Best states for a pharmaceutical scientist

Q: What is the best state for pharmaceutical scientists?

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

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

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

Q: What is the worst state for pharmaceutical scientists?

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

Quoted expert

Min Yun

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

We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for pharmaceutical scientists in the United States. Pharmaceutical 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 pharmaceutical scientists.In order to help you decide which state is the best for pharmaceutical scientists, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for pharmaceutical scientist jobs.

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 pharmaceutical scientists.We found that California is the best state for pharmaceutical scientist jobs, whereas Louisiana is the worst.

10 best states for pharmaceutical scientists in 2025

1. California
Total pharmaceutical scientist jobs: 3,042
Average annual salary: $108,569
Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $166,000
Location Quotient:
1.42
Pharmaceutical scientist jobs in California
2. Maryland
Total pharmaceutical scientist jobs: 805
Average annual salary: $92,040
Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000
Location Quotient:
1.73
Pharmaceutical scientist jobs in Maryland
3. Montana
Total pharmaceutical scientist jobs: 82
Average annual salary: $93,640
Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000
Location Quotient:
0.97
Pharmaceutical scientist jobs in Montana
4. Massachusetts
Total pharmaceutical scientist jobs: 1,598
Average annual salary: $86,437
Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000
Location Quotient:
2.38
Pharmaceutical scientist jobs in Massachusetts
5. Rhode Island
Total pharmaceutical scientist jobs: 80
Average annual salary: $93,042
Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $134,000
Location Quotient:
0.9
Pharmaceutical scientist jobs in Rhode Island
6. Illinois
Total pharmaceutical scientist jobs: 913
Average annual salary: $90,393
Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000
Location Quotient:
1.05
Pharmaceutical scientist jobs in Illinois
7. New Jersey
Total pharmaceutical scientist jobs: 935
Average annual salary: $85,098
Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000
Location Quotient:
1.61
Pharmaceutical scientist jobs in New Jersey
8. Delaware
Total pharmaceutical scientist jobs: 151
Average annual salary: $80,750
Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000
Location Quotient:
1.65
Pharmaceutical scientist jobs in Delaware
9. Minnesota
Total pharmaceutical scientist jobs: 363
Average annual salary: $90,006
Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000
Location Quotient:
0.75
Pharmaceutical scientist jobs in Minnesota
10. Connecticut
Total pharmaceutical scientist jobs: 295
Average annual salary: $82,536
Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000
Location Quotient:
1.22
Pharmaceutical scientist jobs in Connecticut

Pharmaceutical scientist jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a pharmaceutical scientist

