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Best states for a quality assurance chemist
Quoted expert
Dr. James Leahy Ph.D.
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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 quality assurance chemist jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for quality assurance chemists.We wanted to look at the best states for quality assurance chemists -- where there are plenty of quality assurance chemist jobs to go around and quality assurance chemists get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
In order to get you the best states for quality assurance chemists, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.We found that Virginia is the best state for quality assurance chemist jobs, whereas South Dakota is the worst.
10 best states for quality assurance chemists in 2026
1. Virginia
Total quality assurance chemist jobs: 1,020 Average annual salary: $86,294 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000 Location Quotient: 0.98
2. Delaware
Total quality assurance chemist jobs: 146 Average annual salary: $80,462 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $114,000 Location Quotient: 1.05
3. New Jersey
Total quality assurance chemist jobs: 1,140 Average annual salary: $74,569 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $104,000 Location Quotient: 1.3
4. Vermont
Total quality assurance chemist jobs: 76 Average annual salary: $78,125 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $106,000 Location Quotient: 0.9
5. Utah
Total quality assurance chemist jobs: 475 Average annual salary: $65,874 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $98,000 Location Quotient: 1.35
6. Maryland
Total quality assurance chemist jobs: 866 Average annual salary: $72,610 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $104,000 Location Quotient: 1.23
7. Rhode Island
Total quality assurance chemist jobs: 149 Average annual salary: $68,601 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Location Quotient: 1.11
8. Massachusetts
Total quality assurance chemist jobs: 1,063 Average annual salary: $69,883 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Location Quotient: 1.05
9. Tennessee
Total quality assurance chemist jobs: 555 Average annual salary: $69,027 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $100,000 Location Quotient: 0.85
10. District of Columbia
Total quality assurance chemist jobs: 172 Average annual salary: $77,956 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $112,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
Quality assurance chemist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a quality assurance chemist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a quality assurance chemist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | $86,294 | $59,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,020 |
| 2 | Delaware | $80,462 | $56,000 | 961,939 | 146 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $74,569 | $53,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,140 |
| 4 | Vermont | $78,125 | $57,000 | 623,657 | 76 |
| 5 | Utah | $65,874 | $44,000 | 3,101,833 | 475 |
| 6 | Maryland | $72,610 | $50,000 | 6,052,177 | 866 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $68,601 | $49,000 | 1,059,639 | 149 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $69,883 | $50,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,063 |
| 9 | Tennessee | $69,027 | $47,000 | 6,715,984 | 555 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $77,956 | $54,000 | 693,972 | 172 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $67,558 | $48,000 | 3,588,184 | 400 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $64,307 | $46,000 | 5,576,606 | 855 |
| 13 | Washington | $68,316 | $47,000 | 7,405,743 | 780 |
| 14 | Ohio | $63,065 | $43,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,090 |
| 15 | Oklahoma | $71,190 | $48,000 | 3,930,864 | 157 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $60,522 | $42,000 | 5,795,483 | 699 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $60,875 | $44,000 | 1,342,795 | 281 |
| 18 | Idaho | $65,177 | $44,000 | 1,716,943 | 137 |
| 19 | Kentucky | $60,029 | $41,000 | 4,454,189 | 418 |
| 20 | Iowa | $61,286 | $43,000 | 3,145,711 | 361 |
| 21 | California | $62,614 | $41,000 | 39,536,653 | 4,699 |
| 22 | Montana | $65,906 | $47,000 | 1,050,493 | 73 |
| 23 | Alaska | $70,135 | $60,000 | 739,795 | 60 |
| 24 | South Carolina | $60,936 | $41,000 | 5,024,369 | 452 |
| 25 | West Virginia | $61,926 | $42,000 | 1,815,857 | 104 |
| 26 | Oregon | $60,249 | $41,000 | 4,142,776 | 507 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $61,127 | $41,000 | 2,088,070 | 175 |
| 28 | Colorado | $62,618 | $43,000 | 5,607,154 | 565 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $56,818 | $38,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,360 |
