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Best states for a medical physicist
Quoted expert
Dr. Adam Hauser
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Medical physicist opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for medical physicists, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for medical physicists.As medical physicists are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for medical physicists. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a medical physicist, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for medical physicists.We found that New Mexico is the best state for medical physicist jobs, whereas South Dakota is the worst.
10 best states for medical physicists in 2026
1. New Mexico
Total medical physicist jobs: 314 Average annual salary: $134,046 Lowest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $204,000 Location Quotient: 3.56
2. Arkansas
Total medical physicist jobs: 299 Average annual salary: $127,918 Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $197,000 Location Quotient: 2.54
3. New Hampshire
Total medical physicist jobs: 7 Average annual salary: $141,178 Lowest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $216,000 Location Quotient: 0.09
4. Alabama
Total medical physicist jobs: 463 Average annual salary: $127,840 Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $198,000 Location Quotient: 2.34
5. Florida
Total medical physicist jobs: 70 Average annual salary: $133,236 Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $207,000 Location Quotient: 0.1
6. Minnesota
Total medical physicist jobs: 921 Average annual salary: $125,265 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $195,000 Location Quotient: 3.09
7. New York
Total medical physicist jobs: 41 Average annual salary: $142,984 Lowest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $217,000 Location Quotient: 0.07
8. Colorado
Total medical physicist jobs: 28 Average annual salary: $132,279 Lowest 10 percent earn: $86,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $203,000 Location Quotient: 0.1
9. Wyoming
Total medical physicist jobs: 3 Average annual salary: $124,396 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $192,000 Location Quotient: 0.11
10. Connecticut
Total medical physicist jobs: 8 Average annual salary: $140,447 Lowest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $214,000 Location Quotient: 0.05
Medical physicist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a medical physicist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a medical physicist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | $134,046 | $87,000 | 2,088,070 | 314 |
| 2 | Arkansas | $127,918 | $82,000 | 3,004,279 | 299 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $141,178 | $91,000 | 1,342,795 | 7 |
| 4 | Alabama | $127,840 | $82,000 | 4,874,747 | 463 |
| 5 | Florida | $133,236 | $85,000 | 20,984,400 | 70 |
| 6 | Minnesota | $125,265 | $80,000 | 5,576,606 | 921 |
| 7 | New York | $142,984 | $94,000 | 19,849,399 | 41 |
| 8 | Colorado | $132,279 | $86,000 | 5,607,154 | 28 |
| 9 | Wyoming | $124,396 | $80,000 | 579,315 | 3 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $140,447 | $91,000 | 3,588,184 | 8 |
| 11 | Louisiana | $126,140 | $81,000 | 4,684,333 | 13 |
| 12 | Oklahoma | $131,426 | $85,000 | 3,930,864 | 6 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $122,841 | $78,000 | 5,795,483 | 29 |
| 14 | Nevada | $119,328 | $77,000 | 2,998,039 | 320 |
| 15 | Maryland | $139,180 | $91,000 | 6,052,177 | 17 |
| 16 | Ohio | $125,732 | $81,000 | 11,658,609 | 25 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $126,149 | $80,000 | 6,859,819 | 57 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $121,768 | $77,000 | 1,059,639 | 7 |
| 19 | Delaware | $119,933 | $77,000 | 961,939 | 145 |
| 20 | Tennessee | $119,654 | $76,000 | 6,715,984 | 18 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $110,827 | $70,000 | 1,815,857 | 202 |
| 22 | South Carolina | $121,247 | $77,000 | 5,024,369 | 13 |
| 23 | District of Columbia | $123,768 | $79,000 | 693,972 | 150 |
| 24 | Missouri | $112,515 | $71,000 | 6,113,532 | 772 |
| 25 | North Dakota | $112,732 | $71,000 | 755,393 | 8 |
| 26 | Nebraska | $122,772 | $78,000 | 1,920,076 | 2 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $109,396 | $69,000 | 4,454,189 | 504 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $115,687 | $74,000 | 12,805,537 | 39 |
| 29 | Michigan | $111,713 | $70,000 | 9,962,311 | 39 |
