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Research technician lead salary
Average research technician lead salary
$63,864
Research Technician Lead Salary Insights
The average Research Technician Lead salary in the United States is $63,864 per year, with hourly earnings around $31. Salaries in this role can vary widely depending on factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry of employment.
For instance, states like California and New York often offer higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for skilled professionals. In contrast, regions with a lower cost of living may present lower salary figures.
Additionally, experience level significantly impacts compensation. Entry-level research technicians typically earn less, while those with several years of experience can command higher salaries. Research Technician Leads with specialized skills or those working in high-demand fields may also see an increase in earnings. Exploring job opportunities in cities known for their research institutions can further enhance salary prospects.
- Highest Paying States: California, New York, and Massachusetts.
- Top Cities: San Francisco, Boston, and New York City.
Understanding these dynamics equips job seekers to negotiate better salaries and identify lucrative opportunities in their career path.
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Where can a Research Technician Lead earn more?
Research technician lead salaries by experience level
Average research technician lead salary by state
The highest-paying states for research technician leads are Connecticut, New Jersey, and New Hampshire. The lowest average research technician lead salary states are Kentucky, South Dakota, and Alabama.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for research technician leads
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $80,313 | $38.61 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $81,631 | $39.25 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $71,570 | $34.41 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $79,967 | $38.45 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $71,154 | $34.21 |
| 6 | Arkansas | $65,092 | $31.29 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | $64,689 | $31.10 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $66,392 | $31.92 |
| 9 | New Mexico | $62,968 | $30.27 |
| 10 | Illinois | $67,478 | $32.44 |
| 11 | New York | $78,622 | $37.80 |
| 12 | California | $70,561 | $33.92 |
| 13 | Maryland | $77,582 | $37.30 |
| 14 | Wyoming | $63,873 | $30.71 |
| 15 | Texas | $66,267 | $31.86 |
| 16 | Nebraska | $59,349 | $28.53 |
| 17 | Delaware | $62,897 | $30.24 |
| 18 | Maine | $60,270 | $28.98 |
| 19 | Oregon | $61,994 | $29.80 |
| 20 | Missouri | $61,331 | $29.49 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $59,462 | $28.59 |
| 22 | Virginia | $64,975 | $31.24 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $60,814 | $29.24 |
| 24 | Michigan | $59,077 | $28.40 |
| 25 | Iowa | $61,706 | $29.67 |
| 26 | District of Columbia | $68,957 | $33.15 |
| 27 | Minnesota | $58,021 | $27.89 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $56,962 | $27.39 |
| 29 | Ohio | $56,706 | $27.26 |
| 30 | Mississippi | $57,645 | $27.71 |
| 31 | Kansas | $53,128 | $25.54 |
| 32 | Vermont | $54,072 | $26.00 |
| 33 | Utah | $56,712 | $27.27 |
| 34 | Alaska | $53,084 | $25.52 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $57,427 | $27.61 |
| 36 | Idaho | $49,517 | $23.81 |
| 37 | Washington | $60,031 | $28.86 |
| 38 | Arizona | $55,387 | $26.63 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $56,465 | $27.15 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $46,607 | $22.41 |
| 41 | Georgia | $55,302 | $26.59 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $50,618 | $24.34 |
| 43 | Nevada | $45,669 | $21.96 |
| 44 | Montana | $45,495 | $21.87 |
| 45 | Colorado | $52,328 | $25.16 |
| 46 | Florida | $52,848 | $25.41 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $53,569 | $25.75 |
| 48 | Indiana | $48,883 | $23.50 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $46,614 | $22.41 |
| 50 | North Dakota | $45,841 | $22.04 |
| 51 | Alabama | $46,533 | $22.37 |
Highest paying cities for research technician leads
The highest-paying cities for research technician leads are New York, NY, Annapolis, MD, and Mountain View, CA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, NY | $78,778 | $37.87 |
| 2 | Annapolis, MD | $77,703 | $37.36 |
| 3 | Mountain View, CA | $72,043 | $34.64 |
| 4 | Worcester, MA | $71,268 | $34.26 |
| 5 | Chicago, IL | $67,737 | $32.57 |
| 6 | Austin, TX | $66,388 | $31.92 |
| 7 | Oklahoma City, OK | $64,594 | $31.05 |
| 8 | Cheyenne, WY | $64,052 | $30.79 |
| 9 | Cedar Rapids, IA | $62,205 | $29.91 |
| 10 | Bothell, WA | $60,168 | $28.93 |
| 11 | Ann Arbor, MI | $59,083 | $28.41 |
| 12 | Columbia, SC | $57,576 | $27.68 |
| 13 | Cleveland, OH | $57,570 | $27.68 |
| 14 | Baton Rouge, LA | $56,547 | $27.19 |
| 15 | Scottsdale, AZ | $55,458 | $26.66 |
| 16 | Atlanta, GA | $55,264 | $26.57 |
| 17 | Overland Park, KS | $53,270 | $25.61 |
| 18 | Anchorage, AK | $53,030 | $25.50 |
| 19 | Carson City, NV | $46,471 | $22.34 |
| 20 | Bismarck, ND | $45,547 | $21.90 |
Research technician lead salary details
A research technician lead's salary ranges from $43,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $93,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a research technician lead's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $93,000 | $7,750 | $45 |
| 75th Percentile | $78,000 | $6,500 | $38 |
| Average | $63,864 | $5,322 | $31 |
| 25th Percentile | $52,000 | $4,333 | $25 |
| 10th Percentile | $43,000 | $3,583 | $21 |
Highest paying research technician lead jobs
The highest paying types of research technician leads are research scientist, research and development technician, and senior research associate.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laboratory Internship | $35,305 | $2,942 | $16.97 | 90,970 |
| Microbiological Laboratory Technician | $38,713 | $3,226 | $18.61 | 44,567 |
| Biological Science Technician | $35,390 | $2,949 | $17.01 | 13,801 |
| Biology Laboratory Technician | $38,514 | $3,209 | $18.52 | 45,470 |
| Microbiology Technician | $40,084 | $3,340 | $19.27 | 25,704 |
| Pilot Plant Technician | $55,161 | $4,597 | $26.52 | 23,485 |
Top companies hiring research technician leads now:
Which companies pay research technician leads the most?
