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Research staff member salary
Average research staff member salary
$110,035
Understanding Research Staff Member Salaries
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Research Staff Member stands at $110,035 per year. This figure can fluctuate based on several factors, including years of experience, level of education, and geographic location. For instance, research roles in metropolitan areas tend to offer higher compensation due to the cost of living.
Salary by State
The highest paying states for Research Staff Members include California, Massachusetts, and New York. Each state presents unique opportunities and challenges, so understanding local salary trends is crucial for job seekers. Typically, larger research institutions and universities offer more competitive salaries compared to smaller organizations.
Job Opportunities
Research Staff Members can find roles in various sectors, including academic institutions, government agencies, and private sector companies. Roles often involve conducting experiments, analyzing data, and contributing to publications. Those with advanced degrees or specialized skills may command higher salaries and have more job opportunities available to them.
By staying informed about salary trends, aspiring Research Staff Members can better navigate their career paths and seek positions that align with their financial expectations.
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Where can a Research Staff Member earn more?
Research staff member salary estimates from across the web
Average research staff member salary by state
The average research staff member salary in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Indiana are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average research staff member salary states are Mississippi, Georgia, and South Carolina.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for research staff members
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $137,291 | $66.01 |
| 2 | Maine | $126,271 | $60.71 |
| 3 | Delaware | $132,237 | $63.58 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $156,375 | $75.18 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $123,274 | $59.27 |
| 6 | California | $119,060 | $57.24 |
| 7 | Indiana | $132,325 | $63.62 |
| 8 | Tennessee | $111,410 | $53.56 |
| 9 | Ohio | $108,879 | $52.35 |
| 10 | Minnesota | $110,595 | $53.17 |
| 11 | Arizona | $111,213 | $53.47 |
| 12 | Vermont | $104,698 | $50.34 |
| 13 | Montana | $113,791 | $54.71 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $107,491 | $51.68 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $100,865 | $48.49 |
| 16 | Washington | $104,842 | $50.40 |
| 17 | Oregon | $102,248 | $49.16 |
| 18 | Alaska | $114,854 | $55.22 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $107,841 | $51.85 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $98,269 | $47.24 |
| 21 | Michigan | $100,882 | $48.50 |
| 22 | Colorado | $104,297 | $50.14 |
| 23 | Maryland | $113,639 | $54.63 |
| 24 | Nevada | $101,882 | $48.98 |
| 25 | South Dakota | $92,900 | $44.66 |
| 26 | New York | $107,324 | $51.60 |
| 27 | District of Columbia | $103,516 | $49.77 |
| 28 | Illinois | $96,416 | $46.35 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $95,992 | $46.15 |
| 30 | North Dakota | $87,091 | $41.87 |
| 31 | Virginia | $95,125 | $45.73 |
| 32 | Oklahoma | $93,314 | $44.86 |
| 33 | Iowa | $93,763 | $45.08 |
| 34 | Arkansas | $92,234 | $44.34 |
| 35 | Texas | $86,160 | $41.42 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $91,549 | $44.01 |
| 37 | West Virginia | $87,878 | $42.25 |
| 38 | North Carolina | $89,483 | $43.02 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $85,286 | $41.00 |
| 40 | Nebraska | $76,768 | $36.91 |
| 41 | Idaho | $86,517 | $41.59 |
| 42 | Missouri | $77,687 | $37.35 |
| 43 | Alabama | $86,494 | $41.58 |
| 44 | Kansas | $84,138 | $40.45 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $65,726 | $31.60 |
| 46 | Florida | $76,641 | $36.85 |
| 47 | Utah | $66,834 | $32.13 |
| 48 | Georgia | $71,488 | $34.37 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $69,914 | $33.61 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $72,270 | $34.75 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $71,099 | $34.18 |
Highest paying cities for research staff members
The highest-paying cities for research staff members are San Francisco, CA, Bethesda, MD, and Knoxville, TN.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $126,691 | $60.91 |
| 2 | Bethesda, MD | $113,270 | $54.46 |
| 3 | Knoxville, TN | $112,258 | $53.97 |
| 4 | Gilbert, AZ | $111,156 | $53.44 |
| 5 | Albany, NY | $108,981 | $52.39 |
