Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Researcher salary
Average researcher salary
$67,145
Average Researcher Salary
The average salary for a researcher stands at $67,145 per year. This figure represents the overall earnings in the United States but varies significantly based on location, experience, and specific research fields.
How Much Does a Researcher Make?
Researchers can expect their salaries to fluctuate based on various factors. For instance, those with advanced degrees or several years of experience typically earn higher wages. Additionally, the specific industry and the complexity of the research can also influence compensation.
Where Can a Researcher Earn More?
Certain states are known for offering higher salaries to researchers. States like California and Massachusetts often feature the highest salary ranges due to the concentration of research institutions and funding opportunities.
Researcher Salary Estimates from Across the Web
Salary estimates from various job platforms can vary. It's advisable to compare these figures to gain a clearer understanding of potential earnings in different locations.
Let Zippia find your next researcher job
Let Zippia find your next researcher job
Where can a Researcher earn more?
Researcher salary estimates from across the web
Average researcher salary by state
The average researcher salary in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New Hampshire are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average researcher salary states are Utah, South Carolina, and Nebraska.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for researchers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $98,688 | $47.45 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $84,820 | $40.78 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $101,894 | $48.99 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $86,267 | $41.47 |
| 5 | California | $84,744 | $40.74 |
| 6 | New York | $76,045 | $36.56 |
| 7 | Oregon | $71,913 | $34.57 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $93,502 | $44.95 |
| 9 | Delaware | $74,962 | $36.04 |
| 10 | Maine | $74,868 | $35.99 |
| 11 | Maryland | $71,886 | $34.56 |
| 12 | Vermont | $69,680 | $33.50 |
| 13 | Washington | $67,105 | $32.26 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $65,976 | $31.72 |
| 15 | Indiana | $82,021 | $39.43 |
| 16 | Michigan | $65,970 | $31.72 |
| 17 | Idaho | $69,784 | $33.55 |
| 18 | Arizona | $72,481 | $34.85 |
| 19 | District of Columbia | $63,373 | $30.47 |
| 20 | Virginia | $58,920 | $28.33 |
| 21 | Nevada | $68,697 | $33.03 |
| 22 | Illinois | $60,055 | $28.87 |
| 23 | Ohio | $57,287 | $27.54 |
| 24 | Hawaii | $75,092 | $36.10 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $56,328 | $27.08 |
| 26 | Alaska | $51,746 | $24.88 |
| 27 | Montana | $49,577 | $23.84 |
| 28 | Arkansas | $57,518 | $27.65 |
| 29 | New Mexico | $49,537 | $23.82 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $48,939 | $23.53 |
| 31 | Colorado | $48,581 | $23.36 |
| 32 | Minnesota | $49,662 | $23.88 |
| 33 | Oklahoma | $55,691 | $26.77 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $49,460 | $23.78 |
| 35 | West Virginia | $45,075 | $21.67 |
| 36 | Georgia | $48,643 | $23.39 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $45,681 | $21.96 |
| 38 | Texas | $45,518 | $21.88 |
| 39 | Missouri | $40,424 | $19.43 |
| 40 | Florida | $45,782 | $22.01 |
| 41 | Kansas | $44,113 | $21.21 |
| 42 | Utah | $37,744 | $18.15 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $35,913 | $17.27 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $42,091 | $20.24 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $37,933 | $18.24 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $38,981 | $18.74 |
| 47 | Iowa | $33,977 | $16.34 |
| 48 | Alabama | $38,724 | $18.62 |
| 49 | North Dakota | $33,004 | $15.87 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $35,166 | $16.91 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $36,723 | $17.66 |
Highest paying cities for researchers
The highest-paying cities for researchers are Newark, NJ, San Francisco, CA, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newark, NJ | $100,676 | $48.40 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $92,322 | $44.39 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $85,095 | $40.91 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $76,074 | $36.57 |
| 5 | Newark, DE | $75,158 | $36.13 |
| 6 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $75,140 | $36.13 |
