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Project scientist salary
Average project scientist salary
$79,073
Average Project Scientist Salary
The average salary for a Project Scientist is $79,073 per year, translating to approximately $38 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly based on factors such as location, experience, and the specific industry of employment. For example, states like California and Massachusetts often offer higher compensation due to the demand for skilled scientists in thriving research hubs.
Where Can a Project Scientist Earn More?
Project Scientists can find better-paying opportunities in sectors like pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and environmental consulting. Additionally, pursuing advanced degrees or specialization in niche areas can enhance earning potential. Utilizing platforms like Zippia, job seekers can access detailed salary estimates and job listings tailored to their qualifications, ensuring they find the best opportunities in their field.
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Where can a Project Scientist earn more?
Project scientist salary estimates from across the web
Average project scientist salary by state
The highest-paying states for project scientists are Connecticut, Tennessee, and California. The lowest average project scientist salary states are South Carolina, Utah, and North Dakota.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for project scientists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina | $87,097 | $41.87 |
| 2 | Tennessee | $101,546 | $48.82 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $83,114 | $39.96 |
| 4 | Indiana | $90,373 | $43.45 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $106,953 | $51.42 |
| 6 | Nevada | $81,705 | $39.28 |
| 7 | Delaware | $94,342 | $45.36 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $93,302 | $44.86 |
| 9 | California | $94,424 | $45.40 |
| 10 | Hawaii | $82,178 | $39.51 |
| 11 | Montana | $72,524 | $34.87 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $71,944 | $34.59 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $72,348 | $34.78 |
| 14 | Maine | $74,046 | $35.60 |
| 15 | Arizona | $88,044 | $42.33 |
| 16 | Illinois | $84,971 | $40.85 |
| 17 | Idaho | $68,546 | $32.95 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $70,972 | $34.12 |
| 19 | Maryland | $78,169 | $37.58 |
| 20 | Wyoming | $73,902 | $35.53 |
| 21 | South Dakota | $66,672 | $32.05 |
| 22 | Oregon | $76,594 | $36.82 |
| 23 | New Mexico | $65,038 | $31.27 |
| 24 | Arkansas | $65,447 | $31.46 |
| 25 | Colorado | $74,005 | $35.58 |
| 26 | Kentucky | $65,474 | $31.48 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $66,664 | $32.05 |
| 28 | Michigan | $65,022 | $31.26 |
| 29 | District of Columbia | $77,425 | $37.22 |
| 30 | New York | $71,832 | $34.53 |
| 31 | Virginia | $70,036 | $33.67 |
| 32 | Massachusetts | $66,191 | $31.82 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $63,567 | $30.56 |
| 34 | Vermont | $61,644 | $29.64 |
| 35 | Alaska | $69,290 | $33.31 |
| 36 | Ohio | $61,068 | $29.36 |
| 37 | Texas | $60,737 | $29.20 |
| 38 | Washington | $66,374 | $31.91 |
| 39 | Kansas | $60,350 | $29.01 |
| 40 | Missouri | $60,869 | $29.26 |
| 41 | New Hampshire | $60,804 | $29.23 |
| 42 | Alabama | $60,746 | $29.20 |
| 43 | North Dakota | $54,837 | $26.36 |
| 44 | West Virginia | $56,270 | $27.05 |
| 45 | Iowa | $54,488 | $26.20 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $55,209 | $26.54 |
| 47 | Georgia | $60,476 | $29.07 |
| 48 | Florida | $57,818 | $27.80 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $48,853 | $23.49 |
| 50 | Utah | $55,177 | $26.53 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $50,244 | $24.16 |
Highest paying cities for project scientists
The highest-paying cities for project scientists are Farmington, CT, Menlo Park, CA, and Tempe, AZ.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Farmington, CT | $106,070 | $51.00 |
| 2 | Menlo Park, CA | $100,625 | $48.38 |
| 3 | Tempe, AZ | $88,025 | $42.32 |
| 4 | Las Vegas, NV | $81,376 | $39.12 |
| 5 | College Park, MD | $78,156 | $37.58 |
| 6 | Westminster, CO | $73,853 | $35.51 |
| 7 | Brookfield, WI | $72,608 | $34.91 |
| 8 | New York, NY | $72,137 | $34.68 |
| 9 | Pittsburgh, PA | $70,998 | $34.13 |
| 10 | Ashburn, VA | $70,695 | $33.99 |
| 11 | Bellevue, WA | $66,688 | $32.06 |
| 12 | Newton, MA | $66,120 | $31.79 |
| 13 | Albuquerque, NM | $65,570 | $31.52 |
| 14 | Omaha, NE | $63,631 | $30.59 |
| 15 | Columbus, OH | $61,247 | $29.45 |
| 16 | Dallas, TX | $60,774 | $29.22 |
| 17 | Atlanta, GA | $60,695 | $29.18 |
| 18 | Jacksonville, FL | $58,168 | $27.97 |
Project scientist salary details
A project scientist's salary ranges from $56,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $110,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a project scientist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $110,000 | $9,167 | $53 |
| 75th Percentile | $94,000 | $7,833 | $45 |
| Average | $79,073 | $6,589 | $38 |
| 25th Percentile | $66,000 | $5,500 | $32 |
| 10th Percentile | $56,000 | $4,667 | $27 |
Highest paying project scientist jobs
The highest paying types of project scientists are medical science liaison, senior scientist, and scientist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fellow | $66,364 | $5,530 | $31.91 | 7,459 |
| Research Fellow | $53,823 | $4,485 | $25.88 | 59,746 |
| Researcher | $67,145 | $5,595 | $32.28 | 30,498 |
| PHD Researcher | $51,634 | $4,303 | $24.82 | 19,736 |
| Environmental Service Technician | $30,862 | $2,572 | $14.84 | 83,697 |
| Environmental Technician | $39,690 | $3,308 | $19.08 | 43,079 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for project scientists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
