Best states for a medical researcher

Q: What is the best state for medical researchers?

The best state to be a medical researcher is California based on medical researcher salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for medical researchers?

The highest paying state for medical researchers is Iowa based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for medical researchers?

The worst state for medical researchers is Iowa, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Lorraine Coons Ph.D.

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Medical researcher opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for medical researchers, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for medical researchers.As medical researchers are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for medical researchers. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a medical researcher, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.

The median salary for medical researchers in California is $96,312. Compare that to the median salary in Iowa of $37,100, which ranked worst for medical researchers, and you can see how your location is important for your career.We found that the Midwest is best for medical researchers, and the Northeast is the worst. San Francisco, CA is the best city in the country for medical researcher jobs, where as California is the best state in the country.

10 best states for medical researchers in 2026

1. California
Total medical researcher jobs: 3,897
Average annual salary: $96,312
Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000
Location Quotient:
2.32
Medical researcher jobs in California
2. Massachusetts
Total medical researcher jobs: 576
Average annual salary: $95,385
Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $169,000
Location Quotient:
1.09
Medical researcher jobs in Massachusetts
3. New Jersey
Total medical researcher jobs: 133
Average annual salary: $98,796
Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $173,000
Location Quotient:
0.29
Medical researcher jobs in New Jersey
4. Delaware
Total medical researcher jobs: 159
Average annual salary: $81,804
Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000
Location Quotient:
2.21
Medical researcher jobs in Delaware
5. Nevada
Total medical researcher jobs: 283
Average annual salary: $73,603
Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000
Location Quotient:
2.36
Medical researcher jobs in Nevada
6. Connecticut
Total medical researcher jobs: 34
Average annual salary: $93,498
Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $165,000
Location Quotient:
0.18
Medical researcher jobs in Connecticut
7. Maryland
Total medical researcher jobs: 125
Average annual salary: $81,778
Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000
Location Quotient:
0.34
Medical researcher jobs in Maryland
8. Maine
Total medical researcher jobs: 9
Average annual salary: $90,470
Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $168,000
Location Quotient:
0.12
Medical researcher jobs in Maine
9. Minnesota
Total medical researcher jobs: 1,098
Average annual salary: $67,174
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $105,000
Location Quotient:
2.88
Medical researcher jobs in Minnesota
10. Rhode Island
Total medical researcher jobs: 21
Average annual salary: $77,562
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000
Location Quotient:
0.3
Medical researcher jobs in Rhode Island

Medical researcher jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a medical researcher

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

Detailed list of the best states for a medical researcher

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	California	$96,312	$59,000	39,536,653	3,897
2	Massachusetts	$95,385	$53,000	6,859,819	576
3	New Jersey	$98,796	$56,000	9,005,644	133
4	Delaware	$81,804	$45,000	961,939	159
5	Nevada	$73,603	$45,000	2,998,039	283
6	Connecticut	$93,498	$52,000	3,588,184	34
7	Maryland	$81,778	$46,000	6,052,177	125
8	Maine	$90,470	$48,000	1,335,907	9
9	Minnesota	$67,174	$42,000	5,576,606	1,098
10	Rhode Island	$77,562	$42,000	1,059,639	21
11	New York	$79,858	$44,000	19,849,399	232
12	District of Columbia	$78,692	$44,000	693,972	186
13	Pennsylvania	$75,748	$42,000	12,805,537	146
14	Vermont	$76,375	$39,000	623,657	12
15	West Virginia	$61,794	$35,000	1,815,857	220
16	Arizona	$73,793	$46,000	7,016,270	52
17	Virginia	$69,834	$39,000	8,470,020	852
18	Alaska	$69,154	$44,000	739,795	12
19	Oregon	$66,681	$39,000	4,142,776	79
20	Indiana	$70,819	$42,000	6,666,818	38
21	New Hampshire	$73,336	$39,000	1,342,795	12
22	Washington	$63,373	$38,000	7,405,743	241
23	Montana	$62,783	$40,000	1,050,493	14
24	Tennessee	$64,925	$39,000	6,715,984	25
25	Arkansas	$52,037	$32,000	3,004,279	311
26	Illinois	$53,305	$32,000	12,802,023	1,740
27	Colorado	$58,700	$37,000	5,607,154	154
28	New Mexico	$52,300	$32,000	2,088,070	265
29	Utah	$50,456	$32,000	3,101,833	481
30	Wisconsin	$63,781	$39,000	5,795,483	25
31	Michigan	$56,949	$32,000	9,962,311	102
32	Ohio	$58,195	$33,000	11,658,609	83
33	Missouri	$49,687	$31,000	6,113,532	811
34	Kentucky	$48,473	$29,000	4,454,189	505
35	Louisiana	$52,464	$31,000	4,684,333	53
36	Alabama	$49,503	$29,000	4,874,747	482
37	Oklahoma	$52,268	$32,000	3,930,864	27
38	Idaho	$46,454	$28,000	1,716,943	252
39	Wyoming	$51,968	$33,000	579,315	5
40	North Carolina	$53,396	$31,000	10,273,419	75
41	Hawaii	$58,789	$48,000	1,427,538	7
42	Florida	$55,756	$32,000	20,984,400	88
43	Georgia	$44,338	$26,000	10,429,379	1,488
44	Mississippi	$45,671	$27,000	2,984,100	230
45	South Carolina	$43,037	$25,000	5,024,369	529
46	Kansas	$47,638	$30,000	2,913,123	20
47	South Dakota	$47,657	$30,000	869,666	6
48	Texas	$45,401	$27,000	28,304,596	158
49	North Dakota	$41,381	$27,000	755,393	9
50	Nebraska	$42,150	$26,000	1,920,076	16
51	Iowa	$37,100	$23,000	3,145,711	18

