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Chief science officer salary
Average chief science officer salary
$126,094
Average Chief Science Officer Salary
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Chief Science Officer stands at $126,094 per year. This figure reflects the importance of this position in shaping the scientific direction of an organization. Chief Science Officers are often responsible for overseeing research initiatives, managing scientific teams, and ensuring compliance with regulations.
Salary by State
Compensation can vary significantly by location. For instance, Chief Science Officers in states like California and New York typically earn higher salaries due to a concentration of biotech and pharmaceutical companies. Conversely, positions in regions with fewer industry players may offer lower salaries. Here are some of the highest paying states for Chief Science Officers:
- California
- New York
- Massachusetts
- Texas
Industries and Opportunities
The industry also plays a crucial role in salary determination. Chief Science Officers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors often report higher earnings compared to those in academia or government roles. This role not only offers a competitive salary but also the opportunity to lead groundbreaking research and innovation.
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Where can a Chief Science Officer earn more?
Chief science officer salary estimates from across the web
Average chief science officer salary by state
The highest-paying states for chief science officers are Alaska, Washington, and Virginia. The lowest average chief science officer salary states are Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for chief science officers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $138,039 | $66.36 |
| 2 | Illinois | $141,170 | $67.87 |
| 3 | Washington | $146,689 | $70.52 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $139,532 | $67.08 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | $137,699 | $66.20 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $129,966 | $62.48 |
| 7 | Maryland | $143,515 | $69.00 |
| 8 | Utah | $144,393 | $69.42 |
| 9 | Maine | $129,990 | $62.50 |
| 10 | Alaska | $148,155 | $71.23 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $129,401 | $62.21 |
| 12 | New Jersey | $135,164 | $64.98 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $131,829 | $63.38 |
| 14 | Georgia | $128,640 | $61.85 |
| 15 | North Dakota | $125,449 | $60.31 |
| 16 | Virginia | $144,645 | $69.54 |
| 17 | California | $132,831 | $63.86 |
| 18 | New York | $129,917 | $62.46 |
| 19 | Vermont | $128,526 | $61.79 |
| 20 | Idaho | $124,572 | $59.89 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $127,596 | $61.34 |
| 22 | Texas | $125,181 | $60.18 |
| 23 | Arizona | $124,341 | $59.78 |
| 24 | Michigan | $126,237 | $60.69 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $125,434 | $60.30 |
| 26 | Oregon | $128,345 | $61.70 |
| 27 | District of Columbia | $126,794 | $60.96 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $122,985 | $59.13 |
| 29 | Indiana | $124,383 | $59.80 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $121,822 | $58.57 |
| 31 | Ohio | $122,305 | $58.80 |
| 32 | South Carolina | $122,383 | $58.84 |
| 33 | Kentucky | $121,384 | $58.36 |
| 34 | South Dakota | $116,032 | $55.78 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $117,838 | $56.65 |
| 36 | Louisiana | $121,941 | $58.63 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $114,835 | $55.21 |
| 38 | Delaware | $119,107 | $57.26 |
| 39 | Missouri | $119,229 | $57.32 |
| 40 | Colorado | $116,291 | $55.91 |
| 41 | Mississippi | $113,220 | $54.43 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $111,933 | $53.81 |
| 43 | Iowa | $112,282 | $53.98 |
| 44 | Montana | $118,338 | $56.89 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $108,194 | $52.02 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $102,501 | $49.28 |
| 47 | Alabama | $109,153 | $52.48 |
| 48 | Kansas | $101,133 | $48.62 |
| 49 | Wyoming | $97,776 | $47.01 |
| 50 | Florida | $98,385 | $47.30 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $94,298 | $45.34 |
Highest paying cities for chief science officers
The highest-paying cities for chief science officers are Seattle, WA, Salt Lake City, UT, and Chicago, IL.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle, WA | $149,958 | $72.10 |
| 2 | Salt Lake City, UT | $145,619 | $70.01 |
| 3 | Chicago, IL | $143,588 | $69.03 |
| 4 | San Francisco, CA | $140,522 | $67.56 |
| 5 | Las Vegas, NV | $138,853 | $66.76 |
| 6 | Somerville, MA | $133,074 | $63.98 |
| 7 | New York, NY | $130,333 | $62.66 |
| 8 | Smyrna, GA | $130,107 | $62.55 |
| 9 | Philadelphia, PA | $130,005 | $62.50 |
| 10 | Salem, OR | $128,879 | $61.96 |
| 11 | Lansing, MI | $126,943 | $61.03 |
| 12 | Dallas, TX | $126,371 | $60.76 |
| 13 | Eagle, ID | $125,680 | $60.42 |
| 14 | Madison, WI | $124,446 | $59.83 |
| 15 | Bowling Green, OH | $123,232 | $59.25 |
| 16 | Helena, MT | $120,385 | $57.88 |
| 17 | Dover, DE | $119,122 | $57.27 |
| 18 | Las Cruces, NM | $118,442 | $56.94 |
| 19 | Pueblo, CO | $118,197 | $56.83 |
| 20 | Brentwood, TN | $115,335 | $55.45 |
Chief science officer salary details
A chief science officer's salary ranges from $83,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $190,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a chief science officer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $190,000 | $15,833 | $91 |
| 75th Percentile | $156,000 | $13,000 | $75 |
| Average | $126,094 | $10,508 | $61 |
| 25th Percentile | $101,000 | $8,417 | $49 |
| 10th Percentile | $83,000 | $6,917 | $40 |
Highest paying chief science officer jobs
The highest paying types of chief science officers are president/chief executive officer, executive vice president, and senior vice president.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Information Technology Director | $138,906 | $11,576 | $66.78 | 87,765 |
| Information Technology Manager | $119,589 | $9,966 | $57.49 | 108,179 |
| Division Director | $120,757 | $10,063 | $58.06 | 63,545 |
| Managing Director | $129,690 | $10,808 | $62.35 | 81,022 |
| National Director | $117,786 | $9,816 | $56.63 | 53,071 |
| Vice President & General Manager | $172,487 | $14,374 | $82.93 | 252,313 |
Top companies hiring chief science officers now:
Which companies pay chief science officers the most?
