Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Research and development manager salary
Average research and development manager salary
$117,507
Understanding Research and Development Manager Salaries
Research and Development (R&D) Managers play a critical role in fostering innovation and overseeing projects that bring new products to market. The average annual salary of $117,507 reflects the importance of this position across various sectors, including technology, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing.
Salaries can vary widely based on factors such as geographic location, industry, and level of experience. For instance, R&D Managers in major cities like San Francisco or New York often earn significantly higher than their counterparts in smaller towns due to the cost of living and demand for skilled professionals.
Salary by Experience Level
Entry-level R&D Managers typically start around $80,000, while those with 5-10 years of experience can earn between $100,000 and $130,000. Senior managers and those in leadership roles can expect salaries exceeding $150,000, especially in specialized industries.
Top-Paying States
States such as California, Massachusetts, and New Jersey consistently report the highest salaries for R&D Managers. Factors such as the concentration of tech companies and research institutions contribute to these elevated earnings.
Overall, pursuing a career as a Research and Development Manager not only offers competitive compensation but also the opportunity to lead projects that shape the future of products and services.
Let Zippia find your next research and development manager job
Let Zippia find your next research and development manager job
Where can a Research And Development Manager earn more?
Research and development manager salaries by experience level
Average research and development manager salary by state
The average research and development manager salary in Washington, California, and New Hampshire are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average research and development manager salary states are Florida, Kansas, and Wyoming.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for research and development managers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $138,991 | $66.82 |
| 2 | Oregon | $130,098 | $62.55 |
| 3 | Washington | $144,483 | $69.46 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $113,818 | $54.72 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $117,395 | $56.44 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $134,339 | $64.59 |
| 7 | Alaska | $130,345 | $62.67 |
| 8 | Michigan | $110,050 | $52.91 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $121,699 | $58.51 |
| 10 | Montana | $108,871 | $52.34 |
| 11 | Indiana | $112,879 | $54.27 |
| 12 | Arizona | $110,605 | $53.18 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $125,434 | $60.30 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $122,145 | $58.72 |
| 15 | Louisiana | $117,260 | $56.38 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $109,709 | $52.74 |
| 17 | Ohio | $102,911 | $49.48 |
| 18 | Georgia | $105,257 | $50.60 |
| 19 | Nevada | $105,889 | $50.91 |
| 20 | Maine | $111,150 | $53.44 |
| 21 | Tennessee | $100,702 | $48.41 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $100,748 | $48.44 |
| 23 | Kentucky | $104,002 | $50.00 |
| 24 | Vermont | $102,376 | $49.22 |
| 25 | New York | $113,253 | $54.45 |
| 26 | North Dakota | $98,315 | $47.27 |
| 27 | Illinois | $104,227 | $50.11 |
| 28 | Virginia | $104,881 | $50.42 |
| 29 | Texas | $93,983 | $45.18 |
| 30 | Delaware | $104,901 | $50.43 |
| 31 | New Mexico | $94,518 | $45.44 |
| 32 | Utah | $97,543 | $46.90 |
| 33 | Idaho | $101,961 | $49.02 |
| 34 | Maryland | $110,776 | $53.26 |
| 35 | West Virginia | $96,403 | $46.35 |
| 36 | District of Columbia | $107,223 | $51.55 |
| 37 | Missouri | $96,121 | $46.21 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $92,269 | $44.36 |
| 39 | Alabama | $99,424 | $47.80 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $93,887 | $45.14 |
| 41 | Wyoming | $82,810 | $39.81 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $86,039 | $41.36 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $96,136 | $46.22 |
| 44 | Colorado | $95,502 | $45.91 |
| 45 | Florida | $83,949 | $40.36 |
| 46 | Kansas | $83,933 | $40.35 |
| 47 | Iowa | $90,057 | $43.30 |
| 48 | Hawaii | $69,649 | $33.49 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $82,141 | $39.49 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $84,979 | $40.86 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $82,229 | $39.53 |
Highest paying cities for research and development managers
The highest-paying cities for research and development managers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Hillsboro, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $156,674 | $75.32 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $148,239 | $71.27 |
| 3 | Hillsboro, OR | $131,063 | $63.01 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $122,318 | $58.81 |
| 5 | Johnston, RI | $117,425 | $56.45 |
| 6 | Philadelphia, PA | $114,472 | $55.03 |
| 7 | New York, NY | $113,309 | $54.48 |
| 8 | Indianapolis, IN | $112,547 | $54.11 |
| 9 | Durham, NC | $111,113 | $53.42 |
| 10 | Portage, MI | $107,936 | $51.89 |
| 11 | Washington, DC | $107,284 | $51.58 |
| 12 | Bozeman, MT | $106,705 | $51.30 |
| 13 | Atlanta, GA | $105,377 | $50.66 |
| 14 | Chicago, IL | $104,723 | $50.35 |
| 15 | Columbus, OH | $102,435 | $49.25 |
| 16 | Minneapolis, MN | $100,886 | $48.50 |
| 17 | Saint Louis, MO | $98,188 | $47.21 |
| 18 | Salt Lake City, UT | $96,738 | $46.51 |
| 19 | Broomfield, CO | $95,376 | $45.85 |
| 20 | Albuquerque, NM | $94,685 | $45.52 |
Research and development manager salary details
A research and development manager's salary ranges from $78,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $174,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a research and development manager's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $174,000 | $14,500 | $84 |
| 75th Percentile | $144,000 | $12,000 | $69 |
| Average | $117,507 | $9,792 | $56 |
| 25th Percentile | $95,000 | $7,917 | $46 |
| 10th Percentile | $78,000 | $6,500 | $38 |
Highest paying research and development manager jobs
The highest paying types of research and development managers are engineering director, senior engineering manager, and vice president of engineering.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Supervisor | $97,535 | $8,128 | $46.89 | 57,046 |
| Engineering Operations Manager | $122,682 | $10,223 | $58.98 | 125,798 |
| Engineering Director | $162,252 | $13,521 | $78.01 | 63,868 |
| Vice President Of Engineering | $150,651 | $12,554 | $72.43 | 92,133 |
| Manufacturing Engineering Manager | $112,535 | $9,378 | $54.10 | 83,671 |
| Project Engineering Manager | $110,534 | $9,211 | $53.14 | 171,897 |
Top companies hiring research and development managers now:
Which companies pay research and development managers the most?
