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Research team leader salary
Average research team leader salary
$100,872
Understanding the Research Team Leader Salary
The average salary for a Research Team Leader in the United States stands at $100,872 per year, translating to approximately $49 per hour. Compensation can vary significantly based on factors such as location, experience, and industry. For instance, positions in major metropolitan areas typically offer higher salaries than those in rural settings.
Salary by Experience Level
Research Team Leaders with more experience generally command higher salaries. Entry-level positions may start around $70,000, while seasoned professionals can earn upwards of $130,000 annually. This salary growth reflects the increasing responsibility and expertise required in this leadership role.
Best States for Research Team Leaders
States like California, New York, and Texas are among the highest-paying for this position. Cities such as San Francisco and New York City consistently rank as top locations due to their demand for skilled research professionals. Each state presents unique opportunities based on its industry focus, enhancing job prospects.
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Where can a Research Team Leader earn more?
Research team leader salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level research team leader | $63,300 | $30.43 |
| Mid-level research team leader | $107,000 | $51.39 |
| Senior-level research team leader | $175,000 | $84.16 |
Average research team leader salary by state
The average research team leader salary in New Jersey, Delaware, and California are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average research team leader salary states are Florida, Kentucky, and Nebraska.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for research team leaders
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $113,044 | $54.35 |
| 2 | Washington | $112,156 | $53.92 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $97,294 | $46.78 |
| 4 | Delaware | $121,013 | $58.18 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $107,353 | $51.61 |
| 6 | Minnesota | $95,994 | $46.15 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $125,754 | $60.46 |
| 8 | Oregon | $93,277 | $44.84 |
| 9 | New York | $112,338 | $54.01 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $98,490 | $47.35 |
| 11 | Maryland | $107,544 | $51.70 |
| 12 | Illinois | $93,087 | $44.75 |
| 13 | Maine | $91,815 | $44.14 |
| 14 | Texas | $93,068 | $44.74 |
| 15 | South Dakota | $80,772 | $38.83 |
| 16 | Vermont | $86,281 | $41.48 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $94,028 | $45.21 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $96,087 | $46.20 |
| 19 | North Carolina | $82,938 | $39.87 |
| 20 | Montana | $82,948 | $39.88 |
| 21 | Alabama | $83,301 | $40.05 |
| 22 | Georgia | $84,706 | $40.72 |
| 23 | North Dakota | $78,408 | $37.70 |
| 24 | Nevada | $89,667 | $43.11 |
| 25 | New Mexico | $79,292 | $38.12 |
| 26 | Michigan | $81,145 | $39.01 |
| 27 | Virginia | $81,655 | $39.26 |
| 28 | Colorado | $81,655 | $39.26 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $77,073 | $37.05 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $82,073 | $39.46 |
| 31 | Arkansas | $79,821 | $38.38 |
| 32 | Utah | $73,878 | $35.52 |
| 33 | Pennsylvania | $77,605 | $37.31 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $71,721 | $34.48 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $79,545 | $38.24 |
| 36 | Ohio | $78,373 | $37.68 |
| 37 | Alaska | $78,088 | $37.54 |
| 38 | Arizona | $80,393 | $38.65 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $81,462 | $39.16 |
| 40 | Idaho | $78,631 | $37.80 |
| 41 | Kansas | $79,200 | $38.08 |
| 42 | Florida | $69,476 | $33.40 |
| 43 | Indiana | $75,003 | $36.06 |
| 44 | Missouri | $70,516 | $33.90 |
| 45 | Iowa | $71,280 | $34.27 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $65,226 | $31.36 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $70,451 | $33.87 |
| 48 | Hawaii | $55,050 | $26.47 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $62,476 | $30.04 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $67,186 | $32.30 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $58,146 | $27.95 |
Highest paying cities for research team leaders
The highest-paying cities for research team leaders are San Francisco, CA, Kearny, NJ, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $130,689 | $62.83 |
| 2 | Kearny, NJ | $126,055 | $60.60 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $112,562 | $54.12 |
| 4 | Shrewsbury, MA | $94,044 | $45.21 |
| 5 | Chicago, IL | $93,604 | $45.00 |
| 6 | Southlake, TX | $91,136 | $43.82 |
| 7 | Savannah, GA | $85,725 | $41.21 |
| 8 | Durham, NC | $84,462 | $40.61 |
| 9 | Bozeman, MT | $82,129 | $39.49 |
| 10 | Englewood, CO | $81,649 | $39.25 |
| 11 | Richmond, VA | $81,532 | $39.20 |
| 12 | Portage, MI | $80,103 | $38.51 |
| 13 | Philadelphia, PA | $78,271 | $37.63 |
| 14 | Kettering, OH | $77,463 | $37.24 |
Research team leader salary details
A research team leader's salary ranges from $65,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $156,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a research team leader's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $156,000 | $13,000 | $75 |
| 75th Percentile | $127,000 | $10,583 | $61 |
| Average | $100,872 | $8,406 | $49 |
| 25th Percentile | $80,000 | $6,667 | $38 |
| 10th Percentile | $65,000 | $5,417 | $31 |
Highest paying research team leader jobs
The highest paying types of research team leaders are research director, research leader, and leader.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing Consultant | $70,593 | $5,883 | $33.94 | 88,935 |
| Marketing Coordinator | $48,326 | $4,027 | $23.23 | 91,281 |
| Marketing Internship | $30,260 | $2,522 | $14.55 | 122,135 |
| Marketing Representative | $47,377 | $3,948 | $22.78 | 217,886 |
| Leader | $86,964 | $7,247 | $41.81 | 172,293 |
| Data Research Analyst | $57,865 | $4,822 | $27.82 | 135,144 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for research team leaders, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Heather Tanner Ph.D.