Research technician lead salaries at Google and AstraZeneca are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average research technician lead salary at companies like ABB and Johnson & Johnson are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $130,594 | $62.79 | |
| 2 | AstraZeneca | $91,614 | $44.05 |
| 3 | ABB | $86,507 | $41.59 |
| 4 | Johnson & Johnson | $82,507 | $39.67 |
| 5 | Valeo Electrical Systems, Inc. | $81,384 | $39.13 |
| 6 | Highmark | $69,754 | $33.54 |
| 7 | Valeo Financial Advisors | $68,770 | $33.06 |
| 8 | Suez Water Inc | $67,831 | $32.61 |
| 9 | Transamerica Corporation | $67,541 | $32.47 |
| 10 | Children's Hospital New Orleans | $66,158 | $31.81 |
| 11 | Motion Recruitment | $65,820 | $31.64 |
| 12 | Seagen | $65,129 | $31.31 |
| 13 | Estée Lauder | $65,054 | $31.28 |
| 14 | Children's Hospital Colorado | $63,573 | $30.56 |
| 15 | University of Michigan | $61,330 | $29.49 |
| 16 | Dana-Farber Cancer Institute | $60,766 | $29.21 |
| 17 | QuintilesIMS | $60,188 | $28.94 |
| 18 | City of Hope | $59,552 | $28.63 |
| 19 | PSEA | $59,533 | $28.62 |
| 20 | Cleveland Clinic | $59,171 | $28.45 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Research Technician Lead salary by industry
The average research technician lead salary varies across industries:
- The average research technician lead salary in the professional industry is $74,751, the highest of any industry.
- The average research technician lead salary in the finance industry is $73,458.
- Research technician leads in the health care industry earn an average salary of $60,910, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for research technician leads
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional | $74,751 | $35.94 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $73,458 | $35.32 |
| 3 | Education | $68,380 | $32.88 |
| 4 | Health Care | $60,910 | $29.28 |
High paying research technician lead jobs
Research technician lead salary trends
The average research technician lead salary has risen by $9,454 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average research technician lead earned $54,410 annually, but today, they earn $63,864 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for research technician leads over the last decade.
Compare research technician lead salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average research technician lead salary over time
Compare research technician lead salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Research technician lead salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $63,900 | $30.70 | +1.0% |
| 2025 | $63,200 | $30.39 | +3.0% |
| 2024 | $61,300 | $29.48 | +1.6% |
| 2023 | $60,400 | $29.02 | +2.9% |
| 2022 | $58,600 | $28.17 | +2.0% |
Recently added research technician lead salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kitware | Technical Leader of Scientific AI Research | Clifton Park, NY | 06/22/2025 | $150,000 |
| United Therapeutics Corporation | Senior Research Technician/Lead Research Tech-Cell Production Analytics (RML) | Raleigh, NC | 06/05/2025 | $62,500 |
| Driscoll's | R&D IT Portfolio Lead | Watsonville, CA | 05/25/2025 | $107,619 |
| Kitware | Technical Leader of Scientific AI Research | Clifton Park, NY | 05/22/2025 | $150,000 |
| Driscoll's | R&D IT Portfolio Lead | Watsonville, CA | 04/28/2025 | $107,619 |
| Kimberly-Clark | Research Technical Program Leader | Neenah, WI | 04/19/2025 | $127,500 |
| Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. | R&D Lab Platform Technical Lead | Chantilly, VA | 04/05/2025 | $86,800 |
| Booz Allen Hamilton | R&D Lab Platform Technical Lead | Chantilly, VA | 03/28/2025 | $84,600 |
| KBR | Research and Technology Protection Lead | Chevy Chase, MD | 03/28/2025 | $136,840 |
| Driscoll's | R&D IT Portfolio Lead | Watsonville, CA | 03/28/2025 | $107,619 |
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