Best states for a plant breeder scientist

Q: What is the best state for plant breeder scientists?

The best state to be a plant breeder scientist is Connecticut based on plant breeder scientist salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for plant breeder scientists?

The highest paying state for plant breeder scientists is North Dakota based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for plant breeder scientists?

The worst state for plant breeder scientists is Arkansas, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Sami Mejri Ph.D.

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It seems like plant breeder scientists are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for plant breeder scientists aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. We wanted to look at the best states for plant breeder scientists -- where there are plenty of plant breeder scientist jobs to go around and plant breeder scientists get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.

In order to get you the best states for plant breeder scientists, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.Connecticut is the best state, and New London is the city with the highest pay for plant breeder scientists.

10 best states for plant breeder scientists in 2025

1. Connecticut
Total plant breeder scientist jobs: 279
Average annual salary: $104,174
Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $167,000
Location Quotient:
1.22
Plant breeder scientist jobs in Connecticut
2. Vermont
Total plant breeder scientist jobs: 75
Average annual salary: $96,297
Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000
Location Quotient:
1.42
Plant breeder scientist jobs in Vermont
3. New Hampshire
Total plant breeder scientist jobs: 147
Average annual salary: $100,856
Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $161,000
Location Quotient:
1.22
Plant breeder scientist jobs in New Hampshire
4. Maryland
Total plant breeder scientist jobs: 867
Average annual salary: $91,140
Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000
Location Quotient:
1.98
Plant breeder scientist jobs in Maryland
5. Delaware
Total plant breeder scientist jobs: 140
Average annual salary: $84,523
Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000
Location Quotient:
1.62
Plant breeder scientist jobs in Delaware
6. Massachusetts
Total plant breeder scientist jobs: 494
Average annual salary: $102,929
Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $165,000
Location Quotient:
0.78
Plant breeder scientist jobs in Massachusetts
7. West Virginia
Total plant breeder scientist jobs: 96
Average annual salary: $90,870
Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000
Location Quotient:
0.91
Plant breeder scientist jobs in West Virginia
8. Ohio
Total plant breeder scientist jobs: 648
Average annual salary: $90,087
Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000
Location Quotient:
0.92
Plant breeder scientist jobs in Ohio
9. Pennsylvania
Total plant breeder scientist jobs: 1,034
Average annual salary: $83,111
Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000
Location Quotient:
1.29
Plant breeder scientist jobs in Pennsylvania
10. Rhode Island
Total plant breeder scientist jobs: 90
Average annual salary: $87,075
Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000
Location Quotient:
1.08
Plant breeder scientist jobs in Rhode Island

Plant breeder scientist jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a plant breeder scientist

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

Detailed list of the best states for a plant breeder scientist

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Connecticut	$104,174	$64,000	3,588,184	279
2	Vermont	$96,297	$60,000	623,657	75
3	New Hampshire	$100,856	$62,000	1,342,795	147
4	Maryland	$91,140	$55,000	6,052,177	867
5	Delaware	$84,523	$51,000	961,939	140
6	Massachusetts	$102,929	$64,000	6,859,819	494
7	West Virginia	$90,870	$55,000	1,815,857	96
8	Ohio	$90,087	$55,000	11,658,609	648
9	Pennsylvania	$83,111	$51,000	12,805,537	1,034
10	Rhode Island	$87,075	$54,000	1,059,639	90
11	Nevada	$88,242	$50,000	2,998,039	134
12	Arizona	$89,127	$52,000	7,016,270	355
13	Oregon	$86,209	$48,000	4,142,776	302
14	South Carolina	$84,748	$50,000	5,024,369	282
15	Maine	$80,425	$50,000	1,335,907	100
16	Kentucky	$85,242	$52,000	4,454,189	197
17	Idaho	$78,136	$45,000	1,716,943	130
18	South Dakota	$70,172	$45,000	869,666	142
19	North Carolina	$73,901	$44,000	10,273,419	922
20	New York	$74,537	$46,000	19,849,399	1,280
21	Florida	$83,210	$49,000	20,984,400	801
22	Colorado	$81,464	$49,000	5,607,154	415
23	Montana	$70,902	$43,000	1,050,493	115
24	Virginia	$69,396	$42,000	8,470,020	990
25	Indiana	$72,874	$45,000	6,666,818	410
26	New Jersey	$69,273	$42,000	9,005,644	941
27	Washington	$80,525	$46,000	7,405,743	272
28	District of Columbia	$82,920	$50,000	693,972	33
29	Oklahoma	$74,892	$45,000	3,930,864	110
30	Georgia	$74,529	$44,000	10,429,379	550
31	Iowa	$68,786	$43,000	3,145,711	253
32	Hawaii	$67,191	$51,000	1,427,538	76
33	Alabama	$71,021	$42,000	4,874,747	219
34	Illinois	$65,053	$40,000	12,802,023	1,033
35	Utah	$64,852	$37,000	3,101,833	226
36	California	$76,350	$43,000	39,536,653	1,222
37	New Mexico	$59,282	$35,000	2,088,070	187
38	Wisconsin	$59,872	$38,000	5,795,483	447
39	Louisiana	$68,046	$40,000	4,684,333	161
40	Nebraska	$64,666	$41,000	1,920,076	121
41	Kansas	$59,548	$37,000	2,913,123	218
42	Wyoming	$54,301	$33,000	579,315	65
43	Michigan	$59,472	$37,000	9,962,311	446
44	Missouri	$58,389	$36,000	6,113,532	438
45	North Dakota	$46,976	$31,000	755,393	86
46	Alaska	$53,033	$30,000	739,795	63
47	Mississippi	$59,050	$35,000	2,984,100	94
48	Minnesota	$55,447	$36,000	5,576,606	444
49	Texas	$56,263	$33,000	28,304,596	1,098
50	Tennessee	$54,671	$33,000	6,715,984	314
51	Arkansas	$54,208	$32,000	3,004,279	108