Research and development manager salaries at Meta and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average research and development manager salary at companies like Pwc and VMware are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $196,784 | $94.61 |
| 2 | Apple | $177,485 | $85.33 |
| 3 | Pwc | $170,822 | $82.13 |
| 4 | VMware | $166,041 | $79.83 |
| 5 | Accenture | $163,145 | $78.44 |
| 6 | Neuralink IT Solutions | $161,719 | $77.75 |
| 7 | First Solar | $160,293 | $77.06 |
| 8 | Bloomberg | $156,410 | $75.20 |
| 9 | Global Tax Management | $154,756 | $74.40 |
| 10 | Broadcom | $153,628 | $73.86 |
| 11 | Deloitte | $153,558 | $73.83 |
| 12 | H-E-B | $153,390 | $73.75 |
| 13 | Brookhaven National Laboratory | $151,357 | $72.77 |
| 14 | Koch Industries | $149,825 | $72.03 |
| 15 | Los Alamos National Laboratory | $148,397 | $71.34 |
| 16 | Lands' End | $148,078 | $71.19 |
| 17 | ICU Medical | $147,572 | $70.95 |
| 18 | Veeva Systems | $147,409 | $70.87 |
| 19 | Micron Technology | $147,105 | $70.72 |
| 20 | LSI | $146,761 | $70.56 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Research And Development Manager salary by industry
The average research and development manager salary varies across industries:
- The average research and development manager salary in the professional industry is $143,083, the highest of any industry.
- The average research and development manager salary in the finance industry is $133,651.
- Research and development managers in the retail industry earn an average salary of $97,049, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for research and development managers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional | $143,083 | $68.79 |
| 2 | Technology | $133,651 | $64.26 |
| 3 | Hospitality | $118,604 | $57.02 |
| 4 | Health Care | $117,541 | $56.51 |
| 5 | Pharmaceutical | $114,484 | $55.04 |
| 6 | Manufacturing | $113,495 | $54.56 |
| 7 | Retail | $97,049 | $46.66 |
High paying research and development manager jobs
Research and development manager salary trends
The average research and development manager salary has risen by $21,485 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average research and development manager earned $96,022 annually, but today, they earn $117,507 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for research and development managers over the last decade.
Compare research and development manager salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average research and development manager salary over time
Compare research and development manager salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Research and development manager salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $118,000 | $56.49 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $114,000 | $54.72 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | $111,000 | $53.18 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $108,000 | $52.03 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $106,000 | $50.90 | +1.4% |
Recently added research and development manager salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thevetrecruiter.com | R&D and Vaccine Production Manager-SAN | Grape Creek, TX | 06/29/2025 | $120,000 |
| Linvatec Corporation | R&D Engineering Manager, Software | Denver, CO | 06/29/2025 | $98,000 |
| University of Tennessee | Research Project Manager: Defense Development and Applied Research Center-UTK | Knoxville, TN | 06/28/2025 | $80,000 |
| Actalent | R&D Manager | Perryville, MO | 06/27/2025 | $120,000 |
| 3DS Dassault Systems | Aerospace & Defense R&D Customer Strategic Partnership Requirement Manager | Bellevue, WA | 06/27/2025 | $120,000 |
| Actalent | R&D Engineering Manager | Poway, CA | 06/27/2025 | $160,000 |
| Johnson & Johnson | Manager, R&D Data Science and Digital Health (Dsdh) Immunology | Titusville, FL | 06/25/2025 | $115,000 |
| Actalent | R&D Manager | Steeleville, IL | 06/25/2025 | $120,000 |
| Honeywell | Electromagnetics R&D Manager | Broomfield, CO | 06/24/2025 | $157,000 |
| J&J Family of Companies | Manager, R&D Data Science and Digital Health (Dsdh) Immunology | Downe, NJ | 06/24/2025 | $115,000 |
Research and development manager salary FAQs
Search for research and development manager jobs