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Research manager salary
Average research manager salary
$82,894
Understanding the Research Manager Salary
A Research Manager plays a key role in overseeing research projects, ensuring they align with organizational goals. As of October 2025, the average salary for this position is $82,894 annually. However, salaries can vary significantly based on several factors:
- Experience: Entry-level positions start lower, while experienced managers can see salaries exceeding $100,000.
- Location: States such as California and New York often offer higher salaries, reflecting the cost of living and demand for skilled professionals.
- Industry: Research Managers in healthcare or technology typically earn more compared to those in academia or non-profits.
For those looking to maximize their earnings, targeting high-paying states and industries can significantly impact salary outcomes. Additionally, gaining advanced qualifications or certifications can open doors to higher-paying roles within the field.
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Where can a Research Manager earn more?
Research manager salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level research manager | $52,000 | $25.01 |
| Mid-level research manager | $87,800 | $42.23 |
| Senior-level research manager | $144,000 | $69.16 |
Research manager salary estimates from across the web
Average research manager salary by state
The average research manager salary in Washington, California, and New Jersey are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average research manager salary states are Montana, Nebraska, and Missouri.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for research managers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $113,214 | $54.43 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $100,921 | $48.52 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $88,598 | $42.60 |
| 4 | Oregon | $88,183 | $42.40 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $91,415 | $43.95 |
| 6 | Delaware | $90,827 | $43.67 |
| 7 | Washington | $119,237 | $57.33 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $80,692 | $38.79 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $84,093 | $40.43 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $78,413 | $37.70 |
| 11 | Maine | $81,979 | $39.41 |
| 12 | Arizona | $83,257 | $40.03 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $87,322 | $41.98 |
| 14 | Virginia | $83,890 | $40.33 |
| 15 | Minnesota | $79,130 | $38.04 |
| 16 | New York | $90,608 | $43.56 |
| 17 | Ohio | $79,517 | $38.23 |
| 18 | Colorado | $75,142 | $36.13 |
| 19 | Texas | $77,862 | $37.43 |
| 20 | Illinois | $75,704 | $36.40 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $70,154 | $33.73 |
| 22 | Maryland | $82,508 | $39.67 |
| 23 | Michigan | $68,833 | $33.09 |
| 24 | Tennessee | $70,129 | $33.72 |
| 25 | Nevada | $78,116 | $37.56 |
| 26 | Alaska | $81,494 | $39.18 |
| 27 | Idaho | $76,472 | $36.77 |
| 28 | Indiana | $69,939 | $33.62 |
| 29 | Vermont | $65,335 | $31.41 |
| 30 | South Carolina | $69,661 | $33.49 |
| 31 | North Carolina | $66,051 | $31.76 |
| 32 | Oklahoma | $66,302 | $31.88 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $63,678 | $30.61 |
| 34 | Utah | $63,618 | $30.59 |
| 35 | Alabama | $66,814 | $32.12 |
| 36 | Georgia | $65,744 | $31.61 |
| 37 | West Virginia | $63,185 | $30.38 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $69,641 | $33.48 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $66,655 | $32.05 |
| 40 | Florida | $64,080 | $30.81 |
| 41 | North Dakota | $62,527 | $30.06 |
| 42 | Iowa | $62,390 | $30.00 |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $60,777 | $29.22 |
| 44 | Missouri | $56,778 | $27.30 |
| 45 | Wyoming | $55,452 | $26.66 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $56,799 | $27.31 |
| 47 | Kansas | $60,918 | $29.29 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $61,093 | $29.37 |
| 49 | Montana | $57,959 | $27.86 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $56,513 | $27.17 |
| 51 | Kentucky | $54,013 | $25.97 |
Highest paying cities for research managers
The highest-paying cities for research managers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and New Brunswick, NJ.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $123,095 | $59.18 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $120,661 | $58.01 |
| 3 | New Brunswick, NJ | $100,877 | $48.50 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $91,354 | $43.92 |
| 5 | Wilmington, DE | $91,083 | $43.79 |
| 6 | New York, NY | $90,706 | $43.61 |
| 7 | Beaverton, OR | $87,536 | $42.08 |
| 8 | Washington, DC | $87,347 | $41.99 |
| 9 | Arlington, VA | $85,755 | $41.23 |
| 10 | Norwalk, CT | $84,106 | $40.44 |
| 11 | Phoenix, AZ | $83,778 | $40.28 |
| 12 | Baltimore, MD | $82,844 | $39.83 |
| 13 | Cleveland, OH | $81,919 | $39.38 |
| 14 | Minneapolis, MN | $79,144 | $38.05 |
| 15 | Philadelphia, PA | $78,877 | $37.92 |
| 16 | San Antonio, TX | $78,404 | $37.69 |
| 17 | Chicago, IL | $76,238 | $36.65 |
| 18 | Denver, CO | $75,028 | $36.07 |
| 19 | Indianapolis, IN | $69,517 | $33.42 |
| 20 | Atlanta, GA | $65,543 | $31.51 |
Research manager salary details
A research manager's salary ranges from $51,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $133,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a research manager's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $133,000 | $11,083 | $64 |
| 75th Percentile | $106,000 | $8,833 | $51 |
| Average | $82,894 | $6,908 | $40 |
| 25th Percentile | $64,000 | $5,333 | $31 |
| 10th Percentile | $51,000 | $4,250 | $25 |
Highest paying research manager jobs
The highest paying types of research managers are research director, research leader, and research consultant.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing Consultant | $70,593 | $5,883 | $33.94 | 88,935 |
| Marketing Representative | $47,377 | $3,948 | $22.78 | 217,886 |
| Marketing Coordinator | $48,326 | $4,027 | $23.23 | 91,281 |
| Marketing Internship | $30,260 | $2,522 | $14.55 | 122,135 |
| Marketing Research Analyst | $54,431 | $4,536 | $26.17 | 133,309 |
| Market Research Analyst | $51,687 | $4,307 | $24.85 | 71,240 |
Top companies hiring research managers now:
Which companies pay research managers the most?
