Best states for a production scientist

Q: What is the best state for production scientists?

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

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

The highest paying state for production scientists is Iowa based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for production scientists?

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

Quoted expert

Don Snyder

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Are you thinking of becoming a production scientist and really want to work at Integrated DNA Technologies? Turns out, your chances to become a production scientist are better in some states than others.Our research found that California is the best state for production scientists, while California and Tennessee are ranked highest in terms of median salary. California has a median salary of $95,245 and California has the highest median salary among all 50 states for production scientists.

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 production scientists.If you are currently seeking employment as a production scientist, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for production scientists in 2025

1. California
Total production scientist jobs: 5,428
Average annual salary: $95,245
Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $166,000
Location Quotient:
1.29
Production scientist jobs in California
2. Delaware
Total production scientist jobs: 218
Average annual salary: $74,460
Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $115,000
Location Quotient:
1.21
Production scientist jobs in Delaware
3. Indiana
Total production scientist jobs: 1,127
Average annual salary: $69,944
Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $107,000
Location Quotient:
1.19
Production scientist jobs in Indiana
4. Massachusetts
Total production scientist jobs: 2,247
Average annual salary: $69,407
Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $104,000
Location Quotient:
1.7
Production scientist jobs in Massachusetts
5. New Jersey
Total production scientist jobs: 1,226
Average annual salary: $78,222
Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000
Location Quotient:
1.07
Production scientist jobs in New Jersey
6. Connecticut
Total production scientist jobs: 477
Average annual salary: $78,979
Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000
Location Quotient:
1
Production scientist jobs in Connecticut
7. Maine
Total production scientist jobs: 209
Average annual salary: $68,807
Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000
Location Quotient:
1.1
Production scientist jobs in Maine
8. Tennessee
Total production scientist jobs: 665
Average annual salary: $82,182
Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $131,000
Location Quotient:
0.79
Production scientist jobs in Tennessee
9. Maryland
Total production scientist jobs: 1,183
Average annual salary: $65,791
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $102,000
Location Quotient:
1.3
Production scientist jobs in Maryland
10. Pennsylvania
Total production scientist jobs: 1,753
Average annual salary: $66,872
Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $103,000
Location Quotient:
1.05
Production scientist jobs in Pennsylvania

Production scientist jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a production scientist

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

Detailed list of the best states for a production scientist

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	California	$95,245	$54,000	39,536,653	5,428
2	Delaware	$74,460	$47,000	961,939	218
3	Indiana	$69,944	$45,000	6,666,818	1,127
4	Massachusetts	$69,407	$46,000	6,859,819	2,247
5	New Jersey	$78,222	$50,000	9,005,644	1,226
6	Connecticut	$78,979	$51,000	3,588,184	477
7	Maine	$68,807	$46,000	1,335,907	209
8	Tennessee	$82,182	$51,000	6,715,984	665
9	Maryland	$65,791	$42,000	6,052,177	1,183
10	Pennsylvania	$66,872	$43,000	12,805,537	1,753
11	Arizona	$71,845	$41,000	7,016,270	692
12	Nevada	$74,619	$41,000	2,998,039	221
13	Virginia	$63,517	$40,000	8,470,020	1,480
14	Rhode Island	$63,866	$42,000	1,059,639	144
15	New Hampshire	$58,310	$39,000	1,342,795	270
16	Vermont	$56,651	$38,000	623,657	130
17	New York	$62,389	$40,000	19,849,399	1,881
18	District of Columbia	$71,741	$45,000	693,972	159
19	North Carolina	$57,438	$35,000	10,273,419	1,271
20	Ohio	$54,203	$35,000	11,658,609	1,434
21	Oregon	$56,090	$32,000	4,142,776	626
22	West Virginia	$59,699	$38,000	1,815,857	155
23	Kentucky	$49,819	$31,000	4,454,189	619
24	Illinois	$51,081	$33,000	12,802,023	2,041
25	Michigan	$52,437	$34,000	9,962,311	1,040
26	Minnesota	$53,262	$36,000	5,576,606	989
27	Wisconsin	$47,993	$32,000	5,795,483	1,110
28	Georgia	$53,682	$33,000	10,429,379	1,170
29	Florida	$55,969	$33,000	20,984,400	1,551
30	Hawaii	$61,092	$44,000	1,427,538	89
31	New Mexico	$50,276	$29,000	2,088,070	232
32	Missouri	$49,867	$32,000	6,113,532	772
33	Texas	$51,907	$30,000	28,304,596	2,069
34	Arkansas	$50,500	$31,000	3,004,279	241
35	Colorado	$50,383	$31,000	5,607,154	724
36	Alabama	$50,116	$30,000	4,874,747	448
37	Montana	$50,193	$33,000	1,050,493	129
38	Oklahoma	$50,608	$31,000	3,930,864	183
39	Kansas	$43,161	$27,000	2,913,123	462
40	Idaho	$44,907	$26,000	1,716,943	239
41	Utah	$41,942	$24,000	3,101,833	499
42	Washington	$40,958	$24,000	7,405,743	1,178
43	South Carolina	$44,988	$27,000	5,024,369	510
44	Iowa	$34,523	$22,000	3,145,711	648
45	South Dakota	$39,331	$26,000	869,666	158
46	Mississippi	$45,746	$27,000	2,984,100	197
47	Wyoming	$42,582	$27,000	579,315	70
48	Nebraska	$43,741	$28,000	1,920,076	246
49	North Dakota	$35,455	$25,000	755,393	125
50	Louisiana	$44,901	$26,000	4,684,333	227
51	Alaska	$40,006	$30,000	739,795	80

