Updated April 6, 2023

Research Scientist Salary Estimate

$89,998

$43.27 hourly

Entry level Salary
$58,000 yearly

How much does a Research Scientist make?

The average salary for a research scientist in the United States is $89,998. Research scientist salaries typically range between $58,000 and $137,000 a year. The average hourly rate for research scientists is $43.27 per hour.

Location, education, and experience impacts how much a research scientist can expect to make. Research scientists make the most in California, Hawaii, Indiana, Connecticut, and New Jersey.

Research Summary.
  • The average salary for a research scientist is $89,998 in the US.
  • The average research scientist salary ranges between $58,000 and $137,000 in the US.
  • Hourly rates for research scientists in the US typically range between $27 and $65 an hour.
  • The average research scientist salary is $117,928 in California, $102,340 in Hawaii, and $98,309 in Indiana. These are the three highest-paying states for research scientists in the US.
  • Lyft has the highest average salary for research scientists.

Highest Paying States For Research Scientists

Throughout the U.S., the average salary for a research scientist is roughly $89,998 per year, which boils down to $43.27 per hour. Interestingly enough, research scientists have the highest salaries in Menlo Park, CA at about $124,477 per year. For those who are just starting out, the average entry-level salary in Menlo Park, CA is $76,000. Additionally, research scientists make more than the average salary in Indianapolis, IN, Newark, NJ, Oak Ridge, TN, Newark, DE, and Seattle, WA. On a more broad level, research scientist salaries are highest in California, Hawaii, Indiana, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maine, and Tennessee. On the contrary, Utah, Missouri, and Texas offer the lowest research scientist salaries.
  • State View
  • County View
Average Salary:

Research Scientist average salary by State

RankStateAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1California$117,928$56.706,711
2New Jersey$92,492$44.471,496
3Connecticut$94,575$45.47538
4Delaware$87,389$42.01228
5Hawaii$102,340$49.20126
6Maine$92,271$44.36172
7Rhode Island$84,269$40.51189
8Indiana$98,309$47.26705
9Vermont$79,112$38.03143
10Tennessee$88,781$42.68689
11Massachusetts$80,074$38.503,056
12Oregon$80,367$38.64763
13Pennsylvania$78,031$37.511,798
14Maryland$82,704$39.761,171
15Washington$81,104$38.991,136
16Minnesota$82,962$39.89884
17New York$76,198$36.632,637
18Arizona$78,755$37.86745
19Wyoming$72,067$34.6593
20Illinois$74,001$35.581,861
21Nevada$78,449$37.72168
22New Hampshire$71,381$34.32264
23Wisconsin$72,139$34.68693
24Alaska$79,047$38.0088
25District of Columbia$76,536$36.80246
26Michigan$70,290$33.79913
27North Carolina$66,856$32.141,321
28West Virginia$68,758$33.06161
29Virginia$64,483$31.001,640
30Montana$66,855$32.14154
31South Dakota$61,827$29.72171
32Ohio$66,183$31.821,078
33Colorado$61,787$29.711,046
34Arkansas$66,196$31.82190
35Iowa$64,996$31.25335
36Idaho$59,968$28.83219
37Kansas$62,799$30.19346
38Kentucky$62,903$30.24294
39North Dakota$57,046$27.43116
40Nebraska$58,079$27.92265
41Oklahoma$61,638$29.63249
42Florida$58,883$28.311,938
43Utah$51,336$24.68441
44New Mexico$49,029$23.57299
45Missouri$51,038$24.54740
46Georgia$53,742$25.841,102
47Alabama$56,271$27.05280
48South Carolina$55,475$26.67342
49Texas$49,053$23.582,263
50Mississippi$48,194$23.17149
51Louisiana$45,093$21.68260