Research manager salaries at Meta and Lyft are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average research manager salary at companies like Apple and McKinsey & Company Inc are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $200,022 | $96.16 |
| 2 | Lyft | $194,510 | $93.51 |
| 3 | Apple | $188,637 | $90.69 |
| 4 | McKinsey & Company Inc | $179,296 | $86.20 |
| 5 | Zoox | $176,689 | $84.95 |
| 6 | DLA Piper | $175,763 | $84.50 |
| 7 | Didi Chuxing | $174,319 | $83.81 |
| 8 | eBay | $173,757 | $83.54 |
| 9 | Bain & Company | $167,061 | $80.32 |
| 10 | Amazon | $166,740 | $80.16 |
| 11 | The Knot | $165,956 | $79.79 |
| 12 | Credit Karma | $165,391 | $79.51 |
| 13 | $161,475 | $77.63 | |
| 14 | Microsoft | $159,724 | $76.79 |
| 15 | The Aspen Institute | $149,529 | $71.89 |
| 16 | Sony Interactive Entertainment America | $149,501 | $71.88 |
| 17 | Amd | $147,415 | $70.87 |
| 18 | Palo Alto Networks | $146,804 | $70.58 |
| 19 | Yahoo | $146,122 | $70.25 |
| 20 | APCO Worldwide | $142,300 | $68.41 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Research Manager salary by industry
The average research manager salary varies across industries:
- The average research manager salary in the finance industry is $93,534, the highest of any industry.
- The average research manager salary in the finance industry is $86,340.
- Research managers in the real estate industry earn an average salary of $71,230, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for research managers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $93,534 | $44.97 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $86,340 | $41.51 |
| 3 | Media | $82,892 | $39.85 |
| 4 | Professional | $81,805 | $39.33 |
| 5 | Telecommunication | $80,299 | $38.61 |
| 6 | Real Estate | $71,230 | $34.25 |
High paying research manager jobs
Research manager salary trends
The average research manager salary has risen by $7,003 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average research manager earned $75,891 annually, but today, they earn $82,894 a year. That works out to a 5% change in pay for research managers over the last decade.
Compare research manager salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average research manager salary over time
Compare research manager salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Research manager salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $82,900 | $39.85 | +3.1% |
| 2025 | $80,300 | $38.63 | +1.1% |
| 2024 | $79,500 | $38.22 | -0.2% |
| 2023 | $79,600 | $38.29 | +1.1% |
| 2022 | $78,800 | $37.88 | +0.7% |
Recently added research manager salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ameriprise Financial | Director-Manager Research, Multi-Manager Solutions | Boston, MA | 06/29/2025 | $137,400 |
| The Geneva Foundation | Research Agreements Manager (Remote) | Tacoma, WA | 06/29/2025 | $128,000 |
| Research Partnership | Research Manager | Philadelphia, PA | 06/29/2025 | $100,000 |
| Abbott Laboratories | Manager, IP Research | Santa Clara, CA | 06/27/2025 | $97,300 |
| Abbott Laboratories | Manager, IP Research | Saint Paul, MN | 06/27/2025 | $97,300 |
| Abbott Laboratories | Manager, IP Research | Park City, IL | 06/27/2025 | $97,300 |
| University of Maryland Medical Center Baltimore Washington | Research Manager | Baltimore, MD | 06/27/2025 | $80,704 |
| Russell Tobin | Research Manager | New York, NY | 06/27/2025 | $90,000 |
| Rockefeller University | Research Manager Hours/Week**)| The Marlene Hess Center for Research On Womens HEA | New York, NY | 06/26/2025 | $35,000 |
| Naspo | Procurement Research Manager | Lexington, KY | 06/25/2025 | $74,250 |
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