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Merck salaries
Merck salary estimate
$90,328yearly
Understanding Merck Salaries
At Merck, a global leader in pharmaceuticals, the average salary is $90,328 per year. Salaries vary depending on factors such as location, department, and job level. For instance, sales positions at Merck often offer some of the highest salaries compared to other roles.
Highest Paying Jobs
Roles in sales and specialized research typically command higher salaries, reflecting the demand for skilled professionals in the healthcare sector. Additionally, salaries differ significantly across states, with locations like California and New Jersey offering the most competitive compensation packages.
Salary by Department
Departments such as R&D and sales not only provide impactful work but also tend to have higher pay scales. For a clearer picture of what to expect, prospective employees can refer to average salaries by department.
Highest paying jobs at Merck
The highest paying jobs at Merck are director, medical science liaison, project manager, and human resources business partner. Director jobs at Merck earn an average yearly salary of $171,414, Merck medical science liaison jobs average $139,520, and Merck project manager jobs average $116,697.
The lowest paying Merck roles include material handler and packaging operator. Merck material handler average salary is $39,049 per year. So while the average Merck salary is $90,328 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.
Highest paying jobs at Merck
| Rank | Job title | Average Merck salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Director | $171,414 | $82.41 |
| 2 | Medical Science Liaison | $139,520 | $67.08 |
| 3 | Project Manager | $116,697 | $56.10 |
| 4 | Human Resources Business Partner | $115,868 | $55.71 |
| 5 | Biometrician | $115,854 | $55.70 |
| 6 | Professional Representative | $114,560 | $55.08 |
| 7 | Team Leader | $113,608 | $54.62 |
| 8 | Business Analyst | $112,318 | $54.00 |
| 9 | Systems Administrator | $109,109 | $52.46 |
| 10 | District Sales Manager | $108,852 | $52.33 |
| 11 | Associate Principal Scientist | $108,674 | $52.25 |
| 12 | Hadoop Developer | $106,658 | $51.28 |
| 13 | Biotechnician | $105,892 | $50.91 |
| 14 | Cognos Developer | $105,793 | $50.86 |
| 15 | Senior Specialist | $103,406 | $49.71 |
| 16 | Senior Scientist | $103,071 | $49.55 |
| 17 | Data Management Specialist | $98,417 | $47.32 |
| 18 | Account Executive | $98,284 | $47.25 |
| 19 | Consultant | $96,585 | $46.44 |
| 20 | Validation Engineer | $95,023 | $45.68 |
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Average Merck salary by state
Merck pays the highest salaries in California due to higher costs of living and competition in the state.
| Rank | State | Average Merck salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $102,037 | $49.06 |
| 2 | Washington | $97,837 | $47.04 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $96,317 | $46.31 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $95,492 | $45.91 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $94,657 | $45.51 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $92,503 | $44.47 |
| 7 | New York | $92,235 | $44.34 |
| 8 | Maryland | $92,150 | $44.30 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $91,800 | $44.13 |
| 10 | Nevada | $90,465 | $43.49 |
| 11 | Delaware | $90,253 | $43.39 |
| 12 | Oregon | $89,623 | $43.09 |
| 13 | Arizona | $89,564 | $43.06 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $88,451 | $42.52 |
| 15 | Colorado | $88,447 | $42.52 |
| 16 | Virginia | $87,805 | $42.21 |
| 17 | Illinois | $87,615 | $42.12 |
| 18 | Michigan | $87,336 | $41.99 |
| 19 | Vermont | $87,145 | $41.90 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $85,994 | $41.34 |
How much does Merck pay by location?
