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Job outlook for clinical research associates in the United States
Clinical research associate job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected clinical research associate job growth rate is 6% from 2018-2028.
About 4,600 new jobs for clinical research associates are projected over the next decade.
Clinical research associate salaries have increased 15% for clinical research associates in the last 5 years.
There are over 24,921 clinical research associates currently employed in the United States.
There are 94,336 active clinical research associate job openings in the US.
The average clinical research associate salary is $62,966.
Are clinical research associate jobs in demand?
Clinical research associate job and salary trends over time
Clinical research associate jobs over time
Clinical research associate job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 24,921 | 0.01% |
| 2020 | 25,291 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 22,574 | 0.01% |
| 2018 | 20,087 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 18,737 | 0.01% |
Average clinical research associate salary over time
Clinical research associate salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $62,966 | $30.27 | +6.8% |
| 2025 | $58,931 | $28.33 | +4.2% |
| 2024 | $56,539 | $27.18 | +4.1% |
| 2023 | $54,307 | $26.11 | --0.7% |
| 2022 | $54,708 | $26.30 | --0.3% |
Clinical research associate jobs by state
Most common states for clinical research associates
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 319 | 46% |
| 2 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 254 | 24% |
| 3 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 938 | 23% |
| 4 | Vermont | 623,657 | 135 | 22% |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,465 | 21% |
| 6 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 284 | 21% |
| 7 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 155 | 21% |
| 8 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 1,796 | 20% |
| 9 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,131 | 20% |
| 10 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 207 | 20% |
| 11 | California | 39,536,653 | 7,351 | 19% |
| 12 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,027 | 18% |
| 13 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 343 | 18% |
| 14 | Delaware | 961,939 | 173 | 18% |
| 15 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 160 | 18% |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 2,137 | 17% |
| 17 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 603 | 17% |
| 18 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 348 | 17% |
| 19 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 1,680 | 16% |
| 20 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 484 | 16% |
Most common cities for clinical research associates
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annapolis | 20 | 51% | $71,597 |
| 2 | Lansing | 46 | 40% | $72,708 |
| 3 | Alhambra | 14 | 16% | $82,664 |
| 4 | Boston | 52 | 8% | $74,911 |
| 5 | Baton Rouge | 19 | 8% | $54,964 |
| 6 | Atlanta | 32 | 7% | $63,892 |
| 7 | Saint Paul | 20 | 7% | $68,222 |
| 8 | Orlando | 17 | 6% | $59,592 |
| 9 | Miami | 20 | 4% | $61,102 |
| 10 | San Diego | 32 | 2% | $79,517 |
| 11 | Jacksonville | 16 | 2% | $57,883 |
| 12 | Indianapolis | 15 | 2% | $66,370 |
| 13 | Washington | 15 | 2% | $57,284 |
| 14 | Los Angeles | 26 | 1% | $82,749 |
| 15 | Houston | 19 | 1% | $63,919 |
| 16 | Phoenix | 17 | 1% | $76,770 |
| 17 | Dallas | 14 | 1% | $61,014 |
| 18 | New York | 17 | 0% | $66,914 |
Clinical Research Associate job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of clinical research associate experts
Swarthmore College
Florida Gulf Coast University
Stephen F. Austin State University
University of Minnesota
Stevens Institute of Technology
Drexel University
Franklin and Marshall College
Morehouse School of Medicine
McMurry University
The University of Iowa
State University of New York at Oswego
Portland State University
Stonehill College
Ohio State University
Ohio State University
What will help Clinical Research Associates increase their earning potential?
Michael Brown: I think having a suite of skills is the best strategy. Our graduates learn physics analysis and problem solving skills, but also computer modelling skills, experimental techniques, writing skills, and even how to make an effective presentation.
What technical skills for a Clinical Research Associate stand out to employers?
Marianela Rivera Ph.D.: In the past, technology was not necessarily one of the main concerns for people interested in romance languages, literatures, and linguistics; however, even before the pandemic, a variety of platforms and resources were made available to facilitate teaching courses related to those fields. The pandemic has highlighted the need to adapt to evolving times, so now technical skills are definitely something employers look for in potential candidates in addition to teaching and research excellence. Knowledge of and experience in online course development, technical writing, social media management, learning management systems, and project management are definitely skills that would stand out to employers.
