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Best states for a science faculty member
Quoted expert
Dr. Rodney Rohde Ph.D.
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
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- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to science faculty member 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. Our research found that Alaska is the best state for science faculty members, while Alaska and Mississippi are ranked highest in terms of median salary. Alaska has a median salary of $100,499 and Alaska has the highest median salary among all 50 states for science faculty members.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for science faculty members.Alaska is the best state, and Juneau is the city with the highest pay for science faculty members.
10 best states for science faculty members in 2026
1. Alaska
Total science faculty member jobs: 171 Average annual salary: $100,499 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $159,000 Location Quotient: 3.82
2. Mississippi
Total science faculty member jobs: 113 Average annual salary: $94,704 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $176,000 Location Quotient: 0.99
3. New Hampshire
Total science faculty member jobs: 264 Average annual salary: $82,780 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000 Location Quotient: 2.81
4. Delaware
Total science faculty member jobs: 162 Average annual salary: $85,560 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $166,000 Location Quotient: 2.41
5. Pennsylvania
Total science faculty member jobs: 575 Average annual salary: $88,060 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $169,000 Location Quotient: 0.92
6. Rhode Island
Total science faculty member jobs: 58 Average annual salary: $87,811 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $163,000 Location Quotient: 0.89
7. District of Columbia
Total science faculty member jobs: 249 Average annual salary: $86,711 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $169,000 Location Quotient: 2.76
8. New York
Total science faculty member jobs: 1,157 Average annual salary: $83,277 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $159,000 Location Quotient: 1.68
9. Nevada
Total science faculty member jobs: 93 Average annual salary: $83,627 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000 Location Quotient: 0.83
10. Illinois
Total science faculty member jobs: 454 Average annual salary: $88,548 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $161,000 Location Quotient: 0.71
Science faculty member jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a science faculty member
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a science faculty member
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $100,499 | $63,000 | 739,795 | 171 |
| 2 | Mississippi | $94,704 | $50,000 | 2,984,100 | 113 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $82,780 | $44,000 | 1,342,795 | 264 |
| 4 | Delaware | $85,560 | $43,000 | 961,939 | 162 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | $88,060 | $45,000 | 12,805,537 | 575 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $87,811 | $47,000 | 1,059,639 | 58 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $86,711 | $44,000 | 693,972 | 249 |
| 8 | New York | $83,277 | $43,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,157 |
| 9 | Nevada | $83,627 | $46,000 | 2,998,039 | 93 |
| 10 | Illinois | $88,548 | $48,000 | 12,802,023 | 454 |
| 11 | Virginia | $81,201 | $40,000 | 8,470,020 | 710 |
| 12 | Indiana | $77,128 | $40,000 | 6,666,818 | 491 |
| 13 | Maine | $75,105 | $40,000 | 1,335,907 | 145 |
| 14 | North Dakota | $70,780 | $43,000 | 755,393 | 148 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $80,333 | $41,000 | 9,005,644 | 469 |
| 16 | Utah | $82,143 | $48,000 | 3,101,833 | 127 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $79,211 | $42,000 | 6,859,819 | 462 |
| 18 | West Virginia | $73,584 | $37,000 | 1,815,857 | 84 |
| 19 | Vermont | $73,431 | $39,000 | 623,657 | 100 |
| 20 | Oregon | $68,826 | $40,000 | 4,142,776 | 834 |
| 21 | Connecticut | $78,934 | $41,000 | 3,588,184 | 107 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $73,673 | $37,000 | 4,684,333 | 128 |
| 23 | North Carolina | $73,839 | $36,000 | 10,273,419 | 328 |
| 24 | Maryland | $73,813 | $36,000 | 6,052,177 | 396 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $69,947 | $38,000 | 5,795,483 | 196 |
