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Job outlook for market research assistants in the United States
Market research assistant job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected market research assistant job growth rate is 19% from 2018-2028.
About 150,300 new jobs for market research assistants are projected over the next decade.
Market research assistant salaries have increased 5% for market research assistants in the last 5 years.
There are over 18,411 market research assistants currently employed in the United States.
There are 56,945 active market research assistant job openings in the US.
The average market research assistant salary is $52,790.
Are market research assistant jobs in demand?
Market research assistant job and salary trends over time
Market research assistant jobs over time
Market research assistant job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 18,411 | 0.01% |
| 2020 | 17,465 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 17,170 | 0.01% |
| 2018 | 16,150 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 15,093 | 0.00% |
Average market research assistant salary over time
Market research assistant salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $52,790 | $25.38 | +3.2% |
| 2024 | $51,169 | $24.60 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | $50,632 | $24.34 | --0.2% |
| 2022 | $50,720 | $24.38 | +1.1% |
| 2021 | $50,183 | $24.13 | +0.7% |
Market research assistant jobs by state
Most common states for market research assistants
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 171 | 25% |
| 2 | Vermont | 623,657 | 104 | 17% |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,123 | 16% |
| 4 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 168 | 16% |
| 5 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 633 | 15% |
| 6 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 183 | 14% |
| 7 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 727 | 13% |
| 8 | Delaware | 961,939 | 124 | 13% |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 1,477 | 12% |
| 10 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 686 | 12% |
| 11 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 101 | 12% |
| 12 | California | 39,536,653 | 4,347 | 11% |
| 13 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 954 | 11% |
| 14 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 900 | 11% |
| 15 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 319 | 10% |
| 16 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 196 | 10% |
| 17 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 100 | 10% |
| 18 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 58 | 10% |
| 19 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 1,198 | 9% |
| 20 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 323 | 9% |
Most common cities for market research assistants
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco | 1 | 0% | $46,783 |
Market Research Assistant job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of market research assistant experts
College of New Jersey, The
North Dakota State University
University of Nebraska - Omaha
Middlebury College
Lafayette College
Furman University
University of North Georgia
Seattle University
Dillard University
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
Illinois State University
Montana State University
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Elizabethtown College
University of New Hampshire
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Grove City College
Chrissy Daeschner OTD, MS, OTR/L
Capstone CoordinatorWhat general advice would you give to a Market Research Assistant?
Chrissy Daeschner OTD, MS, OTR/L: By saying "Yes". Most companies have standard salaries or small scale for adjusting salary. Per Diem jobs, research interventionist, additional weekend on call, adjunct jobs, and other opportunities gives you the ability to increase salary and opportunities.
What Market Research Assistant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Chrissy Daeschner OTD, MS, OTR/L: Research skills will be extremely important as the use of evidence-based research in practice and value-based services are imperative. Leadership and entrepreneurship skills will also be important as we promote programming and services in community-based settings.
What will help Market Research Assistants increase their earning potential?
Chrissy Daeschner OTD, MS, OTR/L: I would suggest they keep an open mind and don't be fearful of the unknown, embrace it. I think there is a lot of stress of a getting a certain job or style of job, but taking different opportunities increases your connections and experiences.
What Market Research Assistant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Piper Williams PhD: I would advise a graduate to reflect on what they've learned about the contributions, experiences, history and present reality of people of African descent in the New World. In addition, thinking about the skills they developed related to the major in African American Studies, including but not limited to: Research and Analysis, Writing, Public Speaking, Project Development and Completion, Ethical Reasoning, Listening, Teamwork and Collaboration, Perspective-Taking, Awareness of Context and what they call 'Cultural Competence. Use this education, to make the case that in addition to all the skills you can bring, the education offered by AAS will allow you to distinguish yourself as a candidate who can meet the needs the current moment demands. Black Americans encounter implicit racism in all walks of life: medicine and healthcare, law, politics and gov't, business and industry, performing arts and entertainment, sports, education, news media and social, community and humanitarian services. With this degree, you can enter almost any field and be more equitable to everyone you meet. (And by the way, in the list above, there are a number of people with a degree in African American Studies.)
What will help Market Research Assistants increase their earning potential?
