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Best states for a project scientist
Quoted expert
Don Snyder
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
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- 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 project scientist jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for project scientists.Although there are abundant project scientist jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the South. North Carolina is the best state in the country for project scientist jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for project scientists. North Carolina is the best state for project scientists, where the median salary is $87,097.We found that North Carolina is the best state for project scientist jobs, whereas Mississippi is the worst.
10 best states for project scientists in 2025
1. North Carolina
Total project scientist jobs: 2,056 Average annual salary: $87,097 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 1.68
2. Tennessee
Total project scientist jobs: 878 Average annual salary: $101,546 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $151,000 Location Quotient: 1.17
3. Rhode Island
Total project scientist jobs: 236 Average annual salary: $83,114 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Location Quotient: 1.53
4. Indiana
Total project scientist jobs: 981 Average annual salary: $90,373 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Location Quotient: 1.17
5. Connecticut
Total project scientist jobs: 311 Average annual salary: $106,953 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000 Location Quotient: 0.74
6. Nevada
Total project scientist jobs: 332 Average annual salary: $81,705 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $122,000 Location Quotient: 1.25
7. Delaware
Total project scientist jobs: 129 Average annual salary: $94,342 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000 Location Quotient: 0.81
8. New Jersey
Total project scientist jobs: 779 Average annual salary: $93,302 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 0.77
9. California
Total project scientist jobs: 3,239 Average annual salary: $94,424 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000 Location Quotient: 0.87
10. Hawaii
Total project scientist jobs: 192 Average annual salary: $82,178 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Location Quotient: 1.8
Project scientist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a project scientist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a project scientist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina | $87,097 | $58,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,056 |
| 2 | Tennessee | $101,546 | $68,000 | 6,715,984 | 878 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $83,114 | $57,000 | 1,059,639 | 236 |
| 4 | Indiana | $90,373 | $61,000 | 6,666,818 | 981 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $106,953 | $74,000 | 3,588,184 | 311 |
| 6 | Nevada | $81,705 | $54,000 | 2,998,039 | 332 |
| 7 | Delaware | $94,342 | $64,000 | 961,939 | 129 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $93,302 | $64,000 | 9,005,644 | 779 |
| 9 | California | $94,424 | $63,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,239 |
| 10 | Hawaii | $82,178 | $63,000 | 1,427,538 | 192 |
| 11 | Montana | $72,524 | $46,000 | 1,050,493 | 253 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $71,944 | $49,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,228 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $72,348 | $48,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,094 |
| 14 | Maine | $74,046 | $52,000 | 1,335,907 | 243 |
| 15 | Arizona | $88,044 | $59,000 | 7,016,270 | 295 |
| 16 | Illinois | $84,971 | $57,000 | 12,802,023 | 895 |
| 17 | Idaho | $68,546 | $44,000 | 1,716,943 | 326 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $70,972 | $47,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,131 |
| 19 | Maryland | $78,169 | $53,000 | 6,052,177 | 777 |
| 20 | Wyoming | $73,902 | $49,000 | 579,315 | 57 |
| 21 | South Dakota | $66,672 | $44,000 | 869,666 | 191 |
| 22 | Oregon | $76,594 | $51,000 | 4,142,776 | 264 |
| 23 | New Mexico | $65,038 | $43,000 | 2,088,070 | 377 |
| 24 | Arkansas | $65,447 | $43,000 | 3,004,279 | 374 |
| 25 | Colorado | $74,005 | $49,000 | 5,607,154 | 368 |
| 26 | Kentucky | $65,474 | $44,000 | 4,454,189 | 437 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $66,664 | $44,000 | 3,930,864 | 343 |
| 28 | Michigan | $65,022 | $43,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,116 |
| 29 | District of Columbia | $77,425 | $52,000 | 693,972 | 143 |
| 30 | New York | $71,832 | $49,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,172 |
| 31 | Virginia | $70,036 | $47,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,002 |
| 32 | Massachusetts | $66,191 | $46,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,448 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $63,567 | $43,000 | 1,920,076 | 331 |
| 34 | Vermont | $61,644 | $43,000 | 623,657 | 170 |
| 35 | Alaska | $69,290 | $52,000 | 739,795 | 78 |
| 36 | Ohio | $61,068 | $41,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,596 |
| 37 | Texas | $60,737 | $40,000 | 28,304,596 | 3,741 |
| 38 | Washington | $66,374 | $43,000 | 7,405,743 | 828 |
| 39 | Kansas | $60,350 | $41,000 | 2,913,123 | 476 |
| 40 | Missouri | $60,869 | $41,000 | 6,113,532 | 944 |
| 41 | New Hampshire | $60,804 | $42,000 | 1,342,795 | 323 |
| 42 | Alabama | $60,746 | $40,000 | 4,874,747 | 518 |
| 43 | North Dakota | $54,837 | $36,000 | 755,393 | 204 |
| 44 | West Virginia | $56,270 | $38,000 | 1,815,857 | 208 |
| 45 | Iowa | $54,488 | $36,000 | 3,145,711 | 548 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $55,209 | $36,000 | 5,024,369 | 622 |
| 47 | Georgia | $60,476 | $40,000 | 10,429,379 | 467 |
| 48 | Florida | $57,818 | $38,000 | 20,984,400 | 894 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $48,853 | $32,000 | 4,684,333 | 364 |
| 50 | Utah | $55,177 | $36,000 | 3,101,833 | 187 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $50,244 | $33,000 | 2,984,100 | 190 |
Highest paying states for project scientists
| Rank | State | Avg. Project Scientist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina | $87,097 |
| 2 | Tennessee | $101,546 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $83,114 |
| 4 | Indiana | $90,373 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $106,953 |
| 6 | Nevada | $81,705 |
| 7 | Delaware | $94,342 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $93,302 |
| 9 | California | $94,424 |
| 10 | Hawaii | $82,178 |
| 11 | Montana | $72,524 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $71,944 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $72,348 |
| 14 | Maine | $74,046 |
| 15 | Arizona | $88,044 |
| 16 | Illinois | $84,971 |
| 17 | Idaho | $68,546 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $70,972 |
| 19 | Maryland | $78,169 |
| 20 | Wyoming | $73,902 |
| 21 | South Dakota | $66,672 |
| 22 | Oregon | $76,594 |
| 23 | New Mexico | $65,038 |
| 24 | Arkansas | $65,447 |
| 25 | Colorado | $74,005 |
| 26 | Kentucky | $65,474 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $66,664 |
| 28 | Michigan | $65,022 |
| 29 | District of Columbia | $77,425 |
| 30 | New York | $71,832 |
| 31 | Virginia | $70,036 |
| 32 | Massachusetts | $66,191 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $63,567 |
| 34 | Vermont | $61,644 |
| 35 | Alaska | $69,290 |
| 36 | Ohio | $61,068 |
| 37 | Texas | $60,737 |
| 38 | Washington | $66,374 |
| 39 | Kansas | $60,350 |
| 40 | Missouri | $60,869 |
| 41 | New Hampshire | $60,804 |
| 42 | Alabama | $60,746 |
| 43 | North Dakota | $54,837 |
| 44 | West Virginia | $56,270 |
| 45 | Iowa | $54,488 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $55,209 |
| 47 | Georgia | $60,476 |
| 48 | Florida | $57,818 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $48,853 |
| 50 | Utah | $55,177 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $50,244 |
Expert opinions on the best states for project scientists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for project 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.
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Updated January 8, 2025