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Assistant research scientist salary
Average assistant research scientist salary
$62,780
Average Assistant Research Scientist Salary
The average salary for an Assistant Research Scientist in the United States is approximately $62,780 annually, translating to about $30 per hour. This figure can vary based on factors such as location, industry, and years of experience. For instance, professionals in highly urbanized areas or specialized research sectors may see higher compensation rates.
Salary by State
Some of the highest-paying states for Assistant Research Scientists include:
- California
- Massachusetts
- Washington
- New York
In these states, salaries can exceed $70,000 annually, reflecting the demand for skilled professionals in competitive markets. Additionally, as research projects become more complex, the need for knowledgeable scientists continues to grow, impacting salary structures positively.
Job Opportunities
Assistant Research Scientists can find roles in various settings, including universities, government agencies, and private laboratories. These positions often require a strong educational background in the sciences and may involve hands-on research, data analysis, and collaboration with senior scientists. Understanding salary trends and opportunities available in this field is essential for making informed career choices.
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Where can an Assistant Research Scientist earn more?
Assistant research scientist salary estimates from across the web
Average assistant research scientist salary by state
The highest-paying states for assistant research scientists are Massachusetts, California, and Oregon. The lowest average assistant research scientist salary states are Iowa, Kansas, and Vermont.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for assistant research scientists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $74,507 | $35.82 |
| 2 | Oregon | $73,048 | $35.12 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $71,713 | $34.48 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $72,902 | $35.05 |
| 5 | Delaware | $70,712 | $34.00 |
| 6 | Illinois | $71,261 | $34.26 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $80,208 | $38.56 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $67,134 | $32.28 |
| 9 | California | $73,776 | $35.47 |
| 10 | Maryland | $67,691 | $32.54 |
| 11 | Georgia | $68,489 | $32.93 |
| 12 | West Virginia | $66,219 | $31.84 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $66,444 | $31.94 |
| 14 | Kentucky | $67,019 | $32.22 |
| 15 | Washington | $65,879 | $31.67 |
| 16 | Ohio | $64,878 | $31.19 |
| 17 | Louisiana | $67,640 | $32.52 |
| 18 | New Mexico | $63,763 | $30.66 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $62,642 | $30.12 |
| 20 | North Carolina | $63,855 | $30.70 |
| 21 | Nevada | $65,687 | $31.58 |
| 22 | Mississippi | $66,406 | $31.93 |
| 23 | Idaho | $64,938 | $31.22 |
| 24 | Colorado | $63,959 | $30.75 |
| 25 | Alaska | $62,687 | $30.14 |
| 26 | Missouri | $62,913 | $30.25 |
| 27 | Connecticut | $63,084 | $30.33 |
| 28 | Utah | $60,629 | $29.15 |
| 29 | Florida | $63,923 | $30.73 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $59,421 | $28.57 |
| 31 | Michigan | $60,294 | $28.99 |
| 32 | Indiana | $61,921 | $29.77 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $62,461 | $30.03 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $59,932 | $28.81 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $56,457 | $27.14 |
| 36 | North Dakota | $58,330 | $28.04 |
| 37 | Virginia | $57,951 | $27.86 |
| 38 | New York | $57,114 | $27.46 |
| 39 | Maine | $59,630 | $28.67 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $58,439 | $28.10 |
| 41 | Arkansas | $59,946 | $28.82 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $58,799 | $28.27 |
| 43 | Montana | $58,461 | $28.11 |
| 44 | Arizona | $59,608 | $28.66 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $56,157 | $27.00 |
| 46 | Vermont | $50,982 | $24.51 |
| 47 | Iowa | $54,399 | $26.15 |
| 48 | Kansas | $51,926 | $24.96 |
| 49 | Texas | $49,735 | $23.91 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $49,353 | $23.73 |
| 51 | Alabama | $50,237 | $24.15 |
Highest paying cities for assistant research scientists
The highest-paying cities for assistant research scientists are San Francisco, CA, Chicago, IL, and Atlanta, GA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $76,479 | $36.77 |
| 2 | Chicago, IL | $71,426 | $34.34 |
| 3 | Atlanta, GA | $68,643 | $33.00 |
| 4 | Baltimore, MD | $67,879 | $32.63 |
| 5 | Gainesville, FL | $64,837 | $31.17 |
| 6 | Laramie, WY | $62,552 | $30.07 |
| 7 | West Lafayette, IN | $61,797 | $29.71 |
| 8 | Ann Arbor, MI | $60,216 | $28.95 |
| 9 | Tempe, AZ | $59,616 | $28.66 |
| 10 | Madison, WI | $59,600 | $28.65 |
| 11 | New York, NY | $57,176 | $27.49 |
| 12 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $56,228 | $27.03 |
| 13 | Iowa City, IA | $54,482 | $26.19 |
| 14 | Lawrence, KS | $52,006 | $25.00 |
| 15 | El Paso, TX | $50,227 | $24.15 |
Assistant research scientist salary details
An assistant research scientist's salary ranges from $43,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $89,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an assistant research scientist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $89,000 | $7,417 | $43 |
| 75th Percentile | $75,000 | $6,250 | $36 |
| Average | $62,780 | $5,232 | $30 |
| 25th Percentile | $52,000 | $4,333 | $25 |
| 10th Percentile | $43,000 | $3,583 | $21 |
Highest paying assistant research scientist jobs
The highest paying types of assistant research scientists are scientist, staff scientist, and research scientist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research Fellow | $53,823 | $4,485 | $25.88 | 59,746 |
| Scientist | $97,344 | $8,112 | $46.80 | 62,467 |
| Research Internship | $39,573 | $3,298 | $19.03 | 95,123 |
| Staff Scientist | $93,941 | $7,828 | $45.16 | 121,054 |
| Graduate Research Student | $34,658 | $2,888 | $16.66 | 58,921 |
| Research Scientist | $89,998 | $7,500 | $43.27 | 93,013 |
Top companies hiring assistant research scientists now:
Which companies pay assistant research scientists the most?