Highest Paying Cities For Research Scientists

RankCityAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1Menlo Park, CA$124,477$59.841
2Indianapolis, IN$98,052$47.1411
3Newark, NJ$92,744$44.593
4Oak Ridge, TN$91,185$43.84
5Newark, DE$87,528$42.083
6Seattle, WA$81,884$39.3786
7Albany, OR$81,025$38.95
8Boston, MA$80,225$38.5742
9Albany, NY$76,678$36.86
10Washington, DC$76,649$36.8518
11Pittsburgh, PA$76,389$36.736
12Chicago, IL$74,316$35.7314
13Milwaukee, WI$72,316$34.772
14Detroit, MI$70,511$33.905
15Durham, NC$67,854$32.6210

Here Are The Five Most In Demand Cities Right Now:

  1. Menlo Park, CA
  2. Indianapolis, IN
  3. Newark, NJ
  4. Oak Ridge, TN
  5. Newark, DE

Research Scientists Salary Details

Average Research Scientist Salary Graph
Average Research Scientist Salary Graph, Trends, and Summary

What is a Research Scientist's Salary?

PercentileAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly 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 Types of Research Scientists

Job TitleAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
Chemist$64,961$5,413$31.2320,221
Research Laboratory Technician$38,308$3,192$18.4286,476
Graduate Research Student$34,658$2,888$16.6658,921
Research Fellow$53,823$4,485$25.8859,746
Researcher$67,145$5,595$32.2830,498
Research Technician$43,034$3,586$20.6964,786

Here are the five companies hiring the most now:

  1. Meta Jobs (1,847)
  2. Google Jobs (500)
  3. Amazon Jobs (886)
  4. Intel Jobs (595)
  5. Battelle Jobs (212)

Which Companies Pay Research Scientists The Most?

According to our most recent salary estimates, Lyft and Flexport are the highest paying companies for research scientists.
RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Lyft$175,144$84.201
2Flexport$174,532$83.912
3Meta$171,477$82.44475
4Netflix$168,720$81.128
5StubHub$167,700$80.63
6Google$167,427$80.4959
7DoorDash$166,792$80.198
8eBay$166,231$79.9214
9Waymo$163,156$78.445
10NVIDIA$162,497$78.1216
11ByteDance$162,333$78.04
12Instacart$161,968$77.87
13Microsoft$160,153$77.00115
14Grubhub$159,808$76.83
15Didi Chuxing$156,104$75.05
16PayPal$155,323$74.6718
17Uber Technologies$154,475$74.27
18LinkedIn$151,867$73.012
19Apple$149,805$72.0253
20Neuralink IT Solutions$149,601$71.92

Research Scientist Pay Trends

Average Research Scientist Salary Over Time

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

    Research Scientist Salary By Year

    YearAvg. SalaryHourly Rate% Change
    2023$90,000$43.27+3.0%
    2022$87,300$41.98+4.5%
    2021$83,400$40.10+3.2%
    2020$80,700$38.81+1.9%
    2019$79,200$38.08-2.1%

    Recently Added Research Scientist Salaries

    CompanyJobLocationDate AddedSalary
    KLALight Induced Damage and Materials Research ScientistMilpitas, CA05/02/2023$115,900
    SnapResearch Scientist, Natural Language ProcessingLos Angeles, CA05/02/2023$175,000
    NovettaResearch ScientistAnnapolis, MD05/02/2023$121,700
    Takeda PharmaceuticalResearch Principal Scientist, Inflammation Discovery ResearchSan Diego, CA05/02/2023$143,500
    Group14 TechnologiesResearch Scientist (Electrochemistry)Woodinville, WA05/02/2023$80,000
    LeidosResearch/Quantum ScientistCabin John, MD05/01/2023$97,500
    LeidosResearch/Quantum ScientistFairfax, VA05/01/2023$97,500
    LeidosResearch Physiologist II-Kinesiologist/Exercise ScientistDayton, OH05/01/2023$78,000
    Accenture Federal Services-National Security PortfolioResearch ScientistAnnapolis, MD05/01/2023$121,700
    Health Research, Inc.Research Scientist IIIAlbany, NY05/01/2023$88,387

    Research Scientist Salaries FAQs

    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.

    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.

    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.

    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.

    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.

    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.

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