Research scientist salary

Q: How much does a research scientist make?

The average research scientist salary in the United States is $89,998. Research scientist salaries typically range between $58,000 and $137,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for research scientists is $43.27 per hour. Research scientist salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Research scientists earn the highest average salary in California.

Q: What state pays Research Scientists the most?

California pays Research Scientists the most in the United States, with an average salary of $117,928 per year, or $56.70 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a research scientist?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a research scientist if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Hawaii you should be paid close to $102,340 per year.

Q: How much do Ph.D. scientists make?

Ph.D. scientists make $99,460 a year. However, it can start as low as $65,000 to as high as $165,000 a year. Factors such as the number of years of experience, the field of study, and the geographic location of the position all have the potential to impact earning potential.

Q: How much does a research scientist make starting out?

A research scientist makes $52,799 a year starting out. However, this can range from as low as $25,000 a year to as high as $115,000 a year. Factors such as the number of years of experience, location, and type of research scientist may impact earning potential.

Q: How much does a research scientist with a Ph.D. make?

A research scientist with a Ph.D. makes $99,460 a year. However, it can start as low as $65,000 to as high as $206,379 a year. One factor related to the significant differences in earning potential for a Ph.D. research scientist is whether they work in academia or industry. A scientist working in academia, for instance, can expect to earn 30% less than a Ph.D. research scientist working in the industry.

Q: How much money does a researcher make?

A researcher makes an average of $64,000 a year. However, this amount can vary from $34,000 to $200,000 a year. A significant factor determining how much a researcher can make has to do with the type of researcher they are and the company for which they work.

Quoted expert

Dr. Howard Whiteman

Average research scientist salary

$89,998

$43.27 hourly rate

Entry-level research scientist salary

$58,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding Research Scientist Salaries

Research Scientists play a critical role in advancing knowledge across various fields, including biology, chemistry, and environmental science. As of October 2025, the average salary for a Research Scientist is $89,998 annually. This figure can vary based on several factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and specific industry sectors.

For instance, Research Scientists in California and New York often earn higher salaries compared to their counterparts in other states, owing to the higher cost of living and demand for expertise in these regions. Job roles in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals also tend to offer more competitive compensation.

In addition to base salaries, many Research Scientists benefit from bonuses and funding opportunities that can enhance overall earnings. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for professionals aiming to negotiate their salaries or evaluate job offers effectively.

For those considering a career in this field, resources such as salary estimates and industry reports can provide valuable insights into potential earnings and job prospects.

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Research scientist salary by:

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Where can a Research Scientist earn more?

Compare salary by location

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Columbus, OH$124,477

Saint Louis, MO$51,658

Compare salary by company

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Lyft$175,144

Neuralink IT Solutions$149,601

Research scientist salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter, SalaryExpert, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a research scientist typically falls between $87,767 and $131,034.

zippia

$89,998yearly

glassdoor[1]

$116,708yearly

indeed[2]

$92,469yearly

comparably[3]

$112,470yearly

Salary.com[4]

$131,034yearly

ZipRecruiter[5]

$130,117yearly

payscale[6]

$87,767yearly

SalaryExpert[7]

$103,085yearly

Average research scientist salary by state

The average research scientist salary in California, Hawaii, and Indiana are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average research scientist salary states are Utah, Missouri, and Texas.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for research scientists

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	California	$117,928	$56.70
2	New Jersey	$92,492	$44.47
3	Connecticut	$94,575	$45.47
4	Delaware	$87,389	$42.01
5	Hawaii	$102,340	$49.20
6	Maine	$92,271	$44.36
7	Rhode Island	$84,269	$40.51
8	Indiana	$98,309	$47.26
9	Vermont	$79,112	$38.03
10	Tennessee	$88,781	$42.68
11	Massachusetts	$80,074	$38.50
12	Oregon	$80,367	$38.64
13	Pennsylvania	$78,031	$37.51
14	Maryland	$82,704	$39.76
15	Washington	$81,104	$38.99
16	Minnesota	$82,962	$39.89
17	New York	$76,198	$36.63
18	Arizona	$78,755	$37.86
19	Wyoming	$72,067	$34.65
20	Illinois	$74,001	$35.58
21	Nevada	$78,449	$37.72
22	New Hampshire	$71,381	$34.32
23	Wisconsin	$72,139	$34.68
24	Alaska	$79,047	$38.00
25	District of Columbia	$76,536	$36.80
26	Michigan	$70,290	$33.79
27	North Carolina	$66,856	$32.14
28	West Virginia	$68,758	$33.06
29	Virginia	$64,483	$31.00
30	Montana	$66,855	$32.14
31	South Dakota	$61,827	$29.72
32	Ohio	$66,183	$31.82
33	Colorado	$61,787	$29.71
34	Arkansas	$66,196	$31.82
35	Iowa	$64,996	$31.25
36	Idaho	$59,968	$28.83
37	Kansas	$62,799	$30.19
38	Kentucky	$62,903	$30.24
39	North Dakota	$57,046	$27.43
40	Nebraska	$58,079	$27.92
41	Oklahoma	$61,638	$29.63
42	Florida	$58,883	$28.31
43	Utah	$51,336	$24.68
44	New Mexico	$49,029	$23.57
45	Missouri	$51,038	$24.54
46	Georgia	$53,742	$25.84
47	Alabama	$56,271	$27.05
48	South Carolina	$55,475	$26.67
49	Texas	$49,053	$23.58
50	Mississippi	$48,194	$23.17
51	Louisiana	$45,093	$21.68

