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Chief scientist salary
Average chief scientist salary
$108,046
Understanding Chief Scientist Salaries
The role of a Chief Scientist is pivotal in guiding research initiatives and innovation strategies within organizations. As of October 2025, the average salary for a Chief Scientist is $108,046 annually, translating to approximately $52 per hour. This figure varies significantly based on several factors, including location, industry, and years of experience.
For example, the highest-paying states for Chief Scientists tend to include areas with a strong tech or pharmaceutical presence, such as California and Massachusetts. In these regions, salaries can exceed the national average, reflecting the demand for expertise in science and technology. Additionally, Chief Scientists in specific industries, like biotechnology or aerospace, may command higher salaries due to the specialized skills required.
Factors Influencing Salary
- Experience: More experienced professionals often see significantly higher salaries.
- Industry: Certain sectors, such as pharmaceuticals, typically offer better compensation.
- Location: Cost of living and regional demand play crucial roles.
By analyzing these elements, job seekers can better position themselves in the job market, targeting roles that align with their career goals and financial expectations.
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Where can a Chief Scientist earn more?
Chief scientist salary estimates from across the web
Average chief scientist salary by state
The average chief scientist salary in New Jersey, California, and Delaware are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average chief scientist salary states are Mississippi, North Dakota, and South Carolina.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for chief scientists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware | $117,846 | $56.66 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $122,870 | $59.07 |
| 3 | California | $122,776 | $59.03 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $116,219 | $55.87 |
| 5 | Maine | $109,937 | $52.85 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $97,099 | $46.68 |
| 7 | Nevada | $102,119 | $49.10 |
| 8 | Montana | $95,828 | $46.07 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $96,813 | $46.54 |
| 10 | Maryland | $95,107 | $45.72 |
| 11 | Oregon | $98,203 | $47.21 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $95,490 | $45.91 |
| 13 | New York | $92,135 | $44.30 |
| 14 | Vermont | $90,710 | $43.61 |
| 15 | Tennessee | $96,780 | $46.53 |
| 16 | Arizona | $95,101 | $45.72 |
| 17 | Washington | $89,400 | $42.98 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $93,219 | $44.82 |
| 19 | Indiana | $96,734 | $46.51 |
| 20 | North Carolina | $87,131 | $41.89 |
| 21 | Virginia | $88,207 | $42.41 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $88,479 | $42.54 |
| 23 | New Mexico | $82,101 | $39.47 |
| 24 | Michigan | $89,431 | $43.00 |
| 25 | Alaska | $82,962 | $39.89 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $86,008 | $41.35 |
| 27 | Ohio | $84,619 | $40.68 |
| 28 | Wyoming | $75,571 | $36.33 |
| 29 | Illinois | $79,740 | $38.34 |
| 30 | Oklahoma | $81,804 | $39.33 |
| 31 | Arkansas | $79,548 | $38.24 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $76,925 | $36.98 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $71,037 | $34.15 |
| 34 | Colorado | $78,574 | $37.78 |
| 35 | Texas | $77,429 | $37.23 |
| 36 | Idaho | $76,297 | $36.68 |
| 37 | Alabama | $76,197 | $36.63 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $72,216 | $34.72 |
| 39 | Missouri | $75,116 | $36.11 |
| 40 | Iowa | $75,237 | $36.17 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $75,237 | $36.17 |
| 42 | Hawaii | $55,257 | $26.57 |
| 43 | North Dakota | $63,902 | $30.72 |
| 44 | Kansas | $70,615 | $33.95 |
| 45 | Utah | $65,406 | $31.45 |
| 46 | Florida | $67,681 | $32.54 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $63,613 | $30.58 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $67,453 | $32.43 |
| 49 | Georgia | $60,101 | $28.89 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $63,983 | $30.76 |
| 51 | Nebraska | $61,743 | $29.68 |
Highest paying cities for chief scientists
The highest-paying cities for chief scientists are San Francisco, CA, Oak Ridge, TN, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $131,652 | $63.29 |
| 2 | Oak Ridge, TN | $99,231 | $47.71 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $97,283 | $46.77 |
| 4 | Jeffersonville, IN | $97,094 | $46.68 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | $93,205 | $44.81 |