Hunter Hampton Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorStephen F. Austin State University
Department of History
How have salaries changed over time for Clinical Research Associates?
Hunter Hampton Ph.D.: This is difficult to answer because of the variety of fields that someone with a history degree can go into. They range from lawyers, museum curators, writers, business owners, teachers, and a few that get a Ph.D to teach at the college level. For my field as a professor specifically, the salaries are near flat over the past four years. I don't foresee them improving in the near future as state funding continues to decline for higher education. But I do believe that the salary for history majors will increase as employers continue to see the value of hiring humanities graduates.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Clinical Research Associate job market given the pandemic?
Hunter Hampton Ph.D.: As someone who graduated from college in 2008 and sought refuge in graduate school, I believe we will see a similar influx in graduate student enrollments over the next two or three years as the economy hopefully recovers. Immediately after I graduated, I applied to about twenty minimum-wage retail jobs. I got two interviews and only one job offer. I saw graduate school as a tool to both buy time in hopes of improved job prospects and increase my qualifications for that future job market. I could see a similar trend now. People that lost their job due to the pandemic may return to finish their undergraduate degree or begin a graduate program for the same reason that I did.
What soft skills should all Clinical Research Associates possess?
Lee Penn Ph.D.: I hear over and over again from recruiters - they want candidates with strong backgrounds in their majors PLUS two things.
1 - experience with data science, statistics, or some kind of computer science
2 - soft skills (communication, playing well with other, collaboration, etc...)
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Clinical Research Associate job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Ionut Florescu: When the pandemic started in March 2020 the job market drained. I had students with internships blocked and job offers rescinded over night. The fact that we had 87% employment 3 months after graduation for the program I am leading, during pandemic times I think is a testimonial of the strength of our career development team. This changed in December 2020 and I believe this spring we will see a return to normality. We are already doing better than last year and the semester is not even finished.
I am seeing all interviews going online even for companies that are next to us. So, in theory at least, our advantage being right next to Manhattan and Jersey City is not as prominent as before the pandemic. Yet, in the last two months our students are doing as well as before the pandemic. The reason, I think they keep coming back to us is tradition and the fact that our graduates are very technically sound.
Our undergraduate program Quantitative Finance was completely unaffected by the pandemic. The reason is the students typically get offers in their third year. So seniors were unaffected and juniors are now getting offers. This is because the QF program is extremely technical. It probably is the only program in Business Schools in US where students are taking Calc I through IV, and more probability and statistics than any engineering program. I think going forward, those traits are going to become the norm not the exception. I believe every graduate in the future will need to know how to program.
What soft skills should all Clinical Research Associates possess?
Dr. Ionut Florescu: I believe in terms of soft skills, every graduate should be able to explain the results of their complex models to someone who isn't technically sound. So, presentation skills are extremely important. Then the capability of approaching a presenter at a conference or workshop and ask pertinent questions about what they just presented is really important. We require all our students to not only make presentations but also ask questions during other teams' presentations. I believe the most important thing as a teacher in the course is to criticize them when their presentation is not crisp or when the question isn't clear or appropriate.
Rogelio Minana Ph.D.
Vice Provost for Global Engagement, Head of Global Studies and Modern LanguagesDrexel University
Office of Global Engagement
What will help Clinical Research Associates increase their earning potential?
Rogelio Minana Ph.D.: In any field, having broad global qualifications, from experience studying and living abroad to language skills and the ability to work as part of international teams, provides a clear edge. Data indicates that international/global experience leads to higher graduation rates and higher GPA in college, as well as to higher earnings and higher change of promotion to decision-making positions after graduation. Developing intercultural competency and proactively seeking and appreciating diversity, both domestic and international, are critical not only for a healthy job market but also for a fairer society.
Fronefield Crawford
ProfessorFranklin and Marshall College
Department of Physics and Astronomy
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Clinical Research Associates?
Fronefield Crawford: For astronomy and astrophysics, there are no specific licenses or certifications, but probably the two biggest skills that one graduates with that are immediately applicable are coding skills (usually Python) and quantitative problem solving skills. A third and fourth skill set that are often overlooked that majors develop (at least in the libral arts environment where I teach), is the ability to write/speak/present clearly and the ability to work as part of a team. These are critical skills that are not usually part of the formal course curriculum but are developed throughout during coursework.
