Best states for a Biologist

Q: What is the best state for biologists?

The best state to be a biologist is Alaska based on biologist salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for biologists?

The highest paying state for biologists is South Carolina based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for biologists?

The worst state for biologists is South Carolina, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted Expert

Dr. Paul Richardson

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

Do you want to become a biologist at Kelly Services, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for biologists that you can check out, before you begin your journey. We wanted to look at the best states for biologists -- where there are plenty of biologist jobs to go around and biologists get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.

In order to get you the best states for biologists, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.Alaska is the best state, and Southampton is the city with the highest pay for biologists.

If you're looking for a Biologist job, here are five companies hiring now:

10 best states for biologists in 2025

1. Alaska
Total Biologist Jobs: 20
Average Annual Salary: $76,565
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $57,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $101,000
Location Quotient:
5.13
Biologist Jobs in Alaska
2. California
Total Biologist Jobs: 361
Average Annual Salary: $78,351
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $53,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $115,000
Location Quotient:
2.64
Biologist Jobs in California
3. Nevada
Total Biologist Jobs: 14
Average Annual Salary: $72,877
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $49,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $107,000
Location Quotient:
1.43
Biologist Jobs in Nevada
4. New York
Total Biologist Jobs: 35
Average Annual Salary: $81,167
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $57,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $113,000
Location Quotient:
0.58
Biologist Jobs in New York
5. Massachusetts
Total Biologist Jobs: 116
Average Annual Salary: $72,457
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $52,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $100,000
Location Quotient:
2.7
Biologist Jobs in Massachusetts
6. Montana
Total Biologist Jobs: 12
Average Annual Salary: $70,311
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $49,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $100,000
Location Quotient:
2.23
Biologist Jobs in Montana
7. Utah
Total Biologist Jobs: 6
Average Annual Salary: $77,762
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $53,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $113,000
Location Quotient:
0.4
Biologist Jobs in Utah
8. North Dakota
Total Biologist Jobs: 3
Average Annual Salary: $72,307
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $51,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $101,000
Location Quotient:
0.69
Biologist Jobs in North Dakota
9. Oregon
Total Biologist Jobs: 14
Average Annual Salary: $74,543
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $51,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $108,000
Location Quotient:
0.72
Biologist Jobs in Oregon
10. Washington
Total Biologist Jobs: 29
Average Annual Salary: $73,506
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $50,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $106,000
Location Quotient:
0.85
Biologist Jobs in Washington

How Zippia determines the best states to be a biologist

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

Detailed list of the best states for a biologist

Rank	State	Average Salary	Lowest 10% Earn	Population	Job Count
1	Alaska	$76,565	$57,000	739,795	20
2	California	$78,351	$53,000	39,536,653	361
3	Nevada	$72,877	$49,000	2,998,039	14
4	New York	$81,167	$57,000	19,849,399	35
5	Massachusetts	$72,457	$52,000	6,859,819	116
6	Montana	$70,311	$49,000	1,050,493	12
7	Utah	$77,762	$53,000	3,101,833	6
8	North Dakota	$72,307	$51,000	755,393	3
9	Oregon	$74,543	$51,000	4,142,776	14
10	Washington	$73,506	$50,000	7,405,743	29
11	Rhode Island	$73,772	$52,000	1,059,639	2
12	New Hampshire	$73,410	$52,000	1,342,795	3
13	District of Columbia	$74,846	$52,000	693,972	12
14	Connecticut	$73,260	$52,000	3,588,184	8
15	Wisconsin	$67,476	$47,000	5,795,483	34
16	South Dakota	$67,807	$47,000	869,666	4
17	Maine	$65,951	$47,000	1,335,907	11
18	Maryland	$69,546	$48,000	6,052,177	62
19	Mississippi	$65,527	$43,000	2,984,100	7
20	Nebraska	$63,391	$44,000	1,920,076	20
21	Wyoming	$62,609	$43,000	579,315	5
22	Oklahoma	$68,740	$47,000	3,930,864	4
23	West Virginia	$61,162	$42,000	1,815,857	14
24	Ohio	$64,727	$45,000	11,658,609	24
25	Delaware	$70,585	$49,000	961,939	2
26	Vermont	$69,344	$49,000	623,657	1
27	New Jersey	$69,383	$49,000	9,005,644	16
28	Georgia	$65,418	$44,000	10,429,379	18
29	Virginia	$63,282	$44,000	8,470,020	60
30	Arizona	$63,007	$43,000	7,016,270	18
31	Idaho	$58,813	$40,000	1,716,943	9
32	Pennsylvania	$58,756	$41,000	12,805,537	47
33	Hawaii	$55,073	$44,000	1,427,538	14
34	Illinois	$61,814	$43,000	12,802,023	27
35	Michigan	$60,864	$43,000	9,962,311	13
36	Colorado	$60,021	$41,000	5,607,154	25
37	Iowa	$59,898	$42,000	3,145,711	7
38	Minnesota	$63,072	$44,000	5,576,606	4
39	New Mexico	$53,343	$36,000	2,088,070	20
40	Alabama	$56,479	$37,000	4,874,747	14
41	Kansas	$58,447	$40,000	2,913,123	8
42	Indiana	$58,069	$40,000	6,666,818	14
43	Kentucky	$58,422	$40,000	4,454,189	5
44	Texas	$55,626	$36,000	28,304,596	57
45	Missouri	$51,738	$36,000	6,113,532	40
46	North Carolina	$56,061	$38,000	10,273,419	20
47	Florida	$51,205	$33,000	20,984,400	50
48	Louisiana	$52,653	$34,000	4,684,333	7
49	Tennessee	$53,097	$36,000	6,715,984	7
50	Arkansas	$50,016	$34,000	3,004,279	4
51	South Carolina	$49,125	$33,000	5,024,369	7

