The study, conducted by CYTENA, analyzed Glassdoor data on average salaries for over 75 jobs within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in each US state to determine which one is most remunerative to work in this field.

Mississippi ranks first, with the average salary being “only” $85,382. This is despite the top-paying career in the state, cardiology, paying $346,500 a year, which is higher than any other state.

Louisiana follows suit with an average annual salary of $88,935, while Arkansas is third with $91,561.

West Virginia and Alabama occupy positions four and five, with average salaries pretax of $91,916 and $92,097.

On the other side of the list, California ranks first with an average salary of $124,937, based on the average wage of all jobs included in the study. The highest-paying positions are anesthesiologist at $330,000 per year, cardiologist at $310,000 yearly, and orthopedic surgeon at $269,000 yearly.

Washington comes in second by a whisker, with an average salary for STEM jobs of $123,954. Similar to California, the highest-paying jobs within the state are anesthesiologists, who can earn $314,500 per year; neurologists, who can earn $284,500 per year; and orthopedic surgeons, who can earn $275,500 per year.

Third is New York, with an average annual salary of $114,437. Neurologists, anesthesiologists, and cardiologists have the biggest paychecks, with $285,500, $275,000, and $264,000, respectively.

Further down on the list, Nevada ranks fourth with an average salary of $111,767 annually.

Maryland rounds up the top five, with an average salary of $110,226.

Massachusetts, Idaho, Hawaii, Colorado and Connecticut rank sixth to tenth, with average salaries ranging from $109,807 to $107,625.

 

Yafees Sarwar, Director of Marketing at CYTENA, commented on the findings: “STEM professions are widely renowned for being highly remunerative positions. However, individuals who dream of pursuing them must go through many years of studies and various career steps before reaching their goals, often including a dream salary that can provide for a comfortable lifestyle.
“This dataset shows in which states working within certain professions is the most advantageous, providing suggestions to whoever dreams of said goals of where to pursue these careers.”