Best states for a research scholar

Q: What is the best state for research scholars?

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

Q: What is the highest paying state for research scholars?

The highest paying state for research scholars is Oklahoma based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for research scholars?

The worst state for research scholars is Oklahoma, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

David Woodward

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 51

Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for research scholars? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for research scholar jobs.We wanted to look at the best states for research scholars -- where there are plenty of research scholar jobs to go around and research scholars get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.

To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for research scholars. New Jersey is the best state for research scholars, where the median salary is $79,449.We found that New Jersey is the best state for research scholar jobs, whereas Oklahoma is the worst.

10 best states for research scholars in 2026

1. New Jersey
Total research scholar jobs: 988
Average annual salary: $79,449
Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000
Location Quotient:
1.4
Research scholar jobs in New Jersey
2. Massachusetts
Total research scholar jobs: 1,340
Average annual salary: $68,580
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000
Location Quotient:
1.64
Research scholar jobs in Massachusetts
3. California
Total research scholar jobs: 4,124
Average annual salary: $73,360
Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $115,000
Location Quotient:
1.59
Research scholar jobs in California
4. Washington
Total research scholar jobs: 691
Average annual salary: $64,375
Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $102,000
Location Quotient:
1.06
Research scholar jobs in Washington
5. Delaware
Total research scholar jobs: 102
Average annual salary: $66,814
Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $111,000
Location Quotient:
0.91
Research scholar jobs in Delaware
6. Oregon
Total research scholar jobs: 604
Average annual salary: $62,104
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000
Location Quotient:
1.64
Research scholar jobs in Oregon
7. Rhode Island
Total research scholar jobs: 120
Average annual salary: $61,545
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $106,000
Location Quotient:
1.11
Research scholar jobs in Rhode Island
8. Arizona
Total research scholar jobs: 474
Average annual salary: $63,457
Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000
Location Quotient:
0.91
Research scholar jobs in Arizona
9. District of Columbia
Total research scholar jobs: 119
Average annual salary: $77,870
Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000
Location Quotient:
0.8
Research scholar jobs in District of Columbia
10. Illinois
Total research scholar jobs: 1,084
Average annual salary: $61,131
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $97,000
Location Quotient:
1.02
Research scholar jobs in Illinois

Research scholar jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a research scholar

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

Detailed list of the best states for a research scholar

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	New Jersey	$79,449	$47,000	9,005,644	988
2	Massachusetts	$68,580	$39,000	6,859,819	1,340
3	California	$73,360	$46,000	39,536,653	4,124
4	Washington	$64,375	$40,000	7,405,743	691
5	Delaware	$66,814	$40,000	961,939	102
6	Oregon	$62,104	$38,000	4,142,776	604
7	Rhode Island	$61,545	$35,000	1,059,639	120
8	Arizona	$63,457	$40,000	7,016,270	474
9	District of Columbia	$77,870	$46,000	693,972	119
10	Illinois	$61,131	$38,000	12,802,023	1,084
11	West Virginia	$59,995	$36,000	1,815,857	112
12	Nevada	$63,898	$39,000	2,998,039	103
13	Missouri	$57,908	$36,000	6,113,532	525
14	Arkansas	$60,131	$37,000	3,004,279	116
15	Kentucky	$59,381	$36,000	4,454,189	196
16	Louisiana	$60,444	$37,000	4,684,333	194
17	Georgia	$60,289	$37,000	10,429,379	706
18	New Hampshire	$56,445	$32,000	1,342,795	166
19	Connecticut	$58,258	$34,000	3,588,184	289
20	North Carolina	$55,531	$34,000	10,273,419	820
21	Mississippi	$58,750	$36,000	2,984,100	127
22	New York	$60,734	$35,000	19,849,399	937
23	New Mexico	$53,810	$33,000	2,088,070	199
24	Kansas	$57,288	$36,000	2,913,123	189
25	Minnesota	$53,989	$35,000	5,576,606	710
26	Colorado	$53,634	$34,000	5,607,154	725
27	Idaho	$56,426	$35,000	1,716,943	114
28	Indiana	$54,594	$33,000	6,666,818	476
29	Wyoming	$51,920	$33,000	579,315	52
30	Utah	$53,040	$33,000	3,101,833	263
31	South Carolina	$55,451	$34,000	5,024,369	153
32	Texas	$52,472	$32,000	28,304,596	1,476
33	Virginia	$52,852	$32,000	8,470,020	775
34	Nebraska	$49,444	$31,000	1,920,076	207
35	Alaska	$56,507	$44,000	739,795	20
36	Pennsylvania	$47,820	$28,000	12,805,537	1,104
37	Wisconsin	$50,817	$32,000	5,795,483	380
38	Hawaii	$47,856	$40,000	1,427,538	61
39	Maryland	$55,896	$33,000	6,052,177	312
40	Ohio	$49,093	$29,000	11,658,609	711
41	Tennessee	$47,526	$29,000	6,715,984	471
42	Maine	$46,207	$26,000	1,335,907	113
43	Montana	$46,815	$31,000	1,050,493	98
44	Florida	$47,106	$30,000	20,984,400	1,321
45	Vermont	$40,218	$23,000	623,657	90
46	South Dakota	$46,078	$30,000	869,666	77
47	Michigan	$39,869	$24,000	9,962,311	729
48	North Dakota	$45,952	$31,000	755,393	59
49	Iowa	$42,503	$27,000	3,145,711	246
50	Alabama	$44,405	$27,000	4,874,747	149
51	Oklahoma	$38,434	$24,000	3,930,864	195