| 26 | New Mexico | $68,606 | $37,000 | 2,088,070 | 92 |
| 27 | South Carolina | $68,965 | $34,000 | 5,024,369 | 224 |
| 28 | Hawaii | $67,189 | $41,000 | 1,427,538 | 94 |
| 29 | Florida | $73,453 | $37,000 | 20,984,400 | 385 |
| 30 | Arizona | $69,325 | $37,000 | 7,016,270 | 207 |
| 31 | Alabama | $68,351 | $34,000 | 4,874,747 | 148 |
| 32 | California | $69,210 | $38,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,182 |
| 33 | Iowa | $63,655 | $35,000 | 3,145,711 | 160 |
| 34 | Colorado | $61,102 | $35,000 | 5,607,154 | 355 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $64,033 | $32,000 | 6,715,984 | 163 |
| 36 | Michigan | $63,120 | $33,000 | 9,962,311 | 264 |
| 37 | Idaho | $62,355 | $37,000 | 1,716,943 | 58 |
| 38 | Washington | $51,503 | $31,000 | 7,405,743 | 979 |
| 39 | Montana | $49,187 | $31,000 | 1,050,493 | 139 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $63,598 | $33,000 | 3,930,864 | 52 |
| 41 | Texas | $56,349 | $29,000 | 28,304,596 | 973 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $53,868 | $30,000 | 1,920,076 | 125 |
| 43 | Minnesota | $62,108 | $36,000 | 5,576,606 | 213 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $59,903 | $31,000 | 3,004,279 | 72 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $48,189 | $28,000 | 869,666 | 116 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $49,286 | $24,000 | 4,454,189 | 321 |
| 47 | Kansas | $62,075 | $33,000 | 2,913,123 | 66 |
| 48 | Ohio | $54,912 | $27,000 | 11,658,609 | 390 |
| 49 | Missouri | $55,123 | $29,000 | 6,113,532 | 245 |
| 50 | Georgia | $59,031 | $29,000 | 10,429,379 | 260 |
| 51 | Wyoming | $47,812 | $29,000 | 579,315 | 24 |
Highest paying states for science faculty members
| Rank | State | Avg. Science Faculty Member Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $100,499 |
| 2 | Mississippi | $94,704 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $82,780 |
| 4 | Delaware | $85,560 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | $88,060 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $87,811 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $86,711 |
| 8 | New York | $83,277 |
| 9 | Nevada | $83,627 |
| 10 | Illinois | $88,548 |
| 11 | Virginia | $81,201 |
| 12 | Indiana | $77,128 |
| 13 | Maine | $75,105 |
| 14 | North Dakota | $70,780 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $80,333 |
| 16 | Utah | $82,143 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $79,211 |
| 18 | West Virginia | $73,584 |
| 19 | Vermont | $73,431 |
| 20 | Oregon | $68,826 |
| 21 | Connecticut | $78,934 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $73,673 |
| 23 | North Carolina | $73,839 |
| 24 | Maryland | $73,813 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $69,947 |
| 26 | New Mexico | $68,606 |
| 27 | South Carolina | $68,965 |
| 28 | Hawaii | $67,189 |
| 29 | Florida | $73,453 |
| 30 | Arizona | $69,325 |
| 31 | Alabama | $68,351 |
| 32 | California | $69,210 |
| 33 | Iowa | $63,655 |
| 34 | Colorado | $61,102 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $64,033 |
| 36 | Michigan | $63,120 |
| 37 | Idaho | $62,355 |
| 38 | Washington | $51,503 |
| 39 | Montana | $49,187 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $63,598 |
| 41 | Texas | $56,349 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $53,868 |
| 43 | Minnesota | $62,108 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $59,903 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $48,189 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $49,286 |
| 47 | Kansas | $62,075 |
| 48 | Ohio | $54,912 |
| 49 | Missouri | $55,123 |
| 50 | Georgia | $59,031 |
| 51 | Wyoming | $47,812 |
Expert opinions on the best states for science faculty members
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for science faculty members to find work opportunities?
Dr. Rodney Rohde Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Texas State University
There are large vacancy rates all over the country. This is a good news/bad news issue. However, with a degree in medical laboratory science (also known as a clinical laboratory science) AND certification, one can find employment anywhere in the U.S. One of the great things about this career is that graduates honestly can decide where they "fit best" with regard to geography and employer (urban, rural, large, or small).
Science faculty member best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025