| 30 | Kansas | $60,353 | $42,000 | 2,913,123 | 245 |
| 31 | Indiana | $54,331 | $37,000 | 6,666,818 | 845 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $57,663 | $42,000 | 755,393 | 79 |
| 33 | Missouri | $58,044 | $40,000 | 6,113,532 | 533 |
| 34 | Michigan | $55,761 | $39,000 | 9,962,311 | 781 |
| 35 | Texas | $56,740 | $38,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,961 |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | $54,134 | $38,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,377 |
| 37 | Georgia | $57,437 | $39,000 | 10,429,379 | 887 |
| 38 | New York | $56,772 | $40,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,333 |
| 39 | Illinois | $53,939 | $38,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,324 |
| 40 | Alabama | $53,560 | $36,000 | 4,874,747 | 361 |
| 41 | Mississippi | $53,155 | $36,000 | 2,984,100 | 178 |
| 42 | Nevada | $54,803 | $35,000 | 2,998,039 | 169 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $55,349 | $48,000 | 1,427,538 | 57 |
| 44 | Arizona | $50,974 | $34,000 | 7,016,270 | 571 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $50,475 | $35,000 | 1,920,076 | 207 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $53,467 | $36,000 | 4,684,333 | 131 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $49,925 | $34,000 | 3,004,279 | 198 |
| 48 | Maine | $46,510 | $34,000 | 1,335,907 | 119 |
| 49 | Florida | $47,756 | $34,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,286 |
| 50 | Wyoming | $47,150 | $33,000 | 579,315 | 44 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $43,204 | $31,000 | 869,666 | 59 |
Highest paying states for quality assurance chemists
| Rank | State | Avg. Quality Assurance Chemist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | $86,294 |
| 2 | Delaware | $80,462 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $74,569 |
| 4 | Vermont | $78,125 |
| 5 | Utah | $65,874 |
| 6 | Maryland | $72,610 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $68,601 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $69,883 |
| 9 | Tennessee | $69,027 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $77,956 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $67,558 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $64,307 |
| 13 | Washington | $68,316 |
| 14 | Ohio | $63,065 |
| 15 | Oklahoma | $71,190 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $60,522 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $60,875 |
| 18 | Idaho | $65,177 |
| 19 | Kentucky | $60,029 |
| 20 | Iowa | $61,286 |
| 21 | California | $62,614 |
| 22 | Montana | $65,906 |
| 23 | Alaska | $70,135 |
| 24 | South Carolina | $60,936 |
| 25 | West Virginia | $61,926 |
| 26 | Oregon | $60,249 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $61,127 |
| 28 | Colorado | $62,618 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $56,818 |
| 30 | Kansas | $60,353 |
| 31 | Indiana | $54,331 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $57,663 |
| 33 | Missouri | $58,044 |
| 34 | Michigan | $55,761 |
| 35 | Texas | $56,740 |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | $54,134 |
| 37 | Georgia | $57,437 |
| 38 | New York | $56,772 |
| 39 | Illinois | $53,939 |
| 40 | Alabama | $53,560 |
| 41 | Mississippi | $53,155 |
| 42 | Nevada | $54,803 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $55,349 |
| 44 | Arizona | $50,974 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $50,475 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $53,467 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $49,925 |
| 48 | Maine | $46,510 |
| 49 | Florida | $47,756 |
| 50 | Wyoming | $47,150 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $43,204 |
Expert opinions on the best states for quality assurance chemists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for quality assurance chemists to find work opportunities?
Dr. James Leahy Ph.D.
Professor of Chemistry, University of South Florida
One of the great things about chemistry is that there are so many areas for our graduates to work, whether in health care, quality control, energy, defense, or elsewhere. Each of these areas is well represented geographically, with specific concentrations for each. Much of the energy research is based in Texas and Oklahoma. Defense research is often proximal to bases. Healthcare research has hubs in the northeast (primarily Boston) and west coast (mainly the Bay area). Quality control is often wherever manufacturing is taking place. We're fortunate that many of these opportunities are present in the Tampa area, with solar energy, MacDill, biotech companies, and manufacturers like Yuengling and Coca Cola, nearby.
Quality assurance chemist best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025