Chief science officer salaries at Community Health Systems and Betco are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average chief science officer salary at companies like The Bank of Tampa and Harvard University are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Community Health Systems | $193,561 | $93.06 |
| 2 | Betco | $141,019 | $67.80 |
| 3 | The Bank of Tampa | $140,822 | $67.70 |
| 4 | Harvard University | $132,495 | $63.70 |
| 5 | Tommy John | $130,133 | $62.56 |
| 6 | The Independent Traveler | $129,859 | $62.43 |
| 7 | BGB Group | $127,405 | $61.25 |
| 8 | Stanford University | $125,987 | $60.57 |
| 9 | Mta | $125,089 | $60.14 |
| 10 | Acme Smoked Fish | $122,164 | $58.73 |
| 11 | Mercury Insurance | $119,672 | $57.53 |
| 12 | Pearson | $112,695 | $54.18 |
| 13 | Humana | $112,341 | $54.01 |
| 14 | Graham Windham | $107,598 | $51.73 |
| 15 | Michelman | $107,072 | $51.48 |
| 16 | Pueblo City-County Library District | $101,395 | $48.75 |
| 17 | University of California-Berkeley | $95,507 | $45.92 |
| 18 | ZAGG | $92,254 | $44.35 |
| 19 | Police Athletic League | $90,678 | $43.60 |
| 20 | University of Washington | $88,699 | $42.64 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Chief Science Officer salary by industry
The average chief science officer salary varies across industries:
- The average chief science officer salary in the pharmaceutical industry is $136,640, the highest of any industry.
- The average chief science officer salary in the finance industry is $127,087.
- Chief science officers in the education industry earn an average salary of $107,890, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for chief science officers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pharmaceutical | $136,640 | $65.69 |
| 2 | Energy | $127,087 | $61.10 |
| 3 | Start-up | $125,870 | $60.51 |
| 4 | Technology | $120,700 | $58.03 |
| 5 | Health Care | $119,873 | $57.63 |
| 6 | Education | $107,890 | $51.87 |
High paying chief science officer jobs
Chief science officer salary trends
The average chief science officer salary has risen by $27,646 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average chief science officer earned $98,448 annually, but today, they earn $126,094 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for chief science officers over the last decade.
Compare chief science officer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average chief science officer salary over time
Compare chief science officer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Chief science officer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $126,000 | $60.62 | +3.2% |
| 2024 | $122,000 | $58.70 | +2.6% |
| 2023 | $119,000 | $57.16 | +2.3% |
| 2022 | $116,000 | $55.84 | +2.5% |
| 2021 | $113,000 | $54.47 | +3.1% |
Recently added chief science officer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WCG | Chief AI Officer | San Francisco, CA | 06/28/2025 | $320,000 |
| State of Oregon | Chief Transformation Officer | Salem, OR | 06/18/2025 | $88,236 |
| Great Oaks Legacy Charter School | Chief People & Talent Officer | Newark, NJ | 06/05/2025 | $185,000 |
| Inquilinos Boricuas En Accion | Chief Philanthropy Officer | Boston, MA | 06/01/2025 | $165,000 |
| Bohan & Bradstreet | Chief People Officer | New London, CT | 05/28/2025 | $180,000 |
| Swbr Architecture, Engineering & Landscape Architecture, D.P.C | Chief People Officer | Rochester, NY | 05/23/2025 | $150,000 |
| Provail | Chief Advancement Officer | Seattle, WA | 05/22/2025 | $125,000 |
| Redlands Christian School | Chief Academic Officer | Redlands, CA | 05/21/2025 | $103,000 |
| Womenventure | Chief Advancement Officer | Saint Paul, MN | 05/16/2025 | $125,000 |
| University of Maryland | Chief Research Officer | Maryland | 05/02/2025 | $175,000 |
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