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Senior research chemist salary
Average senior research chemist salary
$95,520
Understanding the Senior Research Chemist Salary
The average salary for a Senior Research Chemist is approximately $95,520 per year, or about $46 per hour. This figure can vary significantly based on location, industry, and individual experience. For example, states like California and Massachusetts often offer higher salaries due to the demand for skilled professionals in these areas.
In addition to geographic factors, the specific industry also impacts compensation. Senior Research Chemists in pharmaceuticals or biotechnology tend to earn more compared to those in other sectors. Moreover, gaining additional certifications or advanced degrees can lead to higher salary potentials.
Job Opportunities and Growth
As the demand for research and innovation continues to rise, Senior Research Chemists will find ample job opportunities. Companies are looking for candidates with strong analytical skills and a background in chemistry to tackle complex challenges. For those aiming to advance their careers, pursuing leadership roles or specialized positions can further enhance earning potential.
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Where can a Senior Research Chemist earn more?
Senior research chemist salary estimates from across the web
Average senior research chemist salary by state
The average senior research chemist salary in Washington, Vermont, and Delaware are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior research chemist salary states are Arkansas, Nebraska, and Maine.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior research chemists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermont | $118,031 | $56.75 |
| 2 | Delaware | $112,170 | $53.93 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $104,623 | $50.30 |
| 4 | California | $110,737 | $53.24 |
| 5 | Tennessee | $106,399 | $51.15 |
| 6 | Washington | $135,566 | $65.18 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $106,046 | $50.98 |
| 8 | Utah | $99,422 | $47.80 |
| 9 | Oklahoma | $107,249 | $51.56 |
| 10 | Michigan | $93,852 | $45.12 |
| 11 | Minnesota | $96,139 | $46.22 |
| 12 | New Jersey | $99,761 | $47.96 |
| 13 | Texas | $101,046 | $48.58 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $117,845 | $56.66 |
| 15 | New Mexico | $96,250 | $46.27 |
| 16 | Virginia | $99,750 | $47.96 |
| 17 | Idaho | $98,902 | $47.55 |
| 18 | Montana | $98,183 | $47.20 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $96,696 | $46.49 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $93,945 | $45.17 |
| 21 | Maryland | $109,692 | $52.74 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $92,948 | $44.69 |
| 23 | Oregon | $91,999 | $44.23 |
| 24 | Alaska | $103,084 | $49.56 |
| 25 | South Carolina | $95,503 | $45.91 |
| 26 | Colorado | $89,677 | $43.11 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $91,626 | $44.05 |
| 28 | Illinois | $88,554 | $42.57 |
| 29 | Iowa | $90,510 | $43.51 |
| 30 | Kansas | $89,466 | $43.01 |
| 31 | Ohio | $86,657 | $41.66 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $88,168 | $42.39 |
| 33 | Georgia | $89,521 | $43.04 |
| 34 | Missouri | $85,371 | $41.04 |
| 35 | Pennsylvania | $81,345 | $39.11 |
| 36 | Indiana | $84,375 | $40.56 |
| 37 | Nevada | $88,930 | $42.75 |
| 38 | Arizona | $82,193 | $39.52 |
| 39 | North Dakota | $84,009 | $40.39 |
| 40 | Hawaii | $80,370 | $38.64 |
| 41 | Alabama | $82,759 | $39.79 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $81,503 | $39.18 |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $77,342 | $37.18 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $82,352 | $39.59 |
| 45 | Maine | $70,258 | $33.78 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $74,256 | $35.70 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $69,087 | $33.21 |
| 48 | New York | $86,507 | $41.59 |
| 49 | Florida | $68,368 | $32.87 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $75,781 | $36.43 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $63,447 | $30.50 |
Highest paying cities for senior research chemists
The highest-paying cities for senior research chemists are Seattle, WA, South San Francisco, CA, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle, WA | $136,547 | $65.65 |
| 2 | South San Francisco, CA | $121,342 | $58.34 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $117,884 | $56.67 |
| 4 | Wilmington, DE | $112,299 | $53.99 |
| 5 | Milford, MA | $106,397 | $51.15 |
| 6 | Austin, TX | $101,179 | $48.64 |
| 7 | Ewing, NJ | $99,829 | $47.99 |
| 8 | Richmond, VA | $99,702 | $47.93 |
| 9 | Waterbury, CT | $96,645 | $46.46 |
| 10 | Saint Paul, MN | $96,163 | $46.23 |
| 11 | Warren, MI | $94,025 | $45.20 |
| 12 | Alpharetta, GA | $90,268 | $43.40 |
| 13 | Littleton, CO | $89,649 | $43.10 |
| 14 | Chicago, IL | $88,680 | $42.63 |
| 15 | Akron, OH | $87,194 | $41.92 |
| 16 | New York, NY | $86,700 | $41.68 |
| 17 | Indianapolis, IN | $84,388 | $40.57 |
| 18 | Mesa, AZ | $82,171 | $39.51 |
| 19 | Allentown, PA | $81,490 | $39.18 |
| 20 | Sheboygan, WI | $77,632 | $37.32 |
Senior research chemist salary details
A senior research chemist's salary ranges from $69,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $130,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior research chemist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $130,000 | $10,833 | $63 |
| 75th Percentile | $112,000 | $9,333 | $54 |
| Average | $95,520 | $7,960 | $46 |
| 25th Percentile | $80,000 | $6,667 | $38 |
| 10th Percentile | $69,000 | $5,750 | $33 |
Highest paying senior research chemist jobs
The highest paying types of senior research chemists are senior scientist, senior chemist, and research and development scientist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemist, Development | $71,571 | $5,964 | $34.41 | 57,547 |
| Quality Assurance Chemist | $59,242 | $4,937 | $28.48 | 66,457 |
| Quality Control Chemist | $58,892 | $4,908 | $28.31 | 90,467 |
| Chemist | $64,961 | $5,413 | $31.23 | 20,221 |
| Formulation Chemist | $66,678 | $5,557 | $32.06 | 3,011 |
| Production Chemist | $62,937 | $5,245 | $30.26 | 58,948 |
Top companies hiring senior research chemists now:
Which companies pay senior research chemists the most?
