The highest-paying states for social scientists and related workers (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of social scientists and related workers in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $117,500, Virginia is the highest paying state for social scientists and related workers. It is followed by Maryland (average annual salary $113,940). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of social scientists and related workers in a specific state, use the links in the table.
| Rank | State | Average Salary i | Entry Level Salary i |
# of Empl. i |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | $117,500 |
$71,140 | 3,960 |
| 2 | Maryland | $113,940 |
$57,390 | 2,150 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $110,780 |
$66,060 | 2,540 |
| 4 | Oregon | $103,340 |
$51,900 | 500 |
| 5 | Hawaii | $101,030 |
$37,560 | 350 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $97,720 |
$64,320 | 450 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $94,850 |
$67,850 | 180 |
| 8 | Arizona | $93,340 |
$63,730 | 600 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $92,230 |
$63,610 | 270 |
| 10 | California | $89,840 |
$49,880 | 2,330 |
| 11 | Texas | $88,690 |
$62,410 | 2,130 |
| 12 | New York | $87,300 |
$63,020 | 2,230 |
| 13 | Washington | $87,300 |
$56,070 | 780 |
| 14 | Ohio | $86,070 |
$56,470 | 1,430 |
| 15 | Alabama | $85,740 |
$56,720 | 290 |
| 16 | Alaska | $84,220 |
$63,460 | 160 |
| 17 | Illinois | $83,870 |
$55,720 | 550 |
| 18 | Georgia | $83,820 |
$64,970 | 1,870 |
| 19 | Colorado | $82,720 |
$51,590 | 880 |
| 20 | Nevada | $82,660 |
$51,110 | 170 |
| 21 | Mississippi | $81,660 |
$49,520 | 170 |
| 22 | Florida | $81,660 |
$56,530 | 1,710 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $81,660 |
$67,500 | 190 |
| 24 | Michigan | $81,430 |
$49,940 | 510 |
| 25 | Maine | $81,050 |
$44,260 | 60 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $81,040 |
$50,660 | 590 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $80,000 |
$56,990 | 180 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $79,920 |
$49,930 | 1,270 |
| 29 | Nebraska | $79,440 |
$59,690 | 170 |
| 30 | Delaware | $79,400 |
$32,550 | 70 |
| 31 | Vermont | $78,110 |
$54,200 | 70 |
| 32 | South Carolina | $77,560 |
$62,340 | 220 |
| 33 | Iowa | $77,460 |
$56,680 | 80 |
| 34 | Idaho | $77,230 |
$54,720 | 70 |
| 35 | Montana | $77,230 |
$60,200 | 130 |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | $77,230 |
$31,210 | 940 |
| 37 | Indiana | $76,040 |
$55,200 | 140 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $75,420 |
$64,110 | 190 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $75,030 |
$39,480 | 270 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $75,030 |
$47,720 | 140 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $74,730 |
$50,040 | 240 |
| 42 | New Hampshire | $74,110 |
$56,860 | 120 |
| 43 | Kansas | $73,740 |
$56,530 | 290 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $72,820 |
$54,720 | 60 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $72,820 |
$54,720 | 80 |
| 46 | Puerto Rico | $72,340 |
$31,030 | 190 |
| 47 | North Dakota | $70,620 |
$39,010 | 100 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $69,310 |
$55,160 | 310 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $68,410 |
$45,590 | 400 |
| 50 | Missouri | $66,210 |
$41,600 | 340 |
| 51 | Utah | $66,210 |
$48,940 | 160 |
| 52 | Rhode Island | $51,440 |
$38,890 | 120 |