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Best states for a professional research assistant
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Do you want to become a professional research assistant at The University of Chicago, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for professional research assistants that you can check out, before you begin your journey. We wanted to look at the best states for professional research assistants -- where there are plenty of professional research assistant jobs to go around and professional research assistants get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
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 professional research assistants.Massachusetts is the best state, and Fort Lee is the city with the highest pay for professional research assistants.
10 best states for professional research assistants in 2026
1. Massachusetts
Total professional research assistant jobs: 2,327 Average annual salary: $81,244 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000 Location Quotient: 1.75
2. New Jersey
Total professional research assistant jobs: 1,417 Average annual salary: $82,905 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 1.23
3. Delaware
Total professional research assistant jobs: 249 Average annual salary: $70,063 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $109,000 Location Quotient: 1.37
4. Rhode Island
Total professional research assistant jobs: 253 Average annual salary: $67,293 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $103,000 Location Quotient: 1.44
5. Pennsylvania
Total professional research assistant jobs: 2,678 Average annual salary: $64,420 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $100,000 Location Quotient: 1.59
6. West Virginia
Total professional research assistant jobs: 244 Average annual salary: $64,134 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Location Quotient: 1.1
7. North Carolina
Total professional research assistant jobs: 1,197 Average annual salary: $70,003 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $110,000 Location Quotient: 0.86
8. Minnesota
Total professional research assistant jobs: 1,475 Average annual salary: $63,096 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Location Quotient: 1.53
9. New Hampshire
Total professional research assistant jobs: 246 Average annual salary: $65,919 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $100,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
10. Ohio
Total professional research assistant jobs: 1,416 Average annual salary: $62,837 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
Professional research assistant jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a professional research assistant
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a professional research assistant
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $81,244 | $53,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,327 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $82,905 | $53,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,417 |
| 3 | Delaware | $70,063 | $44,000 | 961,939 | 249 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $67,293 | $43,000 | 1,059,639 | 253 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | $64,420 | $41,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,678 |
| 6 | West Virginia | $64,134 | $41,000 | 1,815,857 | 244 |
| 7 | North Carolina | $70,003 | $44,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,197 |
| 8 | Minnesota | $63,096 | $41,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,475 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $65,919 | $43,000 | 1,342,795 | 246 |
| 10 | Ohio | $62,837 | $40,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,416 |
| 11 | Illinois | $66,924 | $43,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,554 |
| 12 | District of Columbia | $69,661 | $44,000 | 693,972 | 226 |
| 13 | Washington | $66,627 | $44,000 | 7,405,743 | 846 |
| 14 | California | $63,195 | $42,000 | 39,536,653 | 5,142 |
| 15 | Missouri | $60,801 | $40,000 | 6,113,532 | 824 |
| 16 | Kentucky | $62,225 | $40,000 | 4,454,189 | 379 |
| 17 | Oregon | $60,165 | $40,000 | 4,142,776 | 802 |
| 18 | Connecticut | $62,201 | $40,000 | 3,588,184 | 479 |
| 19 | Michigan | $59,044 | $38,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,117 |
| 20 | Indiana | $58,526 | $37,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,066 |
| 21 | Maine | $57,926 | $38,000 | 1,335,907 | 261 |
| 22 | Wyoming | $57,074 | $38,000 | 579,315 | 111 |
| 23 | Arizona | $60,331 | $40,000 | 7,016,270 | 768 |
| 24 | Arkansas | $61,052 | $39,000 | 3,004,279 | 243 |
| 25 | Kansas | $60,072 | $39,000 | 2,913,123 | 355 |
| 26 | Georgia | $61,435 | $39,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,128 |
| 27 | Iowa | $58,504 | $38,000 | 3,145,711 | 478 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $57,296 | $37,000 | 5,795,483 | 882 |
| 29 | Florida | $60,177 | $38,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,036 |
| 30 | Mississippi | $58,865 | $38,000 | 2,984,100 | 233 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $60,135 | $38,000 | 4,684,333 | 330 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $54,626 | $36,000 | 755,393 | 182 |
| 33 | Alaska | $56,140 | $42,000 | 739,795 | 129 |
| 34 | Idaho | $58,862 | $40,000 | 1,716,943 | 202 |
| 35 | New York | $61,858 | $39,000 | 19,849,399 | 754 |
| 36 | Nevada | $58,301 | $38,000 | 2,998,039 | 226 |
| 37 | Utah | $54,694 | $36,000 | 3,101,833 | 490 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $52,572 | $35,000 | 869,666 | 168 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $57,202 | $36,000 | 5,024,369 | 496 |
| 40 | New Mexico | $53,636 | $35,000 | 2,088,070 | 284 |
| 41 | Colorado | $53,938 | $36,000 | 5,607,154 | 912 |
| 42 | Virginia | $57,210 | $36,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,203 |
| 43 | Montana | $53,618 | $36,000 | 1,050,493 | 162 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $53,885 | $35,000 | 1,920,076 | 294 |
| 45 | Vermont | $49,431 | $32,000 | 623,657 | 148 |
| 46 | Maryland | $56,788 | $36,000 | 6,052,177 | 756 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $46,101 | $29,000 | 6,715,984 | 855 |
| 48 | Hawaii | $42,114 | $32,000 | 1,427,538 | 130 |
| 49 | Texas | $45,737 | $29,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,542 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $42,074 | $27,000 | 3,930,864 | 354 |
| 51 | Alabama | $44,785 | $28,000 | 4,874,747 | 308 |
Highest paying states for professional research assistants
| Rank | State | Avg. Professional Research Assistant Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $81,244 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $82,905 |
| 3 | Delaware | $70,063 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $67,293 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | $64,420 |
| 6 | West Virginia | $64,134 |
| 7 | North Carolina | $70,003 |
| 8 | Minnesota | $63,096 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $65,919 |
| 10 | Ohio | $62,837 |
| 11 | Illinois | $66,924 |
| 12 | District of Columbia | $69,661 |
| 13 | Washington | $66,627 |
| 14 | California | $63,195 |
| 15 | Missouri | $60,801 |
| 16 | Kentucky | $62,225 |
| 17 | Oregon | $60,165 |
| 18 | Connecticut | $62,201 |
| 19 | Michigan | $59,044 |
| 20 | Indiana | $58,526 |
| 21 | Maine | $57,926 |
| 22 | Wyoming | $57,074 |
| 23 | Arizona | $60,331 |
| 24 | Arkansas | $61,052 |
| 25 | Kansas | $60,072 |
| 26 | Georgia | $61,435 |
| 27 | Iowa | $58,504 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $57,296 |
| 29 | Florida | $60,177 |
| 30 | Mississippi | $58,865 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $60,135 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $54,626 |
| 33 | Alaska | $56,140 |
| 34 | Idaho | $58,862 |
| 35 | New York | $61,858 |
| 36 | Nevada | $58,301 |
| 37 | Utah | $54,694 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $52,572 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $57,202 |
| 40 | New Mexico | $53,636 |
| 41 | Colorado | $53,938 |
| 42 | Virginia | $57,210 |
| 43 | Montana | $53,618 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $53,885 |
| 45 | Vermont | $49,431 |
| 46 | Maryland | $56,788 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $46,101 |
| 48 | Hawaii | $42,114 |
| 49 | Texas | $45,737 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $42,074 |
| 51 | Alabama | $44,785 |
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Updated January 8, 2025