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Job outlook for research staff members in the United States
Are research staff member jobs in demand?
Research staff member job and salary trends over time
Research staff member jobs over time
Research staff member job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 324 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 376 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 379 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 359 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 333 | 0.00% |
Average research staff member salary over time
Research staff member salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $110,035 | $52.90 | +3.1% |
| 2025 | $106,764 | $51.33 | +4.7% |
| 2024 | $101,979 | $49.03 | +3.3% |
| 2023 | $98,708 | $47.46 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $96,832 | $46.55 | --2.1% |
Research staff member jobs by state
Most common states for research staff members
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 296 | 43% |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 2,435 | 35% |
| 3 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 1,405 | 34% |
| 4 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 456 | 34% |
| 5 | Vermont | 623,657 | 204 | 33% |
| 6 | Delaware | 961,939 | 289 | 30% |
| 7 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 212 | 28% |
| 8 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 281 | 27% |
| 9 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 347 | 26% |
| 10 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 227 | 26% |
| 11 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,819 | 25% |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 2,819 | 22% |
| 13 | California | 39,536,653 | 7,819 | 20% |
| 14 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,134 | 20% |
| 15 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 380 | 20% |
| 16 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 1,636 | 18% |
| 17 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,022 | 18% |
| 18 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 567 | 18% |
| 19 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 2,152 | 17% |
| 20 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,447 | 17% |
Most common cities for research staff members
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morrisville | 2 | 8% | $90,478 |
| 2 | Richfield | 2 | 6% | $110,487 |
| 3 | Athens | 1 | 4% | $107,799 |
| 4 | Chapel Hill | 1 | 2% | $90,517 |
| 5 | Edina | 1 | 2% | $110,482 |
| 6 | Minneapolis | 3 | 1% | $110,634 |
| 7 | Bloomington | 1 | 1% | $110,415 |
| 8 | Carmel | 1 | 1% | $132,503 |
| 9 | Cary | 1 | 1% | $90,453 |
| 10 | Centennial | 1 | 1% | $104,132 |
| 11 | Chandler | 1 | 0% | $111,167 |
| 12 | Denver | 1 | 0% | $104,124 |
Research Staff Member job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of research staff member experts
SUNY Stony Brook
Washburn University of Topeka
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Northwestern University
Santa Fe College
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Jackson State University
Washington State University
University of Kentucky
Purdue University
University of Pittsburgh
University of Nebraska - Omaha
Northern Illinois University
University of Texas at Austin
University of Houston
Camellia Okpodu
What general advice would you give to a Research Staff Member?
Camellia Okpodu: Adatation and fundamental knowledge of botanical terms will always be pivotal to the discipline; however new technologies and applications will move the bountiful the discipline. Bioinformatics, genomics; Machine learning, Remote Sensing and VR (both for instruction and field application) will be necessay skills. Also, Botanists will collaborate with experts from diverse fields (ecology, computer science, engineering) thus making effective communication and teamwork critical.skills of the future
What general advice would you give to a Research Staff Member?
Dr. Vitaly Citovsky: One cannot get high salaries with a bachelor's degree in biology. To maximize your future salary you need to get a terminal degree such as PhD or MD. Alternatively one could go to law school. If you still want to begin working after BSc, look for industry jobs; these would be low-level technicians but make much more money than in academia.
Susan Bjerke
Associate Professor of BiologyWashburn University of Topeka
Biological And Physical Sciences
What will help Research Staff Members increase their earning potential?
Susan Bjerke: Some of the skills that will be important in the next 3-5 years will be general critical thinking skills and the ability to adapt to changing technology. Almost all science fields are increasingly dependent on technology, so being able to learn new skills and change the way you do things in your job will be important. Being an effective communicator, both in writing and orally, is an overlooked skill in the sciences and is always an important asset.
What Research Staff Member skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Qing Li: AI will become more important and prevalent in the field in the next 3-5 years but laboratory experiments will continue to make new discoveries.
What will help Research Staff Members increase their earning potential?
Nathaniel Stern: Within academic physics, your potential can be maximized by doing impactful work in graduate school that matters to other people. The next step is to communicate this impact broadly, and then figure out how to take the next step in the field. That is a lot of steps, but if one can successfully do those things in graduate school, they can build the profile, community, and intellectual leadership to demand the highest salary. Outside of academic physics, the requirements are probably not that different, but I do not have explicit knowledge of them myself. So I would fall back on the standard goals of innovation and communication, which should help one succeed in any knowledge-related career.
What will help Research Staff Members increase their earning potential?
Meghan McGee-Lawrence Ph.D.: Cast a wide net! A huge variety of career paths can be pursued with a degree like this, including industry, academic research, healthcare, education, and more. It is a very versatile degree, and can be a foundation for a multitude of different professions. Talk to recent graduates from your program (as many as possible!) and see what they did with their degree – the more information you can collect, the better prepared you’ll be to seek out opportunities yourself. Take the time to figure out where your interests lie – and understand that you may have to try a few different paths out before you find the right one for you. The first position you land after graduation doesn’t have to be the job you perform for the next 30 years of your life – so use each opportunity as a learning experience to figure out what you’d really like to do long-term.