Highest paying states for research scholars

Rank	State	Avg. Research Scholar Salary
1	New Jersey	$79,449
2	Massachusetts	$68,580
3	California	$73,360
4	Washington	$64,375
5	Delaware	$66,814
6	Oregon	$62,104
7	Rhode Island	$61,545
8	Arizona	$63,457
9	District of Columbia	$77,870
10	Illinois	$61,131
11	West Virginia	$59,995
12	Nevada	$63,898
13	Missouri	$57,908
14	Arkansas	$60,131
15	Kentucky	$59,381
16	Louisiana	$60,444
17	Georgia	$60,289
18	New Hampshire	$56,445
19	Connecticut	$58,258
20	North Carolina	$55,531
21	Mississippi	$58,750
22	New York	$60,734
23	New Mexico	$53,810
24	Kansas	$57,288
25	Minnesota	$53,989
26	Colorado	$53,634
27	Idaho	$56,426
28	Indiana	$54,594
29	Wyoming	$51,920
30	Utah	$53,040
31	South Carolina	$55,451
32	Texas	$52,472
33	Virginia	$52,852
34	Nebraska	$49,444
35	Alaska	$56,507
36	Pennsylvania	$47,820
37	Wisconsin	$50,817
38	Hawaii	$47,856
39	Maryland	$55,896
40	Ohio	$49,093
41	Tennessee	$47,526
42	Maine	$46,207
43	Montana	$46,815
44	Florida	$47,106
45	Vermont	$40,218
46	South Dakota	$46,078
47	Michigan	$39,869
48	North Dakota	$45,952
49	Iowa	$42,503
50	Alabama	$44,405
51	Oklahoma	$38,434

Expert opinions on the best states for research scholars

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for research scholars to find work opportunities?
David Woodward
Director, Museum Studies Program, University of Minnesota Duluth
While the traditional path to employment in History has been through education licensure (secondary education) or through graduate degrees to become university faculty, most historians and heritage professionals are employed outside of academia. Prior to COVID 19, the field of public History was expanding. Public History covers museums, historic site management, historic preservation and compliance, and heritage interpretation. Many of our graduates over the past couple of years have found positions with local and regional museums and historical societies; others have found employment in historic preservation.

The preservation industry revolves around certain local, state, and federal laws that protect heritage and historic sites. The most comprehensive of these is the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. There are also state and local ordinances that also address historic preservation. Federal, state, and local governments, along with private developers, often enlist historians and public History professionals to help comply with these regulations. Most large infrastructure projects (roads, mines, pipelines, energy development) have a historic preservation component.

Research scholar best states FAQs

What is the best state for research scholars?

What is the highest paying state for research scholars?

What is the worst state for research scholars?

Have more questions? See all answers to common life, physical, and social science questions.

Search for research scholar jobs

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Research Scholar
Best states for Research Scholars

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs

Total research scholar jobs:	988
Average annual salary:	$79,449
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$47,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$133,000
Location Quotient:	1.4

Best states for a research scholar

10 best states for research scholars in 2026

1. New Jersey

2. Massachusetts

3. California

4. Washington

5. Delaware

6. Oregon

7. Rhode Island

8. Arizona

9. District of Columbia

10. Illinois