Highest paying Merck locations
| Rank | Location | Average Merck salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palo Alto, CA | $104,282 | $50.14 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $98,208 | $47.22 |
| 3 | Rahway, NJ | $96,465 | $46.38 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $95,510 | $45.92 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $92,269 | $44.36 |
| 6 | Lebanon, NH | $88,093 | $42.35 |
| 7 | Elkton, VA | $87,810 | $42.22 |
| 8 | Durham, NC | $85,456 | $41.08 |
| 9 | Austin, TX | $83,525 | $40.16 |
| 10 | North Wales, PA | $82,586 | $39.70 |
| 11 | De Soto, KS | $81,689 | $39.27 |
| 12 | Memphis, TN | $80,990 | $38.94 |
| 13 | Sheboygan Falls, WI | $80,456 | $38.68 |
| 14 | Miami Lakes, FL | $74,743 | $35.93 |
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Merck salaries by department
Salaries at Merck vary depending on the department you work in. Merck salaries in the business development department are the highest with an average salary of $119,690. Employees in the it department at Merck receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $110,548 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at Merck include the warehouse and the customer service organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $40,833 and $53,131, respectively.
Average Merck salary by department
| Rank | Department | Average Merck salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business Development | $119,690 | $57.54 |
| 2 | IT | $110,548 | $53.15 |
| 3 | Marketing | $109,415 | $52.60 |
| 4 | Retail | $109,128 | $52.47 |
| 5 | Finance | $103,176 | $49.60 |
| 6 | Engineering | $103,161 | $49.60 |
| 7 | Sales | $100,232 | $48.19 |
| 8 | Healthcare | $95,814 | $46.06 |
| 9 | Research & Development | $89,985 | $43.26 |
| 10 | Human Resources | $89,069 | $42.82 |
| 11 | Plant/Manufacturing | $78,471 | $37.73 |
| 12 | Administrative | $60,015 | $28.85 |
| 13 | Customer Service | $53,131 | $25.54 |
| 14 | Warehouse | $40,834 | $19.63 |
How much does Merck pay by department?
Best paying Merck sales salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Merck salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District Manager | $143,866 | $69.17 |
| 2 | Professional Representative | $114,560 | $55.08 |
| 3 | Salesforce Developer | $110,324 | $53.04 |
| 4 | District Sales Manager | $108,852 | $52.33 |
| 5 | Salesforce Administrator | $104,424 | $50.20 |
| 6 | Account Executive | $98,284 | $47.25 |
| 7 | Associate Specialist | $92,764 | $44.60 |
| 8 | Sales Representative | $82,827 | $39.82 |
| 9 | Account Specialist | $67,476 | $32.44 |
Best paying Merck research & development salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Merck salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biometrician | $115,854 | $55.70 |
| 2 | Statistician | $113,400 | $54.52 |
| 3 | Associate Principal Scientist | $108,674 | $52.25 |
| 4 | Senior Scientist | $103,071 | $49.55 |
| 5 | Biochemist | $89,173 | $42.87 |
| 6 | Clinical Operations Specialist | $84,104 | $40.43 |
| 7 | Staff Chemist | $83,747 | $40.26 |
| 8 | Staff Biologist | $80,991 | $38.94 |
| 9 | Research Biologist | $78,634 | $37.80 |
| 10 | Analytical Chemist | $76,120 | $36.60 |
| 11 | Research Associate | $73,120 | $35.15 |
| 12 | Laboratory Technician | $70,306 | $33.80 |
| 13 | Laboratory Analyst | $61,147 | $29.40 |
Best paying Merck engineering salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Merck salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Senior Project Manager | $130,323 | $62.66 |
| 2 | Engineering Specialist | $122,107 | $58.71 |
| 3 | SAP BW Consultant | $120,066 | $57.72 |
| 4 | Project Leader | $119,285 | $57.35 |
| 5 | Senior Software Engineer | $115,303 | $55.43 |
| 6 | SQL Database Administrator | $111,140 | $53.43 |
| 7 | ETL Lead | $110,437 | $53.09 |
| 8 | SAP Consultant | $110,391 | $53.07 |
| 9 | Oracle Database Administrator | $109,483 | $52.64 |
| 10 | Hadoop Developer | $106,658 | $51.28 |
| 11 | Cognos Developer | $105,793 | $50.86 |
| 12 | Data Analyst | $99,534 | $47.85 |
| 13 | Data Management Specialist | $98,417 | $47.32 |
| 14 | Technical Analyst | $95,872 | $46.09 |
| 15 | SAS Programmer | $95,412 | $45.87 |
| 16 | BIO Medical Technician | $95,356 | $45.84 |
| 17 | Validation Engineer | $95,023 | $45.68 |
| 18 | Technical Associate | $85,135 | $40.93 |
| 19 | Production Technician | $56,741 | $27.28 |
| 20 | Engineering Internship | $43,184 | $20.76 |
Merck competitors’ average salaries
Average salaries at Merck competitors, like AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Eli Lilly and Company, vary. AbbVie employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $107,969. The average salary at Bristol-Myers Squibb is $101,824 per year, and the average salary at Eli Lilly and Company is $100,905 per year.
