Best states for an Inventor

Q: What is the best state for inventors?

The best state to be an inventor is New York based on inventor salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for inventors?

The highest paying state for inventors is Louisiana based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for inventors?

The worst state for inventors is Louisiana, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 51

Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to inventor jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. As inventors are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for inventors. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as an inventor, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.

We figured that the best places for inventor 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.If you are currently seeking employment as an inventor, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for inventors in 2025

1. New York
Total Inventor Jobs: 149
Average Annual Salary: $78,742
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $43,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $142,000
Location Quotient:
2.23
Inventor Jobs in New York
2. California
Total Inventor Jobs: 335
Average Annual Salary: $74,604
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $41,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $134,000
Location Quotient:
2.2
Inventor Jobs in California
3. Massachusetts
Total Inventor Jobs: 49
Average Annual Salary: $73,058
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $39,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $133,000
Location Quotient:
1.03
Inventor Jobs in Massachusetts
4. Maine
Total Inventor Jobs: 11
Average Annual Salary: $64,202
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $35,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $117,000
Location Quotient:
1.59
Inventor Jobs in Maine
5. Rhode Island
Total Inventor Jobs: 10
Average Annual Salary: $63,389
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $34,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $116,000
Location Quotient:
1.58
Inventor Jobs in Rhode Island
6. Washington
Total Inventor Jobs: 91
Average Annual Salary: $64,932
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $36,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $115,000
Location Quotient:
2.4
Inventor Jobs in Washington
7. Vermont
Total Inventor Jobs: 6
Average Annual Salary: $63,121
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $34,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $115,000
Location Quotient:
1.5
Inventor Jobs in Vermont
8. Michigan
Total Inventor Jobs: 63
Average Annual Salary: $59,554
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $34,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $101,000
Location Quotient:
1.56
Inventor Jobs in Michigan
9. District of Columbia
Total Inventor Jobs: 10
Average Annual Salary: $70,165
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $39,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $123,000
Location Quotient:
1.15
Inventor Jobs in District of Columbia
10. Alaska
Total Inventor Jobs: 5
Average Annual Salary: $63,398
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $37,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $106,000
Location Quotient:
1.15
Inventor Jobs in Alaska

