Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Director, market research salary
Average director, market research salary
$112,955
Understanding the Salary of a Director of Market Research
As of October 2025, a Director of Market Research earns an average salary of $112,955 per year, translating to approximately $54 per hour. This figure varies depending on factors such as experience, location, and specific industry. For instance, professionals with extensive experience may command significantly higher salaries, particularly in metropolitan areas.
Salary by Experience Level
Entry-level positions typically start lower, while seasoned directors can earn upwards of $150,000. The demand for skilled directors in market research continues to rise, making this an attractive career path.
Top Locations for Higher Salaries
States such as California, New York, and Texas offer some of the highest salaries for this role. Cities like San Francisco and New York City lead in compensation, reflecting higher living costs and demand for skilled professionals.
Career Advancement Opportunities
Directors can explore roles in various sectors, including tech, healthcare, and finance, each offering unique challenges and rewards. Networking and further education can enhance career prospects, enabling professionals to stay competitive in the evolving market landscape.
Let Zippia find your next director, market research job
Let Zippia find your next director, market research job
Where can a Director, Market Research earn more?
Director, market research salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level director, market research | $70,900 | $34.07 |
| Mid-level director, market research | $120,000 | $57.54 |
| Senior-level director, market research | $196,000 | $94.24 |
Average director, market research salary by state
The average director, market research salary in Delaware, New Jersey, and New York are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average director, market research salary states are Mississippi, Florida, and Nebraska.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for directors, market research
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware | $142,027 | $68.28 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $134,613 | $64.72 |
| 3 | Colorado | $128,651 | $61.85 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $123,952 | $59.59 |
| 5 | Oregon | $122,895 | $59.08 |
| 6 | California | $128,481 | $61.77 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | $116,713 | $56.11 |
| 8 | Maine | $123,315 | $59.29 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $123,313 | $59.29 |
| 10 | Vermont | $115,396 | $55.48 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $113,937 | $54.78 |
| 12 | Michigan | $112,749 | $54.21 |
| 13 | New York | $133,458 | $64.16 |
| 14 | Louisiana | $108,290 | $52.06 |
| 15 | Texas | $117,638 | $56.56 |
| 16 | Tennessee | $109,566 | $52.68 |
| 17 | Arkansas | $116,920 | $56.21 |
| 18 | Nevada | $116,620 | $56.07 |
| 19 | Washington | $123,240 | $59.25 |
| 20 | Maryland | $127,571 | $61.33 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $106,930 | $51.41 |
| 22 | Arizona | $107,828 | $51.84 |
| 23 | North Carolina | $106,985 | $51.44 |
| 24 | Montana | $107,049 | $51.47 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $103,914 | $49.96 |
| 26 | District of Columbia | $117,703 | $56.59 |
| 27 | Virginia | $108,984 | $52.40 |
| 28 | Utah | $101,158 | $48.63 |
| 29 | Alabama | $93,698 | $45.05 |
| 30 | Georgia | $104,893 | $50.43 |
| 31 | Illinois | $100,982 | $48.55 |
| 32 | Idaho | $102,918 | $49.48 |
| 33 | Alaska | $108,156 | $52.00 |
| 34 | South Carolina | $103,361 | $49.69 |
| 35 | Massachusetts | $108,372 | $52.10 |
| 36 | South Dakota | $93,672 | $45.03 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $82,574 | $39.70 |
| 38 | West Virginia | $93,023 | $44.72 |
| 39 | Wyoming | $91,795 | $44.13 |
| 40 | Ohio | $92,600 | $44.52 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $80,502 | $38.70 |
| 42 | Wisconsin | $95,180 | $45.76 |
| 43 | North Dakota | $94,634 | $45.50 |
| 44 | Iowa | $93,928 | $45.16 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $93,728 | $45.06 |
| 46 | Missouri | $84,032 | $40.40 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $82,011 | $39.43 |
| 48 | Florida | $82,403 | $39.62 |
| 49 | Indiana | $83,549 | $40.17 |
| 50 | Kansas | $79,728 | $38.33 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $64,913 | $31.21 |
Highest paying cities for directors, market research
The highest-paying cities for directors, market research are Dover, DE, Albany, NY, and Fort Lee, NJ.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dover, DE | $145,695 | $70.05 |
| 2 | Albany, NY | $138,303 | $66.49 |
| 3 | Fort Lee, NJ | $137,678 | $66.19 |
| 4 | San Mateo, CA | $137,523 | $66.12 |
| 5 | Denver, CO | $130,054 | $62.53 |
| 6 | Annapolis, MD | $129,538 | $62.28 |
| 7 | Concord, NH | $125,665 | $60.42 |
