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Best states for a manufacturing scientist
Quoted expert
Min Yun
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Do you want to become a manufacturing scientist at Thermo Fisher Scientific, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for manufacturing scientists that you can check out, before you begin your journey. Our research found that California is the best state for manufacturing scientists, while California and Montana are ranked highest in terms of median salary. California has a median salary of $102,045 and California has the highest median salary among all 50 states for manufacturing scientists.
California is the best state for jobs for manufacturing scientists, and Louisiana is the worst. The most common pay in California is $102,045, while the median pay in Louisiana is $54,700.We found that the South is best for manufacturing scientists, and the Northeast is the worst. Novato, CA is the best city in the country for manufacturing scientist jobs, where as California is the best state in the country.
10 best states for manufacturing scientists in 2025
1. California
Total manufacturing scientist jobs: 5,679 Average annual salary: $102,045 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000 Location Quotient: 1.38
2. New Jersey
Total manufacturing scientist jobs: 1,565 Average annual salary: $98,369 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000 Location Quotient: 1.4
3. Minnesota
Total manufacturing scientist jobs: 1,023 Average annual salary: $97,329 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 1.09
4. Rhode Island
Total manufacturing scientist jobs: 164 Average annual salary: $99,599 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
5. Massachusetts
Total manufacturing scientist jobs: 2,673 Average annual salary: $90,438 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 2.07
6. Montana
Total manufacturing scientist jobs: 128 Average annual salary: $100,333 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 0.79
7. Connecticut
Total manufacturing scientist jobs: 543 Average annual salary: $89,983 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 1.16
8. Oregon
Total manufacturing scientist jobs: 625 Average annual salary: $87,160 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 1.07
9. Delaware
Total manufacturing scientist jobs: 217 Average annual salary: $86,038 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000 Location Quotient: 1.23
10. Nevada
Total manufacturing scientist jobs: 214 Average annual salary: $96,502 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $142,000 Location Quotient: 0.73
Manufacturing scientist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a manufacturing scientist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a manufacturing scientist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $102,045 | $69,000 | 39,536,653 | 5,679 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $98,369 | $69,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,565 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $97,329 | $69,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,023 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $99,599 | $71,000 | 1,059,639 | 164 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $90,438 | $64,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,673 |
| 6 | Montana | $100,333 | $69,000 | 1,050,493 | 128 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $89,983 | $63,000 | 3,588,184 | 543 |
| 8 | Oregon | $87,160 | $59,000 | 4,142,776 | 625 |
| 9 | Delaware | $86,038 | $60,000 | 961,939 | 217 |
| 10 | Nevada | $96,502 | $65,000 | 2,998,039 | 214 |
| 11 | Maine | $88,204 | $63,000 | 1,335,907 | 170 |
| 12 | Indiana | $88,035 | $61,000 | 6,666,818 | 767 |
| 13 | New York | $86,230 | $61,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,040 |
| 14 | Michigan | $81,041 | $57,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,024 |
| 15 | Washington | $83,483 | $57,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,065 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $79,121 | $55,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,583 |
| 17 | Tennessee | $86,225 | $59,000 | 6,715,984 | 589 |
| 18 | Wyoming | $76,345 | $52,000 | 579,315 | 88 |
| 19 | Virginia | $80,561 | $56,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,348 |
| 20 | Arizona | $82,310 | $56,000 | 7,016,270 | 648 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $76,165 | $53,000 | 1,815,857 | 195 |
| 22 | Alaska | $86,842 | $68,000 | 739,795 | 73 |
