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Best states for a senior development scientist
Quoted expert
Min Yun
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
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- 41 - 51
Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for senior development scientists? 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 senior development scientist jobs.We wanted to look at the best states for senior development scientists -- where there are plenty of senior development scientist jobs to go around and senior development scientists 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 senior development scientists. Montana is the best state for senior development scientists, where the median salary is $114,636.We found that the South is best for senior development scientists, and the Northeast is the worst. San Francisco, CA is the best city in the country for senior development scientist jobs, where as Montana is the best state in the country.
10 best states for senior development scientists in 2026
1. Montana
Total senior development scientist jobs: 271 Average annual salary: $114,636 Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $159,000 Location Quotient: 6.72
2. Tennessee
Total senior development scientist jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $127,847 Lowest 10 percent earn: $90,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $181,000 Location Quotient: 0
3. California
Total senior development scientist jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $127,615 Lowest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $184,000 Location Quotient: 0
4. New Jersey
Total senior development scientist jobs: 1,122 Average annual salary: $111,232 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000 Location Quotient: 4.04
5. Nevada
Total senior development scientist jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $113,069 Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $163,000 Location Quotient: 0
6. Indiana
Total senior development scientist jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $109,706 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $151,000 Location Quotient: 0
7. Arizona
Total senior development scientist jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $109,390 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $159,000 Location Quotient: 0
8. Connecticut
Total senior development scientist jobs: 294 Average annual salary: $107,727 Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000 Location Quotient: 2.54
9. Maine
Total senior development scientist jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $104,356 Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000 Location Quotient: 0
10. Alaska
Total senior development scientist jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $104,765 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000 Location Quotient: 0
Senior development scientist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a senior development scientist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a senior development scientist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montana | $114,636 | $82,000 | 1,050,493 | 271 |
| 2 | Tennessee | $127,847 | $90,000 | 6,715,984 | 0 |
| 3 | California | $127,615 | $88,000 | 39,536,653 | 0 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $111,232 | $80,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,122 |
| 5 | Nevada | $113,069 | $78,000 | 2,998,039 | 0 |
| 6 | Indiana | $109,706 | $79,000 | 6,666,818 | 0 |
| 7 | Arizona | $109,390 | $75,000 | 7,016,270 | 0 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $107,727 | $78,000 | 3,588,184 | 294 |
| 9 | Maine | $104,356 | $77,000 | 1,335,907 | 0 |
| 10 | Alaska | $104,765 | $79,000 | 739,795 | 0 |
| 11 | Minnesota | $102,725 | $75,000 | 5,576,606 | 408 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $94,596 | $68,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,004 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $104,511 | $76,000 | 6,859,819 | 0 |
| 14 | Washington | $99,787 | $71,000 | 7,405,743 | 763 |
| 15 | Delaware | $100,109 | $72,000 | 961,939 | 0 |
| 16 | Illinois | $96,116 | $69,000 | 12,802,023 | 0 |
| 17 | Oregon | $96,184 | $68,000 | 4,142,776 | 0 |
| 18 | Maryland | $99,638 | $71,000 | 6,052,177 | 0 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $86,484 | $62,000 | 1,815,857 | 200 |
