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Job outlook for clinical specialists in the United States
Clinical specialist job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected clinical specialist job growth rate is 6% from 2018-2028.
About 195,400 new jobs for clinical specialists are projected over the next decade.
Clinical specialist salaries have increased 10% for clinical specialists in the last 5 years.
There are over 14,978 clinical specialists currently employed in the United States.
There are 55,670 active clinical specialist job openings in the US.
The average clinical specialist salary is $67,002.
Are clinical specialist jobs in demand?
Clinical specialist job and salary trends over time
Clinical specialist jobs over time
Clinical specialist job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 14,978 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 14,678 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 14,657 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 14,508 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 14,287 | 0.00% |
Average clinical specialist salary over time
Clinical specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $67,002 | $32.21 | +2.8% |
| 2025 | $65,197 | $31.34 | +2.2% |
| 2024 | $63,800 | $30.67 | +2.5% |
| 2023 | $62,261 | $29.93 | +2.3% |
| 2022 | $60,883 | $29.27 | +1.4% |
Clinical specialist jobs by state
Most common states for clinical specialists
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 204 | 29% |
| 2 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 180 | 17% |
| 3 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 169 | 13% |
| 4 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 205 | 12% |
| 5 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 130 | 12% |
| 6 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 103 | 12% |
| 7 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 462 | 11% |
| 8 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 84 | 11% |
| 9 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 61 | 11% |
| 10 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 769 | 10% |
| 11 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 363 | 10% |
| 12 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 323 | 10% |
| 13 | Vermont | 623,657 | 61 | 10% |
| 14 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 613 | 9% |
| 15 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 515 | 9% |
| 16 | Delaware | 961,939 | 84 | 9% |
| 17 | Florida | 20,984,400 | 1,779 | 8% |
| 18 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 741 | 8% |
| 19 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 639 | 8% |
| 20 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 511 | 8% |
Most common cities for clinical specialists
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fort Myers | 5 | 6% | $61,522 |
| 2 | Macon | 4 | 4% | $52,242 |
| 3 | Atlanta | 9 | 2% | $51,993 |
| 4 | Des Moines | 4 | 2% | $44,758 |
| 5 | Baltimore | 8 | 1% | $71,035 |
| 6 | Detroit | 8 | 1% | $62,926 |
| 7 | San Francisco | 6 | 1% | $101,045 |
| 8 | Miami | 5 | 1% | $61,652 |
| 9 | Urban Honolulu | 5 | 1% | $57,343 |
| 10 | Sacramento | 4 | 1% | $99,535 |
| 11 | Los Angeles | 17 | 0% | $91,582 |
| 12 | Chicago | 12 | 0% | $53,451 |
| 13 | Houston | 9 | 0% | $67,303 |
| 14 | New York | 8 | 0% | $85,921 |
| 15 | Phoenix | 8 | 0% | $82,393 |
| 16 | Austin | 4 | 0% | $67,401 |
| 17 | Indianapolis | 4 | 0% | $68,098 |
| 18 | Jacksonville | 4 | 0% | $58,451 |
Clinical Specialist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of clinical specialist experts
University of Delaware
Northwestern Oklahoma State University
Ashutosh Khandha Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Director, Clinical and Corporate OutreachUniversity of Delaware
Department of Biomedical Engineering
What skills will help Clinical Specialists earn the most?
Ashutosh Khandha Ph.D.: About 2/3rd of our students seek and obtain employment in business and industry (while 1/3rd pursue higher education) immediately after graduation. Biomedical engineering students at the University of Delaware get hired for the most common positions: associate scientists, quality engineers, test engineers, field engineers, process engineers, and clinical specialists. Salaries tend to vary by location, but anecdotally, compensation in the pharmaceutical and medical device spaces tends to be the highest. Biomedical engineering graduates employed in those spaces are skilled in quantitative modeling of biological processes, computer-aided design, electrical design, biomechanics, biomaterials, and cellular engineering. Exposure to manufacturing and regulatory processes, design of experiments, testing standards and protocols, quality management systems, as well as FMECA (failure mode, effects, and criticality analysis), are a huge plus for biomedical engineers. Finally, regardless of the engineering field, programming and data analysis skills will be extremely important.
What type of skills will young Clinical Specialists need?
Shelly Wells Ph.D.: As they enter the workforce, graduate nurses need a robust set of interpersonal skills, in addition to their general nursing knowledge. New nurses must be good listeners, critical thinkers, effective communicators, and problem-solvers to advocate for their patients, profession, and themselves. They must demonstrate empathy, compassion, dependability, flexibility, and a good sense of humor. The new graduate must be confident in their general nursing knowledge gained while in school and commit to learning something new every day while engaged in their nursing career.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Clinical Specialists to find work opportunities?
Shelly Wells Ph.D.: Nurses continue to be in high demand throughout the nation. While new graduate nurses may not be able to find their dream "no weekends, day shift position in their favorite specialty" right out of school, there are opportunities abound for the new nurse to build their skills to prepare for that dream position. The demand for nurses in community-based agencies is increasing. Nurses who have completed their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree find expanded leadership opportunities, public health, and non-traditional nursing positions. One does not have to live in or near a large city to find a chance to work as a registered nurse as there are countless positions in rural America waiting for the right graduate nurses.
How do you envision technology impacting Clinical Specialists in the next 5 years?
Shelly Wells Ph.D.: As technology continues to evolve and change healthcare, there will always be a role for nurses. Technology will continue to provide ways to diagnose and treat many more conditions with less invasiveness and lost time. Technology will be used to improve communication between the patient and healthcare providers as telehealth grows. New robotic surgery techniques will allow patients to recover quicker than more invasive procedures. Electronic platforms for storing health care information will improve from the current time-intensive frameworks. As the improvements continue to emerge, there will be no replacement for the problem-solving and patient-teaching skills that the registered nurse brings to the health care arena.