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Development scientist salary
Average development scientist salary
$92,514
Understanding the Salary of Development Scientists
The average salary for a Development Scientist stands at $92,514 annually, translating to about $44 per hour. This salary can vary significantly based on factors such as location, industry, and years of experience. For instance, Development Scientists in high-demand cities or specialized sectors often earn higher wages.
Salary by State
Development Scientists can expect different salaries depending on their state. States like California and Massachusetts typically offer some of the highest salaries, reflecting the concentration of biotech firms and research institutions. Meanwhile, states with emerging tech hubs may also provide competitive salaries.
Top Industries
Industries such as pharmaceuticals and biotechnology often pay the most for Development Scientists, owing to the critical nature of their work in developing new treatments and technologies. As the demand for skilled professionals in these sectors grows, so does the potential for lucrative job opportunities.
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Where can a Development Scientist earn more?
Average development scientist salary by state
The average development scientist salary in California, Montana, and Delaware are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average development scientist salary states are Nebraska, Louisiana, and Utah.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for development scientists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montana | $105,064 | $50.51 |
| 2 | Minnesota | $95,687 | $46.00 |
| 3 | Alaska | $95,558 | $45.94 |
| 4 | Delaware | $103,562 | $49.79 |
| 5 | California | $114,158 | $54.88 |
| 6 | Tennessee | $92,616 | $44.53 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $95,855 | $46.08 |
| 8 | Hawaii | $100,053 | $48.10 |
| 9 | Nevada | $89,551 | $43.05 |
| 10 | Indiana | $92,068 | $44.26 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $89,321 | $42.94 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $84,379 | $40.57 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $98,506 | $47.36 |
| 14 | Arizona | $84,739 | $40.74 |
| 15 | Wyoming | $79,601 | $38.27 |
| 16 | Maine | $94,455 | $45.41 |
| 17 | Michigan | $82,655 | $39.74 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $80,159 | $38.54 |
| 19 | Oregon | $89,126 | $42.85 |
| 20 | Washington | $87,266 | $41.95 |
| 21 | Illinois | $86,878 | $41.77 |
| 22 | Ohio | $78,007 | $37.50 |
| 23 | South Dakota | $74,845 | $35.98 |
| 24 | Maryland | $84,341 | $40.55 |
| 25 | Arkansas | $76,046 | $36.56 |
| 26 | Texas | $74,214 | $35.68 |
| 27 | New York | $83,342 | $40.07 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $73,142 | $35.16 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $78,188 | $37.59 |
| 30 | Iowa | $75,689 | $36.39 |
| 31 | Oklahoma | $76,528 | $36.79 |
| 32 | Rhode Island | $79,658 | $38.30 |
| 33 | Vermont | $79,049 | $38.00 |
| 34 | Missouri | $72,964 | $35.08 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $68,449 | $32.91 |
| 36 | Virginia | $79,228 | $38.09 |
| 37 | Colorado | $81,024 | $38.95 |
| 38 | District of Columbia | $82,881 | $39.85 |
| 39 | West Virginia | $70,238 | $33.77 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $70,647 | $33.96 |
| 41 | Kansas | $69,400 | $33.37 |
| 42 | Florida | $68,974 | $33.16 |
| 43 | Alabama | $71,737 | $34.49 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $63,337 | $30.45 |
| 45 | New Hampshire | $74,175 | $35.66 |
| 46 | Idaho | $74,391 | $35.76 |
| 47 | Georgia | $56,482 | $27.15 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $59,321 | $28.52 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $62,528 | $30.06 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $59,559 | $28.63 |
| 51 | Utah | $59,869 | $28.78 |
Highest paying cities for development scientists
The highest-paying cities for development scientists are San Francisco, CA, Wilmington, DE, and New Haven, CT.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $122,491 | $58.89 |
| 2 | Wilmington, DE | $103,704 | $49.86 |
| 3 | New Haven, CT | $98,562 | $47.39 |
| 4 | Minnetonka, MN | $95,660 | $45.99 |
| 5 | Bloomington, IN | $91,581 | $44.03 |
| 6 | Worcester, MA | $89,442 | $43.00 |
| 7 | Seattle, WA | $87,813 | $42.22 |
| 8 | Bethlehem, PA | $84,538 | $40.64 |
| 9 | Frederick, MD | $84,329 | $40.54 |
| 10 | Madison, WI | $79,999 | $38.46 |
| 11 | Cumberland, RI | $79,692 | $38.31 |
| 12 | Greenville, NC | $78,880 | $37.92 |
| 13 | Columbus, OH | $77,938 | $37.47 |
| 14 | Largo, FL | $69,801 | $33.56 |
| 15 | Pleasant Grove, UT | $59,672 | $28.69 |
| 16 | Atlanta, GA | $56,617 | $27.22 |
Development scientist salary details
A development scientist's salary ranges from $68,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $124,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a development scientist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $124,000 | $10,333 | $60 |
| 75th Percentile | $108,000 | $9,000 | $52 |
| Average | $92,514 | $7,710 | $44 |
| 25th Percentile | $78,000 | $6,500 | $38 |
| 10th Percentile | $68,000 | $5,667 | $33 |
Highest paying development scientist jobs
The highest paying types of development scientists are medical science liaison, senior scientist, and scientist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laboratory Analyst | $44,024 | $3,669 | $21.17 | 44,074 |
| Research Fellow | $53,823 | $4,485 | $25.88 | 59,746 |
| Microbiologist | $54,620 | $4,552 | $26.26 | 11,444 |
| Research Chemist | $75,843 | $6,320 | $36.46 | 53,769 |
| Chemist | $64,961 | $5,413 | $31.23 | 20,221 |
| Quality Control Analyst | $59,217 | $4,935 | $28.47 | 85,546 |
Top companies hiring development scientists now:
Which companies pay development scientists the most?
