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Health researcher salary
Average health researcher salary
$83,787
Understanding Health Researcher Salaries
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Health Researcher stands at $83,787 per year, translating to around $40 per hour. Salaries for health researchers can differ significantly depending on geographical location, years of experience, and the specific sector within healthcare. For instance, researchers working in pharmaceutical companies may earn more compared to those in academic settings.
Salary by State
In examining salaries by state, areas with higher costs of living generally offer more competitive salaries. For example, states like California and Massachusetts rank among the highest paying for health researchers, often exceeding the national average. Understanding these salary trends can be crucial for professionals considering relocation or job changes.
Career Growth Opportunities
Furthermore, health researchers can find diverse opportunities across various industries, including government, non-profit organizations, and private sectors. Positions in management or specialized research roles tend to command higher salaries, emphasizing the importance of continuous education and skill development in this field.
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Where can a Health Researcher earn more?
Health researcher salary estimates from across the web
Average health researcher salary by state
The average health researcher salary in New Jersey, Connecticut, and Maine are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average health researcher salary states are South Carolina, Idaho, and Texas.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for health researchers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indiana | $96,250 | $46.27 |
| 2 | Tennessee | $91,554 | $44.02 |
| 3 | Maryland | $101,111 | $48.61 |
| 4 | Vermont | $89,045 | $42.81 |
| 5 | Delaware | $98,227 | $47.22 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $111,707 | $53.71 |
| 7 | California | $98,499 | $47.36 |
| 8 | Arizona | $91,496 | $43.99 |
| 9 | Maine | $106,097 | $51.01 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $108,541 | $52.18 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $96,903 | $46.59 |
| 12 | Washington | $82,581 | $39.70 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $95,334 | $45.83 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $88,855 | $42.72 |
| 15 | Virginia | $89,976 | $43.26 |
| 16 | Alaska | $95,148 | $45.74 |
| 17 | Nevada | $88,934 | $42.76 |
| 18 | Ohio | $75,382 | $36.24 |
| 19 | Massachusetts | $91,656 | $44.07 |
| 20 | New York | $93,323 | $44.87 |
| 21 | North Carolina | $74,322 | $35.73 |
| 22 | Michigan | $71,618 | $34.43 |
| 23 | Arkansas | $72,131 | $34.68 |
| 24 | Montana | $85,983 | $41.34 |
| 25 | New Hampshire | $83,292 | $40.04 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $81,203 | $39.04 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $71,015 | $34.14 |
| 28 | Louisiana | $70,408 | $33.85 |
| 29 | Oregon | $81,356 | $39.11 |
| 30 | Minnesota | $68,776 | $33.07 |
| 31 | Illinois | $81,997 | $39.42 |
| 32 | Colorado | $76,524 | $36.79 |
| 33 | Alabama | $69,365 | $33.35 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $68,669 | $33.01 |
| 35 | Missouri | $67,645 | $32.52 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $74,049 | $35.60 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $67,493 | $32.45 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $63,180 | $30.38 |
| 39 | Florida | $73,256 | $35.22 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $64,031 | $30.78 |
| 41 | Idaho | $60,193 | $28.94 |
| 42 | Kansas | $63,941 | $30.74 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $63,062 | $30.32 |
| 44 | Utah | $64,255 | $30.89 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $66,301 | $31.88 |
| 46 | Georgia | $62,904 | $30.24 |
| 47 | North Dakota | $57,809 | $27.79 |
| 48 | Iowa | $49,948 | $24.01 |
| 49 | Texas | $58,830 | $28.28 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $55,969 | $26.91 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $61,311 | $29.48 |
Highest paying cities for health researchers
The highest-paying cities for health researchers are New Brunswick, NJ, New Haven, CT, and San Francisco, CA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Brunswick, NJ | $111,603 | $53.66 |
| 2 | New Haven, CT | $108,623 | $52.22 |
| 3 | San Francisco, CA | $104,575 | $50.28 |
| 4 | Baltimore, MD | $101,507 | $48.80 |
| 5 | Philadelphia, PA | $97,540 | $46.89 |
| 6 | Washington, DC | $95,298 | $45.82 |
| 7 | New York, NY | $93,279 | $44.85 |
| 8 | Cambridge, MA | $91,634 | $44.05 |
| 9 | Arlington, VA | $91,612 | $44.04 |
| 10 | Seattle, WA | $83,858 | $40.32 |
| 11 | Chicago, IL | $82,384 | $39.61 |
| 12 | Cleveland, OH | $78,613 | $37.79 |
| 13 | Aurora, CO | $76,495 | $36.78 |
| 14 | Chapel Hill, NC | $75,570 | $36.33 |
| 15 | Ann Arbor, MI | $71,162 | $34.21 |
| 16 | Saint Paul, MN | $68,878 | $33.11 |
| 17 | Albuquerque, NM | $66,086 | $31.77 |
| 18 | Salt Lake City, UT | $63,864 | $30.70 |
| 19 | Madison, WI | $61,933 | $29.78 |
| 20 | Austin, TX | $59,392 | $28.55 |
Health researcher salary details
A health researcher's salary ranges from $57,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $122,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a health researcher's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $122,000 | $10,167 | $59 |
| 75th Percentile | $102,000 | $8,500 | $49 |
| Average | $83,787 | $6,982 | $40 |
| 25th Percentile | $68,000 | $5,667 | $33 |
| 10th Percentile | $57,000 | $4,750 | $27 |
Highest paying health researcher jobs
The highest paying types of health researchers are medical science liaison, principal scientist, and senior scientist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fellow | $66,364 | $5,530 | $31.91 | 7,459 |
| Staff Scientist | $93,941 | $7,828 | $45.16 | 121,054 |
| Principal Scientist | $119,982 | $9,998 | $57.68 | 80,899 |
| Scientist | $97,344 | $8,112 | $46.80 | 62,467 |
| Doctoral Fellow | $53,366 | $4,447 | $25.66 | 22,661 |
| Postdoctoral Scholar | $57,587 | $4,799 | $27.69 | 18,983 |
Top companies hiring health researchers now:
Which companies pay health researchers the most?