| 8 | Hartford, CT | $125,352 | $60.27 |
| 9 | Seattle, WA | $125,034 | $60.11 |
| 10 | Carson City, NV | $121,610 | $58.47 |
| 11 | Austin, TX | $119,780 | $57.59 |
| 12 | Little Rock, AR | $118,916 | $57.17 |
| 13 | Washington, DC | $118,482 | $56.96 |
| 14 | Harrisburg, PA | $116,457 | $55.99 |
| 15 | Lansing, MI | $112,248 | $53.97 |
| 16 | Baton Rouge, LA | $109,142 | $52.47 |
| 17 | Boston, MA | $109,089 | $52.45 |
| 18 | Phoenix, AZ | $108,494 | $52.16 |
| 19 | Atlanta, GA | $104,752 | $50.36 |
| 20 | Minneapolis, MN | $104,192 | $50.09 |
Director, market research salary details
A director, market research's salary ranges from $68,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $185,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a director, market research's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $185,000 | $15,417 | $89 |
| 75th Percentile | $146,000 | $12,167 | $70 |
| Average | $112,955 | $9,413 | $54 |
| 25th Percentile | $86,000 | $7,167 | $41 |
| 10th Percentile | $68,000 | $5,667 | $33 |
Highest paying director, market research jobs
The highest paying types of directors, market research are research director, research leader, and product specialist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research Internship | $39,573 | $3,298 | $19.03 | 95,123 |
| Research Director | $108,875 | $9,073 | $52.34 | 51,298 |
| Marketing Analyst | $59,380 | $4,948 | $28.55 | 95,650 |
| Research Manager | $82,894 | $6,908 | $39.85 | 48,867 |
| Research Analyst | $70,232 | $5,853 | $33.77 | 81,374 |
| Marketing Coordinator | $48,326 | $4,027 | $23.23 | 91,281 |
Top companies hiring directors, market research now:
Which companies pay directors, market research the most?
Director, market research salaries at Barclays and Koch Industries are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average director, market research salary at companies like Boehringer Ingelheim and Biogen are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barclays | $208,696 | $100.33 |
| 2 | Koch Industries | $198,896 | $95.62 |
| 3 | Boehringer Ingelheim | $185,437 | $89.15 |
| 4 | Biogen | $183,508 | $88.22 |
| 5 | eBay | $176,346 | $84.78 |
| 6 | BGC Partners | $171,896 | $82.64 |
| 7 | GLG | $162,441 | $78.10 |
| 8 | Oculus | $159,320 | $76.60 |
| 9 | Sanofi US | $158,900 | $76.39 |
| 10 | Alnylam Pharmaceuticals | $157,670 | $75.80 |
| 11 | AbbVie | $157,604 | $75.77 |
| 12 | Perception Research Services International (now PRS IN VIVO) | $156,260 | $75.13 |
| 13 | En Masse Entertainment | $155,750 | $74.88 |
| 14 | Allergan plc | $154,418 | $74.24 |
| 15 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | $153,883 | $73.98 |
| 16 | C Space | $152,696 | $73.41 |
| 17 | Cantor Fitzgerald | $152,656 | $73.39 |
| 18 | Guidehouse | $143,534 | $69.01 |
| 19 | Cytokinetics | $141,982 | $68.26 |
| 20 | Momentive | $138,115 | $66.40 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Director, market research salary trends
The average director, market research salary has risen by $9,543 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average director, market research earned $103,412 annually, but today, they earn $112,955 a year. That works out to a 5% change in pay for directors, market research over the last decade.
Compare director, market research salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average director, market research salary over time
Compare director, market research salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Director, market research salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $113,000 | $54.31 | +3.1% |
| 2025 | $109,000 | $52.64 | +1.1% |
| 2024 | $108,000 | $52.09 | -0.2% |
| 2023 | $109,000 | $52.18 | +1.1% |
| 2022 | $107,000 | $51.62 | +0.7% |
Recently added director, market research salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo | Head of Markets Strategy, CIB | New York, NY | 06/26/2025 | $144,400 |
| Wells Fargo | Head of Markets Strategy, CIB | Charlotte, NC | 06/26/2025 | $144,400 |
| Novartis AG | Associate Director, Market Research-NS | East Hanover, NJ | 06/21/2025 | $132,300 |
| Johnson & Johnson | Associate Director, Market Research, PAH | Titusville, FL | 06/20/2025 | $120,000 |
| J&J Family of Companies | Associate Director, Market Research, PAH | Downe, NJ | 06/20/2025 | $120,000 |
| Omnicom Health | Director, Qualitative Market Research | Fine, NY | 06/20/2025 | $120,000 |
| SHRM | Director, Market Research & Customer Insights | Alexandria, VA | 06/19/2025 | $140,000 |
| Abbvie | Associate Director, Market Research & Analytics-Abbvie Patient Services | Mettawa, IL | 06/10/2025 | $137,500 |
| Ascendis Pharma | Senior Director of US Forecasting and Market Research-Job ID: Sdfmr | Princeton, NJ | 06/10/2025 | $235,000 |
| BSE | Senior Director, Market Research & Insights | New York, NY | 06/09/2025 | $175,000 |
Director, market research salary FAQs
Search for director, market research jobs