Best states for a research associate, policy

Q: What is the best state for research associates, policy?

The best state to be a research associate, policy is New Jersey based on research associate, policy salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for research associates, policy?

The highest paying state for research associates, policy is Hawaii based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for research associates, policy?

The worst state for research associates, policy is Mississippi, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Luke Fowler Ph.D.

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Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to research associate, policy jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for research associate, policy jobs.

We figured that the best places for research associate, policy jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.We found that New Jersey is the best state for research associate, policy jobs, whereas Mississippi is the worst.

10 best states for research associates, policy in 2025

1. New Jersey
Total research associate, policy jobs: 953
Average annual salary: $97,430
Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000
Location Quotient:
1.32
Research associate, policy jobs in New Jersey
2. Minnesota
Total research associate, policy jobs: 666
Average annual salary: $89,956
Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000
Location Quotient:
1.1
Research associate, policy jobs in Minnesota
3. Delaware
Total research associate, policy jobs: 124
Average annual salary: $91,580
Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000
Location Quotient:
1.08
Research associate, policy jobs in Delaware
4. Washington
Total research associate, policy jobs: 554
Average annual salary: $100,843
Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $142,000
Location Quotient:
0.83
Research associate, policy jobs in Washington
5. Connecticut
Total research associate, policy jobs: 297
Average annual salary: $84,308
Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000
Location Quotient:
0.98
Research associate, policy jobs in Connecticut
6. New Hampshire
Total research associate, policy jobs: 182
Average annual salary: $75,620
Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $114,000
Location Quotient:
1.14
Research associate, policy jobs in New Hampshire
7. Pennsylvania
Total research associate, policy jobs: 1,360
Average annual salary: $72,930
Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $109,000
Location Quotient:
1.28
Research associate, policy jobs in Pennsylvania
8. Colorado
Total research associate, policy jobs: 609
Average annual salary: $77,977
Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $115,000
Location Quotient:
1.12
Research associate, policy jobs in Colorado
9. District of Columbia
Total research associate, policy jobs: 274
Average annual salary: $81,608
Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $122,000
Location Quotient:
1.79
Research associate, policy jobs in District of Columbia
10. South Dakota
Total research associate, policy jobs: 100
Average annual salary: $73,317
Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $108,000
Location Quotient:
1.03
Research associate, policy jobs in South Dakota

Research associate, policy jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a research associate, policy

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

Detailed list of the best states for a research associate, policy

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	New Jersey	$97,430	$64,000	9,005,644	953
2	Minnesota	$89,956	$60,000	5,576,606	666
3	Delaware	$91,580	$60,000	961,939	124
4	Washington	$100,843	$71,000	7,405,743	554
5	Connecticut	$84,308	$55,000	3,588,184	297
6	New Hampshire	$75,620	$49,000	1,342,795	182
7	Pennsylvania	$72,930	$48,000	12,805,537	1,360
8	Colorado	$77,977	$52,000	5,607,154	609
9	District of Columbia	$81,608	$54,000	693,972	274
10	South Dakota	$73,317	$49,000	869,666	100
11	Oregon	$74,575	$52,000	4,142,776	582
12	Massachusetts	$74,825	$49,000	6,859,819	1,057
13	Wisconsin	$77,091	$51,000	5,795,483	404
14	California	$76,315	$52,000	39,536,653	4,067
15	Rhode Island	$71,075	$47,000	1,059,639	156
16	Montana	$74,577	$52,000	1,050,493	95
17	Maine	$72,486	$48,000	1,335,907	120
18	Illinois	$74,595	$49,000	12,802,023	1,063
19	New York	$80,382	$53,000	19,849,399	995
20	Idaho	$73,385	$51,000	1,716,943	132
21	Maryland	$84,015	$55,000	6,052,177	334
22	Michigan	$67,623	$44,000	9,962,311	723
23	Virginia	$69,821	$46,000	8,470,020	938
24	Tennessee	$65,499	$42,000	6,715,984	535
25	North Carolina	$68,245	$44,000	10,273,419	822
26	Wyoming	$65,460	$44,000	579,315	58
27	Alaska	$77,348	$63,000	739,795	40
28	Ohio	$65,824	$43,000	11,658,609	818
29	Iowa	$67,539	$44,000	3,145,711	204
30	Arkansas	$66,248	$43,000	3,004,279	133
31	Utah	$63,660	$43,000	3,101,833	296
32	Oklahoma	$65,838	$43,000	3,930,864	216
33	Texas	$64,977	$42,000	28,304,596	1,686
34	Nevada	$65,505	$44,000	2,998,039	119
35	Indiana	$63,511	$42,000	6,666,818	473
36	Nebraska	$59,793	$39,000	1,920,076	222
37	West Virginia	$60,756	$40,000	1,815,857	123
38	Kentucky	$63,255	$41,000	4,454,189	187
39	Georgia	$62,422	$40,000	10,429,379	755
40	Missouri	$59,385	$39,000	6,113,532	528
41	New Mexico	$57,348	$38,000	2,088,070	190
42	Vermont	$52,302	$34,000	623,657	101
43	South Carolina	$61,701	$40,000	5,024,369	190
44	North Dakota	$58,957	$40,000	755,393	65
45	Arizona	$54,983	$37,000	7,016,270	494
46	Kansas	$58,714	$38,000	2,913,123	191
47	Florida	$53,808	$35,000	20,984,400	1,290
48	Louisiana	$58,691	$38,000	4,684,333	172
49	Hawaii	$45,558	$38,000	1,427,538	65
50	Alabama	$56,847	$36,000	4,874,747	152
51	Mississippi	$46,886	$30,000	2,984,100	120

