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Job outlook for clinical research scientists in the United States
Clinical research scientist job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected clinical research scientist job growth rate is 6% from 2018-2028.
About 4,600 new jobs for clinical research scientists are projected over the next decade.
Clinical research scientist salaries have increased 15% for clinical research scientists in the last 5 years.
There are over 11,401 clinical research scientists currently employed in the United States.
There are 128,547 active clinical research scientist job openings in the US.
The average clinical research scientist salary is $99,160.
Are clinical research scientist jobs in demand?
Clinical research scientist job and salary trends over time
Clinical research scientist jobs over time
Clinical research scientist job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 11,401 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 11,639 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 10,453 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 9,332 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 8,703 | 0.00% |
Average clinical research scientist salary over time
Clinical research scientist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $99,160 | $47.67 | +6.8% |
| 2024 | $92,805 | $44.62 | +4.2% |
| 2023 | $89,038 | $42.81 | +4.1% |
| 2022 | $85,523 | $41.12 | --0.7% |
| 2021 | $86,155 | $41.42 | --0.3% |
Clinical research scientist jobs by state
Most common states for clinical research scientists
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 263 | 38% |
| 2 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 314 | 30% |
| 3 | Delaware | 961,939 | 288 | 30% |
| 4 | Vermont | 623,657 | 189 | 30% |
| 5 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 219 | 29% |
| 6 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 2,414 | 27% |
| 7 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 1,123 | 27% |
| 8 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,426 | 26% |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 346 | 26% |
| 10 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 346 | 26% |
| 11 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 2,118 | 25% |
| 12 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 218 | 25% |
| 13 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,474 | 24% |
| 14 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,362 | 24% |
| 15 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 255 | 24% |
| 16 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 2,361 | 23% |
| 17 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 816 | 23% |
| 18 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,491 | 22% |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 2,738 | 21% |
| 20 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 437 | 21% |
Most common cities for clinical research scientists
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palo Alto | 2 | 3% | $129,028 |
| 2 | Foster City | 1 | 3% | $129,136 |
| 3 | Gainesville | 1 | 1% | $77,914 |
| 4 | Pleasanton | 1 | 1% | $128,638 |
| 5 | Houston | 1 | 0% | $70,358 |
| 6 | Memphis | 1 | 0% | $67,877 |
| 7 | San Francisco | 1 | 0% | $129,245 |
Clinical Research Scientist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of clinical research scientist experts
Northeastern State University
SUNY Stony Brook
Washburn University of Topeka
Pepperdine University
University of Hawaii at Manoa
University of Dallas
Northwestern University
Santa Fe College
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
San Jose State University
Washington State University
University of Kentucky
Ohio Wesleyan University
University of Pittsburgh
University of Nebraska - Omaha
Quinnipiac University
University of Houston
Camellia Okpodu
What general advice would you give to a Clinical Research Scientist?
Camellia Okpodu: Adatation and fundamental knowledge of botanical terms will always be pivotal to the discipline; however new technologies and applications will move the bountiful the discipline. Bioinformatics, genomics; Machine learning, Remote Sensing and VR (both for instruction and field application) will be necessay skills. Also, Botanists will collaborate with experts from diverse fields (ecology, computer science, engineering) thus making effective communication and teamwork critical.skills of the future
What will help Clinical Research Scientists increase their earning potential?
Camellia Okpodu: When starting your career, maximizing your salary potential involves strategic planning and effective negotiation. Here are some of the best practices I have learned through mg own experience. I often tell graduates I didn’t know these things when I graduated. Here are tips to consider: 1. Research Industry Standards: Understand the average salary range for the position you’re pursuing. Use the La or statistics to look at national data for the position you are applying for. 2. Know Your Value: Highlight your unique skills, experience, and qualifications. Present a well-articulated case during negotiations. Make sure you include an opportunity to grow. Ask about professional organization and fees. See if that can’t be included in your salary or compensation 3. Ask About Salary Range: If asked about your salary expectations, inquire about the employer’s range first. 4. Consider Total Rewards: Look beyond the base salary. Make an evaluation about other benefits - work flexibly, professional development and employee benefits. Negotiations sets the stage for your financial well-being and long-term career progression. These are the recommendations and best practices I used when I was the director of a Center of Academic Excellence for the Intelligence Community. I received two accommodations from the Obama administration’s ODNI for putting students in jobs in the Intelligence community.
What Clinical Research Scientist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dulanjani Wijayasekara Ph.D.: Research skills and data analysis for pharmaceutical and drug development companies, Biostatistics, Bioinformatics and Medical laboratory sciences
What will help Clinical Research Scientists increase their earning potential?
