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Research internship salary
Average research internship salary
$39,573
Understanding Research Internship Salaries
The average salary for a research internship is $39,573 annually, or about $19 per hour. This figure varies based on several factors, including the intern's location, industry, and experience level. For instance, major metropolitan areas typically offer higher compensation due to the cost of living and demand for skilled interns.
Salary Variation by State
Research internships in states like California and New York tend to pay more than those in less populated areas. According to recent data, the highest-paying states for research interns include:
- California
- New York
- Massachusetts
- Washington
- Texas
Additionally, internships within sectors like technology, healthcare, and finance often provide higher salaries compared to those in academia or nonprofit organizations. By understanding these dynamics, aspiring interns can target their job search appropriately and negotiate better compensation packages.
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Where can a Research Internship earn more?
Research internship salary estimates from across the web
Average research internship salary by state
The average research internship salary in New Jersey, Washington, and California are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average research internship salary states are Louisiana, Nebraska, and Mississippi.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for research interns
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $58,529 | $28.14 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $50,322 | $24.19 |
| 3 | Delaware | $48,614 | $23.37 |
| 4 | Washington | $55,734 | $26.80 |
| 5 | California | $53,525 | $25.73 |
| 6 | Maine | $44,911 | $21.59 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $45,218 | $21.74 |
| 8 | Alaska | $47,793 | $22.98 |
| 9 | Vermont | $43,399 | $20.86 |
| 10 | New York | $50,519 | $24.29 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $46,388 | $22.30 |
| 12 | Texas | $49,418 | $23.76 |
| 13 | Oregon | $43,501 | $20.91 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $43,143 | $20.74 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $42,207 | $20.29 |
| 16 | Illinois | $45,715 | $21.98 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $42,709 | $20.53 |
| 18 | Virginia | $47,031 | $22.61 |
| 19 | District of Columbia | $45,668 | $21.96 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $40,208 | $19.33 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | $40,843 | $19.64 |
| 22 | Arizona | $40,984 | $19.70 |
| 23 | Michigan | $36,996 | $17.79 |
| 24 | Hawaii | $39,360 | $18.92 |
| 25 | Colorado | $40,296 | $19.37 |
| 26 | Idaho | $35,316 | $16.98 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $38,192 | $18.36 |
| 28 | Maryland | $41,626 | $20.01 |
| 29 | Iowa | $36,447 | $17.52 |
| 30 | South Dakota | $33,087 | $15.91 |
| 31 | Ohio | $36,975 | $17.78 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $34,997 | $16.83 |
| 33 | Nevada | $37,150 | $17.86 |
| 34 | Missouri | $35,563 | $17.10 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $34,261 | $16.47 |
| 36 | Utah | $33,440 | $16.08 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $33,362 | $16.04 |
| 38 | Florida | $35,747 | $17.19 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $34,354 | $16.52 |
| 40 | Georgia | $35,440 | $17.04 |
| 41 | New Mexico | $31,953 | $15.36 |
| 42 | Wyoming | $24,108 | $11.59 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $29,727 | $14.29 |
| 44 | Montana | $29,118 | $14.00 |
| 45 | North Dakota | $28,981 | $13.93 |
| 46 | Indiana | $32,560 | $15.65 |
| 47 | Kansas | $31,388 | $15.09 |
| 48 | Alabama | $32,630 | $15.69 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $29,203 | $14.04 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $31,582 | $15.18 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $30,711 | $14.76 |
Highest paying cities for research interns
The highest-paying cities for research interns are Newark, NJ, San Francisco, CA, and Seattle, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newark, NJ | $58,588 | $28.17 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $57,016 | $27.41 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | $56,366 | $27.10 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $50,627 | $24.34 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $50,349 | $24.21 |
| 6 | Austin, TX | $50,332 | $24.20 |
| 7 | Arlington, VA | $48,826 | $23.47 |
| 8 | Newark, DE | $48,707 | $23.42 |
| 9 | Chicago, IL | $45,990 | $22.11 |
| 10 | Washington, DC | $45,632 | $21.94 |
| 11 | Portland, OR | $43,237 | $20.79 |
| 12 | Philadelphia, PA | $42,634 | $20.50 |
| 13 | Phoenix, AZ | $41,001 | $19.71 |
| 14 | Denver, CO | $40,300 | $19.38 |
| 15 | Saint Paul, MN | $40,292 | $19.37 |
| 16 | Madison, WI | $40,211 | $19.33 |
| 17 | Durham, NC | $39,008 | $18.75 |
| 18 | Iowa City, IA | $36,734 | $17.66 |
| 19 | Columbus, OH | $36,317 | $17.46 |
| 20 | Atlanta, GA | $35,418 | $17.03 |
Research Interns are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Research internship salary details
A research internship's salary ranges from $26,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $59,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a research internship's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $59,000 | $4,917 | $28 |
| 75th Percentile | $49,000 | $4,083 | $24 |
| Average | $39,573 | $3,298 | $19 |
| 25th Percentile | $31,000 | $2,583 | $15 |
| 10th Percentile | $26,000 | $2,167 | $13 |
Highest paying research internship jobs
The highest paying types of research interns are research leader, research scientist, and research consultant.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing Department Internship | $31,989 | $2,666 | $15.38 | 143,703 |
| Data Analyst Internship | $38,752 | $3,229 | $18.63 | 135,614 |
| Product Engineering Internship | $43,381 | $3,615 | $20.86 | 152,860 |
| Research Technician | $43,034 | $3,586 | $20.69 | 64,786 |
| Research Consultant | $83,492 | $6,958 | $40.14 | 61,865 |
| Research Fellow | $53,823 | $4,485 | $25.88 | 59,746 |
Top companies hiring research interns now:
Which companies pay research interns the most?