| 30 | Alaska | $117,633 | $84,000 | 739,795 | 4 |
| 31 | Montana | $111,968 | $71,000 | 1,050,493 | 5 |
| 32 | Kansas | $105,511 | $66,000 | 2,913,123 | 490 |
| 33 | Illinois | $109,113 | $69,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,622 |
| 34 | Utah | $114,657 | $73,000 | 3,101,833 | 8 |
| 35 | Idaho | $106,318 | $68,000 | 1,716,943 | 253 |
| 36 | Vermont | $118,394 | $74,000 | 623,657 | 0 |
| 37 | Arizona | $111,785 | $72,000 | 7,016,270 | 25 |
| 38 | Georgia | $105,174 | $66,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,283 |
| 39 | North Carolina | $111,270 | $70,000 | 10,273,419 | 27 |
| 40 | New Jersey | $111,510 | $71,000 | 9,005,644 | 27 |
| 41 | Maine | $109,807 | $68,000 | 1,335,907 | 3 |
| 42 | Washington | $108,155 | $70,000 | 7,405,743 | 29 |
| 43 | California | $104,574 | $67,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,331 |
| 44 | Texas | $107,903 | $68,000 | 28,304,596 | 78 |
| 45 | Virginia | $86,936 | $55,000 | 8,470,020 | 861 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $80,966 | $51,000 | 2,984,100 | 221 |
| 47 | Oregon | $98,163 | $64,000 | 4,142,776 | 16 |
| 48 | Indiana | $93,395 | $58,000 | 6,666,818 | 15 |
| 49 | Iowa | $87,166 | $54,000 | 3,145,711 | 6 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $89,944 | $57,000 | 1,427,538 | 1 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $74,705 | $47,000 | 869,666 | 2 |
Highest paying states for medical physicists
| Rank | State | Avg. Medical Physicist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | $134,046 |
| 2 | Arkansas | $127,918 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $141,178 |
| 4 | Alabama | $127,840 |
| 5 | Florida | $133,236 |
| 6 | Minnesota | $125,265 |
| 7 | New York | $142,984 |
| 8 | Colorado | $132,279 |
| 9 | Wyoming | $124,396 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $140,447 |
| 11 | Louisiana | $126,140 |
| 12 | Oklahoma | $131,426 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $122,841 |
| 14 | Nevada | $119,328 |
| 15 | Maryland | $139,180 |
| 16 | Ohio | $125,732 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $126,149 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $121,768 |
| 19 | Delaware | $119,933 |
| 20 | Tennessee | $119,654 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $110,827 |
| 22 | South Carolina | $121,247 |
| 23 | District of Columbia | $123,768 |
| 24 | Missouri | $112,515 |
| 25 | North Dakota | $112,732 |
| 26 | Nebraska | $122,772 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $109,396 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $115,687 |
| 29 | Michigan | $111,713 |
| 30 | Alaska | $117,633 |
| 31 | Montana | $111,968 |
| 32 | Kansas | $105,511 |
| 33 | Illinois | $109,113 |
| 34 | Utah | $114,657 |
| 35 | Idaho | $106,318 |
| 36 | Vermont | $118,394 |
| 37 | Arizona | $111,785 |
| 38 | Georgia | $105,174 |
| 39 | North Carolina | $111,270 |
| 40 | New Jersey | $111,510 |
| 41 | Maine | $109,807 |
| 42 | Washington | $108,155 |
| 43 | California | $104,574 |
| 44 | Texas | $107,903 |
| 45 | Virginia | $86,936 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $80,966 |
| 47 | Oregon | $98,163 |
| 48 | Indiana | $93,395 |
| 49 | Iowa | $87,166 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $89,944 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $74,705 |
Expert opinions on the best states for medical physicists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for medical physicists to find work opportunities?
Dr. Adam Hauser
Assistant Professor, Vice Chair of Undergraduate Studies, and A&S Leadership Board Faculty Fellow, The University of Alabama
A physicist entering the market today has a tremendous range of places to look for work besides academia. We are highly represented in industrial R&D, but also in engineering positions, data science and machine learning/AI, finance, actuarial sciences, and Silicon Valley as coders. Our ability to model complex systems and create our designs based on models presented, often combined with strong coding capabilities, is attractive in nearly every technical position out there. I have former colleagues who are now authors and musicians but still use their system and modeling skills in those fields. My advice is to cast a wide net, speak to alumni from your college/department/research groups with an open mind, and, most importantly, find something that makes you happy.
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Updated January 8, 2025