Top research scientist jobs near you

Highest paying cities for research scientists

The highest-paying cities for research scientists are Menlo Park, CA, Indianapolis, IN, and Newark, NJ.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Menlo Park, CA	$124,477	$59.84
2	Indianapolis, IN	$98,052	$47.14
3	Newark, NJ	$92,744	$44.59
4	Oak Ridge, TN	$91,185	$43.84
5	Newark, DE	$87,528	$42.08
6	Seattle, WA	$81,884	$39.37
7	Albany, OR	$81,025	$38.95
8	Boston, MA	$80,225	$38.57
9	Albany, NY	$76,678	$36.86
10	Washington, DC	$76,649	$36.85
11	Pittsburgh, PA	$76,389	$36.73
12	Chicago, IL	$74,316	$35.73
13	Milwaukee, WI	$72,316	$34.77
14	Detroit, MI	$70,511	$33.90
15	Durham, NC	$67,854	$32.62
16	Columbus, OH	$65,791	$31.63
17	Charlottesville, VA	$64,368	$30.95
18	Fort Collins, CO	$62,187	$29.90
19	Atlanta, GA	$53,796	$25.86
20	Saint Louis, MO	$51,658	$24.84

Research Scientists are the most in-demand in these five cities:

Research scientist salary details

A research scientist's salary ranges from $58,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $137,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average research scientist salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a research scientist's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$137,000	$11,417	$66
75th Percentile	$112,000	$9,333	$54
Average	$89,998	$7,500	$43
25th Percentile	$71,000	$5,917	$34
10th Percentile	$58,000	$4,833	$28

Highest paying research scientist jobs

The highest paying types of research scientists are senior scientist, scientist, and staff scientist.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Chemist	$64,961	$5,413	$31.23	20,221
Research Laboratory Technician	$38,308	$3,192	$18.42	86,476
Graduate Research Student	$34,658	$2,888	$16.66	58,921
Research Fellow	$53,823	$4,485	$25.88	59,746
Researcher	$67,145	$5,595	$32.28	30,498
Research Technician	$43,034	$3,586	$20.69	64,786

How would you rate the starting salaries for research scientists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Dr. Howard Whiteman

Professor of Biological Sciences, Director of the Watershed Studies Institute, Murray State University

Poor. Right now, people in these fields are not in it for the money; they do it because they have a passion for conservation, or science, or both. I do not see that changing shortly, but hope springs eternal.

Top companies hiring research scientists now:

Which companies pay research scientists the most?

Research scientist salaries at Lyft and Flexport are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average research scientist salary at companies like Meta and Netflix are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Lyft	$175,144	$84.20
2	Flexport	$174,532	$83.91
3	Meta	$171,477	$82.44
4	Netflix	$168,720	$81.12
5	StubHub	$167,700	$80.63
6	Google	$167,427	$80.49
7	DoorDash	$166,792	$80.19
8	eBay	$166,231	$79.92
9	Waymo	$163,156	$78.44
10	NVIDIA	$162,497	$78.12
11	ByteDance	$162,333	$78.04
12	Instacart	$161,968	$77.87
13	Microsoft	$160,153	$77.00
14	Grubhub	$159,808	$76.83
15	Didi Chuxing	$156,104	$75.05
16	PayPal	$155,323	$74.67
17	Uber Technologies	$154,475	$74.27
18	LinkedIn	$151,867	$73.01
19	Apple	$149,805	$72.02
20	Neuralink IT Solutions	$149,601	$71.92

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$88,000$87,800$87,600$87,400$87,200$87,000

MaleFemale

Research scientist salary trends

The average research scientist salary has risen by $15,126 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average research scientist earned $74,872 annually, but today, they earn $89,998 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for research scientists over the last decade.

Compare research scientist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average research scientist salary over time

Compare research scientist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Research scientist salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$90,000	$43.27	+3.0%
2024	$87,300	$41.98	+4.5%
2023	$83,400	$40.10	+3.2%
2022	$80,700	$38.81	+1.9%
2021	$79,200	$38.08	-2.1%

Recently added research scientist salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
The University of Chicago	Research Scientist	Chicago, IL	06/30/2025	$80,000
American Regent	Research Scientist II	Brea, CA	06/30/2025	$89,100
Sri International	Research Scientist, Computational Design	Menlo Park, CA	06/29/2025	$112,880
Perspecta	Machine Learning Research Scientist	College Park, MD	06/29/2025	$112,000
CDC Foundation	Research Scientist	Nunez, GA	06/29/2025	$105,000
Atrium Works	Proteomics Research Scientist	Boston, MA	06/29/2025	$125,220
Databricks	Genai Research Scientist	San Francisco, CA	06/29/2025	$150,000
Built In	Research Scientist (Data Science AM	Oakland, CA	06/29/2025	$65,000
Doordash	Operations Research Scientist	San Francisco, CA	06/29/2025	$130,600
Septerna	Research Scientist, Molecular Pharmacology	South San Francisco, CA	06/29/2025	$130,000

Research scientist salary FAQs

What state pays Research Scientists the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a research scientist?

How much do Ph.D. scientists make?

How much does a research scientist make starting out?

How much does a research scientist with a Ph.D. make?

How much money does a researcher make?

Have more questions? See all answers to common life, physical, and social science questions.

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Updated December 15, 2025

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