| 7 | Baltimore, MD | $72,502 | $34.86 |
| 8 | Seattle, WA | $68,689 | $33.02 |
| 9 | Philadelphia, PA | $66,934 | $32.18 |
| 10 | Warren, MI | $66,850 | $32.14 |
| 11 | Washington, DC | $63,274 | $30.42 |
| 12 | Arlington, VA | $62,589 | $30.09 |
| 13 | Chicago, IL | $60,556 | $29.11 |
| 14 | Columbus, OH | $55,652 | $26.76 |
| 15 | Saint Paul, MN | $49,855 | $23.97 |
| 16 | Atlanta, GA | $48,678 | $23.40 |
| 17 | Denver, CO | $48,432 | $23.28 |
| 18 | Madison, WI | $47,926 | $23.04 |
| 19 | Austin, TX | $45,771 | $22.01 |
| 20 | Birmingham, AL | $38,144 | $18.34 |
Researchers are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Researcher salary details
A researcher's salary ranges from $37,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $119,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a researcher's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $119,000 | $9,917 | $57 |
| 75th Percentile | $90,000 | $7,500 | $43 |
| Average | $67,145 | $5,595 | $32 |
| 25th Percentile | $49,000 | $4,083 | $24 |
| 10th Percentile | $37,000 | $3,083 | $18 |
Highest paying researcher jobs
The highest paying types of researchers are research scientist, fellow, and assistant research scientist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctoral Fellow | $53,366 | $4,447 | $25.66 | 22,661 |
| Fellow | $66,364 | $5,530 | $31.91 | 7,459 |
| Postdoctoral Scholar | $57,587 | $4,799 | $27.69 | 18,983 |
| Laboratory Internship | $35,305 | $2,942 | $16.97 | 90,970 |
| Research Laboratory Technician | $38,308 | $3,192 | $18.42 | 86,476 |
| Graduate Research Student | $34,658 | $2,888 | $16.66 | 58,921 |
Which companies pay researchers the most?
Researcher salaries at Renaissance Learning and The Citadel are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average researcher salary at companies like Meta and Google are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Renaissance Learning | $160,117 | $76.98 |
| 2 | The Citadel | $159,193 | $76.54 |
| 3 | Meta | $156,474 | $75.23 |
| 4 | $156,214 | $75.10 | |
| 5 | Airbnb | $155,324 | $74.67 |
| 6 | Vicarious | $151,348 | $72.76 |
| 7 | Microsoft | $150,120 | $72.17 |
| 8 | Apple | $145,014 | $69.72 |
| 9 | Palantir | $144,789 | $69.61 |
| 10 | Netflix | $144,667 | $69.55 |
| 11 | Two Sigma | $144,357 | $69.40 |
| 12 | KLA | $143,823 | $69.15 |
| 13 | eBay | $143,646 | $69.06 |
| 14 | Boston Consulting Group | $142,948 | $68.72 |
| 15 | Aramco Services Company | $141,496 | $68.03 |
| 16 | Urban Institute | $141,189 | $67.88 |
| 17 | Chevron | $141,121 | $67.85 |
| 18 | Genentech | $140,816 | $67.70 |
| 19 | Riskmetrics Group Holdings LLC | $140,157 | $67.38 |
| 20 | Rosetta Stone | $139,717 | $67.17 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Researcher salary trends
The average researcher salary has risen by $11,285 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average researcher earned $55,860 annually, but today, they earn $67,145 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for researchers over the last decade.
Compare researcher salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average researcher salary over time
Compare researcher salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Researcher salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $67,100 | $32.28 | +3.0% |
| 2024 | $65,100 | $31.32 | +4.5% |
| 2023 | $62,200 | $29.92 | +3.2% |
| 2022 | $60,200 | $28.96 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | $59,100 | $28.41 | -2.1% |
Recently added researcher salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of North Dakota | Undergraduate Researcher-Chelmo | Grand Forks, ND | 06/30/2025 | $41,740 |
| The University of Chicago | Provenance Researcher | Chicago, IL | 06/30/2025 | $65,000 |
| Palo Alto Networks | Threat Hunting Researcher (Unit 42)-Remote | Santa Clara, CA | 06/29/2025 | $107,000 |
| Kiddom | AI Researcher | San Francisco, CA | 06/29/2025 | $175,000 |
| Curai | Machine Learning Researcher | Ione, CA | 06/29/2025 | $190,000 |
| Kelly Services | Research Assocaite | Johnston, IA | 06/28/2025 | $62,610 |
| Barclays Plc | Quant Researcher | New York, NY | 06/28/2025 | $125,000 |
| Peace Health | Foundation Prospect Researcher-Remote | Vancouver, WA | 06/28/2025 | $64,126 |
| Third Party | Seasonal Redzone Researcher | Inglewood, CA | 06/28/2025 | $72,607 |
| Apple | Aiml-Machine Learning Researcher, MLR | Cupertino, CA | 06/27/2025 | $175,800 |
Researcher salary FAQs
Search for researcher jobs