Dr. DeQuan Smith
Assistant Director, Graduate Education & Career ConnectionsMorehouse School of Medicine
Division of Graduate Education in Biomedical Sciences
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Clinical Research Associates?
Dr. DeQuan Smith: What we are experiencing now is the most uncertain workforce since the Great Depression of the 1930s. In the coming months, new graduates by the thousands will enter the workforce eager to make their mark on the world. For graduates across the nation, many will enter their new careers remotely forcing them to adapt to new ways of learning and working post pandemic. It is increasingly important now that future graduates begin to construct a "Game Plan". I highly encourage graduates to explore alternative forms of networking, communicating their skillsets, and strategies diversifying themselves from the competition of the workforce. Graduates should also consider high demand careers where their transferable skillsets can make a significant contribution in fields such as: Biotechnology, Health Informatics, Data Science and other related careers within the scientific and technological fields. The coronavirus will have an unprecedented impact on our graduates; however, this provides an opportunity for our graduates to emerge as better thinkers, stronger communicators, and more agile leaders.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Clinical Research Associates?
Dr. DeQuan Smith: I have found that many of the project management certifications such as the Project Management Professional (PMP), PMI Agile Certified practitioner (PgMP) has been increasingly attractive to employers seeking candidates in the corporate sector. Pertaining to courses, I recommend, "LinkedIn Learning," as this platform provides curated content that many seeking to develop professionally can benefit from. Offerings range from, preparing for a job interview to learning a new skill such as how to write a resume, cover letter, or even how to code.
What soft skills should all Clinical Research Associates possess?
Dr. DeQuan Smith: Adaptability, collaboration, learning agility, emotional intelligence, creativity, interpersonal communication, growth mindset, focus mastery, and innovation.
Daniel Patten Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorMcMurry University
Department of Sociology and Criminology
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Clinical Research Associates?
Daniel Patten Ph.D.: I think it is safe to say yes. The tougher question is what those impacts are likely to be. Some of those impacts can already be seen. According to some recent research, COVID has impacted students very differently, usually split down lines of social class. For example, many students have delayed graduation with the poorest students most likely to do so. Other impacts have been the loss of a job, internship, or job offer after graduation. All of these will likely have lasting impacts for the future. Most prominently, many graduates can expect lower earnings for longer parts of their career than past generations. Unfortunately, this effect will be more pronounced for students coming from low-income families. One reason for this among many is a lack of social networking opportunities. College can be a time where low-income students expand their social capital by building relationships with others of different social backgrounds. The COVID world is even more segregated than before despite technological systems designed to keep us connected.
All of these impacts say nothing about health-related impacts. Of course, little is known about the long-term health complications associated with COVID. Yet, medical bills may linger alongside college debt for many students. College is also a time for heightened anxiety without COVID where mental illness tends to manifest. COVID can only serve to exacerbate such an issue. Many of these issues could be alleviated to some degree depending on our societal response to these problems. However, at this time, many students are finding little succor for major problems.
Lastly, it is hard to say what the impacts of limiting social life will be. Many students will have to go without entirely or experience quite different alternatives to many traditional social gatherings. It is often in these spaces and through these experiences we gain informal skills that employers seek such as oral communication skills, especially those that are more impromptu.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Clinical Research Associate job market given the pandemic?
Katina Lillios: Anthropologists are trained in critical thinking and in developing solutions to the challenges that we face in our global community. Because of their distinctive skills in critical thinking and in analyzing problems that engage with cultural differences, graduates with anthropology degrees are found in a wide range of job settings, from educational institutions, governmental agencies, non-profit organizations, and corporations, particularly those involving cross-cultural markets and goods. Most students graduating with a BA or BS in Anthropology do not go into academia. The pandemic has created significant budget challenges in all these settings, however. Given that, there with likely be a bottleneck in new positions for a few years, and college graduates will need to be patient, resourceful, and flexible. They should seek or create opportunities to keep up their skills, perhaps even in settings they did not imagine working in, and maintain connections with the communities they hope to work with and in. In academic institutions, there will likely be an increasing shift to online delivery of courses, so aspiring instructors (students graduating with an MA or PhD) might want to think about developing the skills and content for some online courses they hope to teach.
What skills stand out on Clinical Research Associate resumes?
Katina Lillios: While the precise skills that are desired depend on the job, there are some that all graduates from an Anthropology program should work on developing. These include experience contributing to group projects, collaborating with diverse communities, strong communication and writing skills, versatility, and mastery of a specialized skill, such as GIS, a foreign language, statistics, and other digital technologies.
