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Senior clinical research associate salary
Average senior clinical research associate salary
$95,878
Average Senior Clinical Research Associate Salary
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Senior Clinical Research Associate stands at $95,878 annually, equivalent to about $46 per hour. This figure can vary significantly based on factors such as geographical location, years of experience, and the specific healthcare sector.
Factors Influencing Salary
- Location: Salaries differ across states, with higher earnings typically seen in urban areas or regions with a high concentration of clinical research institutions.
- Experience: Professionals with more years in the field often command higher salaries, reflecting their expertise.
- Sector: Certain industries, like pharmaceuticals, may offer better compensation compared to others.
Opportunities for Growth
As clinical research continues to expand, the demand for Senior Clinical Research Associates is expected to rise. This role not only offers competitive pay but also presents numerous pathways for career advancement in clinical management or regulatory affairs.
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Where can a Senior Clinical Research Associate earn more?
Average senior clinical research associate salary by state
The average senior clinical research associate salary in Washington, California, and Hawaii are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior clinical research associate salary states are Kentucky, Kansas, and Arkansas.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior clinical research associates
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $106,949 | $51.42 |
| 2 | New Mexico | $93,715 | $45.06 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $94,789 | $45.57 |
| 4 | Vermont | $94,902 | $45.63 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | $90,621 | $43.57 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $93,465 | $44.94 |
| 7 | Washington | $109,194 | $52.50 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $95,388 | $45.86 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $92,331 | $44.39 |
| 10 | Arizona | $89,345 | $42.95 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $86,436 | $41.56 |
| 12 | Delaware | $91,468 | $43.98 |
| 13 | New York | $92,527 | $44.48 |
| 14 | Michigan | $85,807 | $41.25 |
| 15 | Maine | $84,960 | $40.85 |
| 16 | Oregon | $86,233 | $41.46 |
| 17 | Nevada | $91,134 | $43.81 |
| 18 | Hawaii | $96,136 | $46.22 |
| 19 | Idaho | $87,704 | $42.17 |
| 20 | District of Columbia | $88,135 | $42.37 |
| 21 | North Carolina | $79,579 | $38.26 |
| 22 | Montana | $80,984 | $38.93 |
| 23 | North Dakota | $79,982 | $38.45 |
| 24 | Ohio | $83,392 | $40.09 |
| 25 | Iowa | $84,179 | $40.47 |
| 26 | South Carolina | $85,478 | $41.10 |
| 27 | Maryland | $87,457 | $42.05 |
| 28 | Texas | $78,986 | $37.97 |
| 29 | Minnesota | $77,757 | $37.38 |
| 30 | Illinois | $78,687 | $37.83 |
| 31 | Alaska | $84,478 | $40.61 |
| 32 | Indiana | $77,412 | $37.22 |
| 33 | West Virginia | $75,178 | $36.14 |
| 34 | Florida | $74,115 | $35.63 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $73,080 | $35.13 |
| 36 | Virginia | $77,704 | $37.36 |
| 37 | Utah | $71,487 | $34.37 |
| 38 | Colorado | $71,835 | $34.54 |
| 39 | Wyoming | $73,195 | $35.19 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $71,510 | $34.38 |
| 41 | Georgia | $72,986 | $35.09 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $70,092 | $33.70 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $72,559 | $34.88 |
| 44 | Missouri | $70,138 | $33.72 |
| 45 | Wisconsin | $70,416 | $33.85 |
| 46 | Kansas | $67,009 | $32.22 |
| 47 | Kentucky | $68,429 | $32.90 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $65,236 | $31.36 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $66,119 | $31.79 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $63,126 | $30.35 |
| 51 | Alabama | $65,050 | $31.27 |
Highest paying cities for senior clinical research associates
The highest-paying cities for senior clinical research associates are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $115,110 | $55.34 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $110,460 | $53.11 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $94,816 | $45.58 |
| 4 | New Haven, CT | $93,573 | $44.99 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $92,642 | $44.54 |
| 6 | Edison, NJ | $92,248 | $44.35 |
| 7 | Wilmington, DE | $91,814 | $44.14 |
| 8 | Philadelphia, PA | $91,271 | $43.88 |
| 9 | Las Vegas, NV | $90,612 | $43.56 |
| 10 | Phoenix, AZ | $89,809 | $43.18 |
| 11 | Washington, DC | $88,244 | $42.42 |
| 12 | Baltimore, MD | $87,845 | $42.23 |
| 13 | Detroit, MI | $86,171 | $41.43 |
| 14 | Portland, OR | $85,911 | $41.30 |
| 15 | Portland, ME | $85,816 | $41.26 |
| 16 | Charleston, SC | $85,122 | $40.92 |
| 17 | Des Moines, IA | $82,766 | $39.79 |
| 18 | Columbus, OH | $82,397 | $39.61 |
| 19 | Raleigh, NC | $81,068 | $38.98 |
| 20 | Austin, TX | $80,368 | $38.64 |
Senior clinical research associate salary details
A senior clinical research associate's salary ranges from $64,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $142,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior clinical research associate's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $142,000 | $11,833 | $68 |
| 75th Percentile | $118,000 | $9,833 | $57 |
| Average | $95,878 | $7,990 | $46 |
| 25th Percentile | $77,000 | $6,417 | $37 |
| 10th Percentile | $64,000 | $5,333 | $31 |
Highest paying senior clinical research associate jobs
The highest paying types of senior clinical research associates are clinical project manager, clinical research manager, and clinical trial manager.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Director | $82,066 | $6,839 | $39.45 | 6,789 |
| Study Coordinator | $47,435 | $3,953 | $22.81 | 14,929 |
| Clinical Project Manager | $100,510 | $8,376 | $48.32 | 153,837 |
| Clinical Trial Coordinator | $50,720 | $4,227 | $24.38 | 64,859 |
| Research Project Coordinator | $48,683 | $4,057 | $23.41 | 67,800 |
| Research Nurse | $53,463 | $4,455 | $25.70 | 46,665 |
Top companies hiring senior clinical research associates now:
Which companies pay senior clinical research associates the most?