Highest paying states for biologists

Rank	State	Avg. Biologist Salary
1	Alaska	$76,565
2	California	$78,351
3	Nevada	$72,877
4	New York	$81,167
5	Massachusetts	$72,457
6	Montana	$70,311
7	Utah	$77,762
8	North Dakota	$72,307
9	Oregon	$74,543
10	Washington	$73,506
11	Rhode Island	$73,772
12	New Hampshire	$73,410
13	District of Columbia	$74,846
14	Connecticut	$73,260
15	Wisconsin	$67,476
16	South Dakota	$67,807
17	Maine	$65,951
18	Maryland	$69,546
19	Mississippi	$65,527
20	Nebraska	$63,391
21	Wyoming	$62,609
22	Oklahoma	$68,740
23	West Virginia	$61,162
24	Ohio	$64,727
25	Delaware	$70,585
26	Vermont	$69,344
27	New Jersey	$69,383
28	Georgia	$65,418
29	Virginia	$63,282
30	Arizona	$63,007
31	Idaho	$58,813
32	Pennsylvania	$58,756
33	Hawaii	$55,073
34	Illinois	$61,814
35	Michigan	$60,864
36	Colorado	$60,021
37	Iowa	$59,898
38	Minnesota	$63,072
39	New Mexico	$53,343
40	Alabama	$56,479
41	Kansas	$58,447
42	Indiana	$58,069
43	Kentucky	$58,422
44	Texas	$55,626
45	Missouri	$51,738
46	North Carolina	$56,061
47	Florida	$51,205
48	Louisiana	$52,653
49	Tennessee	$53,097
50	Arkansas	$50,016
51	South Carolina	$49,125

Expert opinions on the best states for biologists

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Biologists to find work opportunities?
D
Dr. Paul Richardson
Chair of Chemistry Professor of Biochemistry, Coastal Carolina University
The biotech field seems to have a tremendous amount of growth due to the pandemic—particularly those involved in the chemistry of health (drug design, drug manufacturing). The healthcare field has been expanding for years.

Biologist best states FAQs

What is the best state for biologists?

What is the highest paying state for biologists?

What is the worst state for biologists?

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Best states for Biologists

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total Biologist Jobs:	20
Average Annual Salary:	$76,565
Lowest 10 Percent Earn:	$57,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn:	$101,000
Location Quotient:	5.13

Best states for a Biologist

If you're looking for a Biologist job, here are five companies hiring now:

10 best states for biologists in 2025

1. Alaska

2. California

3. Nevada

4. New York

5. Massachusetts

6. Montana

7. Utah

8. North Dakota

9. Oregon

10. Washington