Best states for a research team leader

Q: What is the best state for research team leaders?

The best state to be a research team leader is California based on research team leader salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for research team leaders?

The highest paying state for research team leaders is Hawaii based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for research team leaders?

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

Quoted expert

Stephen A. Matthews Ph.D.

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It seems like research team leaders are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for research team leaders aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. Pay, benefits, and opportunities vary greatly by state, and it's no different for research team leaders. We found that California is the best state in the nation for research team leaders, and people in Long Branch earn the most in the field.

To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for research team leaders. California is the best state for research team leaders, where the median salary is $113,044.We found that California is the best state for research team leader jobs, whereas Mississippi is the worst.

10 best states for research team leaders in 2025

1. California
Total research team leader jobs: 8,006
Average annual salary: $113,044
Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $189,000
Location Quotient:
1.42
Research team leader jobs in California
2. Washington
Total research team leader jobs: 1,597
Average annual salary: $112,156
Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $184,000
Location Quotient:
1.13
Research team leader jobs in Washington
3. Rhode Island
Total research team leader jobs: 438
Average annual salary: $97,294
Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000
Location Quotient:
1.87
Research team leader jobs in Rhode Island
4. Delaware
Total research team leader jobs: 258
Average annual salary: $121,013
Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $179,000
Location Quotient:
1.06
Research team leader jobs in Delaware
5. Connecticut
Total research team leader jobs: 684
Average annual salary: $107,353
Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $159,000
Location Quotient:
1.07
Research team leader jobs in Connecticut
6. Minnesota
Total research team leader jobs: 1,516
Average annual salary: $95,994
Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000
Location Quotient:
1.18
Research team leader jobs in Minnesota
7. New Jersey
Total research team leader jobs: 1,175
Average annual salary: $125,754
Lowest 10 percent earn: $84,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $186,000
Location Quotient:
0.77
Research team leader jobs in New Jersey
8. Oregon
Total research team leader jobs: 1,480
Average annual salary: $93,277
Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $158,000
Location Quotient:
1.85
Research team leader jobs in Oregon
9. New York
Total research team leader jobs: 2,119
Average annual salary: $112,338
Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $166,000
Location Quotient:
0.86
Research team leader jobs in New York
10. New Hampshire
Total research team leader jobs: 346
Average annual salary: $98,490
Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000
Location Quotient:
1.02
Research team leader jobs in New Hampshire

Research team leader jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a research team leader

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

Detailed list of the best states for a research team leader

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	California	$113,044	$67,000	39,536,653	8,006
2	Washington	$112,156	$68,000	7,405,743	1,597
3	Rhode Island	$97,294	$65,000	1,059,639	438
4	Delaware	$121,013	$81,000	961,939	258
5	Connecticut	$107,353	$72,000	3,588,184	684
6	Minnesota	$95,994	$63,000	5,576,606	1,516
7	New Jersey	$125,754	$84,000	9,005,644	1,175
8	Oregon	$93,277	$54,000	4,142,776	1,480
9	New York	$112,338	$75,000	19,849,399	2,119
10	New Hampshire	$98,490	$66,000	1,342,795	346
11	Maryland	$107,544	$72,000	6,052,177	983
12	Illinois	$93,087	$61,000	12,802,023	2,455
13	Maine	$91,815	$62,000	1,335,907	241
14	Texas	$93,068	$57,000	28,304,596	2,949
15	South Dakota	$80,772	$53,000	869,666	292
16	Vermont	$86,281	$58,000	623,657	186
17	Massachusetts	$94,028	$63,000	6,859,819	1,597
18	District of Columbia	$96,087	$64,000	693,972	347
19	North Carolina	$82,938	$54,000	10,273,419	2,133
20	Montana	$82,948	$51,000	1,050,493	307
21	Alabama	$83,301	$53,000	4,874,747	746
22	Georgia	$84,706	$55,000	10,429,379	1,798
23	North Dakota	$78,408	$52,000	755,393	269
24	Nevada	$89,667	$52,000	2,998,039	229
25	New Mexico	$79,292	$47,000	2,088,070	523
26	Michigan	$81,145	$53,000	9,962,311	1,314
27	Virginia	$81,655	$54,000	8,470,020	2,236
28	Colorado	$81,655	$51,000	5,607,154	1,346
29	West Virginia	$77,073	$51,000	1,815,857	322
30	Wisconsin	$82,073	$54,000	5,795,483	664
31	Arkansas	$79,821	$51,000	3,004,279	383
32	Utah	$73,878	$43,000	3,101,833	1,148
33	Pennsylvania	$77,605	$52,000	12,805,537	1,959
34	Tennessee	$71,721	$46,000	6,715,984	1,395
35	South Carolina	$79,545	$52,000	5,024,369	666
36	Ohio	$78,373	$51,000	11,658,609	1,395
37	Alaska	$78,088	$48,000	739,795	169
38	Arizona	$80,393	$47,000	7,016,270	710
39	Louisiana	$81,462	$50,000	4,684,333	340
40	Idaho	$78,631	$46,000	1,716,943	209
41	Kansas	$79,200	$51,000	2,913,123	366
42	Florida	$69,476	$44,000	20,984,400	3,315
43	Indiana	$75,003	$49,000	6,666,818	866
44	Missouri	$70,516	$46,000	6,113,532	1,186
45	Iowa	$71,280	$46,000	3,145,711	570
46	Nebraska	$65,226	$42,000	1,920,076	480
47	Wyoming	$70,451	$44,000	579,315	92
48	Hawaii	$55,050	$39,000	1,427,538	183
49	Oklahoma	$62,476	$39,000	3,930,864	560
50	Kentucky	$67,186	$44,000	4,454,189	364
51	Mississippi	$58,146	$37,000	2,984,100	249