Dr. Piper Williams PhD: As the chair of African American Studies (AAS) at TCNJ, I know that an AAS major combines the strengths of the traditional liberal arts major with the community engagement, cultural, and social awareness that is at the heart of the African American scholarly tradition. Students graduating with a degree in African American Studies will have the intellectual and practical tools to pursue any number of careers requiring analytical ability, cultural competence, and creative problem-solving skills.
What general advice would you give to a Market Research Assistant?
Christina Weber PhD: There are a number of skills that will be important. Soft skills such as creativity, adaptability, collaboration, emotional intelligence, and persuasion. In addition, there is a growing need for folks who have high cultural competence, especially with understanding the experiences of diverse groups. Finally, there is a need for folks to have skills in social science research—understanding how to develop research projects, conduct surveys, focus groups, as well as experience with programs such as GIS, SPSS, and r-studio.
What Market Research Assistant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Christina Weber PhD: As stated above, I think that having the skills listed above with help a lot with this. I also think that doing research on the field they are entering, so they know the typical salary can help folks with negotiating their salary.
What will help Market Research Assistants increase their earning potential?
Christina Weber PhD: My advice to students is to use the Career Center for support—practice interviewing, have several people read their resume. I also suggest people get on LinkedIn and start to develop their professional networks. Finally, I think folks should understand that careers happen over time and that your first job will likely not be your only job and that many people have winding career trajectories. It’s important to stay open and adaptable to the job market. Also, do not sell your skills short. You have a lot to add to the professional landscape.
What general advice would you give to a Market Research Assistant?
John Lyden: Research skills (ability to find and interpret information), oral and written communication skills (ability to present information clearly), data analysis and interpretation, language interpretation and translation. Computer facility will be highly valued. Employers will include those in higher education, government, non-profits, research institutes, and museums.
What Market Research Assistant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
John Lyden: You should realize that your degree can lead to many careers, and that you can even change your career direction easily. Your degree has given you important skills in communication, critical thinking, analysis, and problem solving. Employers will see that you are good at adapting to new tasks and learning new skills that go well beyond the content you have studied.
What Market Research Assistant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jeffrey Knopf: Getting your foot in the door is still the most important first step. For example, if you can get a government job, even if it's not your preferred position, it becomes easier to learn about other openings and to move lateral to something better. Doing a good job also helps. If you prove your worth to employers, they will want to keep you and promote you, or your bosses may want to bring you with them if they move elsewhere. Finally, it is good to have specific skills or training you can highlight. These might include being fluent in other languages or having data analytics skills, among others.
What Market Research Assistant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Brett Hendrickson PhD, MDiv (he/him): Religious Studies majors who wish to maximize their salary potential should be bold in articulating the digital research tools that they learned as part of their education. Religious Studies graduates know how to use and assess historical and cultural data from multiple online data sources. They should also emphasize their excellent interpersonal skills and that they are well-versed in interacting with diverse people on highly sensitive topics.
What will help Market Research Assistants increase their earning potential?
Brett Hendrickson PhD, MDiv (he/him): The skills that will be even more important in the near and long-term future are culturally-competent communication, problem-solving and critical thinking, and information literacy.
What Market Research Assistant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Lori Bruce MA, MBE, HEC-C: If you only have a Bachelor’s degree in bioethics, your best bet is probably to get a position within research ethics. These positions are in academic institutions or private industry, and you can move up in management. You could work in Human Research Subject Protection, or for an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees. All these positions mean you would review research studies and suggest modifications to ensure they are in line with federal standards. This is important work to safeguard trust in medicine!
What will help Market Research Assistants increase their earning potential?
Lori Bruce MA, MBE, HEC-C: Multidisciplinary partnership is critical, since bioethicists can be “gatekeepers;” their policies may influence which members of the public receive certain health services, and which do not receive them.
Knowledge, applied cautiously! It’s important to have a nuanced understanding of many bioethics principles and theories, and apply them with caution, so that the most relevant values are influencing your work.
What general advice would you give to a Market Research Assistant?
Dr. Claire Gilliland PhD: The skills we prioritize in sociology (generating research questions, thinking critically, examining social systems, analyzing multiple types of data) are all skills that are well-suited to multiple different careers, but it may require some translation to match the priorities of a particular field.
