How much does a research administrator make?

The average research administrator salary in the United States is $52,667. Research administrator salaries typically range between $41,000 and $67,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for research administrators is $25.32 per hour. Research administrator salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Research administrators earn the highest average salary in Massachusetts.

Research administrator salary

Q: What state pays Research Administrators the most?

Massachusetts pays Research Administrators the most in the United States, with an average salary of $63,929 per year, or $30.74 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a research administrator?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a research administrator if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in New Hampshire you should be paid close to $62,631 per year.

Quoted expert

Dr. Richard Huff Ph.D.

Average research administrator salary

$52,667

$25.32 hourly rate

Entry-level research administrator salary

$41,000 yearly salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Research Administrator Salary Overview

The average salary for a Research Administrator is approximately $52,667 annually. This figure may fluctuate based on location, experience, and the specific sector in which the administrator works. For instance, states like California and Massachusetts often offer higher salaries compared to others.

Factors Affecting Salary

Years of experience play a crucial role in determining salary. Entry-level positions might start below the average, while seasoned professionals can command higher pay. Additionally, sectors such as higher education and healthcare research typically offer better compensation.

Opportunities for Advancement

For those interested in pursuing a career as a Research Administrator, focusing on sectors that prioritize research funding and administration can be beneficial. Roles in large universities or healthcare institutions often provide opportunities for career growth and salary increases.

Conclusion

Understanding the salary landscape for Research Administrators is essential for job seekers. By analyzing state-specific data and industry trends, candidates can make informed decisions that align with their career goals.

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Where can a Research Administrator earn more?

Compare salary by location

75k

55k

35k

15k

Columbus, OH$63,976

Galveston, TX$45,119

Compare salary by company

109k

89k

69k

49k

29k

Kronos Incorporated$81,690

State University of New York College at Cortland$59,331

Research administrator salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a research administrator typically falls between $52,667 and $86,000.

zippia

$52,667yearly

glassdoor[1]

$61,201yearly

comparably[2]

$77,638yearly

Salary.com[3]

$78,688yearly

ZipRecruiter[4]

$86,000yearly

payscale[5]

$68,728yearly

Average research administrator salary by state

The average research administrator salary in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New Mexico are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average research administrator salary states are Louisiana, Kentucky, and Utah.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for research administrators

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Massachusetts	$63,929	$30.74
2	New Hampshire	$62,631	$30.11
3	New Mexico	$59,783	$28.74
4	Vermont	$58,871	$28.30
5	Oregon	$57,654	$27.72
6	Michigan	$56,762	$27.29
7	New Jersey	$59,277	$28.50
8	North Dakota	$54,493	$26.20
9	Georgia	$58,119	$27.94
10	Delaware	$57,706	$27.74
11	South Carolina	$57,974	$27.87
12	Wyoming	$53,486	$25.71
13	Idaho	$54,720	$26.31
14	California	$56,495	$27.16
15	Montana	$54,478	$26.19
16	Illinois	$54,988	$26.44
17	Nebraska	$53,465	$25.70
18	Rhode Island	$52,429	$25.21
19	Missouri	$53,908	$25.92
20	South Dakota	$53,655	$25.80
21	Hawaii	$56,524	$27.18
22	Indiana	$52,794	$25.38
23	Washington	$56,528	$27.18
24	Maine	$53,216	$25.58
25	Pennsylvania	$50,085	$24.08
26	Ohio	$51,225	$24.63
27	Maryland	$58,441	$28.10
28	Wisconsin	$52,400	$25.19
29	Arizona	$50,987	$24.51
30	Minnesota	$52,454	$25.22
31	Tennessee	$50,533	$24.29
32	Mississippi	$51,957	$24.98
33	Florida	$51,185	$24.61
34	Colorado	$50,939	$24.49
35	Iowa	$52,381	$25.18
36	North Carolina	$49,259	$23.68
37	Kansas	$50,675	$24.36
38	Alaska	$51,599	$24.81
39	New York	$53,086	$25.52
40	West Virginia	$48,631	$23.38
41	Utah	$47,139	$22.66
42	District of Columbia	$54,567	$26.23
43	Connecticut	$48,750	$23.44
44	Arkansas	$49,453	$23.78
45	Nevada	$48,852	$23.49
46	Virginia	$49,697	$23.89
47	Louisiana	$48,344	$23.24
48	Kentucky	$47,424	$22.80
49	Alabama	$46,821	$22.51
50	Oklahoma	$46,834	$22.52
51	Texas	$44,998	$21.63

Top research administrator jobs near you

Highest paying cities for research administrators

The highest-paying cities for research administrators are Boston, MA, Baltimore, MD, and Pacifica, CA.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Boston, MA	$63,976	$30.76
2	Baltimore, MD	$58,627	$28.19
3	Pacifica, CA	$58,264	$28.01
4	Atlanta, GA	$58,136	$27.95
5	Eugene, OR	$57,799	$27.79
6	Seattle, WA	$56,758	$27.29
7	East Lansing, MI	$56,630	$27.23
8	Chicago, IL	$55,141	$26.51
9	Washington, DC	$54,530	$26.22
10	Saint Louis, MO	$53,910	$25.92
11	Lincoln, NE	$53,386	$25.67
12	New York, NY	$53,203	$25.58
13	Madison, WI	$52,146	$25.07
14	Boca Raton, FL	$51,696	$24.85
15	Anchorage, AK	$51,488	$24.75
16	Tempe, AZ	$51,016	$24.53
17	Durham, NC	$49,496	$23.80
18	Pittsburgh, PA	$48,714	$23.42
19	Galveston, TX	$45,119	$21.69

