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Best states for a physicist
Quoted expert
Robert Brown
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Job opportunities vary from state to state, and life, physical, and social science careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to physicist jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for physicists.Our research found that West Virginia is the best state for physicists, while Connecticut and New York are ranked highest in terms of median salary. West Virginia has a median salary of $121,409 and Connecticut has the highest median salary among all 50 states for physicists.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for physicists. West Virginia is the best state for physicists, where the median salary is $121,409.West Virginia is the best state, and Enfield is the city with the highest pay for physicists.
10 best states for physicists in 2026
1. West Virginia
Total physicist jobs: 8 Average annual salary: $121,409 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $191,000 Location Quotient: 3.11
2. New Mexico
Total physicist jobs: 10 Average annual salary: $123,429 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $189,000 Location Quotient: 3.03
3. New Hampshire
Total physicist jobs: 3 Average annual salary: $129,915 Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $206,000 Location Quotient: 1.02
4. Massachusetts
Total physicist jobs: 32 Average annual salary: $121,013 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $193,000 Location Quotient: 2.07
5. Connecticut
Total physicist jobs: 3 Average annual salary: $134,689 Lowest 10 percent earn: $86,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $210,000 Location Quotient: 0.54
6. Maryland
Total physicist jobs: 18 Average annual salary: $123,444 Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $193,000 Location Quotient: 1.68
7. New York
Total physicist jobs: 17 Average annual salary: $130,066 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $203,000 Location Quotient: 0.79
8. Pennsylvania
Total physicist jobs: 17 Average annual salary: $116,652 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $184,000 Location Quotient: 0.87
9. Wisconsin
Total physicist jobs: 16 Average annual salary: $111,443 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $176,000 Location Quotient: 1.72
10. Alaska
Total physicist jobs: 3 Average annual salary: $116,239 Lowest 10 percent earn: $84,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $160,000 Location Quotient: 2.13
Physicist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a physicist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a physicist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia | $121,409 | $76,000 | 1,815,857 | 8 |
| 2 | New Mexico | $123,429 | $80,000 | 2,088,070 | 10 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $129,915 | $81,000 | 1,342,795 | 3 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $121,013 | $75,000 | 6,859,819 | 32 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $134,689 | $86,000 | 3,588,184 | 3 |
| 6 | Maryland | $123,444 | $78,000 | 6,052,177 | 18 |
| 7 | New York | $130,066 | $83,000 | 19,849,399 | 17 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $116,652 | $73,000 | 12,805,537 | 17 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | $111,443 | $70,000 | 5,795,483 | 16 |
| 10 | Alaska | $116,239 | $84,000 | 739,795 | 3 |
| 11 | Wyoming | $109,415 | $70,000 | 579,315 | 2 |
| 12 | Oklahoma | $115,422 | $73,000 | 3,930,864 | 4 |
| 13 | North Carolina | $124,164 | $78,000 | 10,273,419 | 5 |
| 14 | Tennessee | $109,257 | $68,000 | 6,715,984 | 12 |
| 15 | District of Columbia | $113,566 | $71,000 | 693,972 | 9 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | $111,734 | $69,000 | 1,059,639 | 2 |
| 17 | Alabama | $111,316 | $69,000 | 4,874,747 | 4 |
| 18 | Arkansas | $111,702 | $70,000 | 3,004,279 | 2 |
| 19 | North Dakota | $104,552 | $66,000 | 755,393 | 2 |
| 20 | Vermont | $116,179 | $71,000 | 623,657 | 0 |
| 21 | Ohio | $107,894 | $67,000 | 11,658,609 | 12 |
| 22 | Georgia | $106,699 | $65,000 | 10,429,379 | 19 |
| 23 | Nevada | $107,929 | $70,000 | 2,998,039 | 2 |
| 24 | South Carolina | $105,864 | $65,000 | 5,024,369 | 6 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $105,730 | $66,000 | 5,576,606 | 12 |