Associate Professor, The Ohio State University
Top companies hiring research team leaders now:
Which companies pay research team leaders the most?
Research team leader salaries at McKinsey & Company Inc and Google are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average research team leader salary at companies like Oliver Wyman and Bloomberg are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McKinsey & Company Inc | $192,801 | $92.69 |
| 2 | $181,648 | $87.33 | |
| 3 | Oliver Wyman | $179,952 | $86.52 |
| 4 | Bloomberg | $173,857 | $83.59 |
| 5 | Apple | $173,758 | $83.54 |
| 6 | Alere | $124,392 | $59.80 |
| 7 | Abbott | $122,410 | $58.85 |
| 8 | BASF | $114,970 | $55.27 |
| 9 | Pfizer | $112,571 | $54.12 |
| 10 | U.S. Bank | $111,965 | $53.83 |
| 11 | Wells Fargo | $111,703 | $53.70 |
| 12 | DuPont | $111,012 | $53.37 |
| 13 | BA Insight | $106,712 | $51.30 |
| 14 | The Home Depot | $104,578 | $50.28 |
| 15 | Relativity | $100,580 | $48.36 |
| 16 | Sabre | $99,206 | $47.70 |
| 17 | Charles River Labs | $95,337 | $45.84 |
| 18 | LYCRA brand | $92,626 | $44.53 |
| 19 | PowerTeam Services | $91,955 | $44.21 |
| 20 | Mendix | $91,805 | $44.14 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Research Team Leader salary by industry
The average research team leader salary varies across industries:
- The average research team leader salary in the professional industry is $135,777, the highest of any industry.
- The average research team leader salary in the finance industry is $118,790.
- Research team leaders in the media industry earn an average salary of $98,735, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for research team leaders
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional | $135,777 | $65.28 |
| 2 | Finance | $118,790 | $57.11 |
| 3 | Technology | $115,007 | $55.29 |
| 4 | Insurance | $104,701 | $50.34 |
| 5 | Pharmaceutical | $102,621 | $49.34 |
| 6 | Manufacturing | $102,210 | $49.14 |
| 7 | Health Care | $99,572 | $47.87 |
| 8 | Media | $98,735 | $47.47 |
High paying research team leader jobs
Research team leader salary trends
The average research team leader salary has risen by $8,522 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average research team leader earned $92,350 annually, but today, they earn $100,872 a year. That works out to a 5% change in pay for research team leaders over the last decade.
Compare research team leader salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average research team leader salary over time
Compare research team leader salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Research team leader salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $101,000 | $48.50 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $97,800 | $47.01 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | $96,700 | $46.51 | -0.2% |
| 2022 | $96,900 | $46.59 | +1.1% |
| 2021 | $95,900 | $46.10 | +0.7% |
Recently added research team leader salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions | Research and Development Team Leader | Voorheesville, NY | 06/07/2025 | $80,000 |
| Sandia Corporation | R&D Team Lead-Tonopah Test Range (TTR), Onsite | Tonopah, NV | 05/29/2025 | $127,400 |
| Cirtec Medical Corporation | R&D Team Lead-1St. Shift (Novelcath) | Brooklyn Park, MN | 05/23/2025 | $43,827 |
| State of Mississippi | Research/Data Analyst Team Lead | Pope, MS | 03/27/2025 | $100,000 |
| The University of Melbourne | Team Leader, Graduate Research | Parkville, MD | 03/21/2025 | $106,432 |
| Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions | Research and Development Team Leader | Voorheesville, NY | 03/04/2025 | $80,000 |
| Apple Inc. | Aiml-ML Researcher, Safety & Red Teaming | Seattle, WA | 02/25/2025 | $135,400 |
| Imr | Research Team Lead | Durham, NC | 02/19/2025 | $52,000 |
| Heraeus Holding | Pilot R&D Team Lead | Fridley, MN | 01/27/2025 | $54,262 |
| Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital | Clinical Research Team Lead | Columbus, OH | 01/17/2025 | $84,698 |
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