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Assistant research engineer salary
Average assistant research engineer salary
$79,081
Understanding the Assistant Research Engineer Salary
As of October 2025, the average salary for an Assistant Research Engineer stands at $79,081 per year, translating to about $38 per hour. This position typically requires a degree in engineering or a related field, and salaries can vary significantly based on factors such as experience and geographic location.
Salary by Experience Level
Entry-level positions may start around $60,000, while those with several years of experience can earn upwards of $90,000. Advanced roles or specializations in high-demand areas can lead to even higher compensation.
Top-Paying States
States like California, New York, and Texas often offer the highest salaries for Assistant Research Engineers. For example, in California, the average salary can exceed $85,000, reflecting the high cost of living and demand for engineering talent.
Career Advancement Opportunities
With experience, Assistant Research Engineers can transition into senior engineering roles or specialize in research areas, significantly enhancing their earning potential. Explore job openings in your area to find the right opportunity for professional growth.
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Where can an Assistant Research Engineer earn more?
Assistant research engineer salaries by experience level
Assistant research engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average assistant research engineer salary by state
The average assistant research engineer salary in California, New Mexico, and Maryland are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average assistant research engineer salary states are South Carolina, Nebraska, and Mississippi.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for assistant research engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $107,675 | $51.77 |
| 2 | Oregon | $94,188 | $45.28 |
| 3 | New Mexico | $99,287 | $47.73 |
| 4 | Delaware | $91,984 | $44.22 |
| 5 | Georgia | $91,170 | $43.83 |
| 6 | Washington | $90,784 | $43.65 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $94,216 | $45.30 |
| 8 | Idaho | $87,707 | $42.17 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $80,777 | $38.84 |
| 10 | Maryland | $94,432 | $45.40 |
| 11 | Nevada | $87,130 | $41.89 |
| 12 | Arizona | $81,613 | $39.24 |
| 13 | North Carolina | $82,014 | $39.43 |
| 14 | West Virginia | $84,335 | $40.55 |
| 15 | Michigan | $78,786 | $37.88 |
| 16 | Connecticut | $84,940 | $40.84 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $89,543 | $43.05 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $80,492 | $38.70 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $83,647 | $40.21 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $78,808 | $37.89 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $78,716 | $37.84 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $83,144 | $39.97 |
| 23 | Virginia | $80,124 | $38.52 |
| 24 | Texas | $79,202 | $38.08 |
| 25 | New York | $86,671 | $41.67 |
| 26 | Alaska | $85,661 | $41.18 |
| 27 | Kansas | $78,948 | $37.96 |
| 28 | Illinois | $78,243 | $37.62 |
| 29 | Alabama | $79,029 | $37.99 |
| 30 | Indiana | $75,345 | $36.22 |
| 31 | Wyoming | $73,888 | $35.52 |
| 32 | Maine | $77,840 | $37.42 |
| 33 | Colorado | $75,127 | $36.12 |
| 34 | Iowa | $74,755 | $35.94 |
| 35 | Utah | $72,973 | $35.08 |
| 36 | Vermont | $72,759 | $34.98 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $72,090 | $34.66 |
| 38 | Ohio | $71,351 | $34.30 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | $74,351 | $35.75 |
| 40 | Missouri | $73,165 | $35.18 |
| 41 | Montana | $70,860 | $34.07 |
| 42 | North Dakota | $70,922 | $34.10 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $71,445 | $34.35 |
| 44 | Wisconsin | $69,970 | $33.64 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $67,753 | $32.57 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $70,576 | $33.93 |
| 47 | Florida | $64,786 | $31.15 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $69,325 | $33.33 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $57,017 | $27.41 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $66,293 | $31.87 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $64,460 | $30.99 |
Highest paying cities for assistant research engineers
The highest-paying cities for assistant research engineers are Richmond, CA, Baltimore, MD, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richmond, CA | $117,174 | $56.33 |
| 2 | Baltimore, MD | $94,690 | $45.52 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $94,313 | $45.34 |
| 4 | Portland, OR | $93,921 | $45.15 |
| 5 | Beverly, MA | $89,446 | $43.00 |
| 6 | New York, NY | $86,766 | $41.71 |
| 7 | Piscataway, NJ | $83,701 | $40.24 |
| 8 | Huntington, WV | $83,207 | $40.00 |
| 9 | Raleigh, NC | $82,625 | $39.72 |
| 10 | Phoenix, AZ | $81,967 | $39.41 |
| 11 | Philadelphia, PA | $81,120 | $39.00 |
| 12 | Manassas, VA | $80,898 | $38.89 |
| 13 | Austin, TX | $79,674 | $38.30 |
| 14 | Huntsville, AL | $79,593 | $38.27 |
| 15 | Iowa City, IA | $74,823 | $35.97 |
| 16 | Omaha, NE | $67,762 | $32.58 |
| 17 | Orlando, FL | $66,774 | $32.10 |
| 18 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $57,040 | $27.42 |
Assistant research engineer salary details
An assistant research engineer's salary ranges from $58,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $106,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an assistant research engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $106,000 | $8,833 | $51 |
| 75th Percentile | $92,000 | $7,667 | $44 |
| Average | $79,081 | $6,590 | $38 |
| 25th Percentile | $67,000 | $5,583 | $32 |
| 10th Percentile | $58,000 | $4,833 | $28 |
Highest paying assistant research engineer jobs
The highest paying types of assistant research engineers are principal engineer, team lead engineer, and senior engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tool Engineer | $101,135 | $8,428 | $48.62 | 98,936 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Product Engineer | $89,645 | $7,470 | $43.10 | 157,888 |
| Project Engineer | $75,050 | $6,254 | $36.08 | 176,689 |
| Principal Engineer | $130,213 | $10,851 | $62.60 | 312,683 |
| Team Lead Engineer | $114,867 | $9,572 | $55.22 | 235,155 |
Top companies hiring assistant research engineers now:
Which companies pay assistant research engineers the most?
