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Research nurse salary
Average research nurse salary
$53,463
Average Research Nurse Salary
The average salary for a Research Nurse in the United States is $53,463 per year or approximately $26 per hour. This figure can vary based on factors such as location, years of experience, and the specific healthcare setting.
Where Can a Research Nurse Earn More?
Research Nurses often find higher salaries in states like California and New York, where demand for skilled professionals is greater. Consider exploring opportunities in clinical research facilities, academic institutions, or pharmaceutical companies for potentially higher compensation.
Salary Estimates Across the Web
Various salary estimates from job boards and industry surveys suggest that Research Nurses can earn significantly more with specialized skills or advanced degrees. For instance, those with a Master's degree in Nursing or a related field often command higher salaries due to their expertise.
Conclusion
As you evaluate your career options, consider the diverse paths available within research nursing. Each role not only contributes to medical advancements but also offers competitive compensation based on your qualifications and experience.
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Where can a Research Nurse earn more?
Research nurse salary estimates from across the web
Average research nurse salary by state
The highest-paying states for research nurses are New York, New Hampshire, and Washington. The lowest average research nurse salary states are West Virginia, Missouri, and Kentucky.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for research nurses
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | $60,618 | $29.14 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $62,370 | $29.99 |
| 3 | Vermont | $60,555 | $29.11 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $58,266 | $28.01 |
| 5 | Montana | $56,273 | $27.05 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $59,814 | $28.76 |
| 7 | Michigan | $54,855 | $26.37 |
| 8 | Delaware | $58,956 | $28.34 |
| 9 | California | $60,665 | $29.17 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $59,631 | $28.67 |
| 11 | New York | $64,410 | $30.97 |
| 12 | Washington | $61,517 | $29.58 |
| 13 | Idaho | $57,753 | $27.77 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $54,622 | $26.26 |
| 15 | Iowa | $59,683 | $28.69 |
| 16 | New Jersey | $59,295 | $28.51 |
| 17 | Wyoming | $53,819 | $25.87 |
| 18 | South Dakota | $52,766 | $25.37 |
| 19 | Maine | $54,184 | $26.05 |
| 20 | Oregon | $54,556 | $26.23 |
| 21 | South Carolina | $57,090 | $27.45 |
| 22 | North Dakota | $54,339 | $26.12 |
| 23 | Texas | $54,379 | $26.14 |
| 24 | Nebraska | $52,242 | $25.12 |
| 25 | Arizona | $53,561 | $25.75 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $51,624 | $24.82 |
| 27 | Colorado | $53,692 | $25.81 |
| 28 | Florida | $52,600 | $25.29 |
| 29 | Nevada | $52,663 | $25.32 |
| 30 | Indiana | $52,065 | $25.03 |
| 31 | Illinois | $52,546 | $25.26 |
| 32 | District of Columbia | $56,625 | $27.22 |
| 33 | Ohio | $50,996 | $24.52 |
| 34 | Maryland | $58,074 | $27.92 |
| 35 | Minnesota | $51,291 | $24.66 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $51,387 | $24.71 |
| 37 | Hawaii | $54,374 | $26.14 |
| 38 | Georgia | $50,748 | $24.40 |
| 39 | Alaska | $52,976 | $25.47 |
| 40 | West Virginia | $48,506 | $23.32 |
| 41 | Utah | $48,914 | $23.52 |
| 42 | Wisconsin | $50,039 | $24.06 |
| 43 | Kansas | $49,717 | $23.90 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $46,051 | $22.14 |
| 45 | Missouri | $47,434 | $22.80 |
| 46 | Virginia | $49,864 | $23.97 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $48,531 | $23.33 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $48,603 | $23.37 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $46,220 | $22.22 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $46,691 | $22.45 |
| 51 | Alabama | $46,122 | $22.17 |
Highest paying cities for research nurses
The highest-paying cities for research nurses are New York, NY, Seattle, WA, and San Fernando, CA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, NY | $64,501 | $31.01 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $61,983 | $29.80 |
| 3 | San Fernando, CA | $60,005 | $28.85 |
| 4 | Springfield, MA | $59,878 | $28.79 |
| 5 | Hackensack, NJ | $59,484 | $28.60 |
| 6 | Philadelphia, PA | $58,809 | $28.27 |
| 7 | Baltimore, MD | $58,400 | $28.08 |
| 8 | Galveston, TX | $55,188 | $26.53 |
| 9 | Portland, OR | $54,843 | $26.37 |
| 10 | Denver, CO | $53,780 | $25.86 |
| 11 | Scottsdale, AZ | $53,702 | $25.82 |
| 12 | Omaha, NE | $52,248 | $25.12 |
| 13 | Cleveland, OH | $52,133 | $25.06 |
| 14 | Gainesville, FL | $51,745 | $24.88 |
| 15 | Springfield, IL | $51,739 | $24.87 |
| 16 | Atlanta, GA | $50,605 | $24.33 |
| 17 | Milwaukee, WI | $50,028 | $24.05 |
| 18 | Charlottesville, VA | $49,142 | $23.63 |
| 19 | Salt Lake City, UT | $48,877 | $23.50 |
| 20 | Saint Louis, MO | $47,516 | $22.84 |
Research nurse salary details
A research nurse's salary ranges from $38,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $74,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a research nurse's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $74,000 | $6,167 | $36 |
| 75th Percentile | $63,000 | $5,250 | $30 |
| Average | $53,463 | $4,455 | $26 |
| 25th Percentile | $44,000 | $3,667 | $21 |
| 10th Percentile | $38,000 | $3,167 | $18 |
Highest paying research nurse jobs
The highest paying types of research nurses are clinical project manager, clinical research manager, and senior clinical research associate.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical Trial Manager | $93,644 | $7,804 | $45.02 | 60,284 |
| Study Coordinator | $47,435 | $3,953 | $22.81 | 14,929 |
| Study Director | $82,066 | $6,839 | $39.45 | 6,789 |
| Clinical Project Manager | $100,510 | $8,376 | $48.32 | 153,837 |
| Clinical Coordinator | $57,665 | $4,805 | $27.72 | 74,962 |
| Patient Care Manager | $65,369 | $5,447 | $31.43 | 123,652 |
Top companies hiring research nurses now:
Which companies pay research nurses the most?