| 6 | Andover, MA | $107,885 | $51.87 |
| 7 | Seattle, WA | $105,026 | $50.49 |
| 8 | Warren, MI | $101,093 | $48.60 |
| 9 | Pittsburgh, PA | $99,160 | $47.67 |
| 10 | Arlington, VA | $97,091 | $46.68 |
| 11 | Chicago, IL | $96,845 | $46.56 |
| 12 | Morrisville, NC | $90,478 | $43.50 |
| 13 | Richardson, TX | $87,378 | $42.01 |
| 14 | Saint Louis, MO | $78,168 | $37.58 |
| 15 | Lincoln, NE | $76,473 | $36.77 |
| 16 | Salt Lake City, UT | $66,583 | $32.01 |
Research staff member salary details
A research staff member's salary ranges from $77,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $156,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a research staff member's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $156,000 | $13,000 | $75 |
| 75th Percentile | $132,000 | $11,000 | $63 |
| Average | $110,035 | $9,170 | $53 |
| 25th Percentile | $91,000 | $7,583 | $44 |
| 10th Percentile | $77,000 | $6,417 | $37 |
Highest paying research staff member jobs
The highest paying types of research staff members are scientist, research engineer, and research scientist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctoral Fellow | $53,366 | $4,447 | $25.66 | 22,661 |
| Fellow | $66,364 | $5,530 | $31.91 | 7,459 |
| Microbiologist | $54,620 | $4,552 | $26.26 | 11,444 |
| Scientist | $97,344 | $8,112 | $46.80 | 62,467 |
| Research Laboratory Technician | $38,308 | $3,192 | $18.42 | 86,476 |
| Research Technician | $43,034 | $3,586 | $20.69 | 64,786 |
Top companies hiring research staff members now:
Which companies pay research staff members the most?
Research staff member salaries at PARC and Western Digital are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average research staff member salary at companies like IBM and NVIDIA are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PARC | $138,056 | $66.37 |
| 2 | Western Digital | $137,779 | $66.24 |
| 3 | IBM | $134,623 | $64.72 |
| 4 | NVIDIA | $131,839 | $63.38 |
| 5 | MERL | $130,431 | $62.71 |
| 6 | Xerox | $130,355 | $62.67 |
| 7 | Nokia | $130,310 | $62.65 |
| 8 | QuantumScape | $129,042 | $62.04 |
| 9 | Adobe | $125,347 | $60.26 |
| 10 | Seagate Technology | $124,158 | $59.69 |
| 11 | Massachusetts General Hospital | $122,930 | $59.10 |
| 12 | Fujitsu | $121,854 | $58.58 |
| 13 | Henry Ford Health System | $121,091 | $58.22 |
| 14 | Twilio | $118,947 | $57.19 |
| 15 | Visa | $118,123 | $56.79 |
| 16 | Lenovo | $115,717 | $55.63 |
| 17 | Philips Lighting North America | $115,615 | $55.58 |
| 18 | General Motors | $114,840 | $55.21 |
| 19 | USG | $111,623 | $53.66 |
| 20 | Philips | $107,561 | $51.71 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Research staff member salary trends
The average research staff member salary has risen by $18,493 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average research staff member earned $91,542 annually, but today, they earn $110,035 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for research staff members over the last decade.
Compare research staff member salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average research staff member salary over time
Compare research staff member salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Research staff member salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $110,000 | $52.90 | +3.0% |
| 2024 | $107,000 | $51.33 | +4.5% |
| 2023 | $102,000 | $49.03 | +3.2% |
| 2022 | $98,700 | $47.46 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | $96,800 | $46.55 | -2.1% |
Recently added research staff member salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory | Applied Statistics Research Staff Member | Livermore, CA | 06/18/2025 | $168,780 |
| Communities for A Better Environment | Norcal Staff Researcher | Richmond, CA | 05/22/2025 | $80,232 |
| YMCA of Greater Tulsa | Member Experience Staff-Opening Shift AM AM | Tulsa, OK | 05/10/2025 | $20,870 |
| Institute for Defense Analyses | Adjunct Research Staff Member-Scamp 2025 Ccrp | Princeton, NJ | 03/26/2025 | $112,924 |
| Brookhaven National Laboratory | Research Staff 6 Physics | New York | 03/14/2025 | $205,643 |
| Brookhaven National Laboratory | Research Staff 5 Physics | New York | 03/12/2025 | $169,849 |
| President and Board of Trustees of Santa Clara College | Campus Safety Staff Member | Santa Clara, CA | 03/10/2025 | $52,279 |
| Nbcuniversal | Researcher, Assignment Desk (Staff With End Date) | Washington, DC | 03/05/2025 | $50,000 |
| Nbcuniversal | Researcher, Assignment Desk (Staff With End Date) | Washington, DC | 02/28/2025 | $50,000 |
| Thetradedesk | Staff User Researcher | Los Angeles, CA | 02/28/2025 | $149,900 |
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