Senior research chemist salaries at Crunchbase and Microsoft are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior research chemist salary at companies like Netflix and Adobe are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crunchbase | $141,039 | $67.81 |
| 2 | Microsoft | $120,161 | $57.77 |
| 3 | Netflix | $120,008 | $57.70 |
| 4 | Adobe | $118,972 | $57.20 |
| 5 | Versum Materials | $118,467 | $56.96 |
| 6 | Exxon Mobil | $116,434 | $55.98 |
| 7 | Cisco | $113,644 | $54.64 |
| 8 | Riot Games | $111,912 | $53.80 |
| 9 | Salesforce | $110,010 | $52.89 |
| 10 | FireEye | $107,836 | $51.84 |
| 11 | Genentech | $106,552 | $51.23 |
| 12 | Nalco Holding Company | $104,867 | $50.42 |
| 13 | VMware | $101,993 | $49.04 |
| 14 | FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies | $100,068 | $48.11 |
| 15 | Waters | $99,898 | $48.03 |
| 16 | Merck | $99,562 | $47.87 |
| 17 | General Motors | $98,943 | $47.57 |
| 18 | Abbott | $97,745 | $46.99 |
| 19 | Nitto Avecia | $97,006 | $46.64 |
| 20 | The Dow Chemical Company | $96,288 | $46.29 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior Research Chemist salary by industry
The average senior research chemist salary varies across industries:
- The average senior research chemist salary in the pharmaceutical industry is $95,875, the highest of any industry.
- The average senior research chemist salary in the finance industry is $91,664.
- Senior research chemists in the retail industry earn an average salary of $84,473, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for senior research chemists
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pharmaceutical | $95,875 | $46.09 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $91,664 | $44.07 |
| 3 | Finance | $89,838 | $43.19 |
| 4 | Retail | $84,473 | $40.61 |
High paying senior research chemist jobs
Senior research chemist salary trends
The average senior research chemist salary has risen by $11,491 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior research chemist earned $84,029 annually, but today, they earn $95,520 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for senior research chemists over the last decade.
Compare senior research chemist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior research chemist salary over time
Compare senior research chemist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior research chemist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $95,500 | $45.92 | +2.1% |
| 2024 | $93,500 | $44.96 | +1.0% |
| 2023 | $92,600 | $44.53 | +2.8% |
| 2022 | $90,000 | $43.28 | +1.3% |
| 2021 | $88,800 | $42.70 | +3.4% |
Recently added senior research chemist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3M | Senior Research Chemist | Maplewood, MN | 05/23/2025 | $122,292 |
| Stepan Company | Senior Research Chemist | Winnetka, IL | 05/03/2025 | $101,000 |
| Palo Alto Networks | SR. Staff Researcher (WEB Security) | Santa Clara, CA | 04/26/2025 | $126,000 |
| Stepan Company | Senior Research Chemist | Winnetka, IL | 03/25/2025 | $101,000 |
| Wildcat Discovery Technologies, Inc. | Senior Research Chemist | San Diego, CA | 02/28/2025 | $88,130 |
| ICL | Senior Research Chemist | Webster Groves, MO | 02/21/2025 | $80,000 |
| Israel Chemicals Ltd. | Senior Research Chemist | Webster Groves, MO | 02/21/2025 | $80,000 |
| The Coca-Cola Co | Senior Manager, Sweetener Research Chemist | Atlanta, GA | 02/19/2025 | $120,000 |
| 3McOmpany | Senior Research Chemist | Maplewood, MN | 02/18/2025 | $119,076 |
| American Institutes for Research | Senior I/O Researcher | New Orleans, LA | 02/18/2025 | $128,428 |
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