Best states for a management scientist

Q: What is the best state for management scientists?

The best state to be a management scientist is California based on management scientist salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for management scientists?

The highest paying state for management scientists is North Dakota based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for management scientists?

The worst state for management scientists is Utah, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Sami Mejri Ph.D.

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We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for management scientists in the United States. Management scientist positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for management scientists.Although there are abundant management scientist jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the South. California is the best state in the country for management scientist jobs.

To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for management scientists. California is the best state for management scientists, where the median salary is $108,660.We found that California is the best state for management scientist jobs, whereas Utah is the worst.

10 best states for management scientists in 2025

1. California
Total management scientist jobs: 6,515
Average annual salary: $108,660
Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $178,000
Location Quotient:
1.23
Management scientist jobs in California
2. New Jersey
Total management scientist jobs: 2,131
Average annual salary: $92,511
Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000
Location Quotient:
1.48
Management scientist jobs in New Jersey
3. Connecticut
Total management scientist jobs: 619
Average annual salary: $93,442
Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000
Location Quotient:
1.03
Management scientist jobs in Connecticut
4. Delaware
Total management scientist jobs: 290
Average annual salary: $79,291
Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000
Location Quotient:
1.27
Management scientist jobs in Delaware
5. Massachusetts
Total management scientist jobs: 3,169
Average annual salary: $76,534
Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $112,000
Location Quotient:
1.9
Management scientist jobs in Massachusetts
6. Nevada
Total management scientist jobs: 308
Average annual salary: $84,895
Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000
Location Quotient:
0.81
Management scientist jobs in Nevada
7. Maine
Total management scientist jobs: 192
Average annual salary: $82,343
Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000
Location Quotient:
0.8
Management scientist jobs in Maine
8. New York
Total management scientist jobs: 3,352
Average annual salary: $75,302
Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $112,000
Location Quotient:
1.44
Management scientist jobs in New York
9. Illinois
Total management scientist jobs: 2,340
Average annual salary: $73,314
Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $113,000
Location Quotient:
1.08
Management scientist jobs in Illinois
10. Oregon
Total management scientist jobs: 928
Average annual salary: $72,805
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000
Location Quotient:
1.23
Management scientist jobs in Oregon

Management scientist jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a management scientist

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

Detailed list of the best states for a management scientist

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	California	$108,660	$66,000	39,536,653	6,515
2	New Jersey	$92,511	$61,000	9,005,644	2,131
3	Connecticut	$93,442	$62,000	3,588,184	619
4	Delaware	$79,291	$51,000	961,939	290
5	Massachusetts	$76,534	$52,000	6,859,819	3,169
6	Nevada	$84,895	$50,000	2,998,039	308
7	Maine	$82,343	$57,000	1,335,907	192
8	New York	$75,302	$50,000	19,849,399	3,352
9	Illinois	$73,314	$47,000	12,802,023	2,340
10	Oregon	$72,805	$42,000	4,142,776	928
11	Rhode Island	$94,735	$64,000	1,059,639	107
12	Pennsylvania	$70,588	$46,000	12,805,537	2,160
13	North Carolina	$68,915	$42,000	10,273,419	1,898
14	Arizona	$72,707	$43,000	7,016,270	887
15	Indiana	$73,603	$47,000	6,666,818	854
16	Tennessee	$70,558	$43,000	6,715,984	842
17	Maryland	$70,230	$45,000	6,052,177	1,526
18	Michigan	$71,420	$46,000	9,962,311	1,032
19	Ohio	$69,574	$44,000	11,658,609	1,447
20	Washington	$63,547	$37,000	7,405,743	1,685
21	New Hampshire	$67,458	$46,000	1,342,795	260
22	Montana	$70,291	$43,000	1,050,493	104
23	Wisconsin	$63,462	$41,000	5,795,483	875
24	Vermont	$68,669	$47,000	623,657	74
25	Virginia	$59,120	$37,000	8,470,020	2,373
26	Minnesota	$63,717	$42,000	5,576,606	1,039
27	Hawaii	$64,659	$48,000	1,427,538	166
28	Missouri	$58,342	$36,000	6,113,532	1,012
29	New Mexico	$56,612	$33,000	2,088,070	351
30	Arkansas	$58,954	$36,000	3,004,279	341
31	Idaho	$62,775	$36,000	1,716,943	126
32	Oklahoma	$59,520	$36,000	3,930,864	319
33	Kentucky	$58,355	$36,000	4,454,189	468
34	West Virginia	$54,785	$35,000	1,815,857	240
35	Florida	$55,921	$33,000	20,984,400	2,238
36	District of Columbia	$64,503	$41,000	693,972	150
37	Colorado	$53,304	$32,000	5,607,154	1,053
38	South Dakota	$49,128	$32,000	869,666	194
39	Wyoming	$56,754	$34,000	579,315	53
40	Georgia	$54,220	$33,000	10,429,379	1,294
41	Texas	$51,060	$30,000	28,304,596	3,462
42	Alaska	$49,956	$33,000	739,795	154
43	Kansas	$51,345	$32,000	2,913,123	409
44	Alabama	$52,829	$32,000	4,874,747	492
45	North Dakota	$43,494	$29,000	755,393	188
46	South Carolina	$49,434	$30,000	5,024,369	627
47	Iowa	$50,554	$32,000	3,145,711	454
48	Nebraska	$49,824	$31,000	1,920,076	293
49	Mississippi	$47,734	$28,000	2,984,100	234
50	Louisiana	$44,254	$26,000	4,684,333	391
51	Utah	$46,803	$27,000	3,101,833	242

