Research Scientist Salary
Research Scientist Salary Estimate
$89,998
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.
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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
- State View
- County View
Research Scientist average salary by State
| Rank | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $117,928 | $56.70 | 6,711 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $92,492 | $44.47 | 1,496 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $94,575 | $45.47 | 538 |
| 4 | Delaware | $87,389 | $42.01 | 228 |
| 5 | Hawaii | $102,340 | $49.20 | 126 |
| 6 | Maine | $92,271 | $44.36 | 172 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $84,269 | $40.51 | 189 |
| 8 | Indiana | $98,309 | $47.26 | 705 |
| 9 | Vermont | $79,112 | $38.03 | 143 |
| 10 | Tennessee | $88,781 | $42.68 | 689 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $80,074 | $38.50 | 3,056 |
| 12 | Oregon | $80,367 | $38.64 | 763 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $78,031 | $37.51 | 1,798 |
| 14 | Maryland | $82,704 | $39.76 | 1,171 |
| 15 | Washington | $81,104 | $38.99 | 1,136 |
| 16 | Minnesota | $82,962 | $39.89 | 884 |
| 17 | New York | $76,198 | $36.63 | 2,637 |
| 18 | Arizona | $78,755 | $37.86 | 745 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $72,067 | $34.65 | 93 |
| 20 | Illinois | $74,001 | $35.58 | 1,861 |
| 21 | Nevada | $78,449 | $37.72 | 168 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $71,381 | $34.32 | 264 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $72,139 | $34.68 | 693 |
| 24 | Alaska | $79,047 | $38.00 | 88 |
| 25 | District of Columbia | $76,536 | $36.80 | 246 |
| 26 | Michigan | $70,290 | $33.79 | 913 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $66,856 | $32.14 | 1,321 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $68,758 | $33.06 | 161 |
| 29 | Virginia | $64,483 | $31.00 | 1,640 |
| 30 | Montana | $66,855 | $32.14 | 154 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $61,827 | $29.72 | 171 |
| 32 | Ohio | $66,183 | $31.82 | 1,078 |
| 33 | Colorado | $61,787 | $29.71 | 1,046 |
| 34 | Arkansas | $66,196 | $31.82 | 190 |
| 35 | Iowa | $64,996 | $31.25 | 335 |
| 36 | Idaho | $59,968 | $28.83 | 219 |
| 37 | Kansas | $62,799 | $30.19 | 346 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $62,903 | $30.24 | 294 |
| 39 | North Dakota | $57,046 | $27.43 | 116 |
| 40 | Nebraska | $58,079 | $27.92 | 265 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $61,638 | $29.63 | 249 |
| 42 | Florida | $58,883 | $28.31 | 1,938 |
| 43 | Utah | $51,336 | $24.68 | 441 |
| 44 | New Mexico | $49,029 | $23.57 | 299 |
| 45 | Missouri | $51,038 | $24.54 | 740 |
| 46 | Georgia | $53,742 | $25.84 | 1,102 |
| 47 | Alabama | $56,271 | $27.05 | 280 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $55,475 | $26.67 | 342 |
| 49 | Texas | $49,053 | $23.58 | 2,263 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $48,194 | $23.17 | 149 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $45,093 | $21.68 | 260 |
Highest Paying Cities For Research Scientists
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Menlo Park, CA | $124,477 | $59.84 | 1 |
| 2 | Indianapolis, IN | $98,052 | $47.14 | 11 |
| 3 | Newark, NJ | $92,744 | $44.59 | 3 |
| 4 | Oak Ridge, TN | $91,185 | $43.84 | |
| 5 | Newark, DE | $87,528 | $42.08 | 3 |
| 6 | Seattle, WA | $81,884 | $39.37 | 86 |
| 7 | Albany, OR | $81,025 | $38.95 | |
| 8 | Boston, MA | $80,225 | $38.57 | 42 |
| 9 | Albany, NY | $76,678 | $36.86 | |
| 10 | Washington, DC | $76,649 | $36.85 | 18 |
| 11 | Pittsburgh, PA | $76,389 | $36.73 | 6 |
| 12 | Chicago, IL | $74,316 | $35.73 | 14 |
| 13 | Milwaukee, WI | $72,316 | $34.77 | 2 |
| 14 | Detroit, MI | $70,511 | $33.90 | 5 |
| 15 | Durham, NC | $67,854 | $32.62 | 10 |
Here Are The Five Most In Demand Cities Right Now:
Research Scientists Salary Details
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 Types of Research Scientists
| 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 |
Here are the five companies hiring the most now:
Which Companies Pay Research Scientists The Most?
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lyft | $175,144 | $84.20 | 1 |
| 2 | Flexport | $174,532 | $83.91 | 2 |
| 3 | Meta | $171,477 | $82.44 | 475 |
| 4 | Netflix | $168,720 | $81.12 | 8 |
| 5 | StubHub | $167,700 | $80.63 | |
| 6 | $167,427 | $80.49 | 59 | |
| 7 | DoorDash | $166,792 | $80.19 | 8 |
| 8 | eBay | $166,231 | $79.92 | 14 |
| 9 | Waymo | $163,156 | $78.44 | 5 |
| 10 | NVIDIA | $162,497 | $78.12 | 16 |
| 11 | ByteDance | $162,333 | $78.04 | |
| 12 | Instacart | $161,968 | $77.87 | |
| 13 | Microsoft | $160,153 | $77.00 | 115 |
| 14 | Grubhub | $159,808 | $76.83 | |
| 15 | Didi Chuxing | $156,104 | $75.05 | |
| 16 | PayPal | $155,323 | $74.67 | 18 |
| 17 | Uber Technologies | $154,475 | $74.27 | |
| 18 | $151,867 | $73.01 | 2 | |
| 19 | Apple | $149,805 | $72.02 | 53 |
| 20 | Neuralink 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
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly 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
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KLA | Light Induced Damage and Materials Research Scientist | Milpitas, CA | 05/02/2023 | $115,900 |
| Snap | Research Scientist, Natural Language Processing | Los Angeles, CA | 05/02/2023 | $175,000 |
| Novetta | Research Scientist | Annapolis, MD | 05/02/2023 | $121,700 |
| Takeda Pharmaceutical | Research Principal Scientist, Inflammation Discovery Research | San Diego, CA | 05/02/2023 | $143,500 |
| Group14 Technologies | Research Scientist (Electrochemistry) | Woodinville, WA | 05/02/2023 | $80,000 |
| Leidos | Research/Quantum Scientist | Cabin John, MD | 05/01/2023 | $97,500 |
| Leidos | Research/Quantum Scientist | Fairfax, VA | 05/01/2023 | $97,500 |
| Leidos | Research Physiologist II-Kinesiologist/Exercise Scientist | Dayton, OH | 05/01/2023 | $78,000 |
| Accenture Federal Services-National Security Portfolio | Research Scientist | Annapolis, MD | 05/01/2023 | $121,700 |
| Health Research, Inc. | Research Scientist III | Albany, NY | 05/01/2023 | $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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