Highest paying states for research associates, policy

Rank	State	Avg. Research Associate, Policy Salary
1	New Jersey	$97,430
2	Minnesota	$89,956
3	Delaware	$91,580
4	Washington	$100,843
5	Connecticut	$84,308
6	New Hampshire	$75,620
7	Pennsylvania	$72,930
8	Colorado	$77,977
9	District of Columbia	$81,608
10	South Dakota	$73,317
11	Oregon	$74,575
12	Massachusetts	$74,825
13	Wisconsin	$77,091
14	California	$76,315
15	Rhode Island	$71,075
16	Montana	$74,577
17	Maine	$72,486
18	Illinois	$74,595
19	New York	$80,382
20	Idaho	$73,385
21	Maryland	$84,015
22	Michigan	$67,623
23	Virginia	$69,821
24	Tennessee	$65,499
25	North Carolina	$68,245
26	Wyoming	$65,460
27	Alaska	$77,348
28	Ohio	$65,824
29	Iowa	$67,539
30	Arkansas	$66,248
31	Utah	$63,660
32	Oklahoma	$65,838
33	Texas	$64,977
34	Nevada	$65,505
35	Indiana	$63,511
36	Nebraska	$59,793
37	West Virginia	$60,756
38	Kentucky	$63,255
39	Georgia	$62,422
40	Missouri	$59,385
41	New Mexico	$57,348
42	Vermont	$52,302
43	South Carolina	$61,701
44	North Dakota	$58,957
45	Arizona	$54,983
46	Kansas	$58,714
47	Florida	$53,808
48	Louisiana	$58,691
49	Hawaii	$45,558
50	Alabama	$56,847
51	Mississippi	$46,886

Expert opinions on the best states for research associates, policy

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for research associate, policys to find work opportunities?
Luke Fowler Ph.D.
Associate Professor & MPA Program Lead, Boise State University
Growing metropolitan areas are probably the best bet. As populations grow, the demand for public services also grows. Additionally, there are an economy of scale and scope to most public services, so bigger cities just naturally offer more than smaller cities. Therefore, new jobs are likely to pop up where services are scaling up. In comparison, rural places and states/cities that are experiencing population retrenchment are less in need of hiring a new workforce.

Research associate, policy best states FAQs

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Best states for Research Associates, Policy

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total research associate, policy jobs:	953
Average annual salary:	$97,430
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$64,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$146,000
Location Quotient:	1.32

Best states for a research associate, policy

10 best states for research associates, policy in 2025

1. New Jersey

2. Minnesota

3. Delaware

4. Washington

5. Connecticut

6. New Hampshire

7. Pennsylvania

8. Colorado

9. District of Columbia

10. South Dakota