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Associate principal scientist salary

Average associate principal scientist salary

$112,297

$53.99 hourly rate

Entry-level associate principal scientist salary
$78,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Average Associate Principal Scientist Salary

The average salary for an Associate Principal Scientist stands at $112,297 annually, translating to about $54 per hour. This role is pivotal in conducting advanced scientific research and often requires a PhD or equivalent experience.

Salary Variation by Experience and Location

Salaries can fluctuate significantly based on experience, ranging from entry-level positions to those requiring extensive expertise. For instance, entry-level candidates might earn around $90,000, while seasoned professionals can command salaries exceeding $130,000.

Top-Paying States

States like California, Massachusetts, and New York tend to offer higher salaries for this role, often reflecting the cost of living and demand for specialized skills. Candidates in urban areas generally find more lucrative job offers compared to those in rural locations.

Job Opportunities

Job prospects for Associate Principal Scientists are robust, especially in sectors like pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and environmental science. Companies are actively seeking candidates with a strong background in research methodologies and data analysis.

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Where can an Associate Principal Scientist earn more?

Compare salary by location
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Columbus, OH$155,534
Bismarck, ND$79,852
Compare salary by company
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Schrödinger Inc$127,412
AstraZeneca$106,903

Associate principal scientist salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor and Comparably, the average salary for an associate principal scientist typically falls between $85,000 and $209,664.
zippia
$112,297yearly
glassdoor[1]
$209,664yearly
comparably[2]
$85,000yearly
Salary.com[3]
$96,688yearly

Average associate principal scientist salary by state

The average associate principal scientist salary in California, Tennessee, and Nevada are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average associate principal scientist salary states are Mississippi, Louisiana, and Kansas.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for associate principal scientists

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Montana$120,773$58.06
2Nevada$124,933$60.06
3California$145,704$70.05
4New Jersey$119,667$57.53
5Connecticut$116,312$55.92
6Arizona$118,868$57.15
7Massachusetts$107,629$51.74
8Minnesota$111,482$53.60
9Tennessee$126,364$60.75
10Oregon$104,560$50.27
11Pennsylvania$100,667$48.40
12Delaware$107,266$51.57
13Alaska$115,168$55.37
14Maine$114,781$55.18
15Indiana$118,383$56.91
16North Carolina$99,125$47.66
17Illinois$98,240$47.23
18New York$99,449$47.81
19Idaho$91,865$44.17
20Maryland$95,760$46.04
21Wyoming$89,521$43.04
22New Hampshire$91,464$43.97
23New Mexico$88,693$42.64
24Wisconsin$91,070$43.78
25West Virginia$93,325$44.87
26Vermont$96,011$46.16
27Rhode Island$94,953$45.65
28Washington$93,155$44.79
29District of Columbia$104,709$50.34
30Ohio$88,043$42.33
31Hawaii$99,405$47.79
32Florida$87,262$41.95
33Arkansas$87,301$41.97
34Virginia$83,739$40.26
35Missouri$86,618$41.64
36Colorado$85,630$41.17
37Michigan$89,186$42.88
38Georgia$88,021$42.32
39South Dakota$82,244$39.54
40Oklahoma$88,308$42.46
41Nebraska$82,918$39.86
42Texas$81,242$39.06
43North Dakota$79,981$38.45
44Alabama$84,115$40.44
45Kentucky$81,413$39.14
46Kansas$77,114$37.07
47Mississippi$78,586$37.78
48Louisiana$77,341$37.18
49South Carolina$72,474$34.84
50Utah$76,257$36.66
51Iowa$64,250$30.89
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Highest paying cities for associate principal scientists

The highest-paying cities for associate principal scientists are San Francisco, CA, Carson City, NV, and Jersey City, NJ.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1San Francisco, CA$155,534$74.78
2Carson City, NV$129,182$62.11
3Jersey City, NJ$119,823$57.61
4Indianapolis, IN$117,961$56.71
5Boston, MA$107,762$51.81
6Dover, DE$107,049$51.47
7Philadelphia, PA$100,875$48.50
8Albany, NY$100,008$48.08
9Durham, NC$99,911$48.03
10Annapolis, MD$95,845$46.08
11Charleston, WV$92,676$44.56
12Concord, NH$91,425$43.95
13Atlanta, GA$87,828$42.23
14Columbus, OH$87,540$42.09
15Cheyenne, WY$87,401$42.02
16Denver, CO$85,392$41.05
17McLean, VA$84,531$40.64
18Frankfort, KY$81,910$39.38
19Austin, TX$81,618$39.24
20Bismarck, ND$79,852$38.39

Associate principal scientist salary details

An associate principal scientist's salary ranges from $78,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $160,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average associate principal scientist salary graph
Average associate principal scientist salary graph, trends, and summary

What is an associate principal scientist's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$160,000$13,333$77
75th Percentile$135,000$11,250$65
Average$112,297$9,358$54
25th Percentile$93,000$7,750$45
10th Percentile$78,000$6,500$38

Highest paying associate principal scientist jobs

The highest paying types of associate principal scientists are medical science liaison, senior scientist, and scientist.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Fellow$66,364$5,530$31.917,459
Researcher$67,145$5,595$32.2830,498
Chemist$64,961$5,413$31.2320,221
Research Chemist$75,843$6,320$36.4653,769
Quality Control Analyst$59,217$4,935$28.4785,546
Research And Development Chemist$77,233$6,436$37.13100,225

Top companies hiring associate principal scientists now:

  1. Schrödinger Inc jobs (4)
  2. bluebird bio jobs (2)
  3. Biogen jobs (5)
  4. The Kraft Group jobs (4)
  5. PepsiCo jobs (10)

Which companies pay associate principal scientists the most?

Associate principal scientist salaries at Schrödinger and bluebird bio are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average associate principal scientist salary at companies like Biogen and PepsiCo are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Schrödinger Inc$127,412$61.26
2bluebird bio$125,736$60.45
3Biogen$121,499$58.41
4PepsiCo$118,377$56.91
5Novartis$118,340$56.89
6Catalent Pharma Solutions$115,092$55.33
7Frito-Lay$114,485$55.04
8Codiak BioSciences$114,369$54.99
9Generation Bio$114,301$54.95
10Omega Therapeutics$112,753$54.21
11Planet Pharma$112,689$54.18
12Nurix$112,249$53.97
13KSQ Therapeutics$112,030$53.86
14Gossamer Bio$111,101$53.41
15L'Oréal$109,793$52.79
16IBM$109,035$52.42
17Merck$108,674$52.25
18Avery Dennison$108,130$51.99
19Hoffmann-LA Roche Inc$108,057$51.95
20AstraZeneca$106,903$51.40

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$111,000$110,600$110,200$109,800$109,400$109,000
MaleFemale

Associate principal scientist salary trends

The average associate principal scientist salary has risen by $18,873 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average associate principal scientist earned $93,424 annually, but today, they earn $112,297 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for associate principal scientists over the last decade.

Compare associate principal scientist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average associate principal scientist salary over time

Compare associate principal scientist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Associate principal scientist salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$112,000$53.99+3.0%
2024$109,000$52.38+4.5%
2023$104,000$50.04+3.2%
2022$101,000$48.43+1.9%
2021$98,800$47.51-2.1%

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