Updated April 6, 2023

Associate Scientist Salary Estimate

$76,461

$36.76 hourly

Entry level Salary
$53,000 yearly

How much does an Associate Scientist make?

The average salary for an associate scientist in the United States is $76,461. Associate scientist salaries typically range between $53,000 and $109,000 a year. The average hourly rate for associate scientists is $36.76 per hour.

Location, education, and experience impacts how much an associate scientist can expect to make. Associate scientists make the most in California, Hawaii, Tennessee, Maine, and Nevada.

Research Summary.
  • The average salary for an associate scientist is $76,461 in the US.
  • The average associate scientist salary ranges between $53,000 and $109,000 in the US.
  • Hourly rates for associate scientists in the US typically range between $25 and $52 an hour.
  • The average associate scientist salary is $105,857 in California, $101,669 in Hawaii, and $90,709 in Tennessee. These are the three highest-paying states for associate scientists in the US.
  • Phillips 66 has the highest average salary for associate scientists.
  • Manufacturing is the highest-paying industry for associate scientists in the US.

Highest Paying States For Associate Scientists

If both location and money are important to you, then you might want to check out moving to California, Hawaii and Tennessee, as these three states offer the highest salaries throughout the U.S. for associate scientists. Quite opposite of that list is the lowest paying states, which are Mississippi, South Carolina, and Louisiana.
  • State View
  • County View
Average Salary:

Associate Scientist average salary by State

RankStateAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1California$105,857$50.894,430
2New Jersey$82,031$39.441,465
3Hawaii$101,669$48.8873
4Rhode Island$83,215$40.01119
5Maine$85,901$41.30109
6Connecticut$81,189$39.03374
7Delaware$77,635$37.32170
8Tennessee$90,709$43.61350
9Washington$79,319$38.13945
10Massachusetts$76,454$36.762,378
11Nevada$85,189$40.96122
12Minnesota$80,341$38.63525
13Maryland$77,160$37.101,066
14Alaska$79,305$38.1361
15Arizona$81,077$38.98318
16Oregon$75,898$36.49416
17Montana$72,404$34.81125
18Indiana$77,888$37.45359
19New Hampshire$72,618$34.91169
20Illinois$74,470$35.801,114
21Wisconsin$70,741$34.01464
22New York$71,376$34.321,975
23Michigan$70,161$33.73541
24Pennsylvania$67,288$32.351,291
25Oklahoma$72,194$34.7175
26Virginia$66,888$32.161,222
27Wyoming$67,079$32.2550
28North Carolina$64,187$30.861,116
29District of Columbia$69,257$33.30194
30Ohio$65,484$31.48660
31Utah$62,486$30.04305
32Arkansas$66,884$32.16111
33South Dakota$60,322$29.00115
34Colorado$66,178$31.82490
35Vermont$61,641$29.6479
36Iowa$62,940$30.26231
37Idaho$61,791$29.71134
38Kentucky$62,898$30.24165
39North Dakota$57,080$27.4483
40Florida$61,939$29.78974
41Nebraska$61,209$29.43132
42Alabama$60,832$29.25168
43West Virginia$58,341$28.0579
44Texas$56,491$27.161,439
45Georgia$60,522$29.10484
46New Mexico$50,164$24.12199
47Kansas$53,821$25.88213
48Missouri$48,757$23.44546
49South Carolina$54,211$26.06274
50Mississippi$55,187$26.5372
51Louisiana$53,984$25.95150

Highest Paying Cities For Associate Scientists

RankCityAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1San Francisco, CA$113,839$54.7310
2Newark, NJ$82,166$39.503
3New Haven, CT$81,252$39.068
4Seattle, WA$80,191$38.5512
5Newark, DE$77,660$37.343
6Bloomington, IN$77,405$37.21
7Baltimore, MD$77,347$37.194
8Boston, MA$76,510$36.7811
9North Chicago, IL$74,853$35.9910
10Bartlesville, OK$72,118$34.67
11New York, NY$71,430$34.345
12Madison, WI$70,520$33.9013
13Philadelphia, PA$67,450$32.4313
14Boulder, CO$66,089$31.772
15Durham, NC$64,597$31.0610

Here Are The Five Most In Demand Cities Right Now:

  1. San Francisco, CA
  2. Newark, NJ
  3. New Haven, CT
  4. Seattle, WA
  5. Newark, DE

Associate Scientists Salary Details

Average Associate Scientist Salary Graph
Average Associate Scientist Salary Graph, Trends, and Summary

What is an Associate Scientist's Salary?

PercentileAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly Rate
90th Percentile$109,000$9,083$52
75th Percentile$92,000$7,667$44
Average$76,461$6,372$37
25th Percentile$63,000$5,250$30
10th Percentile$53,000$4,417$25

Highest Paying Types of Associate Scientists

Job TitleAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
Research Fellow$53,823$4,485$25.8859,746
Chemical Technician$42,584$3,549$20.4740,191
Quality Control Analyst$59,217$4,935$28.4785,546
Quality Control Chemist$58,892$4,908$28.3190,467
Microbiologist$54,620$4,552$26.2611,444
Chemist$64,961$5,413$31.2320,221

Here are the five companies hiring the most now:

  1. Genentech Jobs (109)
  2. Biogen Jobs (258)
  3. Amgen Jobs (217)
  4. Ncar - The National Center For Atmospheric Research Jobs (69)
  5. Merck Jobs (94)

Which Companies Pay Associate Scientists The Most?

According to our most recent salary estimates, Phillips 66 and ConocoPhillips are the highest paying companies for associate scientists.
RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Phillips 66$131,676$63.31
2ConocoPhillips$115,585$55.57
3The Art Institute of Chicago$110,037$52.90
410x Genomics$104,756$50.362
5Theranos$103,441$49.73
6Parsons$102,907$49.4726
7Genentech$101,944$49.01398
8PRO Unlimited$101,785$48.94
9Koch Industries$99,583$47.888
10JPMorgan Chase & Co.$98,475$47.3441
11Brookhaven National Laboratory$98,347$47.2828
12The Kraft Group$96,035$46.17
13Natera$95,972$46.148
14OMNOVA Solutions$94,049$45.224
15The Dow Chemical Company$93,536$44.972
16Editas Medicine$93,248$44.8313
17Sony Electronics$93,230$44.8228
18Quidel$93,151$44.78
19Biogen$92,032$44.252
20Sutro Biopharma$91,948$44.214

How Much Do Associate Scientists Make In Different Industries?

Here are some examples of how much an associate scientist salaries can based on different industries:

  1. The manufacturing industry pays associate scientists an average salary of $80,987

  2. The health care industry pay $79,184

  3. The lowest paying industry for associate scientists is the finance industry. Associate scientists in this industry earn an average salary of $73,779

Highest Paying Industries For Associate Scientists

RankIndustryAverage SalaryHourly Rate
1Manufacturing$80,987$38.94
2Health Care$79,184$38.07
3Pharmaceutical$77,437$37.23
4Finance$73,779$35.47

High Paying Associate Scientist Jobs

Associate Scientist Pay Trends

Average Associate Scientist Salary Over Time

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

    Associate Scientist Salary By Year

    YearAvg. SalaryHourly Rate% Change
    2023$76,500$36.76+3.0%
    2022$74,200$35.67+4.5%
    2021$70,900$34.07+3.2%
    2020$68,600$32.98+1.9%
    2019$67,300$32.35-2.1%

    Recently Added Associate Scientist Salaries

    CompanyJobLocationDate AddedSalary
    RayzebioAssociate Scientist, RadiochemistrySan Diego, CA05/03/2023$50,000
    Mount Sinai Medical CenterAssociate Scientist (DRS. Gandy and Ehrlich's LAB)-NeurologyNew York, NY05/02/2023$58,661
    Synectics Inc.Associate ScientistEast Syracuse, NY05/02/2023$85,567
    Randstad Life SciencesAssociate Scientist IIKane, IL05/02/2023$58,436
    AmyrisAssociate Scientist 2, Process Chemistry/Organic Chemist (3546)Emeryville, CA05/01/2023$72,000
    Lamb Weston Holdings Inc.Associate Sensory ScientistRichland, WA05/01/2023$52,180
    Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.Associate ScientistSouth San Francisco, CA05/01/2023$48,001
    Taconic Biosciences, Inc.Associate Scientist Molecular AnalysisRensselaer, NY05/01/2023$61,500
    Merck & Co., Inc.Scientist (Veterinary Associate)South San Francisco, CA04/30/2023$99,400
    TSR Consulting Services, Inc.Associate ScientistSeattle, WA04/30/2023$93,915

    Associate Scientist Salaries FAQs

    What State Pays Associate Scientists The Most?

    California pays Associate Scientists the most in the United States, with an average salary of $105,857 per year, or $50.89 per hour.

    How Do I Know If I'm Being Paid Fairly As An Associate Scientist?

    You know if you are being paid fairly as an Associate Scientist if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Hawaii you should be paid close to $101,669 per year.

    How Much Do Associate Scientists Make?

    Associate scientists make an average salary of $70,000 per year. This equates to about $33 per hour.

    The top ten percent of associate scientists make around $100,000 a year, while the bottom ten percent make around $50,000. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, industry, and years of experience in the profession.

    Search For Associate Scientist Jobs