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Best states for a physics professor
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
It seems like physics professors are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for physics professors aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. In order to help you decide which state is the best for physics professors, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for physics professor 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 physics professors.Vermont is the best state, and Barnstable Town is the city with the highest pay for physics professors.
10 best states for physics professors in 2026
1. Vermont
Total physics professor jobs: 52 Average annual salary: $104,122 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $167,000 Location Quotient: 2.58
2. New York
Total physics professor jobs: 773 Average annual salary: $97,259 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000 Location Quotient: 2.3
3. Rhode Island
Total physics professor jobs: 40 Average annual salary: $101,068 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $162,000 Location Quotient: 1.25
4. Oregon
Total physics professor jobs: 200 Average annual salary: $90,551 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000 Location Quotient: 1.84
5. Massachusetts
Total physics professor jobs: 165 Average annual salary: $105,807 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $170,000 Location Quotient: 0.68
6. Maine
Total physics professor jobs: 49 Average annual salary: $92,397 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000 Location Quotient: 1.41
7. Illinois
Total physics professor jobs: 215 Average annual salary: $90,322 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000 Location Quotient: 0.69
8. Louisiana
Total physics professor jobs: 147 Average annual salary: $76,223 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $100,000 Location Quotient: 1.75
9. Delaware
Total physics professor jobs: 18 Average annual salary: $91,027 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $142,000 Location Quotient: 0.55
10. Iowa
Total physics professor jobs: 101 Average annual salary: $77,743 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $102,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
Physics professor jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a physics professor
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a physics professor
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermont | $104,122 | $64,000 | 623,657 | 52 |
| 2 | New York | $97,259 | $61,000 | 19,849,399 | 773 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $101,068 | $62,000 | 1,059,639 | 40 |
| 4 | Oregon | $90,551 | $65,000 | 4,142,776 | 200 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $105,807 | $65,000 | 6,859,819 | 165 |
| 6 | Maine | $92,397 | $56,000 | 1,335,907 | 49 |
| 7 | Illinois | $90,322 | $66,000 | 12,802,023 | 215 |
| 8 | Louisiana | $76,223 | $57,000 | 4,684,333 | 147 |
| 9 | Delaware | $91,027 | $58,000 | 961,939 | 18 |
| 10 | Iowa | $77,743 | $58,000 | 3,145,711 | 101 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $87,132 | $56,000 | 693,972 | 78 |
| 12 | Maryland | $89,651 | $57,000 | 6,052,177 | 117 |
| 13 | Nevada | $87,272 | $62,000 | 2,998,039 | 17 |
| 14 | South Dakota | $71,463 | $54,000 | 869,666 | 51 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $85,025 | $53,000 | 3,588,184 | 65 |
| 16 | Idaho | $84,779 | $61,000 | 1,716,943 | 23 |
| 17 | Virginia | $78,942 | $51,000 | 8,470,020 | 387 |
| 18 | North Dakota | $78,534 | $61,000 | 755,393 | 15 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $85,973 | $53,000 | 1,342,795 | 18 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | $72,883 | $52,000 | 5,795,483 | 176 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $76,858 | $48,000 | 12,805,537 | 345 |
| 22 | Arizona | $81,774 | $61,000 | 7,016,270 | 65 |
| 23 | Michigan | $74,062 | $50,000 | 9,962,311 | 217 |
| 24 | Washington | $79,884 | $57,000 | 7,405,743 | 130 |
| 25 | Utah | $69,194 | $51,000 | 3,101,833 | 136 |
| 26 | Indiana | $73,435 | $53,000 | 6,666,818 | 112 |
| 27 | New Jersey | $78,441 | $49,000 | 9,005,644 | 256 |
| 28 | Wyoming | $71,069 | $54,000 | 579,315 | 11 |
| 29 | Nebraska | $67,472 | $51,000 | 1,920,076 | 88 |
| 30 | Mississippi | $66,216 | $50,000 | 2,984,100 | 122 |
| 31 | California | $84,439 | $60,000 | 39,536,653 | 411 |
| 32 | Minnesota | $70,699 | $53,000 | 5,576,606 | 134 |
| 33 | Alabama | $66,120 | $50,000 | 4,874,747 | 153 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $69,226 | $52,000 | 2,088,070 | 36 |
| 35 | Kansas | $66,940 | $51,000 | 2,913,123 | 67 |
| 36 | Ohio | $69,141 | $47,000 | 11,658,609 | 177 |
| 37 | Alaska | $63,842 | $52,000 | 739,795 | 37 |
| 38 | Colorado | $64,946 | $49,000 | 5,607,154 | 294 |
| 39 | North Carolina | $66,168 | $46,000 | 10,273,419 | 188 |
| 40 | Florida | $67,073 | $51,000 | 20,984,400 | 266 |
| 41 | Texas | $60,847 | $46,000 | 28,304,596 | 756 |
| 42 | West Virginia | $51,890 | $35,000 | 1,815,857 | 106 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $61,245 | $47,000 | 3,930,864 | 66 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $55,887 | $41,000 | 4,454,189 | 161 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $62,005 | $47,000 | 3,004,279 | 43 |
| 46 | Missouri | $63,064 | $48,000 | 6,113,532 | 93 |
| 47 | Montana | $57,067 | $43,000 | 1,050,493 | 28 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $60,310 | $45,000 | 6,715,984 | 86 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $53,445 | $39,000 | 5,024,369 | 78 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $50,381 | $43,000 | 1,427,538 | 11 |
| 51 | Georgia | $52,584 | $39,000 | 10,429,379 | 117 |
Highest paying states for physics professors
| Rank | State | Avg. Physics Professor Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermont | $104,122 |
| 2 | New York | $97,259 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $101,068 |
| 4 | Oregon | $90,551 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $105,807 |
| 6 | Maine | $92,397 |
| 7 | Illinois | $90,322 |
| 8 | Louisiana | $76,223 |
| 9 | Delaware | $91,027 |
| 10 | Iowa | $77,743 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $87,132 |
| 12 | Maryland | $89,651 |
| 13 | Nevada | $87,272 |
| 14 | South Dakota | $71,463 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $85,025 |
| 16 | Idaho | $84,779 |
| 17 | Virginia | $78,942 |
| 18 | North Dakota | $78,534 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $85,973 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | $72,883 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $76,858 |
| 22 | Arizona | $81,774 |
| 23 | Michigan | $74,062 |
| 24 | Washington | $79,884 |
| 25 | Utah | $69,194 |
| 26 | Indiana | $73,435 |
| 27 | New Jersey | $78,441 |
| 28 | Wyoming | $71,069 |
| 29 | Nebraska | $67,472 |
| 30 | Mississippi | $66,216 |
| 31 | California | $84,439 |
| 32 | Minnesota | $70,699 |
| 33 | Alabama | $66,120 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $69,226 |
| 35 | Kansas | $66,940 |
| 36 | Ohio | $69,141 |
| 37 | Alaska | $63,842 |
| 38 | Colorado | $64,946 |
| 39 | North Carolina | $66,168 |
| 40 | Florida | $67,073 |
| 41 | Texas | $60,847 |
| 42 | West Virginia | $51,890 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $61,245 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $55,887 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $62,005 |
| 46 | Missouri | $63,064 |
| 47 | Montana | $57,067 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $60,310 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $53,445 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $50,381 |
| 51 | Georgia | $52,584 |
Physics professor best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025