Development scientist salaries at Amazon and 10x Genomics are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average development scientist salary at companies like Genentech and Biogen are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amazon | $116,751 | $56.13 |
| 2 | 10x Genomics | $111,635 | $53.67 |
| 3 | Genentech | $110,412 | $53.08 |
| 4 | Biogen | $108,166 | $52.00 |
| 5 | AbbVie | $107,250 | $51.56 |
| 6 | Bayer | $106,642 | $51.27 |
| 7 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | $106,448 | $51.18 |
| 8 | Waters | $105,044 | $50.50 |
| 9 | Alexion Pharmaceuticals | $103,644 | $49.83 |
| 10 | FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies | $103,154 | $49.59 |
| 11 | CAMRIS International, Inc. | $102,752 | $49.40 |
| 12 | The Dow Chemical Company | $102,040 | $49.06 |
| 13 | Boehringer Ingelheim | $101,987 | $49.03 |
| 14 | Los Alamos National Laboratory | $101,811 | $48.95 |
| 15 | Broadcom | $101,811 | $48.95 |
| 16 | Horizon Pharma USA, Inc. | $101,811 | $48.95 |
| 17 | AstraZeneca | $101,645 | $48.87 |
| 18 | Gillette | $101,621 | $48.86 |
| 19 | Agilent Technologies | $101,458 | $48.78 |
| 20 | The Chemours Company | $100,857 | $48.49 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Development Scientist salary by industry
The average development scientist salary varies across industries:
- The average development scientist salary in the technology industry is $96,501, the highest of any industry.
- The average development scientist salary in the finance industry is $92,119.
- Development scientists in the finance industry earn an average salary of $78,442, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for development scientists
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $96,501 | $46.39 |
| 2 | Health Care | $92,119 | $44.29 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $91,227 | $43.86 |
| 4 | Pharmaceutical | $87,603 | $42.12 |
| 5 | Finance | $78,442 | $37.71 |
High paying development scientist jobs
Development scientist salary trends
The average development scientist salary has risen by $15,548 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average development scientist earned $76,966 annually, but today, they earn $92,514 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for development scientists over the last decade.
Compare development scientist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average development scientist salary over time
Compare development scientist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Development scientist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $92,500 | $44.48 | +3.0% |
| 2024 | $89,800 | $43.16 | +4.5% |
| 2023 | $85,700 | $41.22 | +3.2% |
| 2022 | $83,000 | $39.90 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | $81,400 | $39.14 | -2.1% |
Recently added development scientist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axogen | Clinical Development Scientist | Tampa, FL | 06/29/2025 | $100,532 |
| The Kraft Heinz Company | Scientist, Packaging Development | Glenview, IL | 06/28/2025 | $77,800 |
| Unicon Pharma | Development Scientist | West Sacramento, CA | 06/27/2025 | $121,046 |
| Regeneron Pharmaceuticals | Scientist-Protein Development | Tarrytown, NY | 06/26/2025 | $92,500 |
| Ambry Genetics | Variant Assessment Scientist I-Development (Remote-Us) | Aliso Viejo, CA | 06/21/2025 | $95,000 |
| Proclinical Staffing | Analytical Development Scientist | Bristol, PA | 06/19/2025 | $93,915 |
| Amazon.com, Inc. | Applied Scientist III, Next GEN Developer Experience | Santa Clara, CA | 06/16/2025 | $150,400 |
| Blistex Inc. | Analytical Development Scientist | Oak Brook, IL | 06/16/2025 | $95,000 |
| Retro | Preclinical Development Scientist, AAV Gene Therapy | Redwood City, CA | 06/14/2025 | $130,000 |
| Senti Biosciences | Scientist I/II, Analytical Development (Contract To) | South San Francisco, CA | 06/13/2025 | $133,568 |
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