What will help Research Staff Members increase their earning potential?
Kristopher Koudelka Ph.D.: Always keep learning. These fields change fast! The leading edge is always unveiling new information that can be applied to the area you are working on, and there will be new techniques developed that allow you to answer questions in more efficient ways. You must learn to regularly update yourself through conversations, reading, conferences, and trainings. This change is fun and exciting, embrace it. It will keep your job feeling new.
What will help Research Staff Members increase their earning potential?
Jason Ferrell: While technology is changing at a rapid pace and artificial intelligence will no doubt play an ever increasing role in life and science, I believe the foundations of success will not change. These include, 1. Being responsive and timely. 2. Possessing excellent written and oral communication skills. 3. Being a helpful team member. Regardless of skill set or expertise, these are three pillars of success.
What general advice would you give to a Research Staff Member?
Jeff Heslep: Find a starting job that gives you a wide range of work to perform. The more experience you can gain during the first few years will help you to hone your skills, decide what areas interest you the most, and give you the opportunity to choose. Learn as much as you can about the various equipment, analytical techniques, processes, and how to troubleshoot minor problems. Take the initiative and ask to learn how to use instruments you aren't familiar with. It is unlikely someone will deny you the opportunity to broaden your knowledge. Take every chance you have to network and get to know the people within your local biotechnology industry. Networking plays a major role in employment opportunities. Work on your written and verbal communication skills. Communicating well will help you stand out. Being able to effectively convey complex scientific concepts in such a way that anyone can understand it can be a powerful skill.
What Research Staff Member skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jeff Heslep: A good entry-level starting salary is great, but it may not maximize your salary potential if the job doesn't help you grow. You might want to take learning opportunities and experience over money early on in your career. Focus on experience, learning, and growth early so your salary potential in the long run will be much higher. Be wary of companies offering a sign-on bonus for certain positions. The reason companies need to offer a sign-on bonus for specific positions is often because the job is very demanding and unpleasant, or they are positions that stagnate and offer little growth opportunities. You'll have plenty of time to advance and make a higher salary after you have a good system of self-improvement in place and ways to master your skills.
What general advice would you give to a Research Staff Member?
Jacob Nordman: Salary potential in my field of neuroscience almost always involves publications, awards, and technical acumen. Therefore, as I mentioned, it is important to start early looking for opportunities that can strengthen these areas. Another important aspect of getting high-profile, and thus high-paying, positions, is being able to tell a story with your research and career. Employers want to see that you have thought deeply and strategically about your career and where it’s going. This will allow them to believe you are a safe bet and worthy of their investment.
What will help Research Staff Members increase their earning potential?
Jacob Nordman: In the field of neuroscience, the field is increasingly concerned with cellular and pathway specificity – what are the cell types and pathway that control ever-specific physiological functions. Some tools necessary to probe these questions include the powerful single-cell RNA sequencing method, genetic tools like optogenetics and chemogenetics that allow for neural pathway-specific manipulations, and increasingly sophisticated computer models that incorporate machine learning and artificial intelligence. These techniques will only become more precise and integral, so familiarity with them now will set you up to learn the newer versions later.
What Research Staff Member skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Hung-Chung Huang: Cloud computing, AI (e.g., ChatGPT) computing, machine learning, HMM, neural network, and natural language processing.
What Research Staff Member skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Lindsey du Toit: Enquire about salary ranges for the types of position for which you’re applying, and opportunities for promotions/salary ranges. Pay attention to the value of the benefits package associated with positions you are seeking. These benefits may not translate to direct salary payments, but can be worth a very significant amount over the duration of your career.
What will help Research Staff Members increase their earning potential?
Lindsey du Toit: Take every opportunity you can to learn, network, and build an effective team of people that bring a greater breadth and depth of skills and expertise to the work on which you will be focusing. Cultivate a life-long sense of intellectual curiosity and learning. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Treat ignorance as an opportunity to learn. Questions demonstrate you want to understand the situation/problem effectively and that you are paying attention. Always demonstrate integrity in your work. It is one of the most valuable traits you can bring to your career. Be kind and supportive of your colleagues.
Dr. David Harmon
Professor of Animal & Food SciencesUniversity of Kentucky
Animal Sciences
What general advice would you give to a Research Staff Member?
Dr. David Harmon: Reading and writing skills are never more important. If you want to do research you have to compete for funds.
What will help Research Staff Members increase their earning potential?
Dr. David Harmon: Be productive as a graduate student. Publishing is still the road to success.
Yan Cong
Purdue University
Romance Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
What Research Staff Member skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Yan Cong: AI singularity, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), et cetera are topics that trigger a lot of debate nowadays and they will be prevalent in the near future. Perspectives from humanities and linguistics would contribute to the ongoing debate and provide new opportunities for future innovative technologies that are linked to languages, linguistics and humanities.
What will help Research Staff Members increase their earning potential?