Highest paying states for research team leaders

Rank	State	Avg. Research Team Leader Salary
1	California	$113,044
2	Washington	$112,156
3	Rhode Island	$97,294
4	Delaware	$121,013
5	Connecticut	$107,353
6	Minnesota	$95,994
7	New Jersey	$125,754
8	Oregon	$93,277
9	New York	$112,338
10	New Hampshire	$98,490
11	Maryland	$107,544
12	Illinois	$93,087
13	Maine	$91,815
14	Texas	$93,068
15	South Dakota	$80,772
16	Vermont	$86,281
17	Massachusetts	$94,028
18	District of Columbia	$96,087
19	North Carolina	$82,938
20	Montana	$82,948
21	Alabama	$83,301
22	Georgia	$84,706
23	North Dakota	$78,408
24	Nevada	$89,667
25	New Mexico	$79,292
26	Michigan	$81,145
27	Virginia	$81,655
28	Colorado	$81,655
29	West Virginia	$77,073
30	Wisconsin	$82,073
31	Arkansas	$79,821
32	Utah	$73,878
33	Pennsylvania	$77,605
34	Tennessee	$71,721
35	South Carolina	$79,545
36	Ohio	$78,373
37	Alaska	$78,088
38	Arizona	$80,393
39	Louisiana	$81,462
40	Idaho	$78,631
41	Kansas	$79,200
42	Florida	$69,476
43	Indiana	$75,003
44	Missouri	$70,516
45	Iowa	$71,280
46	Nebraska	$65,226
47	Wyoming	$70,451
48	Hawaii	$55,050
49	Oklahoma	$62,476
50	Kentucky	$67,186
51	Mississippi	$58,146

Expert opinions on the best states for research team leaders

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for research team leaders to find work opportunities?
Stephen A. Matthews Ph.D.
Liberal Arts Professor of Sociology, Anthropology, Demography and Geography Director, Graduate Program in Demography Faculty Director, Graduate Programs in Applied Demography Editor, Spatial Demography Associate Editor, Mathematical Population Studies, Pennsylvania State University
Anywhere and everywhere - academia, government (local to national), NGOs, INGOs, private sector, and applied research - in the US and overseas!

Research team leader best states FAQs

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What is the worst state for research team leaders?

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Search for research team leader jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total research team leader jobs:	8,006
Average annual salary:	$113,044
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$67,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$189,000
Location Quotient:	1.42

Best states for a research team leader

10 best states for research team leaders in 2025

1. California

2. Washington

3. Rhode Island

4. Delaware

5. Connecticut

6. Minnesota

7. New Jersey

8. Oregon

9. New York

10. New Hampshire