Highest paying Merck competitors
| Rank | Company name | Zippia score | Average salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AbbVie | 4.7 | $107,969 |
| 2 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | 4.6 | $101,824 |
| 3 | Eli Lilly and Company | 4.6 | $100,905 |
| 4 | Gilead Sciences | 4.5 | $99,828 |
| 5 | Amgen | 4.8 | $93,349 |
| 6 | Bayer | 4.7 | $89,204 |
| 7 | Sanofi US | 4.3 | $88,931 |
| 8 | Zoetis | 4.9 | $87,092 |
| 9 | Seagen | 4.7 | $85,008 |
| 10 | Sanofi Genzyme | 4.8 | $84,495 |
| 11 | Johnson & Johnson | 4.7 | $76,686 |
| 12 | Pfizer | 4.5 | $70,868 |
Recently added Merck salaries
| Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SR. Scientist, Analytical R&D (Microbiologist)-Onsite | Rahway, NJ | 06/30/2025 | $114,700 |
| Manufacturing Automation Specialist | Point, PA | 06/30/2025 | $85,600 |
| SR. Specialist, Clinical Supplies Project Manager-Inventory Manager (Hybrid) | Rahway, NJ | 06/30/2025 | $114,700 |
| Manager, Maintenance and Engineering | Durham, NC | 06/30/2025 | $114,700 |
| Senior Specialist, Quality Assurance-Hybrid | Rahway, NJ | 06/30/2025 | $104,200 |
What employees say about salary at Merck
I loved the growth opportunities, work-life balance, and the family-like enviornment
The job hiring process is incredibly slow, and has 0 transparency. It took me 6 months to get a response that the cohort I applied for was actually full.
Networking system
the mission to impact people's health
lack of growth opportunity
working from home
Inclusion culture and empathetic personable leaders
Low pay and low recognition
Work/life balance
Compensation, Benefits and career advancement
Corporate politics
Health Care
The friendships and bonds that I created there
The fact that I really couldn’t move up after working there for two years and I felt that would be better for me to leave because I want to work with my hands and all I was doing was paperwork
Healthcare dental 401K.
Good pay
Too rigid management structures
Paid leave, certifications and development
How critical and important the processes are. This allows us to become even more aware (inside the job and personally) about executing each step correctly to ensure the quality of the product.
The gain of knowledge.
The people and the corporate values
Nothing
The environment and the pay for performance mentality
Work environment and coworkers
Occasional down time around the lab
Vision insurance offered
The ability to do your best in the role that you are in. Room for growth.
Nothing
Remote work
Great pay, good shift pattern, good team, good management
All overtime is double time
room for growth/Diversity/friendly atmosphere/
distance
health benefits/Retirement plan
Easy money for very little effort
Poor leadership
15 hour work week in field sales
Frequently asked questions about Merck salaries
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Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Merck, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Merck. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Merck. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Merck. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Merck and its employees or that of Zippia.
Merck may also be known as or be related to Merck, Merck & Co Inc, Merck & Co., Merck & Co. Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Merck Patient Assistance Program, Inc., Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. and merck/schering-plough.