Health researcher salaries at Apple and Netflix are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average health researcher salary at companies like General Dynamics Mission Systems and Amazon are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $135,951 | $65.36 |
| 2 | Netflix | $114,895 | $55.24 |
| 3 | General Dynamics Mission Systems | $105,676 | $50.81 |
| 4 | Amazon | $104,682 | $50.33 |
| 5 | Stanford Health Care | $94,063 | $45.22 |
| 6 | American Board of Emergency Medicine | $93,532 | $44.97 |
| 7 | American Institutes for Research | $91,371 | $43.93 |
| 8 | Inovalon | $91,041 | $43.77 |
| 9 | Stanford University | $90,478 | $43.50 |
| 10 | Highmark | $90,057 | $43.30 |
| 11 | Mathematica | $89,020 | $42.80 |
| 12 | Unitedheath Group | $88,112 | $42.36 |
| 13 | AVMA | $86,791 | $41.73 |
| 14 | University of Massachusetts Medical School | $86,330 | $41.50 |
| 15 | Optum | $84,781 | $40.76 |
| 16 | Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Inc. | $84,744 | $40.74 |
| 17 | Alaka`ina Foundation Family Of Companies | $83,891 | $40.33 |
| 18 | General Dynamics | $83,271 | $40.03 |
| 19 | Hennepin Healthcare | $83,248 | $40.02 |
| 20 | *n/a* | $82,617 | $39.72 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Health Researcher salary by industry
The average health researcher salary varies across industries:
- The average health researcher salary in the government industry is $85,907, the highest of any industry.
- The average health researcher salary in the finance industry is $81,659.
- Health researchers in the education industry earn an average salary of $66,673, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for health researchers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Government | $85,907 | $41.30 |
| 2 | Non Profits | $81,659 | $39.26 |
| 3 | Health Care | $79,919 | $38.42 |
| 4 | Education | $66,673 | $32.05 |
High paying health researcher jobs
Health researcher salary trends
The average health researcher salary has risen by $14,082 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average health researcher earned $69,705 annually, but today, they earn $83,787 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for health researchers over the last decade.
Compare health researcher salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average health researcher salary over time
Compare health researcher salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Health researcher salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $83,800 | $40.28 | +3.0% |
| 2024 | $81,300 | $39.08 | +4.5% |
| 2023 | $77,700 | $37.33 | +3.2% |
| 2022 | $75,200 | $36.14 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | $73,700 | $35.45 | -2.1% |
Recently added health researcher salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belcan | Health Economics, Outcomes & Reimbursement (US Heor)-Researcher | Downe, NJ | 06/28/2025 | $98,131 |
| Illinois State University | GA Research-Aced, Department of Health Sciences-Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 | Normal, IL | 06/10/2025 | $18,120 |
| Elevance Health | Researcher Senior-Health Services Research | Norfolk, VA | 03/18/2025 | $105,156 |
| Elevance Health | Researcher Senior-Health Services Research | Mason, OH | 03/18/2025 | $105,156 |
| Elevance Health | Researcher Senior-Health Services Research | Louisville, KY | 03/15/2025 | $105,156 |
| Elevance Health | Researcher Senior-Health Services Research | South Portland, ME | 03/15/2025 | $105,156 |
| Elevance Health | Researcher Senior-Health Services Research | Indianapolis, IN | 03/15/2025 | $105,156 |
| Elevance Health | Researcher Senior-Health Services Research | Saint Louis, MO | 03/15/2025 | $105,156 |
| Elevance Health | Researcher Senior-Health Services Research | Washington, DC | 03/15/2025 | $105,156 |
| Elevance Health | Researcher Senior-Health Services Research | Wilmington, DE | 03/15/2025 | $105,156 |
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