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As of October 2025, the average salary for a Product Development Scientist in the United States stands at $84,817 per year. This figure can vary based on several factors including geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry. For instance, states like California and New York often offer higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for skilled professionals.
In addition to geographic factors, experience plays a significant role. Entry-level positions may start lower, while seasoned professionals can command salaries exceeding $100,000. Industries such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and technology typically provide higher compensation packages.
Product Development Scientists are crucial in various sectors, leading to diverse job opportunities. As companies continue to innovate, the demand for skilled scientists remains robust. Understanding salary trends and potential earnings can aid in career planning and negotiation strategies. For those considering a career in this field, exploring specific roles and industries can provide insights into potential earning trajectories.
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The highest-paying states for product development scientists are California, Montana, and Tennessee. The lowest average product development scientist salary states are Missouri, Nebraska, and Louisiana.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montana | $99,768 | $47.97 |
| 2 | Tennessee | $99,471 | $47.82 |
| 3 | Alaska | $90,352 | $43.44 |
| 4 | Indiana | $94,446 | $45.41 |
| 5 | Nevada | $85,448 | $41.08 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $81,992 | $39.42 |
| 7 | Minnesota | $81,231 | $39.05 |
| 8 | California | $105,851 | $50.89 |
| 9 | Delaware | $96,542 | $46.41 |
| 10 | Maine | $89,669 | $43.11 |
| 11 | Michigan | $81,289 | $39.08 |
| 12 | New Jersey | $91,092 | $43.79 |
| 13 | Wyoming | $75,622 | $36.36 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $86,872 | $41.77 |
| 15 | Arizona | $77,513 | $37.27 |
| 16 | Connecticut | $92,145 | $44.30 |
| 17 | Ohio | $77,447 | $37.23 |
| 18 | Maryland | $82,019 | $39.43 |
| 19 | Oregon | $84,174 | $40.47 |
| 20 | Washington | $82,887 | $39.85 |
| 21 | South Dakota | $69,663 | $33.49 |
| 22 | New York | $80,813 | $38.85 |
| 23 | North Carolina | $76,865 | $36.95 |
| 24 | Arkansas | $70,201 | $33.75 |
| 25 | Illinois | $79,422 | $38.18 |
| 26 | Virginia | $75,016 | $36.07 |
| 27 | Texas | $67,731 | $32.56 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $67,495 | $32.45 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | $67,836 | $32.61 |
| 30 | Hawaii | $74,327 | $35.73 |
| 31 | Colorado | $75,573 | $36.33 |
| 32 | Iowa | $69,508 | $33.42 |
| 33 | Rhode Island | $74,810 | $35.97 |
| 34 | Vermont | $75,764 | $36.42 |
| 35 | Florida | $70,407 | $33.85 |
| 36 | Oklahoma | $70,980 | $34.13 |
| 37 | North Dakota | $64,072 | $30.80 |
| 38 | Kansas | $63,835 | $30.69 |
| 39 | District of Columbia | $77,019 | $37.03 |
| 40 | West Virginia | $64,861 | $31.18 |
| 41 | Alabama | $65,944 | $31.70 |
| 42 | Idaho | $70,568 | $33.93 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $64,362 | $30.94 |
| 44 | New Hampshire | $69,971 | $33.64 |
| 45 | Georgia | $60,121 | $28.90 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $58,013 | $27.89 |
| 47 | Missouri | $58,841 | $28.29 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $57,367 | $27.58 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $54,317 | $26.11 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $55,141 | $26.51 |
| 51 | Utah | $57,333 | $27.56 |
The highest-paying cities for product development scientists are San Francisco, CA, Franklin, TN, and Evansville, IN.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $115,891 | $55.72 |
| 2 | Franklin, TN | $99,259 | $47.72 |
| 3 | Evansville, IN | $91,715 | $44.09 |
| 4 | New Brunswick, NJ | $91,080 | $43.79 |
| 5 | Bend, OR | $83,880 | $40.33 |
| 6 | Seattle, WA | $83,353 | $40.07 |
| 7 | Rockville, MD | $81,849 | $39.35 |
| 8 | Chanhassen, MN | $81,182 | $39.03 |
| 9 | Battle Creek, MI | $80,940 | $38.91 |
| 10 | New York, NY | $80,828 | $38.86 |
| 11 | Glenview, IL | $79,795 | $38.36 |
| 12 | Columbus, OH | $77,116 | $37.08 |
| 13 | Denver, CO | $75,434 | $36.27 |