Highest paying states for management scientists

Rank	State	Avg. Management Scientist Salary
1	California	$108,660
2	New Jersey	$92,511
3	Connecticut	$93,442
4	Delaware	$79,291
5	Massachusetts	$76,534
6	Nevada	$84,895
7	Maine	$82,343
8	New York	$75,302
9	Illinois	$73,314
10	Oregon	$72,805
11	Rhode Island	$94,735
12	Pennsylvania	$70,588
13	North Carolina	$68,915
14	Arizona	$72,707
15	Indiana	$73,603
16	Tennessee	$70,558
17	Maryland	$70,230
18	Michigan	$71,420
19	Ohio	$69,574
20	Washington	$63,547
21	New Hampshire	$67,458
22	Montana	$70,291
23	Wisconsin	$63,462
24	Vermont	$68,669
25	Virginia	$59,120
26	Minnesota	$63,717
27	Hawaii	$64,659
28	Missouri	$58,342
29	New Mexico	$56,612
30	Arkansas	$58,954
31	Idaho	$62,775
32	Oklahoma	$59,520
33	Kentucky	$58,355
34	West Virginia	$54,785
35	Florida	$55,921
36	District of Columbia	$64,503
37	Colorado	$53,304
38	South Dakota	$49,128
39	Wyoming	$56,754
40	Georgia	$54,220
41	Texas	$51,060
42	Alaska	$49,956
43	Kansas	$51,345
44	Alabama	$52,829
45	North Dakota	$43,494
46	South Carolina	$49,434
47	Iowa	$50,554
48	Nebraska	$49,824
49	Mississippi	$47,734
50	Louisiana	$44,254
51	Utah	$46,803

Expert opinions on the best states for management scientists

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for management scientists to find work opportunities?
Sami Mejri Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Science, Assistant Dean, Graduate Programs, Tiffin University
With the rising cost of living, a college graduate's ideal first job may not be in their home state or favorite vacation town. According to Business Insider, MidWestern cities like Columbus-Ohio, Cincinnati-Ohio, Madison-Wisconsin, Milwaukee-Wisconsin, and Indianapolis-Indiana were some of the best geographical areas to live for college graduates. The cost of living in these Midwestern states remains relatively lower than coastal areas, making these locations ideal for college graduates entering the workforce. However, college graduates with degrees in healthcare, computer science, and data analytics may not be limited to these geographical areas, given employers' incentives to these in-demand jobs.

Management scientist best states FAQs

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Best states for Management Scientists

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total management scientist jobs:	6,515
Average annual salary:	$108,660
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$66,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$178,000
Location Quotient:	1.23

Best states for a management scientist

10 best states for management scientists in 2025

1. California

2. New Jersey

3. Connecticut

4. Delaware

5. Massachusetts

6. Nevada

7. Maine

8. New York

9. Illinois

10. Oregon