Highest paying states for production scientists

Rank	State	Avg. Production Scientist Salary
1	California	$95,245
2	Delaware	$74,460
3	Indiana	$69,944
4	Massachusetts	$69,407
5	New Jersey	$78,222
6	Connecticut	$78,979
7	Maine	$68,807
8	Tennessee	$82,182
9	Maryland	$65,791
10	Pennsylvania	$66,872
11	Arizona	$71,845
12	Nevada	$74,619
13	Virginia	$63,517
14	Rhode Island	$63,866
15	New Hampshire	$58,310
16	Vermont	$56,651
17	New York	$62,389
18	District of Columbia	$71,741
19	North Carolina	$57,438
20	Ohio	$54,203
21	Oregon	$56,090
22	West Virginia	$59,699
23	Kentucky	$49,819
24	Illinois	$51,081
25	Michigan	$52,437
26	Minnesota	$53,262
27	Wisconsin	$47,993
28	Georgia	$53,682
29	Florida	$55,969
30	Hawaii	$61,092
31	New Mexico	$50,276
32	Missouri	$49,867
33	Texas	$51,907
34	Arkansas	$50,500
35	Colorado	$50,383
36	Alabama	$50,116
37	Montana	$50,193
38	Oklahoma	$50,608
39	Kansas	$43,161
40	Idaho	$44,907
41	Utah	$41,942
42	Washington	$40,958
43	South Carolina	$44,988
44	Iowa	$34,523
45	South Dakota	$39,331
46	Mississippi	$45,746
47	Wyoming	$42,582
48	Nebraska	$43,741
49	North Dakota	$35,455
50	Louisiana	$44,901
51	Alaska	$40,006

Expert opinions on the best states for production scientists

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for production scientists to find work opportunities?
Don Snyder
Associate Director, Industry Advising: STEM, William and Mary
Strong tech markets in the U.S. include Austin, Raleigh, Atlanta, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Columbus. Some markets are established in tech, while other markets are more up-and-coming. Smaller cities that may be "off the radar" include Huntsville and Tucson. Graduates need to look at different factors when exploring cities, including the cost of living. The dollar will go a lot further in Raleigh than in San Francisco. And some cities that were once more affordable may have a higher cost of living now due to the recent influx of residents.

Production scientist best states FAQs

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What is the highest paying state for production scientists?

What is the worst state for production scientists?

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Best states for Production Scientists

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total production scientist jobs:	5,428
Average annual salary:	$95,245
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$54,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$166,000
Location Quotient:	1.29

Best states for a production scientist

10 best states for production scientists in 2025

1. California

2. Delaware

3. Indiana

4. Massachusetts

5. New Jersey

6. Connecticut

7. Maine

8. Tennessee

9. Maryland

10. Pennsylvania