| 6 | Pittsburgh, PA | $92,431 | $44.44 |
| 7 | New York, NY | $92,326 | $44.39 |
| 8 | Olympia, WA | $91,694 | $44.08 |
| 9 | Arlington, VA | $89,576 | $43.07 |
| 10 | Dayton, OH | $82,972 | $39.89 |
| 11 | Colorado Springs, CO | $81,368 | $39.12 |
| 12 | Arlington Heights, IL | $79,995 | $38.46 |
| 13 | Morgantown, WV | $77,975 | $37.49 |
| 14 | San Antonio, TX | $77,662 | $37.34 |
| 15 | Clearwater, FL | $68,775 | $33.06 |
| 16 | Pleasant Grove, UT | $65,676 | $31.57 |
| 17 | Columbia, SC | $63,880 | $30.71 |
| 18 | Atlanta, GA | $60,040 | $28.87 |
Chief scientist salary details
A chief scientist's salary ranges from $69,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $168,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a chief scientist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $168,000 | $14,000 | $81 |
| 75th Percentile | $136,000 | $11,333 | $65 |
| Average | $108,046 | $9,004 | $52 |
| 25th Percentile | $85,000 | $7,083 | $41 |
| 10th Percentile | $69,000 | $5,750 | $33 |
Highest paying chief scientist jobs
The highest paying types of chief scientists are medical science liaison, principal scientist, and senior 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 |
| Research Laboratory Manager | $64,333 | $5,361 | $30.93 | 89,981 |
| Laboratory Researcher | $27,760 | $2,313 | $13.35 | 57,359 |
| Research Fellow | $53,823 | $4,485 | $25.88 | 59,746 |
| PHD Researcher | $51,634 | $4,303 | $24.82 | 19,736 |
Top companies hiring chief scientists now:
Which companies pay chief scientists the most?
Chief scientist salaries at Uber Technologies and General Electric are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average chief scientist salary at companies like Battelle and USU Solutions are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uber Technologies | $133,732 | $64.29 |
| 2 | General Electric | $120,393 | $57.88 |
| 3 | Battelle | $119,128 | $57.27 |
| 4 | USU Solutions | $117,861 | $56.66 |
| 5 | Oak Ridge National Laboratory | $116,999 | $56.25 |
| 6 | Systems & Technology Research | $116,557 | $56.04 |
| 7 | JANUS Research Group | $116,235 | $55.88 |
| 8 | MITRE | $114,572 | $55.08 |
| 9 | Santec, Inc. | $114,510 | $55.05 |
| 10 | Instabase | $113,916 | $54.77 |
| 11 | SecureLogix | $111,372 | $53.54 |
| 12 | BAE Systems | $110,726 | $53.23 |
| 13 | The Nature Conservancy | $108,576 | $52.20 |
| 14 | Security Innovation | $106,029 | $50.98 |
| 15 | General Dynamics | $104,049 | $50.02 |
| 16 | Innovative Genomics Institute | $102,172 | $49.12 |
| 17 | Afiniti | $102,078 | $49.08 |
| 18 | ManTech | $100,574 | $48.35 |
| 19 | Peraton | $99,720 | $47.94 |
| 20 | SABIC Innovative Plastics | $97,917 | $47.08 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Chief scientist salary trends
The average chief scientist salary has risen by $18,160 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average chief scientist earned $89,886 annually, but today, they earn $108,046 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for chief scientists over the last decade.
Compare chief scientist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average chief scientist salary over time
Compare chief scientist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Chief scientist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $108,000 | $51.94 | +3.0% |
| 2025 | $105,000 | $50.40 | +4.5% |
| 2024 | $100,000 | $48.14 | +3.2% |
| 2023 | $96,900 | $46.60 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $95,100 | $45.71 | -2.1% |
Recently added chief scientist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paws Inc. | Chief Scientist | San Francisco, CA | 03/19/2025 | $100,000 |
| Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | Chief Scientist-Chemistry | Richland, WA | 03/18/2025 | $153,600 |
| Parsons | Deputy Chief Scientist-Molecular Diagnostics | Frederick, MD | 02/28/2025 | $70,500 |
| Parsons Commercial Technology Group Inc. | Chief Scientist-Molecular Diagnostics | Frederick, MD | 02/20/2025 | $83,300 |
| Parsons Technical Services | Chief Scientist-Molecular Diagnostics | Frederick, MD | 02/20/2025 | $83,300 |
| Sauge Ai | Chief Scientist | Golden Valley, MN | 02/17/2025 | $46,280 |
| Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | Chief Scientist-Chemistry | Richland, WA | 02/14/2025 | $153,600 |
| Rentastic Inc. | Chief Scientist | San Jose, CA | 01/17/2025 | $159,718 |
| Transformbio, Inc. | Chief Scientist | Boston, MA | 12/30/2024 | $141,269 |
| Parsons Technical Services | Deputy Chief Scientist-Molecular Diagnostics | Frederick, MD | 12/05/2024 | $70,500 |
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