Dulanjani Wijayasekara Ph.D.: Biology is a vast field with a lot of opportunities. The highest paying jobs in the field include health care, biostatisticians, data analysts, ecologists, genetic counselors, pharmacists, molecular biologists and research scientists/technicians in pharmaceutical companies. Depending on what area you would like to focus on, it would be a good idea to improve some basic skill sets that will give you an added advantage in the job market. If you are a fresh graduate many online certificate courses can be completed to give you these additional skills. You can improve upon IT skills such as biotechnology and computer literacy, research skills, and data analysis including biostatistics. You also can get some research experience by either volunteering in research labs or by gaining a master’s degree in molecular biology. This will open up many more job opportunities for you in the pharmaceutical area. Find out what career you love and work towards that by improving your skills and experience.
What general advice would you give to a Clinical Research Scientist?
Dr. Vitaly Citovsky: One cannot get high salaries with a bachelor's degree in biology. To maximize your future salary you need to get a terminal degree such as PhD or MD. Alternatively one could go to law school. If you still want to begin working after BSc, look for industry jobs; these would be low-level technicians but make much more money than in academia.
What will help Clinical Research Scientists increase their earning potential?
Dr. Vitaly Citovsky: Multi-prong advice: try to get a higher degree, look for jobs that you enjoy (e.g., research, patient care) rather than chase the money.
Susan Bjerke
Associate Professor of BiologyWashburn University of Topeka
Biological And Physical Sciences
What Clinical Research Scientist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Susan Bjerke: Maximizing your salary is important, but don’t forget that jobs can come with other benefits that may compensate for a lower starting salary. For instance, maybe you get to work out in the field instead of being tied to a desk all day. Maybe you have the opportunity to work from home some of the time. Some employers offer matches for retirement plans or discounted health insurance for spouses. Negotiating for the best salary you can makes sense, but also look into those intangibles!
What will help Clinical Research Scientists increase their earning potential?
Susan Bjerke: Some of the skills that will be important in the next 3-5 years will be general critical thinking skills and the ability to adapt to changing technology. Almost all science fields are increasingly dependent on technology, so being able to learn new skills and change the way you do things in your job will be important. Being an effective communicator, both in writing and orally, is an overlooked skill in the sciences and is always an important asset.
What general advice would you give to a Clinical Research Scientist?
Rachel Tan Ph.D.: I do not have an answer for this. My response would be to be proactive during undergraduate studies, to discern where you find joy and curiosity. Pursue that topic. I do not think that the salary should be the priority when considering careers.
What Clinical Research Scientist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Rachel Tan Ph.D.: The scientific method: to be able to find, read, interpret, understand, and implement research. Not only would this enhance personal skills and critical thinking, it could contribute to techniques and methods that could be performed; it could foster questions that would be important in advancing the field; and could set apart an individual.
What will help Clinical Research Scientists increase their earning potential?
Rachel Tan Ph.D.: Listen and be curious: ask questions (the why and how?), ask for opportunities, do extra readings outside of work. Aim for excellence: treat each assigned task as priority–go above and beyond. Connect: talk to colleagues, your boss, staff–be excited to learn from others. Be grateful: constantly reflect on the small details that led you to this point, for gratitude gives you foundation for joy during your career.
What Clinical Research Scientist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Qing Li: AI will become more important and prevalent in the field in the next 3-5 years but laboratory experiments will continue to make new discoveries.
What general advice would you give to a Clinical Research Scientist?
Dr. Prajay Patel Ph.D.: Know your worth when negotiating your salary/contract, and know competitive rates from similar positions being marketed.
What Clinical Research Scientist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Nathaniel Stern: Computational and programming skills are always useful in many fields. This will continue, since much of physics is highly specialized and benefits from new advances. Writing and speaking will continue to matter. High quality communication brings success and recognition to one’s technical work. As one proceeds deeper into scientific career, this communication becomes more important, not less. New technologies change the mode of communication, but they do not replace the natural and learned skills that make one effective at communicating with and convincing other.
What will help Clinical Research Scientists increase their earning potential?
Nathaniel Stern: Within academic physics, your potential can be maximized by doing impactful work in graduate school that matters to other people. The next step is to communicate this impact broadly, and then figure out how to take the next step in the field. That is a lot of steps, but if one can successfully do those things in graduate school, they can build the profile, community, and intellectual leadership to demand the highest salary. Outside of academic physics, the requirements are probably not that different, but I do not have explicit knowledge of them myself. So I would fall back on the standard goals of innovation and communication, which should help one succeed in any knowledge-related career.
What general advice would you give to a Clinical Research Scientist?