Highest paying states for medical researchers

Rank	State	Avg. Medical Researcher Salary
1	California	$96,312
2	Massachusetts	$95,385
3	New Jersey	$98,796
4	Delaware	$81,804
5	Nevada	$73,603
6	Connecticut	$93,498
7	Maryland	$81,778
8	Maine	$90,470
9	Minnesota	$67,174
10	Rhode Island	$77,562
11	New York	$79,858
12	District of Columbia	$78,692
13	Pennsylvania	$75,748
14	Vermont	$76,375
15	West Virginia	$61,794
16	Arizona	$73,793
17	Virginia	$69,834
18	Alaska	$69,154
19	Oregon	$66,681
20	Indiana	$70,819
21	New Hampshire	$73,336
22	Washington	$63,373
23	Montana	$62,783
24	Tennessee	$64,925
25	Arkansas	$52,037
26	Illinois	$53,305
27	Colorado	$58,700
28	New Mexico	$52,300
29	Utah	$50,456
30	Wisconsin	$63,781
31	Michigan	$56,949
32	Ohio	$58,195
33	Missouri	$49,687
34	Kentucky	$48,473
35	Louisiana	$52,464
36	Alabama	$49,503
37	Oklahoma	$52,268
38	Idaho	$46,454
39	Wyoming	$51,968
40	North Carolina	$53,396
41	Hawaii	$58,789
42	Florida	$55,756
43	Georgia	$44,338
44	Mississippi	$45,671
45	South Carolina	$43,037
46	Kansas	$47,638
47	South Dakota	$47,657
48	Texas	$45,401
49	North Dakota	$41,381
50	Nebraska	$42,150
51	Iowa	$37,100

Expert opinions on the best states for medical researchers

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for medical researchers to find work opportunities?
Lorraine Coons Ph.D.
Professor of History, Chestnut Hill College
I'm happy to see that three of our five seniors have found employment since graduation. Two are teachers working in a high school in North Jersey and a middle school in suburban Philadelphia. Another is working as a paralegal in a law firm in New York as she contemplates applying to grad school next year for museum studies. I have not heard back from the other two. Students generally choose to remain in the general vicinity of where they were raised or went to college. However, one of my former majors is interested in pursuing a graduate degree in museum studies in the UK and would like to live abroad.

Medical researcher best states FAQs

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What is the worst state for medical researchers?

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Best states for Medical Researchers

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total medical researcher jobs:	3,897
Average annual salary:	$96,312
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$59,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$154,000
Location Quotient:	2.32

Best states for a medical researcher

10 best states for medical researchers in 2026

1. California

2. Massachusetts

3. New Jersey

4. Delaware

5. Nevada

6. Connecticut

7. Maryland

8. Maine

9. Minnesota

10. Rhode Island