What Market Research Assistant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Claire Gilliland PhD: I've only worked in academia, so I don't have a good sense about salary potential or where the field is heading. Someone in career services would know more about what job ads are looking for in current graduates.
What will help Market Research Assistants increase their earning potential?
Dr. Claire Gilliland PhD: my general advice is for students to be thoughtful and strategic about how they sell the skills they've gained in sociology to potential employers. The skills we prioritize in sociology (generating research questions, thinking critically, examining social systems, analyzing multiple types of data) are all skills that are well-suited to multiple different careers, but it may require some translation to match the priorities of a particular field. For example, students would describe a class paper where they searched for and read about empirical research as a "literature review," a term that mostly applies to academic work. However, the skills required for a literature review are gathering, analyzing, and synthesizing information from a range of sources, which is a skill many employers would want in a future employee.
Giovanna Percontino
Communication Career Coach, M.Ed.What will help Market Research Assistants increase their earning potential?
Giovanna Percontino: Take a salary negotiation workshop at U Career Success. Research the current trends and salaries.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Market Research Assistants?
Mary Norman: -Project management skills
-Knowledge of key marketing tools and analytics:
-Social media tools like Hootsuite, Google analytics, etc.
-Design tools like Canva, Photoshop, Illustrator
-Email and Survey tools like Mailchimp and Survey Monkey
-SEO Tools like Google Ads
-Digital/Social Media Marketing Skills in the following areas:
-Email marketing
-Search Engine Marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEM/SEO)
-Email marketing
-Content marketing - ability to create content for social media and additional formats like blogs, etc.
-Social Media marketing through top platforms: i.e., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, etc.
-Data Analysis - mining insights into customer behavior based on website and social media analytics
-Trendwatching / Consumer insights
Harriet Phinney Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorSeattle University
Department of Anthropology and Sociology
What soft skills should all Market Research Assistants possess?
Harriet Phinney Ph.D.: Understanding human diversity, effective communication (speaking and writing: the ability to convey complex ideas respectfully to a diverse audience) across differences, adept at working in groups, yet also independent thinkers.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Market Research Assistants?
Harriet Phinney Ph.D.: Empirical data collection: Research skills for collecting original data, analyzing the data, writing up the information collected, and presenting it in a professional manner.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Market Research Assistant job market given the pandemic?
Eva Baham: With the hope that the economy returns to a sense of normalcy accompanied by stability in family incomes, families and individuals may seek ways to re-add a quality of life to their activities. Visits to museums (inside and outside), libraries, tourist destinations and other venues requiring information guided by sound and reputable knowledge should require individuals with a history background.
What will help Market Research Assistants increase their earning potential?
Gabriel Loiacono: I would say this: history majors go on to a wide variety of good jobs. Historians use their research, writing, communication, and critical reading strengths in careers from insurance to law to you name it. To help with earning potential, strengthen these skills in college, but also branch out and add others: another language, whether it is C++ or Spanish, perhaps a mapping or public administration class. Then you can point to all these skills when you are looking for a good fit for you.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Market Research Assistant job market given the pandemic?
Ross Kennedy: I think most of the basic trends will stay the same as they were pre-pandemic: jobs related to information, communication, health care, and clean energy industries will be growth leaders; the wage gap between those with a college education and those without one will continue to widen; businesses will seek to diversify the ranks of management; and employers will put a premium on finding employees who can adapt quickly to changes in technology and culture. Probably the main impact of the pandemic will be that employers will include more remote work in their way of doing business and will therefore want employees who are willing and able to work effectively from home.
What soft skills should all Market Research Assistants possess?
Ross Kennedy: They should have skills associated with an education grounded in the liberal arts. There have been a lot of surveys and studies on what tech and non-tech business leaders want in their employees and they all reveal the same thing: they want employees who understand human nature and psychology, who have a sense of empathy and an ability to put themselves in someone else's shoes, and who can think creatively to solve problems. They also highly value people who can write clearly and effectively, who have the ability to construct a concise, persuasive argument. Most broadly, they want people who know how to think analytically and how to learn.
Dr. Walter Fleming Ph.D.
Department Head and ProfessorMontana State University
Department of Native American Studies
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Market Research Assistants?
