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Clinical trials associate salary
Average clinical trials associate salary
$74,952
Clinical Trials Associate Salary Overview
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Clinical Trials Associate stands at $74,952 annually, which translates to approximately $36 per hour. Variations in salary can be attributed to several factors including geographic location, years of experience, and specific expertise within the field.
Salary by State
Clinical Trials Associates often earn higher wages in states such as California, Massachusetts, and New York, where the cost of living is elevated and demand for clinical research professionals is strong. For example, the highest paying states for this role may offer salaries exceeding $90,000 annually.
Career Advancement Opportunities
Gaining additional certifications or specializing in a particular area of clinical research can lead to increased salary potential. Positions such as Clinical Research Manager or Clinical Trial Manager often provide higher compensation, making continuous education valuable.
For those interested in pursuing a rewarding career in clinical trials, Zippia offers resources and job listings to help you navigate this dynamic field.
Let Zippi find your next clinical trials associate job
Let Zippi find your next clinical trials associate job
Where can a Clinical Trials Associate earn more?
Clinical trials associate salary estimates from across the web
Average clinical trials associate salary by state
The highest-paying states for clinical trials associates are California, Massachusetts, and New York. The lowest average clinical trials associate salary states are Arkansas, Minnesota, and Alabama.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for clinical trials associates
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $95,997 | $46.15 |
| 2 | New York | $95,128 | $45.73 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $94,774 | $45.56 |
| 4 | Florida | $82,040 | $39.44 |
| 5 | Oregon | $83,900 | $40.34 |
| 6 | New Mexico | $87,107 | $41.88 |
| 7 | Washington | $83,438 | $40.11 |
| 8 | California | $103,677 | $49.84 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $77,854 | $37.43 |
| 10 | Maine | $75,933 | $36.51 |
| 11 | Illinois | $80,858 | $38.87 |
| 12 | Vermont | $84,772 | $40.76 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $92,093 | $44.28 |
| 14 | Nevada | $80,875 | $38.88 |
| 15 | Maryland | $81,299 | $39.09 |
| 16 | Arizona | $76,260 | $36.66 |
| 17 | Montana | $75,839 | $36.46 |
| 18 | Delaware | $81,104 | $38.99 |
| 19 | Hawaii | $86,123 | $41.41 |
| 20 | Idaho | $79,548 | $38.24 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $71,513 | $34.38 |
| 22 | North Dakota | $72,118 | $34.67 |
| 23 | Georgia | $75,969 | $36.52 |
| 24 | Connecticut | $72,247 | $34.73 |
| 25 | Michigan | $73,472 | $35.32 |
| 26 | Ohio | $71,497 | $34.37 |
| 27 | South Dakota | $67,366 | $32.39 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $68,857 | $33.10 |
| 29 | Virginia | $75,744 | $36.42 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $68,952 | $33.15 |
| 31 | Utah | $67,905 | $32.65 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $66,188 | $31.82 |
| 33 | Louisiana | $66,422 | $31.93 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $69,382 | $33.36 |
| 35 | District of Columbia | $66,114 | $31.79 |
| 36 | Missouri | $68,309 | $32.84 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $64,141 | $30.84 |
| 38 | Mississippi | $68,223 | $32.80 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $65,229 | $31.36 |
| 40 | Texas | $62,197 | $29.90 |
| 41 | Kansas | $61,840 | $29.73 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $61,533 | $29.58 |
| 43 | Colorado | $65,011 | $31.26 |
| 44 | Alaska | $66,528 | $31.98 |
| 45 | Minnesota | $61,247 | $29.45 |
| 46 | Indiana | $59,418 | $28.57 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $62,363 | $29.98 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $61,304 | $29.47 |
| 49 | Alabama | $60,808 | $29.23 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $58,478 | $28.11 |
| 51 | Iowa | $56,469 | $27.15 |
Highest paying cities for clinical trials associates
The highest-paying cities for clinical trials associates are San Francisco, CA, Albany, NY, and Needham, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $113,800 | $54.71 |
| 2 | Albany, NY | $96,199 | $46.25 |
| 3 | Needham, MA | $96,072 | $46.19 |
| 4 | Jersey City, NJ | $95,191 | $45.76 |
| 5 | Seattle, WA | $84,465 | $40.61 |
| 6 | North Chicago, IL | $82,491 | $39.66 |
| 7 | Wilmington, DE | $81,411 | $39.14 |
| 8 | Gaithersburg, MD | $80,752 | $38.82 |
| 9 | Atlanta, GA | $75,594 | $36.34 |
| 10 | Philadelphia, PA | $72,246 | $34.73 |
| 11 | Columbus, OH | $70,709 | $33.99 |
| 12 | Durham, NC | $70,030 | $33.67 |
| 13 | Madison, WI | $67,753 | $32.57 |
| 14 | Salt Lake City, UT | $67,343 | $32.38 |
| 15 | Washington, DC | $66,117 | $31.79 |
| 16 | Denver, CO | $64,782 | $31.15 |
| 17 | San Antonio, TX | $63,428 | $30.49 |
| 18 | Indianapolis, IN | $58,981 | $28.36 |
| 19 | Iowa City, IA | $56,722 | $27.27 |
Clinical trials associate salary details
A clinical trials associate's salary ranges from $46,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $121,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a clinical trials associate's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $121,000 | $10,083 | $58 |
| 75th Percentile | $96,000 | $8,000 | $46 |
| Average | $74,952 | $6,246 | $36 |
| 25th Percentile | $58,000 | $4,833 | $28 |
| 10th Percentile | $46,000 | $3,833 | $22 |
Highest paying clinical trials associate jobs
The highest paying types of clinical trials associates are clinical project manager, clinical research manager, and senior clinical research associate.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Director | $82,066 | $6,839 | $39.45 | 6,789 |
| Research Project Coordinator | $48,683 | $4,057 | $23.41 | 67,800 |
| Research Coordinator | $48,974 | $4,081 | $23.55 | 65,406 |
| Study Coordinator | $47,435 | $3,953 | $22.81 | 14,929 |
| Research Administrator | $52,667 | $4,389 | $25.32 | 99,798 |
| Research Nurse | $53,463 | $4,455 | $25.70 | 46,665 |
Top companies hiring clinical trials associates now:
Which companies pay clinical trials associates the most?
