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Best states for a field scientist
Quoted expert
William R. Schubert
- 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 field scientist jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for field scientists.In order to help you decide which state is the best for field scientists, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for field scientist jobs.
We figured that the best places for field scientist 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.We found that Virginia is the best state for field scientist jobs, whereas Alabama is the worst.
10 best states for field scientists in 2025
1. Virginia
Total field scientist jobs: 1,615 Average annual salary: $87,873 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000 Location Quotient: 1.322. Nevada
Total field scientist jobs: 301 Average annual salary: $88,979 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Location Quotient: 1.113. Connecticut
Total field scientist jobs: 552 Average annual salary: $84,325 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 1.284. California
Total field scientist jobs: 3,287 Average annual salary: $100,326 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $160,000 Location Quotient: 0.865. New York
Total field scientist jobs: 2,047 Average annual salary: $83,288 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 1.236. West Virginia
Total field scientist jobs: 176 Average annual salary: $82,098 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 0.897. Massachusetts
Total field scientist jobs: 951 Average annual salary: $97,321 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000 Location Quotient: 0.88. Delaware
Total field scientist jobs: 204 Average annual salary: $78,532 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $122,000 Location Quotient: 1.259. District of Columbia
Total field scientist jobs: 172 Average annual salary: $105,902 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $166,000 Location Quotient: 0.7910. Oregon
Total field scientist jobs: 655 Average annual salary: $79,142 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
Field scientist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a field scientist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a field scientist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | $87,873 | $55,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,615 |
| 2 | Nevada | $88,979 | $55,000 | 2,998,039 | 301 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $84,325 | $54,000 | 3,588,184 | 552 |
| 4 | California | $100,326 | $62,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,287 |
| 5 | New York | $83,288 | $53,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,047 |
| 6 | West Virginia | $82,098 | $51,000 | 1,815,857 | 176 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $97,321 | $64,000 | 6,859,819 | 951 |
| 8 | Delaware | $78,532 | $50,000 | 961,939 | 204 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $105,902 | $67,000 | 693,972 | 172 |
| 10 | Oregon | $79,142 | $50,000 | 4,142,776 | 655 |
| 11 | Maryland | $79,464 | $50,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,256 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $76,403 | $50,000 | 1,342,795 | 273 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $76,780 | $49,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,418 |
| 14 | Idaho | $74,029 | $46,000 | 1,716,943 | 254 |
| 15 | Colorado | $77,146 | $49,000 | 5,607,154 | 838 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | $74,681 | $49,000 | 1,059,639 | 160 |
| 17 | Ohio | $73,898 | $47,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,126 |
| 18 | Washington | $80,722 | $50,000 | 7,405,743 | 755 |
| 19 | Montana | $69,370 | $43,000 | 1,050,493 | 230 |
| 20 | Illinois | $73,797 | $47,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,574 |
| 21 | Texas | $71,149 | $43,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,444 |
| 22 | Indiana | $70,972 | $45,000 | 6,666,818 | 753 |
| 23 | Oklahoma | $70,783 | $43,000 | 3,930,864 | 365 |
| 24 | New Mexico | $67,880 | $42,000 | 2,088,070 | 337 |
| 25 | Utah | $69,281 | $43,000 | 3,101,833 | 433 |
| 26 | Michigan | $71,967 | $46,000 | 9,962,311 | 735 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $66,259 | $40,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,563 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $65,868 | $42,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,711 |
| 29 | Minnesota | $67,434 | $43,000 | 5,576,606 | 929 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $67,809 | $41,000 | 6,715,984 | 623 |
| 31 | Kansas | $68,300 | $43,000 | 2,913,123 | 330 |
| 32 | Wyoming | $58,957 | $37,000 | 579,315 | 123 |
| 33 | Hawaii | $64,735 | $48,000 | 1,427,538 | 147 |
| 34 | North Dakota | $56,092 | $36,000 | 755,393 | 241 |
| 35 | Arizona | $66,075 | $41,000 | 7,016,270 | 705 |
| 36 | Maine | $56,508 | $38,000 | 1,335,907 | 284 |
| 37 | South Dakota | $56,982 | $36,000 | 869,666 | 176 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $60,435 | $38,000 | 5,795,483 | 723 |
| 39 | Georgia | $65,166 | $38,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,092 |
| 40 | Alaska | $59,887 | $44,000 | 739,795 | 127 |
| 41 | Missouri | $58,719 | $37,000 | 6,113,532 | 798 |
| 42 | Vermont | $56,533 | $37,000 | 623,657 | 135 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $62,367 | $37,000 | 4,684,333 | 329 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $57,081 | $35,000 | 3,004,279 | 268 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $56,347 | $36,000 | 1,920,076 | 236 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $51,769 | $30,000 | 5,024,369 | 556 |
| 47 | Iowa | $55,037 | $35,000 | 3,145,711 | 397 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $56,427 | $35,000 | 4,454,189 | 327 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $55,326 | $33,000 | 2,984,100 | 205 |
| 50 | Florida | $44,282 | $25,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,895 |
| 51 | Alabama | $45,621 | $27,000 | 4,874,747 | 352 |
Highest paying states for field scientists
| Rank | State | Avg. Field Scientist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | $87,873 |
| 2 | Nevada | $88,979 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $84,325 |
| 4 | California | $100,326 |
| 5 | New York | $83,288 |
| 6 | West Virginia | $82,098 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $97,321 |
| 8 | Delaware | $78,532 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $105,902 |
| 10 | Oregon | $79,142 |
| 11 | Maryland | $79,464 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $76,403 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $76,780 |
| 14 | Idaho | $74,029 |
| 15 | Colorado | $77,146 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | $74,681 |
| 17 | Ohio | $73,898 |
| 18 | Washington | $80,722 |
| 19 | Montana | $69,370 |
| 20 | Illinois | $73,797 |
| 21 | Texas | $71,149 |
| 22 | Indiana | $70,972 |
| 23 | Oklahoma | $70,783 |
| 24 | New Mexico | $67,880 |
| 25 | Utah | $69,281 |
| 26 | Michigan | $71,967 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $66,259 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $65,868 |
| 29 | Minnesota | $67,434 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $67,809 |
| 31 | Kansas | $68,300 |
| 32 | Wyoming | $58,957 |
| 33 | Hawaii | $64,735 |
| 34 | North Dakota | $56,092 |
| 35 | Arizona | $66,075 |
| 36 | Maine | $56,508 |
| 37 | South Dakota | $56,982 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $60,435 |
| 39 | Georgia | $65,166 |
| 40 | Alaska | $59,887 |
| 41 | Missouri | $58,719 |
| 42 | Vermont | $56,533 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $62,367 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $57,081 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $56,347 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $51,769 |
| 47 | Iowa | $55,037 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $56,427 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $55,326 |
| 50 | Florida | $44,282 |
| 51 | Alabama | $45,621 |
Expert opinions on the best states for field scientists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for field scientists to find work opportunities?
William R. Schubert
Adjunct Professor, Benedictine University
Although all parts of the country will be subject to the market trends identified above, it stands to reason that the more populated and heavily regulated states will have higher demand. Therefore, there may be a greater opportunity in the east and west coast markets.
Field scientist best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025