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

Detailed list of the best states for a pharmaceutical scientist

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	California	$108,569	$70,000	39,536,653	3,042
2	Maryland	$92,040	$62,000	6,052,177	805
3	Montana	$93,640	$62,000	1,050,493	82
4	Massachusetts	$86,437	$59,000	6,859,819	1,598
5	Rhode Island	$93,042	$64,000	1,059,639	80
6	Illinois	$90,393	$61,000	12,802,023	913
7	New Jersey	$85,098	$58,000	9,005,644	935
8	Delaware	$80,750	$55,000	961,939	151
9	Minnesota	$90,006	$62,000	5,576,606	363
10	Connecticut	$82,536	$56,000	3,588,184	295
11	Oregon	$80,658	$53,000	4,142,776	324
12	Nevada	$87,761	$57,000	2,998,039	87
13	Pennsylvania	$76,955	$52,000	12,805,537	889
14	Indiana	$85,236	$57,000	6,666,818	286
15	Maine	$81,281	$56,000	1,335,907	79
16	Alaska	$80,251	$61,000	739,795	55
17	New York	$75,150	$51,000	19,849,399	1,347
18	Tennessee	$78,602	$51,000	6,715,984	234
19	Ohio	$75,428	$51,000	11,658,609	450
20	Washington	$71,533	$48,000	7,405,743	732
21	Wyoming	$71,013	$46,000	579,315	44
22	Idaho	$72,424	$47,000	1,716,943	104
23	Vermont	$68,946	$48,000	623,657	60
24	North Carolina	$65,749	$43,000	10,273,419	821
25	Wisconsin	$68,859	$47,000	5,795,483	353
26	Arizona	$72,480	$47,000	7,016,270	277
27	South Dakota	$62,965	$42,000	869,666	102
28	New Hampshire	$66,613	$46,000	1,342,795	130
29	Michigan	$68,297	$47,000	9,962,311	310
30	Florida	$68,212	$42,000	20,984,400	794
31	Virginia	$61,863	$41,000	8,470,020	965
32	Arkansas	$67,001	$43,000	3,004,279	94
33	New Mexico	$61,712	$39,000	2,088,070	163
34	District of Columbia	$66,706	$45,000	693,972	121
35	Oklahoma	$67,659	$43,000	3,930,864	64
36	Kentucky	$64,312	$43,000	4,454,189	139
37	Colorado	$63,047	$41,000	5,607,154	388
38	North Dakota	$59,294	$41,000	755,393	69
39	Hawaii	$54,383	$41,000	1,427,538	68
40	Kansas	$60,129	$39,000	2,913,123	149
41	Missouri	$59,655	$39,000	6,113,532	367
42	Iowa	$59,940	$40,000	3,145,711	182
43	Texas	$56,969	$36,000	28,304,596	1,018
44	West Virginia	$58,677	$39,000	1,815,857	60
45	Nebraska	$59,925	$40,000	1,920,076	85
46	Utah	$51,642	$33,000	3,101,833	206
47	Alabama	$57,069	$36,000	4,874,747	165
48	South Carolina	$53,974	$34,000	5,024,369	242
49	Mississippi	$56,686	$35,000	2,984,100	54
50	Georgia	$50,148	$32,000	10,429,379	450
51	Louisiana	$48,232	$30,000	4,684,333	106

Highest paying states for pharmaceutical scientists

Rank	State	Avg. Pharmaceutical Scientist Salary
1	California	$108,569
2	Maryland	$92,040
3	Montana	$93,640
4	Massachusetts	$86,437
5	Rhode Island	$93,042
6	Illinois	$90,393
7	New Jersey	$85,098
8	Delaware	$80,750
9	Minnesota	$90,006
10	Connecticut	$82,536
11	Oregon	$80,658
12	Nevada	$87,761
13	Pennsylvania	$76,955
14	Indiana	$85,236
15	Maine	$81,281
16	Alaska	$80,251
17	New York	$75,150
18	Tennessee	$78,602
19	Ohio	$75,428
20	Washington	$71,533
21	Wyoming	$71,013
22	Idaho	$72,424
23	Vermont	$68,946
24	North Carolina	$65,749
25	Wisconsin	$68,859
26	Arizona	$72,480
27	South Dakota	$62,965
28	New Hampshire	$66,613
29	Michigan	$68,297
30	Florida	$68,212
31	Virginia	$61,863
32	Arkansas	$67,001
33	New Mexico	$61,712
34	District of Columbia	$66,706
35	Oklahoma	$67,659
36	Kentucky	$64,312
37	Colorado	$63,047
38	North Dakota	$59,294
39	Hawaii	$54,383
40	Kansas	$60,129
41	Missouri	$59,655
42	Iowa	$59,940
43	Texas	$56,969
44	West Virginia	$58,677
45	Nebraska	$59,925
46	Utah	$51,642
47	Alabama	$57,069
48	South Carolina	$53,974
49	Mississippi	$56,686
50	Georgia	$50,148
51	Louisiana	$48,232

Expert opinions on the best states for pharmaceutical scientists

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for pharmaceutical 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.

Pharmaceutical scientist best states FAQs

What is the best state for pharmaceutical scientists?

What is the highest paying state for pharmaceutical scientists?

What is the worst state for pharmaceutical scientists?

Have more questions? See all answers to common life, physical, and social science questions.

Search for pharmaceutical scientist jobs

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Pharmaceutical Scientist
Best states for Pharmaceutical Scientists

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs

Total pharmaceutical scientist jobs:	3,042
Average annual salary:	$108,569
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$70,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$166,000
Location Quotient:	1.42

Best states for a pharmaceutical scientist

10 best states for pharmaceutical scientists in 2025

1. California

2. Maryland

3. Montana

4. Massachusetts

5. Rhode Island

6. Illinois

7. New Jersey

8. Delaware

9. Minnesota

10. Connecticut