Inventor JobsNear Ashburn, VA

How Zippia determines the best states to be an inventor

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

Detailed list of the best states for an inventor

Rank	State	Average Salary	Lowest 10% Earn	Population	Job Count
1	New York	$78,742	$43,000	19,849,399	149
2	California	$74,604	$41,000	39,536,653	335
3	Massachusetts	$73,058	$39,000	6,859,819	49
4	Maine	$64,202	$35,000	1,335,907	11
5	Rhode Island	$63,389	$34,000	1,059,639	10
6	Washington	$64,932	$36,000	7,405,743	91
7	Vermont	$63,121	$34,000	623,657	6
8	Michigan	$59,554	$34,000	9,962,311	63
9	District of Columbia	$70,165	$39,000	693,972	10
10	Alaska	$63,398	$37,000	739,795	5
11	Texas	$62,621	$36,000	28,304,596	85
12	Oregon	$62,176	$34,000	4,142,776	74
13	Pennsylvania	$65,742	$36,000	12,805,537	27
14	Arizona	$67,861	$38,000	7,016,270	11
15	New Mexico	$65,066	$37,000	2,088,070	5
16	Arkansas	$59,215	$35,000	3,004,279	10
17	Virginia	$64,709	$36,000	8,470,020	35
18	Connecticut	$63,751	$34,000	3,588,184	13
19	New Jersey	$68,914	$38,000	9,005,644	14
20	Idaho	$59,070	$33,000	1,716,943	8
21	North Carolina	$58,722	$34,000	10,273,419	32
22	Delaware	$56,255	$31,000	961,939	10
23	West Virginia	$55,963	$32,000	1,815,857	5
24	Kansas	$58,506	$34,000	2,913,123	7
25	Indiana	$57,500	$33,000	6,666,818	17
26	Wyoming	$52,841	$30,000	579,315	5
27	Minnesota	$58,142	$35,000	5,576,606	18
28	Illinois	$55,855	$33,000	12,802,023	68
29	Tennessee	$55,417	$32,000	6,715,984	18
30	Nevada	$54,979	$30,000	2,998,039	7
31	Ohio	$54,411	$31,000	11,658,609	28
32	Maryland	$56,069	$31,000	6,052,177	23
33	Nebraska	$53,161	$31,000	1,920,076	8
34	Montana	$51,527	$29,000	1,050,493	7
35	Hawaii	$48,039	$36,000	1,427,538	4
36	Missouri	$54,973	$32,000	6,113,532	14
37	South Dakota	$49,839	$29,000	869,666	5
38	Alabama	$50,532	$30,000	4,874,747	12
39	New Hampshire	$46,478	$25,000	1,342,795	11
40	Iowa	$52,441	$31,000	3,145,711	7
41	North Dakota	$48,018	$29,000	755,393	4
42	Utah	$45,352	$25,000	3,101,833	20
43	Wisconsin	$51,261	$30,000	5,795,483	12
44	Colorado	$48,074	$28,000	5,607,154	25
45	Kentucky	$48,355	$28,000	4,454,189	11
46	Mississippi	$44,823	$26,000	2,984,100	7
47	South Carolina	$48,981	$28,000	5,024,369	9
48	Georgia	$43,545	$25,000	10,429,379	35
49	Florida	$46,873	$28,000	20,984,400	31
50	Oklahoma	$44,210	$26,000	3,930,864	7
51	Louisiana	$39,918	$23,000	4,684,333	7

Highest paying states for inventors

Rank	State	Avg. Inventor Salary
1	New York	$78,742
2	California	$74,604
3	Massachusetts	$73,058
4	Maine	$64,202
5	Rhode Island	$63,389
6	Washington	$64,932
7	Vermont	$63,121
8	Michigan	$59,554
9	District of Columbia	$70,165
10	Alaska	$63,398
11	Texas	$62,621
12	Oregon	$62,176
13	Pennsylvania	$65,742
14	Arizona	$67,861
15	New Mexico	$65,066
16	Arkansas	$59,215
17	Virginia	$64,709
18	Connecticut	$63,751
19	New Jersey	$68,914
20	Idaho	$59,070
21	North Carolina	$58,722
22	Delaware	$56,255
23	West Virginia	$55,963
24	Kansas	$58,506
25	Indiana	$57,500
26	Wyoming	$52,841
27	Minnesota	$58,142
28	Illinois	$55,855
29	Tennessee	$55,417
30	Nevada	$54,979
31	Ohio	$54,411
32	Maryland	$56,069
33	Nebraska	$53,161
34	Montana	$51,527
35	Hawaii	$48,039
36	Missouri	$54,973
37	South Dakota	$49,839
38	Alabama	$50,532
39	New Hampshire	$46,478
40	Iowa	$52,441
41	North Dakota	$48,018
42	Utah	$45,352
43	Wisconsin	$51,261
44	Colorado	$48,074
45	Kentucky	$48,355
46	Mississippi	$44,823
47	South Carolina	$48,981
48	Georgia	$43,545
49	Florida	$46,873
50	Oklahoma	$44,210
51	Louisiana	$39,918

Inventor best states FAQs

What is the best state for inventors?

What is the highest paying state for inventors?

What is the worst state for inventors?

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Best states for Inventors

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total Inventor Jobs:	149
Average Annual Salary:	$78,742
Lowest 10 Percent Earn:	$43,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn:	$142,000
Location Quotient:	2.23

Best states for an Inventor

10 best states for inventors in 2025

1. New York

2. California

3. Massachusetts

4. Maine

5. Rhode Island

6. Washington

7. Vermont

8. Michigan

9. District of Columbia

10. Alaska