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Medical safety director salary

Average medical safety director salary

$148,525

$71.41 hourly rate

Entry-level medical safety director salary
$77,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding the Medical Safety Director Salary

A Medical Safety Director plays a crucial role in maintaining the integrity of healthcare practices. As of October 2025, the average salary for this position is approximately $148,525 per year, translating to about $71 per hour. This figure varies by location, experience, and the specific healthcare sector.

Salary Breakdown by State

Different states offer varying compensation levels. For instance, states with higher living costs, such as California and New York, tend to provide higher salaries for Medical Safety Directors. In contrast, states with lower costs may offer competitive but lower salaries.

Career Growth and Opportunities

As healthcare regulations evolve, the demand for skilled Medical Safety Directors increases. These professionals not only ensure compliance but also lead initiatives to improve patient safety. With ongoing training and experience, one can advance to senior leadership roles within healthcare organizations.

Finding the Right Position

To maximize earning potential, consider exploring job boards like Zippia. Here, you can find various openings tailored to your experience and location, helping you take the next step in your career.

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Where can a Medical Safety Director earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
206k
186k
166k
146k
126k
106k
Columbus, OH$184,902
Columbus, OH$136,018
Compare salary by company
Vs
213k
193k
173k
153k
133k
113k
93k
Covance$191,450
Alpine Immune Sciences$122,612

Medical safety director salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Glassdoor and Comparably, the average salary for a medical safety director typically falls between $49,349 and $148,525.
zippia
$148,525yearly
glassdoor[1]
$103,082yearly
comparably[2]
$49,349yearly

Average medical safety director salary by state

The average medical safety director salary in Alaska, California, and Nevada are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average medical safety director salary states are Texas, Kentucky, and Georgia.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for medical safety directors

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1West Virginia$150,668$72.44
2Mississippi$152,445$73.29
3Nevada$157,993$75.96
4Idaho$154,644$74.35
5Alaska$172,730$83.04
6Utah$148,721$71.50
7South Dakota$146,370$70.37
8New Mexico$156,493$75.24
9California$159,959$76.90
10Oregon$153,112$73.61
11North Carolina$147,466$70.90
12Oklahoma$140,535$67.56
13New Hampshire$150,735$72.47
14Connecticut$151,457$72.82
15Rhode Island$147,881$71.10
16Washington$151,620$72.89
17New York$146,651$70.51
18Montana$145,853$70.12
19Vermont$140,964$67.77
20District of Columbia$152,154$73.15
21Arizona$145,751$70.07
22North Dakota$144,645$69.54
23Delaware$145,752$70.07
24Louisiana$135,740$65.26
25Alabama$132,037$63.48
26Virginia$147,013$70.68
27Wyoming$133,226$64.05
28Tennessee$132,517$63.71
29Michigan$140,112$67.36
30Pennsylvania$132,761$63.83
31Colorado$145,633$70.02
32Massachusetts$144,682$69.56
33South Carolina$131,536$63.24
34Ohio$130,875$62.92
35Maine$137,609$66.16
36Maryland$141,231$67.90
37Minnesota$136,849$65.79
38Nebraska$131,463$63.20
39Arkansas$129,794$62.40
40Iowa$133,976$64.41
41Illinois$135,384$65.09
42Missouri$132,236$63.58
43Indiana$132,529$63.72
44Kentucky$128,185$61.63
45Wisconsin$133,125$64.00
46Hawaii$76,684$36.87
47Georgia$126,910$61.01
48New Jersey$130,235$62.61
49Texas$128,282$61.67
50Florida$118,939$57.18
51Kansas$119,045$57.23

Highest paying cities for medical safety directors

The highest-paying cities for medical safety directors are San Francisco, CA, Bothell, WA, and Washington, DC.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1San Francisco, CA$184,902$88.90
2Bothell, WA$163,153$78.44
3Washington, DC$161,981$77.88
4Boulder, CO$159,750$76.80
5Ridgefield, CT$159,573$76.72
6Durham, NC$157,203$75.58
7Wilmington, DE$152,725$73.43
8Boston, MA$151,121$72.65
9Rockville, MD$147,036$70.69
10Chicago, IL$142,285$68.41
11Philadelphia, PA$136,669$65.71
12Columbus, OH$136,018$65.39