| 20 | Wyoming | $86,945 | $61,000 | 579,315 | 0 |
| 21 | Rhode Island | $87,772 | $64,000 | 1,059,639 | 79 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | $84,120 | $61,000 | 5,795,483 | 877 |
| 23 | Arkansas | $82,746 | $57,000 | 3,004,279 | 396 |
| 24 | New Mexico | $82,410 | $56,000 | 2,088,070 | 412 |
| 25 | Hawaii | $98,459 | $73,000 | 1,427,538 | 0 |
| 26 | Ohio | $85,002 | $61,000 | 11,658,609 | 0 |
| 27 | District of Columbia | $97,316 | $70,000 | 693,972 | 0 |
| 28 | Michigan | $85,493 | $62,000 | 9,962,311 | 0 |
| 29 | New York | $90,464 | $65,000 | 19,849,399 | 0 |
| 30 | Vermont | $88,180 | $65,000 | 623,657 | 0 |
| 31 | Oklahoma | $83,313 | $58,000 | 3,930,864 | 285 |
| 32 | Colorado | $87,051 | $61,000 | 5,607,154 | 401 |
| 33 | Virginia | $86,963 | $62,000 | 8,470,020 | 0 |
| 34 | Texas | $82,465 | $55,000 | 28,304,596 | 0 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $80,877 | $58,000 | 869,666 | 0 |
| 36 | New Hampshire | $81,897 | $60,000 | 1,342,795 | 0 |
| 37 | North Carolina | $80,011 | $56,000 | 10,273,419 | 0 |
| 38 | Alabama | $78,378 | $53,000 | 4,874,747 | 0 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $75,527 | $54,000 | 4,454,189 | 511 |
| 40 | Nebraska | $78,280 | $56,000 | 1,920,076 | 0 |
| 41 | North Dakota | $74,094 | $54,000 | 755,393 | 206 |
| 42 | Florida | $78,147 | $49,000 | 20,984,400 | 0 |
| 43 | Idaho | $76,090 | $54,000 | 1,716,943 | 0 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $72,640 | $49,000 | 2,984,100 | 246 |
| 45 | Kansas | $74,944 | $53,000 | 2,913,123 | 0 |
| 46 | Missouri | $69,054 | $49,000 | 6,113,532 | 957 |
| 47 | Utah | $71,834 | $50,000 | 3,101,833 | 0 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $70,896 | $46,000 | 4,684,333 | 0 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $67,453 | $46,000 | 5,024,369 | 548 |
| 50 | Georgia | $70,160 | $48,000 | 10,429,379 | 0 |
| 51 | Iowa | $60,442 | $43,000 | 3,145,711 | 0 |
Highest paying states for senior development scientists
| Rank | State | Avg. Senior Development Scientist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montana | $114,636 |
| 2 | Tennessee | $127,847 |
| 3 | California | $127,615 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $111,232 |
| 5 | Nevada | $113,069 |
| 6 | Indiana | $109,706 |
| 7 | Arizona | $109,390 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $107,727 |
| 9 | Maine | $104,356 |
| 10 | Alaska | $104,765 |
| 11 | Minnesota | $102,725 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $94,596 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $104,511 |
| 14 | Washington | $99,787 |
| 15 | Delaware | $100,109 |
| 16 | Illinois | $96,116 |
| 17 | Oregon | $96,184 |
| 18 | Maryland | $99,638 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $86,484 |
| 20 | Wyoming | $86,945 |
| 21 | Rhode Island | $87,772 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | $84,120 |
| 23 | Arkansas | $82,746 |
| 24 | New Mexico | $82,410 |
| 25 | Hawaii | $98,459 |
| 26 | Ohio | $85,002 |
| 27 | District of Columbia | $97,316 |
| 28 | Michigan | $85,493 |
| 29 | New York | $90,464 |
| 30 | Vermont | $88,180 |
| 31 | Oklahoma | $83,313 |
| 32 | Colorado | $87,051 |
| 33 | Virginia | $86,963 |
| 34 | Texas | $82,465 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $80,877 |
| 36 | New Hampshire | $81,897 |
| 37 | North Carolina | $80,011 |
| 38 | Alabama | $78,378 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $75,527 |
| 40 | Nebraska | $78,280 |
| 41 | North Dakota | $74,094 |
| 42 | Florida | $78,147 |
| 43 | Idaho | $76,090 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $72,640 |
| 45 | Kansas | $74,944 |
| 46 | Missouri | $69,054 |
| 47 | Utah | $71,834 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $70,896 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $67,453 |
| 50 | Georgia | $70,160 |
| 51 | Iowa | $60,442 |
Expert opinions on the best states for senior development scientists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for senior development scientists to find work opportunities?
Min Yun
Professor of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts
Our students almost exclusively find jobs in education or technology-driven companies, and they tend to be in population centers along the East and West Coasts. Many of the top graduate programs are in the same areas as well.
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Updated January 8, 2025