Assistant research scientist salaries at University of California and Johnson & Johnson are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average assistant research scientist salary at companies like UC Santa Barbara and University of California, Berkeley are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California | $82,295 | $39.56 |
| 2 | Johnson & Johnson | $81,437 | $39.15 |
| 3 | UC Santa Barbara | $80,860 | $38.88 |
| 4 | University of California-Berkeley | $80,687 | $38.79 |
| 5 | California Institute of Technology | $77,208 | $37.12 |
| 6 | New York University | $75,738 | $36.41 |
| 7 | Yale University | $73,448 | $35.31 |
| 8 | University of Michigan | $71,949 | $34.59 |
| 9 | The University System of Maryland Foundation | $71,621 | $34.43 |
| 10 | UC Merced | $70,586 | $33.94 |
| 11 | Carnegie Mellon University | $70,344 | $33.82 |
| 12 | The Catholic University of America | $70,163 | $33.73 |
| 13 | University of Illinois Springfield | $69,755 | $33.54 |
| 14 | University of Maryland, Baltimore | $69,469 | $33.40 |
| 15 | TTI Maumee Equipment | $69,069 | $33.21 |
| 16 | Texas A&M University–Central Texas | $69,053 | $33.20 |
| 17 | Arizona State University | $69,014 | $33.18 |
| 18 | University of Rhode Island | $68,836 | $33.09 |
| 19 | University | $68,691 | $33.02 |
| 20 | The University of Alabama | $68,174 | $32.78 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Assistant research scientist salary trends
The average assistant research scientist salary has risen by $13,281 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average assistant research scientist earned $49,499 annually, but today, they earn $62,780 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for assistant research scientists over the last decade.
Compare assistant research scientist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average assistant research scientist salary over time
Compare assistant research scientist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Assistant research scientist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $62,800 | $30.18 | +3.5% |
| 2024 | $60,600 | $29.14 | +1.8% |
| 2023 | $59,500 | $28.61 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | $58,700 | $28.21 | +6.1% |
| 2021 | $55,100 | $26.49 | +1.6% |
Recently added assistant research scientist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York State Psychiatry Institute | Assistant Research Scientist | New York, NY | 06/28/2025 | $55,652 |
| Johns Hopkins University | Assistant Research Scientist (Prep0003540)-#Faculty | Gaithersburg, MD | 06/24/2025 | $55,000 |
| UCLA | Assistant Researcher | Los Angeles, CA | 06/20/2025 | $90,200 |
| Angelo State University | Assistant Professor/Research Scientist | San Angelo, TX | 05/28/2025 | $71,333 |
| Johns Hopkins University | Assistant Research Scientist-Computational Immuno-Oncology | Baltimore, MD | 05/23/2025 | $74,500 |
| New York University | Assistant Research Scientist | Fine, NY | 05/22/2025 | $41,740 |
| Aurobindo Pharma Ltd. | Assistant Scientist, Inhalation Research and Development | Durham, NC | 05/20/2025 | $55,000 |
| University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science | Assistant Research Scientist | Maryland | 05/16/2025 | $55,000 |
| Health Research, Inc. | Assistant Research Scientist | Albany, NY | 04/25/2025 | $53,357 |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Il | Assistant Research Scientist, Archaeology-Illinois State Archaeological Survey | Urbana, IL | 04/17/2025 | $72,000 |
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