Clinical trials associate salaries at Dorsey & Whitney and Acorda Therapeutics are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average clinical trials associate salary at companies like Sarepta Therapeutics and Merrimack Pharmaceuticals are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dorsey & Whitney | $140,725 | $67.66 |
| 2 | Acorda Therapeutics | $134,047 | $64.45 |
| 3 | Sarepta Therapeutics | $129,410 | $62.22 |
| 4 | Merrimack Pharmaceuticals | $128,943 | $61.99 |
| 5 | Verastem Oncology | $108,851 | $52.33 |
| 6 | AbbVie | $104,218 | $50.10 |
| 7 | Eli Lilly and Company | $101,715 | $48.90 |
| 8 | Novartis | $101,411 | $48.76 |
| 9 | AltaMed Health Services | $100,862 | $48.49 |
| 10 | Gilead Sciences | $100,673 | $48.40 |
| 11 | Parexel International | $97,260 | $46.76 |
| 12 | Seagen | $92,202 | $44.33 |
| 13 | ExecuPharm | $90,565 | $43.54 |
| 14 | Ortho Clinical Diagnostics | $89,651 | $43.10 |
| 15 | Amylyx | $83,787 | $40.28 |
| 16 | Kaiser Permanente | $82,745 | $39.78 |
| 17 | Siemens Healthineers | $82,325 | $39.58 |
| 18 | Integrated Resources | $80,303 | $38.61 |
| 19 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $79,346 | $38.15 |
| 20 | UNICON International | $79,299 | $38.12 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Clinical trials associate salary trends
The average clinical trials associate salary has risen by $12,590 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average clinical trials associate earned $62,362 annually, but today, they earn $74,952 a year. That works out to a 15% change in pay for clinical trials associates over the last decade.
Compare clinical trials associate salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average clinical trials associate salary over time
Compare clinical trials associate salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Clinical trials associate salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $75,000 | $36.03 | +6.4% |
| 2024 | $70,100 | $33.73 | +4.1% |
| 2023 | $67,300 | $32.36 | +3.9% |
| 2022 | $64,600 | $31.08 | -0.7% |
| 2021 | $65,100 | $31.31 | -0.3% |
Recently added clinical trials associate salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Third Rock Ventures | Clinical Trial Management Associate | Redwood City, CA | 06/24/2025 | $87,000 |
| Tenaya Therapeutics | Senior Clinical Trial Associate | South San Francisco, CA | 06/14/2025 | $115,500 |
| Lyell Immunopharma | Senior Clinical Trial Management Associate | South San Francisco, CA | 06/12/2025 | $128,000 |
| Syneos Health, Inc. | Clinical Trial Associate-Lawrenceville, NJ (Hybrid Role) | Morrisville, NC | 06/12/2025 | $40,900 |
| Deciphera | Senior Clinical Trial Associate | Waltham, MA | 06/07/2025 | $113,000 |
| Lyell Immunopharma, Inc. | Senior Clinical Trial Management Associate | Seattle, WA | 06/07/2025 | $128,000 |
| Eli Lilly and Company | Clinical Trial Registry and Transparency Associate | Indianapolis, IN | 05/30/2025 | $63,000 |
| Pulse Biosciences | Clinical Trials Associate | Hayward, CA | 05/30/2025 | $80,000 |
| Ardelyx | Clinical Trial Management Associate | Newark, CA | 05/26/2025 | $93,000 |
| Spyglass Pharma | Clinical Trial Associate | Aliso Viejo, CA | 05/23/2025 | $90,000 |
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