Research internship salaries at Meta and Microsoft are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average research internship salary at companies like MSCI and HP are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $87,094 | $41.87 |
| 2 | Microsoft | $83,136 | $39.97 |
| 3 | MSCI | $77,485 | $37.25 |
| 4 | HP | $75,858 | $36.47 |
| 5 | $72,131 | $34.68 | |
| 6 | IBM | $71,851 | $34.54 |
| 7 | Siemens | $67,611 | $32.51 |
| 8 | Genentech | $66,329 | $31.89 |
| 9 | Los Alamos National Laboratory | $64,764 | $31.14 |
| 10 | Susquehanna International Group | $63,531 | $30.54 |
| 11 | APCO Worldwide | $63,307 | $30.44 |
| 12 | Weber Shandwick | $62,770 | $30.18 |
| 13 | Point72 | $62,259 | $29.93 |
| 14 | NEC Laboratories America | $59,000 | $28.37 |
| 15 | Kabam | $57,558 | $27.67 |
| 16 | Palo Alto Networks | $57,367 | $27.58 |
| 17 | Health Alliance | $55,923 | $26.89 |
| 18 | Hoffmann-LA Roche Inc | $55,217 | $26.55 |
| 19 | Rutgers University | $55,101 | $26.49 |
| 20 | KLA | $54,235 | $26.07 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Research Internship salary by industry
The average research internship salary varies across industries:
- The average research internship salary in the technology industry is $52,879, the highest of any industry.
- The average research internship salary in the finance industry is $45,857.
- Research interns in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $40,967, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for research interns
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $52,879 | $25.42 |
| 2 | Professional | $45,857 | $22.05 |
| 3 | Finance | $45,574 | $21.91 |
| 4 | Energy | $42,969 | $20.66 |
| 5 | Government | $42,419 | $20.39 |
| 6 | Education | $42,250 | $20.31 |
| 7 | Health Care | $41,351 | $19.88 |
| 8 | Manufacturing | $40,967 | $19.70 |
High paying research internship jobs
Research internship salary trends
The average research internship salary has risen by $3,343 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average research internship earned $36,230 annually, but today, they earn $39,573 a year. That works out to a 5% change in pay for research interns over the last decade.
Compare research internship salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average research internship salary over time
Compare research internship salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Research internship salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $39,600 | $19.03 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $38,400 | $18.44 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | $38,000 | $18.25 | -0.2% |
| 2022 | $38,000 | $18.28 | +1.1% |
| 2021 | $37,600 | $18.09 | +0.7% |
Recently added research internship salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond | Research Intern | Minneapolis, MN | 06/30/2025 | $35,479 |
| Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco | High School Research Intern | Minneapolis, MN | 06/30/2025 | $35,479 |
| Sartorius AG | Research Intern (Nanoparticle)-Onsite | Marlborough, MA | 06/30/2025 | $62,610 |
| Penta Group, Inc. | Custom Research Paid Internship | Ione, WA | 06/29/2025 | $41,740 |
| Health Federation of Philadelphia | Research and Data Intern | Philadelphia, PA | 06/27/2025 | $48,001 |
| University of Washington | Football Research Intern Athletic Trainer | Seattle, WA | 06/26/2025 | $59,328 |
| GE Aerospace | GE Aerospace Research-Ai/Computer Vision Fellow Internship | Niskayuna, NY | 06/26/2025 | $52,175 |
| Leidos | LLM Research Scientist Intern | Reston, VA | 06/25/2025 | $46,800 |
| GCM Grosvenor | 2026 Credit Research Summer Intern | Chicago, IL | 06/22/2025 | $70,000 |
| The University of Chicago | Temporary Policy Research Intern | Chicago, IL | 06/20/2025 | $35,479 |
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