicist jobs: 3 Average annual salary: $104,739 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $172,000 Location Quotient: 2.47
2. New Hampshire
Total experimental physicist jobs: 3 Average annual salary: $90,464 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $173,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
3. Maryland
Total experimental physicist jobs: 12 Average annual salary: $93,008 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $176,000 Location Quotient: 1.3
4. Massachusetts
Total experimental physicist jobs: 27 Average annual salary: $83,399 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $162,000 Location Quotient: 2.02
5. Rhode Island
Total experimental physicist jobs: 2 Average annual salary: $82,554 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $160,000 Location Quotient: 1.13
6. New Mexico
Total experimental physicist jobs: 9 Average annual salary: $76,801 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $151,000 Location Quotient: 3.15
7. District of Columbia
Total experimental physicist jobs: 9 Average annual salary: $82,122 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $159,000 Location Quotient: 3.68
8. Connecticut
Total experimental physicist jobs: 3 Average annual salary: $96,139 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $180,000 Location Quotient: 0.62
9. Wisconsin
Total experimental physicist jobs: 14 Average annual salary: $70,825 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000 Location Quotient: 1.74
10. West Virginia
Total experimental physicist jobs: 8 Average annual salary: $67,506 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $134,000 Location Quotient: 3.6
Experimental physicist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an experimental physicist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an experimental physicist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $104,739 | $63,000 | 739,795 | 3 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $90,464 | $47,000 | 1,342,795 | 3 |
| 3 | Maryland | $93,008 | $49,000 | 6,052,177 | 12 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $83,399 | $42,000 | 6,859,819 | 27 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $82,554 | $42,000 | 1,059,639 | 2 |
| 6 | New Mexico | $76,801 | $39,000 | 2,088,070 | 9 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $82,122 | $42,000 | 693,972 | 9 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $96,139 | $51,000 | 3,588,184 | 3 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | $70,825 | $36,000 | 5,795,483 | 14 |
| 10 | West Virginia | $67,506 | $33,000 | 1,815,857 | 8 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $80,082 | $41,000 | 9,005,644 | 11 |
| 12 | New York | $84,350 | $43,000 | 19,849,399 | 12 |
| 13 | Nevada | $79,956 | $40,000 | 2,998,039 | 2 |
| 14 | Michigan | $69,547 | $35,000 | 9,962,311 | 16 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $76,917 | $39,000 | 12,805,537 | 14 |
| 16 | Delaware | $81,784 | $42,000 | 961,939 | 1 |
| 17 | Ohio | $76,827 | $39,000 | 11,658,609 | 8 |
| 18 | California | $78,958 | $40,000 | 39,536,653 | 35 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $71,940 | $37,000 | 5,576,606 | 8 |
| 20 | Texas | $63,789 | $31,000 | 28,304,596 | 39 |
| 21 | Washington | $67,838 | $34,000 | 7,405,743 | 10 |
| 22 | Oklahoma | $64,254 | $32,000 | 3,930,864 | 4 |
| 23 | North Dakota | $61,082 | $31,000 | 755,393 | 2 |
| 24 | Arizona | $64,280 | $32,000 | 7,016,270 | 10 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $59,913 | $29,000 | 6,715,984 | 11 |
| 26 | Colorado | $61,258 | $31,000 | 5,607,154 | 17 |
| 27 | Vermont | $71,797 | $35,000 | 623,657 | 0 |
| 28 | Maine | $66,251 | $32,000 | 1,335,907 | 1 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $57,453 | $29,000 | 579,315 | 2 |
| 30 | Louisiana | $64,287 | $31,000 | 4,684,333 | 2 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $59,781 | $28,000 | 5,024,369 | 6 |
| 32 | Utah | $56,547 | $28,000 | 3,101,833 | 6 |
| 33 | Illinois | $61,083 | $31,000 | 12,802,023 | 12 |
| 34 | Alabama | $61,362 | $29,000 | 4,874,747 | 3 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $60,235 | $29,000 | 10,273,419 | 8 |
| 36 | Nebraska | $58,736 | $30,000 | 1,920,076 | 2 |
| 37 | Florida | $51,780 | $25,000 | 20,984,400 | 31 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $58,028 | $34,000 | 1,427,538 | 1 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $57,862 | $29,000 | 4,454,189 | 1 |
| 40 | Virginia | $55,047 | $26,000 | 8,470,020 | 15 |
| 41 | Oregon | $57,184 | $28,000 | 4,142,776 | 4 |
| 42 | Idaho | $46,452 | $22,000 | 1,716,943 | 3 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $39,228 | $19,000 | 2,984,100 | 5 |
| 44 | Montana | $55,470 | $27,000 | 1,050,493 | 1 |
| 45 | Georgia | $50,044 | $24,000 | 10,429,379 | 13 |
| 46 | Kansas | $50,590 | $25,000 | 2,913,123 | 3 |
| 47 | Missouri | $54,902 | $28,000 | 6,113,532 | 1 |
| 48 | Indiana | $52,084 | $26,000 | 6,666,818 | 2 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $36,541 | $18,000 | 869,666 | 1 |
| 50 | Iowa | $44,524 | $23,000 | 3,145,711 | 1 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $41,022 | $20,000 | 3,004,279 | 2 |
Highest paying states for experimental physicists
| Rank | State | Avg. Experimental Physicist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $104,739 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $90,464 |
| 3 | Maryland | $93,008 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $83,399 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $82,554 |
| 6 | New Mexico | $76,801 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $82,122 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $96,139 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | $70,825 |
| 10 | West Virginia | $67,506 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $80,082 |
| 12 | New York | $84,350 |
| 13 | Nevada | $79,956 |
| 14 | Michigan | $69,547 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $76,917 |
| 16 | Delaware | $81,784 |
| 17 | Ohio | $76,827 |
| 18 | California | $78,958 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $71,940 |
| 20 | Texas | $63,789 |
| 21 | Washington | $67,838 |
| 22 | Oklahoma | $64,254 |
| 23 | North Dakota | $61,082 |
| 24 | Arizona | $64,280 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $59,913 |
| 26 | Colorado | $61,258 |
| 27 | Vermont | $71,797 |
| 28 | Maine | $66,251 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $57,453 |
| 30 | Louisiana | $64,287 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $59,781 |
| 32 | Utah | $56,547 |
| 33 | Illinois | $61,083 |
| 34 | Alabama | $61,362 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $60,235 |
| 36 | Nebraska | $58,736 |
| 37 | Florida | $51,780 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $58,028 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $57,862 |
| 40 | Virginia | $55,047 |
| 41 | Oregon | $57,184 |
| 42 | Idaho | $46,452 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $39,228 |
| 44 | Montana | $55,470 |
| 45 | Georgia | $50,044 |
| 46 | Kansas | $50,590 |
| 47 | Missouri | $54,902 |
| 48 | Indiana | $52,084 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $36,541 |
| 50 | Iowa | $44,524 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $41,022 |
Experimental physicist best states FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common life, physical, and social science questions.
Search for experimental physicist jobs
Updated January 8, 2025