Arjumand Ghazi Ph. D: Having an advanced degree such as a PhD and even a few years postdoc is a good way to start at a higher level. It often allows one to make up for the reduced earnings during the training periods while increasing long-term earnings.
Andrew Riquier Ph.D.
InstructorUniversity of Nebraska - Omaha
Neurobiology And Neurosciences
What general advice would you give to a Research Staff Member?
Andrew Riquier Ph.D.: Apply for the positions you want, even if you feel underqualified. I know plenty of people who have applied for jobs they didn't quite meet the requirements for, and got hired for other reasons. In my experience, many recent graduates choose to take time to strengthen their resumes by retaking classes, working jobs they don't particularly want to get experience, etc. There is some value in that, particularly if you have been unsuccessful attaining the position you want, or if you want to see if you even enjoy that type of work. But if you are confident in what you want to do, go for it; in the worst-case scenario, you are in the same position you would be if you hadn't applied, but now you have experience applying and have potentially gained a contact in the field.
Jahred Adelman
Associate Professor of Physics, Director of Graduate StudiesNorthern Illinois University
Physics
What general advice would you give to a Research Staff Member?
Jahred Adelman: I always tell my students that the skills we teach are going to be very much in demand in the future in almost all fields. Physicists are taught critical and analytical thinking skills, model building, computational expertise and proficiency in communicating difficult ideas and concepts to others. I don't see any of those things becoming old-fashioned, anytime soon.
What Research Staff Member skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jahred Adelman: The great thing about jobs outside of academia is that you can change them! It's hard to do that in academia, but outside of academia you can always move from job to job. There is an overhead to doing that, but that's OK, and might help you earn more (you might also find a more interesting job)! As such, make sure your CV and resume are always up to date, and if you have a portfolio to show others, keep that timely and interesting as well.
What will help Research Staff Members increase their earning potential?
Jahred Adelman: A handful of people will care about the subtle details in your amazing, esoteric research to measure a fundamental parameter of a physics model. The vast majority of others will be interested instead in the skills that you learned during your degree. These skills include people skills, technical skills, analytical skills and even hands-on hardware skills. But don't get lost in the weeds when talking to folks outside of academia.
Also remember that timescales inside and outside of academia are different. In most fields of academic research we measure timelines for projects in terms of years; in many other areas, this is simply unacceptable.
Finally, you entered physics because you were interested in the work and had fun during your degree and in your research. That should still hold true after you graduate, and independent of what you are doing. If you're not enjoying your work and not proud of the output, something is wrong, and you should consider a change.
What will help Research Staff Members increase their earning potential?
Autumn Mathias Ph.D., LCSW: I think it is important for graduates to look at projections on the Bureau of Labor Statistics
website and to conduct general research on the state of certain industries at the time of
graduation. For instance, the tech industry is currently very saturated; some people who started
positions as user experience researchers just a few years ago were laid off. Individuals who have
years of experience in these positions will then have an advantage in securing new positions.
That being said, I believe that quantitative research skills in particular are advantageous for many
positions. This includes attaining coding skills and learning coding languages such as Python, R,
and Java.
In addition to the tech industry, the higher education market for individuals with a Master's
degree or PhD in sociology for tenure-track, full-time assistant professor positions in sociology
proves to remain highly competitive, as there are far more graduates than full-time positions.
That being said, some Master's programs emphasize an applied focus that prepares students for a
variety of research and evaluation positions.
In relation to research skills focused on data collection and analysis, sociology majors develop
writing and presentation skills that are crucial to success in any field. Also, the major's emphasis
on a critical global perspective along with cultural humility, cultural competence, empathy, and
overall interpersonal skills are sought-after skills in many fields. For instance, the U.S. is
experiencing a serious shortage of mental health professionals. Although some mental health
positions require a bachelor's or Master's degree in social work, others are also open to
individuals with a bachelor's degree in sociology or psychology.
Mary Neuburger
Director, Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian StudiesUniversity of Texas at Austin
Slavic, Baltic And Albanian Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
What general advice would you give to a Research Staff Member?
Mary Neuburger: Network as much as possible, online (LinkedIn or social media) and at events related to Russian studies or policy. These tend to be open to the public at most large er universities and some smaller. Attend, ask good questions, and introduce yourself to people. Make sure you highlight all of the skills you have gained on your CV-include projects in courses, extracurricular activities, study abroad etc.
What will help Research Staff Members increase their earning potential?
Mary Neuburger: Increase your experience and education in the field. Think about a Russian Studies master's program, for which you can get funding and gain more education and professional experience. UT Austin is looking for good applicants! Also think about doing workshops in various technical skills or platforms to bolster your resume. Think about initiating a club, small organization or project, and taking a leadership role. Highlight these efforts on your cv.
Badri Roysam D.Sc.
Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen University Professor Chair, Electrical & Computer Engineering Department University of HoustonUniversity of Houston
Petroleum Engineering
What will help Research Staff Members increase their earning potential?
Badri Roysam D.Sc.: Make yourself valuable, and become good at articulating your value proposition.