Yes, R&D pays well. The average salary that research and development engineers make is around $70,000 in a year. However, this typical salary can range from $56,000 a year to over $90,000 in a year.

How do I start a career in research and development?

To start a career in research and development, it's important to have a passion for science, a formal education, and hands-on experience. There are two main types of research and development positions; those in industry and those in academia.

How much does a developmental engineer make?

A developmental engineer makes around $85,000 a year. However, this salary can range from $70,000 a year to over $110,000 in a year. The range in salary level for a developmental engineer depends on a variety of factors. These factors include experience and education, as well as location, industry, and company. There are numerous unique combinations that any person may have of these five factors that will influence their specific salary.

What is a research and development engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Aylin Acun PhD

A research and development engineer is an individual who uses their technical expertise to design, develop, and improve products and technologies. They work in a wide range of industries, including electronics, biotechnology, and aerospace. A research and development engineer conducts experiments, analyzes data, and collaborates with other professionals to ensure that their projects meet the desired specifications. The ultimate goal of a research and development engineer is to create innovative solutions that solve complex problems.

What general advice would you give to a research and development engineer?

Aylin Acun PhD

Assistant Professor, Widener University

Stay informed about industry trends and be proactive about continuously improving your skills. Seek professional development opportunities: advanced degrees, certifications, or specialized training in areas such as machine learning or healthcare analytics.

ScoreResearch And Development EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.6

Avg. Salary $100,169

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.4

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.11%

Asian 16.68%

Black or African American 3.07%

Hispanic or Latino 7.80%

Unknown 4.51%

White 67.84%

Gender

female 14.76%

male 85.24%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

7.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a research and development engineer?

Pros

Opportunity to work on cutting-edge technologies
Chance to make a significant impact on society through innovative products
High level of intellectual stimulation and problem-solving
Opportunities for career growth and advancement
Competitive salaries and benefits

Cons

Long hours and high-stress environment, especially during project deadlines
Uncertainty in project outcomes and funding
Need to continuously update skills and knowledge base in rapidly changing fields
High level of competition for jobs, grants, and promotions
Limited work-life balance due to demanding workload and deadlines

Key steps to become a research and development engineer

Explore research and development engineer education requirements

Most common research and development engineer degrees

Bachelor's

70.0 %

Master's

18.3 %

Associate

5.7 %

Start to develop specific research and development engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Python	6.73%
R	6.43%
Solidworks	5.26%
CAD	4.69%
Data Analysis	4.19%

Complete relevant research and development engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New research and development engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a research and development engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real research and development engineer resumes.

Research research and development engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage, design, and assist in development of product family reusable code libraries, visualization and GUI components.
Manage test suite jobs for the team creating configurations and building binaries for C++ code using Jenkins and bash shell.
Charge with managing a range of key operational functions in support of 3D visualization studio with $1.3M in annual contracts.
Lead a team of software QA test engineers in the prioritization and assignment of tasks and the solving of technical problems.

Prepare your research and development engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your research and development engineer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a research and development engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable research and development engineer resume templates

Build a professional research and development engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your research and development engineer resume.

Apply for research and development engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a research and development engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average research and development engineer salary

The average research and development engineer salary in the United States is $100,169 per year or $48 per hour. Research and development engineer salaries range between $74,000 and $135,000 per year.

Average research and development engineer salary

$100,169 Yearly

$48.16 hourly

How do research and development engineers rate their job?

5/5

Based on 1 ratings

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Research and development engineer reviews

5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019

Pros

Investigation. I love to dig and dig to find hidden gems of information that can be pivtol to the project.

Cons

There is tons of reading involved, not everything is interesting so it can be a bit much to read and analyze what seems like endless information. But I still love it.

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019

Pros

Ingenuity and the fast paced environment while critical thinking to solve the problems.

What is a research and development engineer and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a research and development engineer?

What are the pros and cons of being a research and development engineer?

Research and development engineer career paths

Key steps to become a research and development engineer

Explore research and development engineer education requirements

Most common research and development engineer degrees

Start to develop specific research and development engineer skills

Complete relevant research and development engineer training and internships

Research research and development engineer duties and responsibilities

Prepare your research and development engineer resume

Choose from 10+ customizable research and development engineer resume templates

Apply for research and development engineer jobs

How did you land your first research and development engineer job

Average research and development engineer salary

How do research and development engineers rate their job?

Research and development engineer reviews

Research and development engineer FAQs

Does R&D pay well?

How do I start a career in research and development?

How much does a developmental engineer make?

Search for research and development engineer jobs

Research and development engineer jobs by state