Assistant research engineer salaries at Brookhaven National Laboratory and University of California are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average assistant research engineer salary at companies like University of California, Berkeley and UChicago Argonne are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brookhaven National Laboratory | $98,865 | $47.53 |
| 2 | University of California | $90,727 | $43.62 |
| 3 | University of California-Berkeley | $89,596 | $43.08 |
| 4 | UChicago Argonne | $86,754 | $41.71 |
| 5 | University of Alaska | $85,655 | $41.18 |
| 6 | Csl | $84,457 | $40.60 |
| 7 | Wsp USA Buildings Inc. | $84,235 | $40.50 |
| 8 | Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station - State Headquarters | $83,458 | $40.12 |
| 9 | Nova Consulting | $81,246 | $39.06 |
| 10 | China Telecom Americas | $80,741 | $38.82 |
| 11 | P B Holdings | $80,672 | $38.78 |
| 12 | 3H Group | $80,672 | $38.78 |
| 13 | Medstar Health | $80,350 | $38.63 |
| 14 | Olsson | $80,127 | $38.52 |
| 15 | Aimbridge Hospitality | $79,909 | $38.42 |
| 16 | UC Santa Barbara | $78,742 | $37.86 |
| 17 | Savin Engineers | $78,052 | $37.52 |
| 18 | Hazen and Sawyer | $78,018 | $37.51 |
| 19 | Civiltech Engineering | $77,372 | $37.20 |
| 20 | Rutgers University | $77,240 | $37.13 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Assistant Research Engineer salary by industry
The average assistant research engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average assistant research engineer salary in the education industry is $84,915, the highest of any industry.
- The average assistant research engineer salary in the finance industry is $83,741.
- Assistant research engineers in the construction industry earn an average salary of $72,135, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for assistant research engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Education | $84,915 | $40.82 |
| 2 | Health Care | $83,741 | $40.26 |
| 3 | Professional | $81,593 | $39.23 |
| 4 | Government | $76,867 | $36.96 |
| 5 | Construction | $72,135 | $34.68 |
High paying assistant research engineer jobs
Assistant research engineer salary trends
The average assistant research engineer salary has risen by $9,587 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average assistant research engineer earned $69,494 annually, but today, they earn $79,081 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for assistant research engineers over the last decade.
Compare assistant research engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average assistant research engineer salary over time
Compare assistant research engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Assistant research engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $79,100 | $38.02 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $77,600 | $37.29 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $76,600 | $36.84 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $75,300 | $36.21 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $73,800 | $35.50 | +0.7% |
Recently added assistant research engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johns Hopkins University | Assistant Research Engineer (Biomedical Engineer)-#Faculty | Baltimore, MD | 06/14/2025 | $60,000 |
| Chevron | Third Assistant Engineer | San Ramon, CA | 03/30/2025 | $143,960 |
| Johns Hopkins University | Assistant Research Engineer/Scientist | Baltimore, MD | 02/14/2025 | $65,000 |
| Keller Mortgage, LLC | 6106 Faircrest DR Cincinnati, OH Bed | 3 Bath | 1726 Sqft Courtesy of Keller Willia | Cincinnati, OH | 10/23/2024 | $199,900 |
| Keller Mortgage, LLC | 8832 Washington Colony DR Dayton, OH Bed | 1 Bath | 905 Sqft Courtesy of Keller WIL | Dayton, OH | 10/19/2024 | $149,900 |
| KBS Real Estate Services Inc. | 5404 Summer Cypress DR, Bakersfiled, CA 93313 | Bakersfield, CA | 09/26/2024 | $73,045 |
| Wood Rodgers, Inc. | Assistant Engineer | Reno, NV | 09/24/2024 | $66,262 |
| Tom West Company | 41 Woodland DR Georgetown, GA Bed | 2 Bath | 896 Sqft Courtesy of Baker Realty | Georgetown, GA | 09/13/2024 | $129,750 |
| New York State Civil Service | Assistant Engineer (Civil Transport) (NY Helps) | Albany, NY | 09/04/2024 | $69,278 |
| UCLA | Assistant Researcher Position In Physics & Astronomy (Plasma Physics) | Princeton, NJ | 07/16/2024 | $90,200 |
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