Highest paying states for plant breeder scientists

Rank	State	Avg. Plant Breeder Scientist Salary
1	Connecticut	$104,174
2	Vermont	$96,297
3	New Hampshire	$100,856
4	Maryland	$91,140
5	Delaware	$84,523
6	Massachusetts	$102,929
7	West Virginia	$90,870
8	Ohio	$90,087
9	Pennsylvania	$83,111
10	Rhode Island	$87,075
11	Nevada	$88,242
12	Arizona	$89,127
13	Oregon	$86,209
14	South Carolina	$84,748
15	Maine	$80,425
16	Kentucky	$85,242
17	Idaho	$78,136
18	South Dakota	$70,172
19	North Carolina	$73,901
20	New York	$74,537
21	Florida	$83,210
22	Colorado	$81,464
23	Montana	$70,902
24	Virginia	$69,396
25	Indiana	$72,874
26	New Jersey	$69,273
27	Washington	$80,525
28	District of Columbia	$82,920
29	Oklahoma	$74,892
30	Georgia	$74,529
31	Iowa	$68,786
32	Hawaii	$67,191
33	Alabama	$71,021
34	Illinois	$65,053
35	Utah	$64,852
36	California	$76,350
37	New Mexico	$59,282
38	Wisconsin	$59,872
39	Louisiana	$68,046
40	Nebraska	$64,666
41	Kansas	$59,548
42	Wyoming	$54,301
43	Michigan	$59,472
44	Missouri	$58,389
45	North Dakota	$46,976
46	Alaska	$53,033
47	Mississippi	$59,050
48	Minnesota	$55,447
49	Texas	$56,263
50	Tennessee	$54,671
51	Arkansas	$54,208

Expert opinions on the best states for plant breeder scientists

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for plant breeder scientists to find work opportunities?
Sami Mejri Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Science, Assistant Dean, Graduate Programs, Tiffin University
With the rising cost of living, a college graduate's ideal first job may not be in their home state or favorite vacation town. According to Business Insider, MidWestern cities like Columbus-Ohio, Cincinnati-Ohio, Madison-Wisconsin, Milwaukee-Wisconsin, and Indianapolis-Indiana were some of the best geographical areas to live for college graduates. The cost of living in these Midwestern states remains relatively lower than coastal areas, making these locations ideal for college graduates entering the workforce. However, college graduates with degrees in healthcare, computer science, and data analytics may not be limited to these geographical areas, given employers' incentives to these in-demand jobs.

Plant breeder scientist best states FAQs

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Plant Breeder Scientist
Best states for Plant Breeder Scientists

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total plant breeder scientist jobs:	279
Average annual salary:	$104,174
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$64,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$167,000
Location Quotient:	1.22

Best states for a plant breeder scientist

10 best states for plant breeder scientists in 2025

1. Connecticut

2. Vermont

3. New Hampshire

4. Maryland

5. Delaware

6. Massachusetts

7. West Virginia

8. Ohio

9. Pennsylvania

10. Rhode Island