Career Atlas USA

Best States for Physicists

Ranked by the Career Atlas Opportunity Score, not raw pay — a high-paying state with few jobs or a high cost of living can rank below a more balanced one.

  1. 1California83.7 / 100
  2. 2New Mexico80 / 100
  3. 3Maryland76.7 / 100
  4. 4New York67.6 / 100
  5. 5Ohio67.2 / 100
  6. 6District of Columbia64.5 / 100
  7. 7Iowa64.1 / 100
  8. 8Alabama62.7 / 100
  9. 9Virginia59.9 / 100
  10. 10Illinois59.9 / 100
  11. 11Tennessee58.3 / 100
  12. 12Texas57.3 / 100
  13. 13South Carolina57 / 100
  14. 14Colorado56 / 100
  15. 15Wisconsin55 / 100

Also see highest-paying states (ranked by salary alone).