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Best states for a science writer
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for science writers in the United States. Science writer positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for science writers.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of science writers in America is $110,000.
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 writers.District of Columbia is the best state, and Pacifica is the city with the highest pay for science writers.
10 best states for science writers in 2025
1. District of Columbia
Total science writer jobs: 245 Average annual salary: $109,788 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $172,000 Location Quotient: 3.422. California
Total science writer jobs: 1,599 Average annual salary: $98,752 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $161,000 Location Quotient: 1.283. Virginia
Total science writer jobs: 497 Average annual salary: $93,566 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000 Location Quotient: 1.234. New Jersey
Total science writer jobs: 453 Average annual salary: $87,897 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000 Location Quotient: 1.345. New York
Total science writer jobs: 958 Average annual salary: $84,413 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 1.756. Massachusetts
Total science writer jobs: 590 Average annual salary: $82,561 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 1.57. Vermont
Total science writer jobs: 57 Average annual salary: $76,610 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $116,000 Location Quotient: 1.748. New Hampshire
Total science writer jobs: 93 Average annual salary: $76,758 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000 Location Quotient: 1.249. Arizona
Total science writer jobs: 215 Average annual salary: $82,936 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 0.8610. Connecticut
Total science writer jobs: 147 Average annual salary: $79,618 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $122,000 Location Quotient: 1.04
Science writer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a science writer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a science writer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $109,788 | $69,000 | 693,972 | 245 |
| 2 | California | $98,752 | $60,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,599 |
| 3 | Virginia | $93,566 | $58,000 | 8,470,020 | 497 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $87,897 | $56,000 | 9,005,644 | 453 |
| 5 | New York | $84,413 | $54,000 | 19,849,399 | 958 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $82,561 | $53,000 | 6,859,819 | 590 |
| 7 | Vermont | $76,610 | $50,000 | 623,657 | 57 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $76,758 | $50,000 | 1,342,795 | 93 |
| 9 | Arizona | $82,936 | $50,000 | 7,016,270 | 215 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $79,618 | $51,000 | 3,588,184 | 147 |
| 11 | Michigan | $77,874 | $49,000 | 9,962,311 | 271 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $79,450 | $50,000 | 12,805,537 | 342 |
| 13 | Maryland | $74,755 | $47,000 | 6,052,177 | 456 |
| 14 | North Dakota | $72,909 | $50,000 | 755,393 | 40 |
| 15 | North Carolina | $73,739 | $45,000 | 10,273,419 | 353 |
| 16 | Delaware | $70,784 | $45,000 | 961,939 | 67 |
| 17 | Wyoming | $65,815 | $42,000 | 579,315 | 53 |
| 18 | Illinois | $71,545 | $45,000 | 12,802,023 | 547 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $70,379 | $45,000 | 1,059,639 | 56 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $73,458 | $48,000 | 5,576,606 | 228 |
| 21 | Nevada | $65,277 | $39,000 | 2,998,039 | 138 |
| 22 | Oregon | $68,237 | $44,000 | 4,142,776 | 271 |
| 23 | Washington | $70,926 | $46,000 | 7,405,743 | 334 |
| 24 | Ohio | $68,761 | $43,000 | 11,658,609 | 232 |
| 25 | Montana | $61,780 | $41,000 | 1,050,493 | 73 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | $66,360 | $42,000 | 5,795,483 | 160 |
| 27 | Florida | $64,518 | $38,000 | 20,984,400 | 565 |
| 28 | Texas | $63,262 | $38,000 | 28,304,596 | 601 |
| 29 | Indiana | $65,017 | $40,000 | 6,666,818 | 157 |
| 30 | Alaska | $56,281 | $48,000 | 739,795 | 50 |
| 31 | West Virginia | $60,223 | $37,000 | 1,815,857 | 52 |
| 32 | Hawaii | $65,033 | $47,000 | 1,427,538 | 44 |
| 33 | Missouri | $61,900 | $38,000 | 6,113,532 | 190 |
| 34 | Colorado | $61,981 | $39,000 | 5,607,154 | 243 |
| 35 | Maine | $60,284 | $40,000 | 1,335,907 | 53 |
| 36 | Louisiana | $62,207 | $37,000 | 4,684,333 | 77 |
| 37 | Georgia | $61,747 | $37,000 | 10,429,379 | 321 |
| 38 | Utah | $58,226 | $36,000 | 3,101,833 | 155 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $60,473 | $37,000 | 6,715,984 | 139 |
| 40 | New Mexico | $58,277 | $35,000 | 2,088,070 | 87 |
| 41 | Arkansas | $57,181 | $35,000 | 3,004,279 | 84 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $57,480 | $35,000 | 4,454,189 | 124 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $55,469 | $35,000 | 1,920,076 | 106 |
| 44 | Kansas | $58,711 | $36,000 | 2,913,123 | 87 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $56,269 | $36,000 | 869,666 | 42 |
| 46 | Alabama | $58,196 | $35,000 | 4,874,747 | 100 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $58,878 | $35,000 | 5,024,369 | 123 |
| 48 | Idaho | $53,773 | $34,000 | 1,716,943 | 83 |
| 49 | Iowa | $56,548 | $35,000 | 3,145,711 | 103 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $54,514 | $32,000 | 2,984,100 | 60 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $54,568 | $33,000 | 3,930,864 | 77 |
Highest paying states for science writers
| Rank | State | Avg. Science Writer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $109,788 |
| 2 | California | $98,752 |
| 3 | Virginia | $93,566 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $87,897 |
| 5 | New York | $84,413 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $82,561 |
| 7 | Vermont | $76,610 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $76,758 |
| 9 | Arizona | $82,936 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $79,618 |
| 11 | Michigan | $77,874 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $79,450 |
| 13 | Maryland | $74,755 |
| 14 | North Dakota | $72,909 |
| 15 | North Carolina | $73,739 |
| 16 | Delaware | $70,784 |
| 17 | Wyoming | $65,815 |
| 18 | Illinois | $71,545 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $70,379 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $73,458 |
| 21 | Nevada | $65,277 |
| 22 | Oregon | $68,237 |
| 23 | Washington | $70,926 |
| 24 | Ohio | $68,761 |
| 25 | Montana | $61,780 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | $66,360 |
| 27 | Florida | $64,518 |
| 28 | Texas | $63,262 |
| 29 | Indiana | $65,017 |
| 30 | Alaska | $56,281 |
| 31 | West Virginia | $60,223 |
| 32 | Hawaii | $65,033 |
| 33 | Missouri | $61,900 |
| 34 | Colorado | $61,981 |
| 35 | Maine | $60,284 |
| 36 | Louisiana | $62,207 |
| 37 | Georgia | $61,747 |
| 38 | Utah | $58,226 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $60,473 |
| 40 | New Mexico | $58,277 |
| 41 | Arkansas | $57,181 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $57,480 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $55,469 |
| 44 | Kansas | $58,711 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $56,269 |
| 46 | Alabama | $58,196 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $58,878 |
| 48 | Idaho | $53,773 |
| 49 | Iowa | $56,548 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $54,514 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $54,568 |
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Updated January 8, 2025