Senior clinical research associate salaries at Acorda Therapeutics and Zymeworks are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior clinical research associate salary at companies like Emergent BioSolutions and Edwards Lifesciences are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acorda Therapeutics | $131,660 | $63.30 |
| 2 | Zymeworks | $127,115 | $61.11 |
| 3 | Emergent BioSolutions | $126,066 | $60.61 |
| 4 | Edwards Lifesciences | $119,327 | $57.37 |
| 5 | Allergan plc | $118,636 | $57.04 |
| 6 | ImClone Systems LLC | $113,171 | $54.41 |
| 7 | AbbVie | $111,452 | $53.58 |
| 8 | Merck | $111,192 | $53.46 |
| 9 | Stryker | $107,788 | $51.82 |
| 10 | Moderna | $104,645 | $50.31 |
| 11 | Parexel International | $101,523 | $48.81 |
| 12 | REGENXBIO | $100,861 | $48.49 |
| 13 | Boston Scientific | $100,321 | $48.23 |
| 14 | Pharmaceutical Research Associates, Inc. | $99,818 | $47.99 |
| 15 | BioMarin | $99,041 | $47.62 |
| 16 | Seagen | $98,794 | $47.50 |
| 17 | FibroGen | $96,122 | $46.21 |
| 18 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $93,664 | $45.03 |
| 19 | Astellas Pharma | $93,447 | $44.93 |
| 20 | Teleflex | $92,748 | $44.59 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior clinical research associate salary trends
The average senior clinical research associate salary has risen by $16,105 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior clinical research associate earned $79,774 annually, but today, they earn $95,878 a year. That works out to a 15% change in pay for senior clinical research associates over the last decade.
Compare senior clinical research associate salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior clinical research associate salary over time
Compare senior clinical research associate salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior clinical research associate salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $95,900 | $46.10 | +6.4% |
| 2024 | $89,700 | $43.14 | +4.1% |
| 2023 | $86,100 | $41.39 | +3.9% |
| 2022 | $82,700 | $39.76 | -0.7% |
| 2021 | $83,300 | $40.05 | -0.3% |
Recently added senior clinical research associate salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | SR Clinical Research Associate | Memphis, TN | 06/25/2025 | $78,000 |
| Syneos Health, Inc. | SR Clinical Research Associate-Sponsor Dedicated-Oncology (Home-Based In Western US) | Morrisville, NC | 06/10/2025 | $80,600 |
| St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | SR Clinical Research Associate | Memphis, TN | 05/30/2025 | $78,000 |
| Bayside Solutions | Senior CRA/Clinical Research Associate | San Francisco, CA | 05/30/2025 | $89,400 |
| GQR | SR. Clinical Research Associate | San Jose, CA | 05/30/2025 | $177,395 |
| Dexcom | SR Clinical Research Associate | San Diego, CA | 05/27/2025 | $95,900 |
| Quintilesims | Senior Clinical Research Associate, Early Clinical Development | Carlsbad, CA | 05/27/2025 | $87,200 |
| Quintilesims | (Senior) Clinical Research Associate-Sponsor Dedicated | Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ | 05/27/2025 | $71,900 |
| EPM Scientific | SR. Clinical Research Associate | San Jose, CA | 05/27/2025 | $100,000 |
| Spyglass Pharma | Senior Clinical Research Associate | Aliso Viejo, CA | 05/23/2025 | $90,000 |
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