A. Alonso Aguirre Ph.D.
Department Chair & Professor, George Mason University
Top companies hiring project scientists now:
Which companies pay project scientists the most?
Project scientist salaries at Amazon and Google are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average project scientist salary at companies like Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Regeneron are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amazon | $151,441 | $72.81 |
| 2 | $142,982 | $68.74 | |
| 3 | Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory | $108,800 | $52.31 |
| 4 | Regeneron | $108,756 | $52.29 |
| 5 | Ncar - The National Center For Atmospheric Research | $104,617 | $50.30 |
| 6 | Stanford University | $101,949 | $49.01 |
| 7 | University of California-Berkeley | $98,879 | $47.54 |
| 8 | Intertek | $98,552 | $47.38 |
| 9 | Frito-Lay | $97,570 | $46.91 |
| 10 | FLOW-3D | $96,947 | $46.61 |
| 11 | University of California | $95,011 | $45.68 |
| 12 | NRDC | $91,518 | $44.00 |
| 13 | Johnson & Johnson | $90,790 | $43.65 |
| 14 | UC Santa Barbara | $90,676 | $43.59 |
| 15 | Jacobs Engineering Group | $87,611 | $42.12 |
| 16 | Sanofi US | $87,145 | $41.90 |
| 17 | USRA | $85,529 | $41.12 |
| 18 | Charles River Labs | $85,053 | $40.89 |
| 19 | Kimberly-Clark | $85,011 | $40.87 |
| 20 | Kelly Services | $84,796 | $40.77 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Project Scientist salary by industry
The average project scientist salary varies across industries:
- The average project scientist salary in the technology industry is $96,408, the highest of any industry.
- The average project scientist salary in the finance industry is $93,187.
- Project scientists in the government industry earn an average salary of $67,756, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for project scientists
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $96,408 | $46.35 |
| 2 | Education | $93,187 | $44.80 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $90,993 | $43.75 |
| 4 | Professional | $86,361 | $41.52 |
| 5 | Health Care | $78,791 | $37.88 |
| 6 | Government | $67,756 | $32.58 |
High paying project scientist jobs
Project scientist salary trends
The average project scientist salary has risen by $13,290 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average project scientist earned $65,783 annually, but today, they earn $79,073 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for project scientists over the last decade.
Compare project scientist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average project scientist salary over time
Compare project scientist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Project scientist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $79,100 | $38.02 | +3.0% |
| 2024 | $76,700 | $36.89 | +4.5% |
| 2023 | $73,300 | $35.23 | +3.2% |
| 2022 | $70,900 | $34.10 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | $69,600 | $33.45 | -2.1% |
Recently added project scientist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Corporation for Atmospheric Research | Casual-Project Scientist III/IV | Boulder, CO | 06/28/2025 | $126,493 |
| Berkeley Lab | Timepix Project Scientist | Ione, CA | 06/22/2025 | $91,300 |
| SLR Consulting | Project Scientist | Walnut Creek, CA | 06/20/2025 | $70,000 |
| Montrose Services | Project Exposure Scientist | Little Rock, AR | 06/18/2025 | $73,400 |
| Amazon.com, Inc. | Applied Scientist, Special Projects | Seattle, WA | 06/16/2025 | $136,000 |
| Braun Intertec Corporation | Project Scientist | San Antonio, TX | 06/13/2025 | $63,900 |
| Cedars-Sinai | Project Scientist-Sasine Lab-Department of Medicine | Los Angeles, CA | 06/05/2025 | $66,560 |
| Insight Global | Project Scientist | Plainville, CT | 05/30/2025 | $90,000 |
| University Corporation for Atmospheric Research | Ocean Model Project Scientist I | Boulder, CO | 05/29/2025 | $94,406 |
| Leidos | Project Execution Scientist | Pittsburgh, PA | 05/27/2025 | $95,000 |
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