Dr. Melanie Wilcox Ph.D., ABPP: There are some exciting new career pathways for Experimental Psychologists as technology continues to shift the world of work; for example, User Experience (UX) research is a great potential career pathway for Experimental Psychologists.
What will help Clinical Research Scientists increase their earning potential?
Dr. Melanie Wilcox Ph.D., ABPP: This is more difficult to answer as it highly depends on the person! What matters most in career choice is whether the chosen occupation is a good fit for your interests, skills, values, and priorities. If you enjoy research, consider yourself to be a data-driven and curious person, and like to engage in work that benefits people, organizations, and/or society, Experimental Psychology could be a great fit. If you prefer to help people more directly such as through psychological services, then Clinical, Counseling, or School psychology may be a better fit; Experimental Psychology is solely a research-focused path.
What will help Clinical Research Scientists increase their earning potential?
Meghan McGee-Lawrence Ph.D.: Cast a wide net! A huge variety of career paths can be pursued with a degree like this, including industry, academic research, healthcare, education, and more. It is a very versatile degree, and can be a foundation for a multitude of different professions. Talk to recent graduates from your program (as many as possible!) and see what they did with their degree – the more information you can collect, the better prepared you’ll be to seek out opportunities yourself. Take the time to figure out where your interests lie – and understand that you may have to try a few different paths out before you find the right one for you. The first position you land after graduation doesn’t have to be the job you perform for the next 30 years of your life – so use each opportunity as a learning experience to figure out what you’d really like to do long-term.
What general advice would you give to a Clinical Research Scientist?
Jeff Heslep: Find a starting job that gives you a wide range of work to perform. The more experience you can gain during the first few years will help you to hone your skills, decide what areas interest you the most, and give you the opportunity to choose. Learn as much as you can about the various equipment, analytical techniques, processes, and how to troubleshoot minor problems. Take the initiative and ask to learn how to use instruments you aren't familiar with. It is unlikely someone will deny you the opportunity to broaden your knowledge. Take every chance you have to network and get to know the people within your local biotechnology industry. Networking plays a major role in employment opportunities. Work on your written and verbal communication skills. Communicating well will help you stand out. Being able to effectively convey complex scientific concepts in such a way that anyone can understand it can be a powerful skill.
What general advice would you give to a Clinical Research Scientist?
Jacob Nordman: Salary potential in my field of neuroscience almost always involves publications, awards, and technical acumen. Therefore, as I mentioned, it is important to start early looking for opportunities that can strengthen these areas. Another important aspect of getting high-profile, and thus high-paying, positions, is being able to tell a story with your research and career. Employers want to see that you have thought deeply and strategically about your career and where it’s going. This will allow them to believe you are a safe bet and worthy of their investment.
What will help Clinical Research Scientists increase their earning potential?
Jacob Nordman: In the field of neuroscience, the field is increasingly concerned with cellular and pathway specificity – what are the cell types and pathway that control ever-specific physiological functions. Some tools necessary to probe these questions include the powerful single-cell RNA sequencing method, genetic tools like optogenetics and chemogenetics that allow for neural pathway-specific manipulations, and increasingly sophisticated computer models that incorporate machine learning and artificial intelligence. These techniques will only become more precise and integral, so familiarity with them now will set you up to learn the newer versions later.
Dr. Harit Agroia
Adjunct Professor of Public HealthSan Jose State University
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences
What will help Clinical Research Scientists increase their earning potential?
Dr. Harit Agroia: The Health Science Researcher is a dynamic profession to enter into now given that the world has collectively experienced the significant impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; the effects on social and behavioral patterns for which are largely unknown. From a clinical perspective, there are many opportunities to get involved in research that focuses on the impacts of long-COVID on physical and overall health especially among subsets of the population. The pandemic has also exacerbated health inequities for which there is definitely a need to conduct more qualitative research to hear the voices of impacted communities, the challenges they face, and what may be helpful ways that these challenges can be addressed. Aside from global pandemic related research, there are many other exciting aspects of entering into this profession such as to understand how artificial intelligence will play a role in improving individual and population-level health.
What will help Clinical Research Scientists increase their earning potential?
Lindsey du Toit: Take every opportunity you can to learn, network, and build an effective team of people that bring a greater breadth and depth of skills and expertise to the work on which you will be focusing. Cultivate a life-long sense of intellectual curiosity and learning. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Treat ignorance as an opportunity to learn. Questions demonstrate you want to understand the situation/problem effectively and that you are paying attention. Always demonstrate integrity in your work. It is one of the most valuable traits you can bring to your career. Be kind and supportive of your colleagues.