Ryan Barker
Visiting InstructorState University of New York at Oswego
Departments of Biological Sciences and Health Promotion and Wellness
What Clinical Research Associate skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Ryan Barker: Gap years are great for experience, do your best to find a job on the ground in your local area but keep mastering things like Zoom or Webex and other telecommunication services. Take the time to set up a designated site in your apartment or home and be prepared to use it because foriegn firms want American talent to strength their presence in the American and global market.
What experience really stands out on Clinical Research Associate resumes?
David Cadiz MBA, Ph.D.: Based on feedback I have been getting from organizations that have been interviewing and hiring our new graduates, there are two primary components on new graduate resumes that are setting these new graduates apart in terms of those getting more interest for interviews versus those who are not. First, students who have had at least one HR-specific internship (multiple internships would be even better) are definitely seeing more interest from employers. A lot of entry-level HR jobs are asking for applicants with some HR experience and those with internships can meet that requirement and essentially get passed that first hurdle. Second, I am a bit biased here because I am a faculty advisor for a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) student group at PSU, but students that actively participate and take on a leadership role in a student group have seen a lot of interest from employers. By participating in these groups, the students are able to show employers that they have gained some leadership skills and are willing to go over and beyond in terms of spending time volunteering for a group that is focused on developing HR professionals.
What general advice would you give to a Clinical Research Associate?
David Simon: When I was in college back, in ancient times, the default assumption was that undergraduates in physics would go on to graduate school and would then pursue academic careers in physics. The curriculum was therefore designed with that single goal in mind. In recent years, however, the range of career paths has considerably widened. A well-prepared recent graduate with a degree in physics has a number of non-academic options.
One considerable asset that physics students possess is a strong set of quantitative skills. Especially when coupled with some computational experience, this makes physics graduates a valuable commodity in many fields. For example, for decades, students with physics degrees have often found employment in finance-related industries.
More recently, physics and applied math students have been in strong demand in other areas such as epidemiology, pharmaceutical development, biomedical research, and machine learning, where facility at working with mathematical models of real-world phenomena is vital.
One skill that is widely overlooked, but essential for nearly all technical fields, is a facility with verbal and written communication. Nearly all technical jobs, whether academic, industrial or in government or nonprofit positions, will require constant writing and at least occasional public speaking on technical matters. A student who has taken classes to hone these skills will be at a distinct advantage.
How would you rate the starting salaries for Clinical Research Associates, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
David Simon: According to the American Institute of Physics Employment & Careers Report in Physics (available at aip.org/statistics/reports/employments-and-careers-physics), they are starting salaries for new physics Ph.D.'s range roughly from $40k - $65k for academic positions, $60k-$75k for government positions, and $85k-115$ in the private sector. Starting salaries for recent graduates with bachelor's degrees range from about $30k-$70k. In all employment areas, salaries grow at a reasonable rate with increased experience and seniority. The unemployment rate for graduates at both the bachelor's and Ph.D. levels have been well below 10% in recent years.
In most cases, academic positions have significantly lower starting salaries than industry, since the standard academic salary is for nine or ten months of teaching rather than for 12 months. However, the tradeoff is that academic jobs allow a greater degree of freedom in how you spend your time and what type of research you pursue. Furthermore, academic salaries can be supplemented by extra teaching, consultant work, or grant-funded summer salaries, which, in many cases, can raise a professor's total income to levels close to what would be earned in the industry. So, although salary is certainly a consideration, ultimately, the deciding factor for what type of career to pursue should be based on what type of work would make you happiest in the long term.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Clinical Research Associates to find work opportunities?
Bart Elmore: Anywhere. That is the thing about history. Once they learn how to navigate archival repositories and digital databases-core expertise acquired by a history major-and hone writing skills that allow them to broadcast their ideas to the public, history majors can really take on any job. This is really the freeing thing about being a history major. These students are not taught highly technical skills that only apply to one craft or profession. Rather, they are taught rigorous writing and researching techniques that can help them start a business, build a political campaign, or develop strategies to combat climate change. Maybe some people see the history major as limiting, but they should not. It is really liberating.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Clinical Research Associate job market given the pandemic?
Ben Brown: We are seeing a lot more online interviews and job seekers. Having an updated virtual profile is important in these times.