| 23 | Maryland | $77,274 | $54,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,319 |
| 24 | Hawaii | $89,268 | $69,000 | 1,427,538 | 81 |
| 25 | Vermont | $74,676 | $53,000 | 623,657 | 109 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $71,137 | $49,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,774 |
| 27 | Wisconsin | $73,850 | $52,000 | 5,795,483 | 727 |
| 28 | Idaho | $77,719 | $52,000 | 1,716,943 | 178 |
| 29 | Colorado | $76,698 | $52,000 | 5,607,154 | 767 |
| 30 | Illinois | $73,748 | $52,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,617 |
| 31 | New Hampshire | $71,567 | $51,000 | 1,342,795 | 295 |
| 32 | Ohio | $72,711 | $51,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,127 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $67,892 | $48,000 | 869,666 | 143 |
| 34 | Kentucky | $69,641 | $48,000 | 4,454,189 | 482 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $73,521 | $50,000 | 3,004,279 | 223 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $69,306 | $47,000 | 2,088,070 | 254 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $74,392 | $50,000 | 3,930,864 | 191 |
| 38 | Texas | $70,195 | $46,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,208 |
| 39 | North Dakota | $64,779 | $46,000 | 755,393 | 128 |
| 40 | Alabama | $63,254 | $42,000 | 4,874,747 | 550 |
| 41 | Iowa | $64,668 | $45,000 | 3,145,711 | 407 |
| 42 | Utah | $64,270 | $43,000 | 3,101,833 | 375 |
| 43 | District of Columbia | $71,225 | $50,000 | 693,972 | 147 |
| 44 | Kansas | $65,176 | $45,000 | 2,913,123 | 301 |
| 45 | Florida | $63,099 | $39,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,590 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $63,177 | $41,000 | 2,984,100 | 201 |
| 47 | Georgia | $64,365 | $43,000 | 10,429,379 | 961 |
| 48 | Nebraska | $64,877 | $45,000 | 1,920,076 | 194 |
| 49 | Missouri | $55,048 | $38,000 | 6,113,532 | 707 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $59,214 | $39,000 | 5,024,369 | 478 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $54,700 | $35,000 | 4,684,333 | 279 |
Highest paying states for manufacturing scientists
| Rank | State | Avg. Manufacturing Scientist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $102,045 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $98,369 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $97,329 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $99,599 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $90,438 |
| 6 | Montana | $100,333 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $89,983 |
| 8 | Oregon | $87,160 |
| 9 | Delaware | $86,038 |
| 10 | Nevada | $96,502 |
| 11 | Maine | $88,204 |
| 12 | Indiana | $88,035 |
| 13 | New York | $86,230 |
| 14 | Michigan | $81,041 |
| 15 | Washington | $83,483 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $79,121 |
| 17 | Tennessee | $86,225 |
| 18 | Wyoming | $76,345 |
| 19 | Virginia | $80,561 |
| 20 | Arizona | $82,310 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $76,165 |
| 22 | Alaska | $86,842 |
| 23 | Maryland | $77,274 |
| 24 | Hawaii | $89,268 |
| 25 | Vermont | $74,676 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $71,137 |
| 27 | Wisconsin | $73,850 |
| 28 | Idaho | $77,719 |
| 29 | Colorado | $76,698 |
| 30 | Illinois | $73,748 |
| 31 | New Hampshire | $71,567 |
| 32 | Ohio | $72,711 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $67,892 |
| 34 | Kentucky | $69,641 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $73,521 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $69,306 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $74,392 |
| 38 | Texas | $70,195 |
| 39 | North Dakota | $64,779 |
| 40 | Alabama | $63,254 |
| 41 | Iowa | $64,668 |
| 42 | Utah | $64,270 |
| 43 | District of Columbia | $71,225 |
| 44 | Kansas | $65,176 |
| 45 | Florida | $63,099 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $63,177 |
| 47 | Georgia | $64,365 |
| 48 | Nebraska | $64,877 |
| 49 | Missouri | $55,048 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $59,214 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $54,700 |
Expert opinions on the best states for manufacturing scientists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for manufacturing scientists to find work opportunities?
Min Yun
Professor of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts
Our students almost exclusively find jobs in education or technology-driven companies, and they tend to be in population centers along the East and West Coasts. Many of the top graduate programs are in the same areas as well.
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Updated January 8, 2025