Dr. David Harmon
Professor of Animal & Food SciencesUniversity of Kentucky
Animal Sciences
What general advice would you give to a Clinical Research Scientist?
Dr. David Harmon: Reading and writing skills are never more important. If you want to do research you have to compete for funds.
What will help Clinical Research Scientists increase their earning potential?
Dr. David Harmon: Be productive as a graduate student. Publishing is still the road to success.
What Clinical Research Scientist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Chelsea Vadnie PhD: Obtaining a research and/or teaching neuroscientist position typically requires a bachelor’s degree and a PhD. An MD can be helpful for those pursuing more clinical focused work. The path to becoming a neuroscientist can be long and challenging. Neuroscientists commonly juggle many responsibilities which may impact work-life balance. Neuroscientists frequently view their jobs as stimulating. Neuroscientist jobs often involve problem-solving and creativity. Many enjoy studying the mechanisms and structures underlying the behaviors of humans or other animals. A career as a neuroscientist provides opportunities to help others and contribute to society through research, teaching, and mentoring.
What will help Clinical Research Scientists increase their earning potential?
Chelsea Vadnie PhD: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of medical scientists is expected to grow by 10% from 2022 to 2032. We will continue to need neuroscientists to uncover the biology underlying human behavior and health. Some of the most common causes of disability in the U.S. are diseases and disorders of the nervous system. Anxiety and depression climbed during the pandemic and mental health continues to be a major public health concern. With the aging population increasing, treatments and resources for neurodegenerative disorders will be crucial. Scientific discoveries and new technologies (e.g. brain organoids, brain cell-type characterization, brain-computer interfaces, generative AI, and in vivo imaging and manipulation tools) have and will continue to propel neuroscience forward and will create opportunities for future neuroscientists.
What will help Clinical Research Scientists increase their earning potential?
Arjumand Ghazi Ph. D: Having an advanced degree such as a PhD and even a few years postdoc is a good way to start at a higher level. It often allows one to make up for the reduced earnings during the training periods while increasing long-term earnings.
Andrew Riquier Ph.D.
InstructorUniversity of Nebraska - Omaha
Neurobiology And Neurosciences
What general advice would you give to a Clinical Research Scientist?
Andrew Riquier Ph.D.: Apply for the positions you want, even if you feel underqualified. I know plenty of people who have applied for jobs they didn't quite meet the requirements for, and got hired for other reasons. In my experience, many recent graduates choose to take time to strengthen their resumes by retaking classes, working jobs they don't particularly want to get experience, etc. There is some value in that, particularly if you have been unsuccessful attaining the position you want, or if you want to see if you even enjoy that type of work. But if you are confident in what you want to do, go for it; in the worst-case scenario, you are in the same position you would be if you hadn't applied, but now you have experience applying and have potentially gained a contact in the field.
What will help Clinical Research Scientists increase their earning potential?
Andrew Riquier Ph.D.: Carve out a niche, and do things that make you stand out and be valuable in that space. For example, if you are inclined towards research, you can try and increase your publication count by volunteering or getting a job in a laboratory. Apply for any grants or fellowships that you can. This will increase your chances of getting hired at a higher salary in the future. If you want to teach, you can start by volunteering to guest lecture, adjunct some classes, create a new class that is all your own, present at teaching conferences, do analytics on your students to show how effective you are, etc. It is all about knowing what your field values and what makes people stand out.
Lisa Cuchara Ph.D.
Professor of Biomedical SciencesQuinnipiac University
Microbiological Sciences And Immunology
What Clinical Research Scientist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Lisa Cuchara Ph.D.: The first and foremost would be Critical Thinking. We live in a world where facts can be easily acquired, sometimes even by asking Siri/Alexa/ChatGPT/Google/etc. But critical thinking is timeless and priceless. I can ask anyone on the street what xyz is and they can look it up, but can they provide advice or interpret.
Also being a good steward towards science and being willing and able to communicate not just with peers as we are trained, but also with the public, the politicians, the board members. John Holdren*, stated that Scientists should be tithing at least 10 percent of their time to public service ... including activism. In the ever growing science denialism that is happening in our country being able to communicate science with the public is important. As Peter Hotaz states, "Anti-science propaganda is "killing Americans in unprecedented numbers,""
*Holdren is an American scientist who served as the senior advisor to President Barack Obama on science and technology issues through his roles as assistant to the president for science and technology, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and a Research Professor in Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government
Badri Roysam D.Sc.
Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen University Professor Chair, Electrical & Computer Engineering Department University of HoustonUniversity of Houston
Petroleum Engineering
What general advice would you give to a Clinical Research Scientist?
Badri Roysam D.Sc.: The fundamentals of the discipline, and critical thinking skills will continue to be important.