| 14 | Richmond, VA | $75,012 | $36.06 |
| 15 | Largo, FL | $71,556 | $34.40 |
| 16 | Lewisville, TX | $68,024 | $32.70 |
| 17 | Kansas City, MO | $58,861 | $28.30 |
A product development scientist's salary ranges from $62,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $115,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $115,000 | $9,583 | $55 |
| 75th Percentile | $99,000 | $8,250 | $48 |
| Average | $84,817 | $7,068 | $41 |
| 25th Percentile | $72,000 | $6,000 | $35 |
| 10th Percentile | $62,000 | $5,167 | $30 |
The highest paying types of product development scientists are product development manager, senior scientist, and scientist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Control Analyst | $59,217 | $4,935 | $28.47 | 85,546 |
| Laboratory Analyst | $44,024 | $3,669 | $21.17 | 44,074 |
| Chemist | $64,961 | $5,413 | $31.23 | 20,221 |
| Chemical Technician | $42,584 | $3,549 | $20.47 | 40,191 |
| Analytical Chemist | $61,573 | $5,131 | $29.60 | 14,661 |
| Quality Control Chemist | $58,892 | $4,908 | $28.31 | 90,467 |
Top companies hiring product development scientists now:
Product development scientist salaries at Amazon and 10x Genomics are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average product development scientist salary at companies like Bunge and AbbVie are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amazon | $119,745 | $57.57 |
| 2 | 10x Genomics | $114,724 | $55.16 |
| 3 | Bunge | $111,507 | $53.61 |
| 4 | AbbVie | $106,102 | $51.01 |
| 5 | Bayer | $102,046 | $49.06 |
| 6 | Netflix | $100,337 | $48.24 |
| 7 | AstraZeneca | $98,203 | $47.21 |
| 8 | Celanese | $97,483 | $46.87 |
| 9 | The Coca-Cola Company | $96,287 | $46.29 |
| 10 | Entegris | $96,255 | $46.28 |
| 11 | BASF | $95,904 | $46.11 |
| 12 | Colgate-Palmolive | $95,363 | $45.85 |
| 13 | Agilent Technologies | $95,325 | $45.83 |
| 14 | Bio-Rad Laboratories | $95,177 | $45.76 |
| 15 | Momentive | $94,865 | $45.61 |
| 16 | The Kraft Group | $94,509 | $45.44 |
| 17 | The Dow Chemical Company | $93,630 | $45.01 |
| 18 | PerkinElmer | $92,833 | $44.63 |
| 19 | Teva Pharmaceuticals | $92,620 | $44.53 |
| 20 | Ford Motor | $92,304 | $44.38 |
The average product development scientist salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Education | $84,858 | $40.80 |
| 2 | Health Care | $83,991 | $40.38 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $82,634 | $39.73 |
| 4 | Pharmaceutical | $81,078 | $38.98 |
| 5 | Retail | $75,078 | $36.10 |
The average product development scientist salary has risen by $14,255 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average product development scientist earned $70,562 annually, but today, they earn $84,817 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for product development scientists over the last decade.
Compare product development scientist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare product development scientist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $84,800 | $40.78 | +3.0% |
| 2025 | $82,300 | $39.57 | +4.5% |
| 2024 | $78,600 | $37.79 | +3.2% |
| 2023 | $76,100 | $36.58 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $74,600 | $35.88 | -2.1% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actalent | Product Development Scientist | Wooster, OH | 06/29/2025 | $80,000 |
| NTT Data North America | IT-Clinical Informaticist-Product Development | Saint Louis, MO | 06/26/2025 | $127,808 |
| Abbott Laboratories | Scientist Product Development (Adult Nutrition) | Columbus, OH | 06/24/2025 | $66,700 |
| Third Rock Ventures | Scientist II, Drug Product | Redwood City, CA | 06/24/2025 | $128,000 |
| Kindeva Drug Delivery | Scientist II, Product & Process Development | Woodbury, MN | 06/20/2025 | $73,500 |
| Notco | Product Development Scientist I | San Jose, CA | 06/17/2025 | $65,000 |
| Amazon.com, Inc. | Applied Scientist, Device Ad Products & Personalization | New York, NY | 06/16/2025 | $136,000 |
| Amazon.com, Inc. | Applied Scientist, Sponsored Products Off-Search Sourcing and Relevance | New York, NY | 06/16/2025 | $136,000 |
| Amazon.com, Inc. | Applied Scientist, Sponsored Products | Seattle, WA | 06/16/2025 | $136,000 |
| Amazon | Applied Scientist, Sponsored Products | Palo Alto, CA | 06/14/2025 | $136,000 |
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