Research administrator salary details

A research administrator's salary ranges from $41,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $67,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average research administrator salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a research administrator's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$67,000	$5,583	$32
75th Percentile	$59,000	$4,917	$28
Average	$52,667	$4,389	$25
25th Percentile	$46,000	$3,833	$22
10th Percentile	$41,000	$3,417	$20

Highest paying research administrator jobs

The highest paying types of research administrators are clinical project manager, clinical research manager, and senior clinical research associate.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Clinical Project Manager	$100,510	$8,376	$48.32	153,837
Clinical Trial Manager	$93,644	$7,804	$45.02	60,284
Study Director	$82,066	$6,839	$39.45	6,789
Clinical Trial Coordinator	$50,720	$4,227	$24.38	64,859
Clinical Coordinator	$57,665	$4,805	$27.72	74,962
Study Coordinator	$47,435	$3,953	$22.81	14,929

How would you rate the starting salaries for research administrators, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Dr. Richard Huff Ph.D.

Assistant professor, assistant chair, Virginia Commonwealth University

While MPA students are not drawn to public service by high salaries, it is reasonable to expect remuneration, which respects their credentials and experience. Many students are mid-level careerists and are likely to remain in their jobs where an advanced degree may improve their opportunities for advancement, and others may be looking for a career change. Also, a cohort of students moving from undergraduate to graduate degrees with internships is common.

These groups likely present varying degrees of salary requirements and qualifications. In the federal service, an MPA qualifies as one at the GS-9 entry-level. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) publishes salary tables at Link The beginning salary varies by location from $53K to $61K, with the higher amount near large metropolitan areas. Higher salaries are common in overseas areas. Progression is based on performance with opportunities to achieve salaries of $150K and over at the executive levels. Overall, beginning salaries for the MPA considering nonprofits and government agencies is estimated at $53K.

Top companies hiring research administrators now:

Which companies pay research administrators the most?

Research administrator salaries at Kronos Incorporated and UC Merced are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average research administrator salary at companies like Children's Hospital Colorado and University of Southern California are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Kronos Incorporated	$81,690	$39.27
2	UC Merced	$66,117	$31.79
3	Children's Hospital Colorado	$65,400	$31.44
4	University of Southern California	$64,176	$30.85
5	Stanford University	$64,111	$30.82
6	Stanford Health Care	$63,087	$30.33
7	Miriam Hospital	$62,459	$30.03
8	Dartmouth	$62,115	$29.86
9	University of California	$61,988	$29.80
10	Children's Hospital Los Angeles	$61,073	$29.36
11	University of Mississippi	$60,600	$29.13
12	Texas Tech University	$60,470	$29.07
13	Tufts Medical Center	$60,398	$29.04
14	University of Alaska	$60,283	$28.98
15	Brigham and Women's Hospital	$59,966	$28.83
16	UC Santa Barbara	$59,882	$28.79
17	Portland State University	$59,828	$28.76
18	St. Jude Children's Research Hospital	$59,675	$28.69
19	University of Massachusetts Boston	$59,609	$28.66
20	State University of New York College at Cortland	$59,331	$28.52

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$54,000$53,200$52,400$51,600$50,800$50,000

MaleFemale

Research Administrator salary by industry

The average research administrator salary varies across industries:

The average research administrator salary in the health care industry is $57,602, the highest of any industry.
The average research administrator salary in the finance industry is $55,247.
Research administrators in the utilities industry earn an average salary of $52,760, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for research administrators

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Health Care	$57,602	$27.69
2	Education	$55,247	$26.56
3	Pharmaceutical	$53,811	$25.87
4	Non Profits	$53,629	$25.78
5	Utilities	$52,760	$25.37

High paying research administrator jobs

Research administrator salary trends

The average research administrator salary has risen by $8,846 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average research administrator earned $43,821 annually, but today, they earn $52,667 a year. That works out to a 15% change in pay for research administrators over the last decade.

Compare research administrator salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average research administrator salary over time

Compare research administrator salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Research administrator salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$52,700	$25.32	+6.4%
2024	$49,300	$23.70	+4.1%
2023	$47,300	$22.74	+3.9%
2022	$45,400	$21.84	-0.7%
2021	$45,800	$22.00	-0.3%

Recently added research administrator salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Baylor Scott & White Health	Pre-Award University Research Administrator/Senior Pre-Award URA	Waco, TX	06/29/2025	$80,000
The Metropolitan Museum of Art	Administrator, Scientific Research	New York, NY	06/29/2025	$90,000
University of Florida	Research Administrator I	Gainesville, FL	06/28/2025	$45,997
Baylor University (Tx	Pre-Award University Research Administrator/Senior Pre-Award URA	Waco, TX	06/28/2025	$80,000
University of South Florida	Unit Research Administrator	Tampa, FL	06/28/2025	$60,000
Imemories	Research Admin	Scottsdale, AZ	06/27/2025	$35,479
Usc	Assistant Research Administrator	San Diego, CA	06/27/2025	$73,755
University of Maryland, Batlimore	Research Administrator	Baltimore, MD	06/26/2025	$101,000
Stanford University	Research Administrator 2 (Remote Eligible)	Stanford, CA	06/26/2025	$93,871
Colorado State University	Research Administrator	Fort Collins, CO	06/26/2025	$62,610

Research administrator salary FAQs

What state pays Research Administrators the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a research administrator?

Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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