Medical safety director salary details

A medical safety director's salary ranges from $77,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $286,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average medical safety director salary graph
Average medical safety director salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a medical safety director's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$286,000$23,833$138
75th Percentile$209,000$17,417$100
Average$148,525$12,377$71
25th Percentile$105,000$8,750$50
10th Percentile$77,000$6,417$37

Highest paying medical safety director jobs

The highest paying types of medical safety directors are medical director, safety director, and radiation safety officer.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Public Health Internship$37,987$3,166$18.26102,178
Safety Manager$74,754$6,229$35.9416,155
Safety And Training Coordinator$43,367$3,614$20.8543,362
Safety Representative$50,717$4,226$24.3815,531
Plant Safety Leader$75,374$6,281$36.2436,957
Safety Officer$46,336$3,861$22.2868,487

Top companies hiring medical safety directors now:

  1. Helmerich & Payne jobs (3)
  2. Covance jobs (2)
  3. Presbyterian jobs (1)
  4. FibroGen jobs (1)
  5. UCB jobs (1)

Which companies pay medical safety directors the most?

Medical safety director salaries at Covance and Genentech are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average medical safety director salary at companies like Seagen and Hoffmann-LA Roche Inc are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Covance$191,450$92.04
2Genentech$186,196$89.52
3Seagen$179,198$86.15
4Hoffmann-LA Roche Inc$174,717$84.00
5Adaptimmune$171,791$82.59
6Incyte$171,435$82.42
7Alexion Pharmaceuticals$167,848$80.70
8AstraZeneca$162,524$78.14
9Boehringer Ingelheim$160,058$76.95
10Alkermes$159,799$76.83
11Cytokinetics$159,204$76.54
12Amgen$153,691$73.89
13Supernus Pharmaceuticals$151,149$72.67
14Gilead Sciences$150,160$72.19
15BioMarin$141,228$67.90
16Highmark$133,811$64.33
17Glaxosmithkline$132,725$63.81
18Lundbeck$132,031$63.48
19EQRx$125,778$60.47
20Alpine Immune Sciences$122,612$58.95

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$158,000$154,400$150,800$147,200$143,600$140,000
MaleFemale

Medical safety director salary trends

The average medical safety director salary has fallen by $-14,662 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average medical safety director earned $163,187 annually, but today, they earn $148,525 a year. That works out to a -15% change in pay for medical safety directors over the last decade.

Compare medical safety director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average medical safety director salary over time

Compare medical safety director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Medical safety director salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$149,000$71.41+3.5%
2024$143,000$68.93-25.4%
2023$180,000$86.45+1.7%
2022$177,000$84.98+1.2%
2021$175,000$83.96+1.0%

Recently added medical safety director salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Ideaya BiosciencesSenior Medical Director, Patient Safety & PharmacovigilanceSouth San Francisco, CA06/29/2025$287,292
AbbvieFuture Opportunities-Join OUR Talent Pipeline for Medical Directors-Patient SafetyNorth Chicago, IL06/21/2025$35,000
Vertex PharmaceuticalsPatient Safety Medical DirectorBoston, MA06/12/2025$200,000
Healogics Wound Care & Hyperbaric ServicesHyperbaric Safety Director (LPN Preferred)-Uh Geauga Medical CenterChardon, OH06/11/2025$54,805
Bristol Myers SquibbDirector, WW Medical Oncology, Rare Tumors, Pan Tumor & Safety Medical LeadPrinceton, NJ06/03/2025$207,490
Abbott LaboratoriesMedical Director, Patient Safety and ComplianceLake Forest, IL05/27/2025$147,300
Ideaya BiosciencesSenior Medical Director, Patient Safety & PharmacovigilanceSouth San Francisco, CA05/26/2025$287,292
Denali TherapeuticsMedical Director, Safety ScienceSouth San Francisco, CA05/16/2025$265,000
Oruka Therapeutics, Inc.Senior Medical Director, Pharmacovigilance and SafetyWaltham, MA05/16/2025$265,000
DenaliMedical Director, Safety ScienceSouth San Francisco, CA05/15/2025$265,000

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