Dr. Walter Fleming Ph.D.: The pandemic has been particularly difficult for Native communities and other people of color, as well as people living in pockets of poverty. Many people in indigenous communities have passed away due to complications of COVID. Native communities have been hit particularly hard because of the already high health disparities, such as heart disease and diabetes. Much cultural knowledge has been lost because of the high toll among our Elders. It will no doubt take generations to recover from the loss of knowledge due to COVID 19, if at all. As they say, when an Elder dies, it is like a library has burned down.
Graduates in ethnic studies should be aware that these communities have many challenges and have already experienced historical trauma. The communities are looking to rebuild and reestablish their infrastructures and lifeways.
What soft skills should all Market Research Assistants possess?
Brady Collins Ph.D.: Ability to collaborate and work in teams, delegate tasks, manage short-term and long-term projects simultaneously.
David Brown
Professor of HistoryElizabethtown College
History Department
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Market Research Assistant job market given the pandemic?
David Brown: Working amidst a global pandemic has forced many sectors of the economy to conduct its affairs online and via Zoom and other cloud platforms. In a sense this is nothing new as the technology and capacity predated the pandemic, though our new social distance reality has made the use of such applications second nature for many. This way of conducting business will undoubtedly be embellished moving forward. Interestingly, one need not be particularly tech savvy to take advantage of the opportunities it affords. Communication and good writing skills are always in demand. Being able to interact effectively with colleagues and clients throughout the day and from great distance will be increasingly a premium skill.
What soft skills should all Market Research Assistants possess?
David Brown: It's critical to be able to work as a team. Empathy, understanding, a bit of diplomacy, and integrity - aside from the obvious need of technical competency - are highly valued. As always, motivation is terribly important and this can be conjoined with flexibility. If energy and attitude remain positive this will rub off on others and create an attractive dynamic that draws people in. Finally, the ability to make a decision and follow through with it is perhaps too little appreciated.
What soft skills should all Market Research Assistants possess?
Ronald Boucher: The development of soft skills is extremely important in the hospitality industry as a whole. Since dining out will become more expensive the customer expectation will also increase. I often remind my students that we are in the business of saying yes and that we are not in the business of saying no. A trained professional figures out how to satisfy the customer by exceeding expectations by utilizing and implementing soft skills learned at the University of New Hampshire.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Market Research Assistant job market given the pandemic?
Ronald Boucher: Given the pandemic, the hospitality industry is in the process of re-inventing itself. This shift has been needed for a long time and the pandemic is demanding that these changes take place. Smart operators are changing how they conduct business and figuring out how to best meet not only their customer's needs but also their employees needs as well.
All of these changes will shrink the labor pool because of streamlining operational efficiencies. However, the pleasure of dining out will not go away. In fact, the industry will need educated and trained professionals to meet this new demand. In fact, the good part is that salaries and benefits to employees will increase as well. This will mean that it is going out to eat will get more expensive for the consumer but that has to be expected and accepted.
I recently informed my freshmen students that they are positioned to have many new opportunities afforded to them for personal and job growth after graduation in four years. In addition the work place environment will be a much friendlier, more respectful and more appreciative environment.
What will help Market Research Assistants increase their earning potential?
Heidi Jo Newberg: Students who have a strong command of programming are in heavy demand whether they stay in astronomy or decide to pursue employment in the private sector. Taking programming classes and getting computational experience in research settings will put students in a good position to earn higher salaries.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Market Research Assistants?
DJ Wagner Ph.D.: I would have to say that the biggest impact is due not to the courses a student takes but to what professional opportunities outside of the classroom the student pursues. The employers with which I've spoken suggest that evidence of independent research projects and of the ability to work collaboratively are very important considerations in the hiring process. Networking is also key. At Grove City College, we encourage our physics majors to get involved in research starting their freshman year, and we provide many opportunities for them to network with alumni in the field and by attending conferences. Research builds several critical skills of value to employers: the ability to take ownership of a project and follow it through over a period of time, the ability to work as a team toward a common goal, the ability to operate and trouble-shoot apparatus (for experimental research), the ability to extract meaning from data, etc. Interacting with professionals in the field gives students a wide perspective about possible career paths, connections within those careers, and an understanding of the current state of the field not typically obtained in college courses.
When I have heard professionals speak to students at conferences, they often recommend that physics majors take communication and management courses in addition to their required physics curriculum. The skills and knowledge gained in those courses can help graduates navigate the corporate world successfully.