Research nurse salaries at Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings and US Oncology Holdings Inc are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average research nurse salary at companies like Beacon Health Options and Gastro One are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings | $75,327 | $36.21 |
| 2 | US Oncology Holdings Inc | $69,652 | $33.49 |
| 3 | Beacon Health Options | $68,177 | $32.78 |
| 4 | Gastro One | $67,999 | $32.69 |
| 5 | Dartmouth | $63,428 | $30.49 |
| 6 | LCMC Health | $62,713 | $30.15 |
| 7 | East Tennessee Children's Hospital | $62,477 | $30.04 |
| 8 | HonorHealth | $62,085 | $29.85 |
| 9 | UTMB HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS | $62,057 | $29.84 |
| 10 | CovenantHealth | $61,807 | $29.71 |
| 11 | Children's National Medical Center | $61,383 | $29.51 |
| 12 | Stanford University | $61,275 | $29.46 |
| 13 | UCHealth | $61,149 | $29.40 |
| 14 | Hendrick Health | $60,968 | $29.31 |
| 15 | Cook Children's Medical Center | $60,529 | $29.10 |
| 16 | Children's Hospital Colorado | $60,499 | $29.09 |
| 17 | Vanderbilt University Medical Center | $60,213 | $28.95 |
| 18 | University of Maryland, Baltimore | $60,188 | $28.94 |
| 19 | Vidant Health | $59,958 | $28.83 |
| 20 | Cedars-Sinai | $59,640 | $28.67 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Research Nurse salary by industry
The average research nurse salary varies across industries:
- The average research nurse salary in the pharmaceutical industry is $61,182, the highest of any industry.
- The average research nurse salary in the finance industry is $56,689.
- Research nurses in the education industry earn an average salary of $52,740, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for research nurses
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pharmaceutical | $61,182 | $29.41 |
| 2 | Health Care | $56,689 | $27.25 |
| 3 | Professional | $54,046 | $25.98 |
| 4 | Education | $52,740 | $25.36 |
High paying research nurse jobs
Research nurse salary trends
The average research nurse salary has risen by $8,980 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average research nurse earned $44,483 annually, but today, they earn $53,463 a year. That works out to a 15% change in pay for research nurses over the last decade.
Compare research nurse salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average research nurse salary over time
Compare research nurse salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Research nurse salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $53,500 | $25.70 | +6.4% |
| 2024 | $50,000 | $24.06 | +4.1% |
| 2023 | $48,000 | $23.08 | +3.9% |
| 2022 | $46,100 | $22.17 | -0.7% |
| 2021 | $46,500 | $22.33 | -0.3% |
Recently added research nurse salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Science 37 | Travel Per Diem Mobile Research Nurse | Phoenix, AZ | 06/29/2025 | $104,350 |
| University of Illinois at Chicago | Research Nurse-College of Medicine, Institute for Juvenile Research | Chicago, IL | 06/28/2025 | $68,494 |
| Northwell Health | Research Nurse Specialist-Ambulatory | New York, NY | 06/26/2025 | $94,000 |
| Tidalhealth | Research Nurse | Salisbury, MD | 06/25/2025 | $72,072 |
| Syneos Health, Inc. | Research Nurse (PER Diem-Bank RN) | Morrisville, NC | 06/25/2025 | $102,263 |
| Washington University In St. Louis | RN Research Nurse Coordinator II-Cardiothoracic Surgery | Ione, WA | 06/18/2025 | $60,800 |
| Washington University In St. Louis | RN Research Nurse Coordinator L-Cardiothoracic Surgery | Saint Louis, MO | 06/18/2025 | $56,200 |
| Irvine Clinical Research | Research Nurse | Riverside, CA | 06/14/2025 | $83,200 |
| Columbia University In The City of New York | Oncology Research Nurse I | Fine, NY | 06/13/2025 | $110,000 |
| Science 37 | Travel Per Diem Mobile Research Nurse | Madison, WI | 06/12/2025 | $104,350 |
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