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Best states for a postdoc
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
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 postdoc jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for postdocs.In order to help you decide which state is the best for postdocs, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for postdoc jobs.
In order to get you the best states for postdocs, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.Tennessee is the best state, and Mililani Town is the city with the highest pay for postdocs.
10 best states for postdocs in 2025
1. Tennessee
Total postdoc jobs: 60 Average annual salary: $84,479 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000 Location Quotient: 1.252. Massachusetts
Total postdoc jobs: 240 Average annual salary: $75,948 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $107,000 Location Quotient: 3.193. California
Total postdoc jobs: 220 Average annual salary: $84,058 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 0.924. Montana
Total postdoc jobs: 11 Average annual salary: $75,574 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $108,000 Location Quotient: 1.165. Oregon
Total postdoc jobs: 85 Average annual salary: $70,342 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $106,000 Location Quotient: 2.516. Maine
Total postdoc jobs: 9 Average annual salary: $73,877 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $103,000 Location Quotient: 0.837. New Jersey
Total postdoc jobs: 219 Average annual salary: $72,524 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Location Quotient: 3.378. Indiana
Total postdoc jobs: 7 Average annual salary: $75,481 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $109,000 Location Quotient: 0.139. Connecticut
Total postdoc jobs: 11 Average annual salary: $75,250 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $108,000 Location Quotient: 0.4110. Arizona
Total postdoc jobs: 4 Average annual salary: $77,732 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000 Location Quotient: 0.08
Postdoc jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a postdoc
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a postdoc
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tennessee | $84,479 | $57,000 | 6,715,984 | 60 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $75,948 | $53,000 | 6,859,819 | 240 |
| 3 | California | $84,058 | $55,000 | 39,536,653 | 220 |
| 4 | Montana | $75,574 | $52,000 | 1,050,493 | 11 |
| 5 | Oregon | $70,342 | $46,000 | 4,142,776 | 85 |
| 6 | Maine | $73,877 | $52,000 | 1,335,907 | 9 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $72,524 | $49,000 | 9,005,644 | 219 |
| 8 | Indiana | $75,481 | $52,000 | 6,666,818 | 7 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $75,250 | $52,000 | 3,588,184 | 11 |
| 10 | Arizona | $77,732 | $51,000 | 7,016,270 | 4 |
| 11 | Hawaii | $87,876 | $67,000 | 1,427,538 | 0 |
| 12 | Nevada | $76,396 | $50,000 | 2,998,039 | 0 |
| 13 | North Carolina | $63,195 | $42,000 | 10,273,419 | 120 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $67,984 | $48,000 | 5,576,606 | 37 |
| 15 | Alaska | $73,302 | $54,000 | 739,795 | 0 |
| 16 | Colorado | $66,569 | $45,000 | 5,607,154 | 46 |
| 17 | Delaware | $67,767 | $46,000 | 961,939 | 6 |
| 18 | Idaho | $60,478 | $40,000 | 1,716,943 | 12 |
| 19 | Missouri | $58,830 | $40,000 | 6,113,532 | 99 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $58,717 | $40,000 | 1,815,857 | 5 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $58,519 | $40,000 | 12,805,537 | 76 |
| 22 | New Mexico | $57,029 | $38,000 | 2,088,070 | 77 |
| 23 | Arkansas | $59,978 | $40,000 | 3,004,279 | 0 |
| 24 | Vermont | $61,302 | $43,000 | 623,657 | 1 |
| 25 | Wyoming | $60,974 | $41,000 | 579,315 | 0 |
| 26 | Oklahoma | $60,654 | $40,000 | 3,930,864 | 0 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $61,845 | $43,000 | 1,059,639 | 0 |
| 28 | District of Columbia | $65,601 | $44,000 | 693,972 | 5 |
| 29 | Illinois | $57,427 | $40,000 | 12,802,023 | 113 |
| 30 | Maryland | $60,167 | $40,000 | 6,052,177 | 39 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $55,821 | $38,000 | 1,920,076 | 40 |
| 32 | Texas | $56,883 | $37,000 | 28,304,596 | 143 |
| 33 | New York | $57,483 | $39,000 | 19,849,399 | 332 |
| 34 | Washington | $59,237 | $39,000 | 7,405,743 | 30 |
| 35 | New Hampshire | $59,404 | $41,000 | 1,342,795 | 0 |
| 36 | Georgia | $57,855 | $38,000 | 10,429,379 | 7 |
| 37 | Ohio | $55,088 | $38,000 | 11,658,609 | 11 |
| 38 | Alabama | $55,362 | $36,000 | 4,874,747 | 5 |
| 39 | Virginia | $54,812 | $36,000 | 8,470,020 | 73 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $55,849 | $39,000 | 5,795,483 | 2 |
| 41 | Michigan | $54,901 | $38,000 | 9,962,311 | 4 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $52,769 | $35,000 | 4,454,189 | 19 |
| 43 | Florida | $52,962 | $34,000 | 20,984,400 | 86 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $50,751 | $33,000 | 2,984,100 | 13 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $52,566 | $36,000 | 869,666 | 1 |
| 46 | Kansas | $53,440 | $36,000 | 2,913,123 | 1 |
| 47 | Iowa | $41,623 | $29,000 | 3,145,711 | 59 |
| 48 | Utah | $50,826 | $34,000 | 3,101,833 | 0 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $46,741 | $31,000 | 5,024,369 | 10 |
| 50 | North Dakota | $48,793 | $34,000 | 755,393 | 0 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $48,320 | $31,000 | 4,684,333 | 0 |
Highest paying states for postdocs
| Rank | State | Avg. Postdoc Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tennessee | $84,479 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $75,948 |
| 3 | California | $84,058 |
| 4 | Montana | $75,574 |
| 5 | Oregon | $70,342 |
| 6 | Maine | $73,877 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $72,524 |
| 8 | Indiana | $75,481 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $75,250 |
| 10 | Arizona | $77,732 |
| 11 | Hawaii | $87,876 |
| 12 | Nevada | $76,396 |
| 13 | North Carolina | $63,195 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $67,984 |
| 15 | Alaska | $73,302 |
| 16 | Colorado | $66,569 |
| 17 | Delaware | $67,767 |
| 18 | Idaho | $60,478 |
| 19 | Missouri | $58,830 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $58,717 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $58,519 |
| 22 | New Mexico | $57,029 |
| 23 | Arkansas | $59,978 |
| 24 | Vermont | $61,302 |
| 25 | Wyoming | $60,974 |
| 26 | Oklahoma | $60,654 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $61,845 |
| 28 | District of Columbia | $65,601 |
| 29 | Illinois | $57,427 |
| 30 | Maryland | $60,167 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $55,821 |
| 32 | Texas | $56,883 |
| 33 | New York | $57,483 |
| 34 | Washington | $59,237 |
| 35 | New Hampshire | $59,404 |
| 36 | Georgia | $57,855 |
| 37 | Ohio | $55,088 |
| 38 | Alabama | $55,362 |
| 39 | Virginia | $54,812 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $55,849 |
| 41 | Michigan | $54,901 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $52,769 |
| 43 | Florida | $52,962 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $50,751 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $52,566 |
| 46 | Kansas | $53,440 |
| 47 | Iowa | $41,623 |
| 48 | Utah | $50,826 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $46,741 |
| 50 | North Dakota | $48,793 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $48,320 |
Postdoc best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025