| 26 | Arizona | $103,862 | $67,000 | 7,016,270 | 11 |
| 27 | Delaware | $110,028 | $69,000 | 961,939 | 1 |
| 28 | Florida | $102,369 | $62,000 | 20,984,400 | 32 |
| 29 | Colorado | $100,943 | $64,000 | 5,607,154 | 23 |
| 30 | Utah | $101,616 | $65,000 | 3,101,833 | 6 |
| 31 | Texas | $99,073 | $62,000 | 28,304,596 | 45 |
| 32 | Idaho | $96,489 | $63,000 | 1,716,943 | 5 |
| 33 | California | $105,343 | $69,000 | 39,536,653 | 39 |
| 34 | South Dakota | $99,834 | $62,000 | 869,666 | 1 |
| 35 | Washington | $101,136 | $67,000 | 7,405,743 | 10 |
| 36 | New Jersey | $101,174 | $62,000 | 9,005,644 | 11 |
| 37 | Montana | $102,507 | $66,000 | 1,050,493 | 1 |
| 38 | Maine | $100,800 | $60,000 | 1,335,907 | 1 |
| 39 | Michigan | $86,559 | $54,000 | 9,962,311 | 18 |
| 40 | Missouri | $99,944 | $62,000 | 6,113,532 | 1 |
| 41 | Iowa | $96,713 | $60,000 | 3,145,711 | 2 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $96,711 | $59,000 | 4,454,189 | 1 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $71,008 | $43,000 | 2,984,100 | 5 |
| 44 | Illinois | $86,091 | $53,000 | 12,802,023 | 19 |
| 45 | Virginia | $75,436 | $46,000 | 8,470,020 | 16 |
| 46 | Kansas | $90,846 | $56,000 | 2,913,123 | 1 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $85,725 | $54,000 | 1,427,538 | 1 |
| 48 | Oregon | $78,823 | $52,000 | 4,142,776 | 5 |
| 49 | Indiana | $82,244 | $51,000 | 6,666,818 | 2 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $71,347 | $44,000 | 1,920,076 | 2 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $65,485 | $40,000 | 4,684,333 | 2 |
Highest paying states for physicists
| Rank | State | Avg. Physicist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia | $121,409 |
| 2 | New Mexico | $123,429 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $129,915 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $121,013 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $134,689 |
| 6 | Maryland | $123,444 |
| 7 | New York | $130,066 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $116,652 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | $111,443 |
| 10 | Alaska | $116,239 |
| 11 | Wyoming | $109,415 |
| 12 | Oklahoma | $115,422 |
| 13 | North Carolina | $124,164 |
| 14 | Tennessee | $109,257 |
| 15 | District of Columbia | $113,566 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | $111,734 |
| 17 | Alabama | $111,316 |
| 18 | Arkansas | $111,702 |
| 19 | North Dakota | $104,552 |
| 20 | Vermont | $116,179 |
| 21 | Ohio | $107,894 |
| 22 | Georgia | $106,699 |
| 23 | Nevada | $107,929 |
| 24 | South Carolina | $105,864 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $105,730 |
| 26 | Arizona | $103,862 |
| 27 | Delaware | $110,028 |
| 28 | Florida | $102,369 |
| 29 | Colorado | $100,943 |
| 30 | Utah | $101,616 |
| 31 | Texas | $99,073 |
| 32 | Idaho | $96,489 |
| 33 | California | $105,343 |
| 34 | South Dakota | $99,834 |
| 35 | Washington | $101,136 |
| 36 | New Jersey | $101,174 |
| 37 | Montana | $102,507 |
| 38 | Maine | $100,800 |
| 39 | Michigan | $86,559 |
| 40 | Missouri | $99,944 |
| 41 | Iowa | $96,713 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $96,711 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $71,008 |
| 44 | Illinois | $86,091 |
| 45 | Virginia | $75,436 |
| 46 | Kansas | $90,846 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $85,725 |
| 48 | Oregon | $78,823 |
| 49 | Indiana | $82,244 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $71,347 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $65,485 |
Expert opinions on the best states for physicists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for physicists to find work opportunities?
Robert Brown
Institute Professor and Distinguished University Professor, Case Western Reserve University
Biophysics and nanophysics, which are increasingly overlapping, are primary directions in this century. With medical physics as a subset of biophysics and quantum computers also growing in biomolecular approaches, we see NE Ohio having more and more opportunities. Greater Cleveland is influential with world-class medical institutions and medical instrument companies. The threat of more pandemics and the aging population are significant forces that will make NE Ohio more and more attractive as a biotechnical region.
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Updated January 8, 2025