Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The average salary for a Senior Scientist in Product Development stands at $101,127 annually, translating to about $49 per hour. This figure varies based on various factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry. For instance, senior scientists in pharmaceutical companies often earn higher salaries due to the specialized nature of their work.
When exploring salaries by state, areas with a strong focus on biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, such as California and Massachusetts, tend to offer the highest compensation. Highest paying states often include:
Understanding these dynamics can help job seekers identify the best opportunities and negotiate better salaries. The field also shows promising growth, with many industries seeking experienced scientists to lead innovative projects.
Let Zippi find your next senior scientist, product development job
Let Zippi find your next senior scientist, product development job
The average senior scientist, product development salary in California, Montana, and Rhode Island are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior scientist, product development salary states are Utah, Texas, and Florida.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota | $110,298 | $53.03 |
| 2 | Nevada | $113,160 | $54.40 |
| 3 | Montana | $114,148 | $54.88 |
| 4 | Tennessee | $109,994 | $52.88 |
| 5 | California | $130,318 | $62.65 |
| 6 | Arizona | $95,489 | $45.91 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | $89,431 | $43.00 |
| 8 | Maryland | $105,891 | $50.91 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $110,280 | $53.02 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $113,768 | $54.70 |
| 11 | Indiana | $98,523 | $47.37 |
| 12 | Wyoming | $88,151 | $42.38 |
| 13 | Michigan | $91,714 | $44.09 |
| 14 | Maine | $101,524 | $48.81 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $110,618 | $53.18 |
| 16 | Alaska | $95,485 | $45.91 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $102,344 | $49.20 |
| 18 | Delaware | $98,977 | $47.59 |
| 19 | Virginia | $91,536 | $44.01 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $85,724 | $41.21 |
| 21 | Arkansas | $83,508 | $40.15 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | $83,448 | $40.12 |
| 23 | New Mexico | $81,062 | $38.97 |
| 24 | Oregon | $94,953 | $45.65 |
| 25 | Washington | $91,970 | $44.22 |
| 26 | Ohio | $81,967 | $39.41 |
| 27 | South Dakota | $77,827 | $37.42 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | $84,695 | $40.72 |
| 29 | Colorado | $84,695 | $40.72 |
| 30 | Hawaii | $81,828 | $39.34 |
| 31 | Idaho | $86,074 | $41.38 |
| 32 | New York | $86,895 | $41.78 |
| 33 | Vermont | $86,069 | $41.38 |
| 34 | North Dakota | $73,977 | $35.57 |
| 35 | Kentucky | $77,735 | $37.37 |
| 36 | Kansas | $74,493 | $35.81 |
| 37 | Illinois | $83,196 | $40.00 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $73,972 | $35.56 |
| 39 | Georgia | $72,788 | $34.99 |
| 40 | Texas | $69,854 | $33.58 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $79,789 | $38.36 |
| 42 | New Hampshire | $81,807 | $39.33 |
| 43 | Iowa | $72,846 | $35.02 |
| 44 | Florida | $69,258 | $33.30 |
| 45 | Alabama | $71,728 | $34.48 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $72,391 | $34.80 |
| 47 | District of Columbia | $81,375 | $39.12 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $66,629 | $32.03 |
| 49 | Missouri | $62,128 | $29.87 |
| 50 | Utah | $71,215 | $34.24 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $63,372 | $30.47 |
The highest-paying cities for senior scientists, product development are San Carlos, CA, Norwalk, CT, and New Brunswick, NJ.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Carlos, CA | $138,211 | $66.45 |
| 2 | Norwalk, CT | $110,739 | $53.24 |
| 3 | New Brunswick, NJ | $110,297 | $53.03 |
| 4 | Eden Prairie, MN | $110,285 | $53.02 |
| 5 | Rockville, MD | $105,708 | $50.82 |
| 6 | Waltham, MA | $102,396 | $49.23 |
| 7 | Bloomington, IN | $97,556 | $46.90 |
| 8 | Phoenix, AZ | $95,839 | $46.08 |
| 9 | Bend, OR | $94,268 | $45.32 |
| 10 | Richmond, VA | $91,301 | $43.89 |
| 11 | New York, NY | $87,015 | $41.83 |
| 12 | North Chicago, IL | $83,686 | $40.23 |
| 13 | Columbus, OH | $81,619 | $39.24 |
| 14 | Cary, NC | $80,194 | $38.55 |
| 15 | Lewisville, TX | $70,651 | $33.97 |
| 16 | Saint Louis, MO | $61,986 | $29.80 |
A senior scientist, product development's salary ranges from $73,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $138,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $138,000 | $11,500 | $66 |
| 75th Percentile | $119,000 | $9,917 | $57 |
| Average | $101,127 | $8,427 | $49 |
| 25th Percentile | $85,000 | $7,083 | $41 |
| 10th Percentile | $73,000 | $6,083 | $35 |
The highest paying types of senior scientists, product development are medical science liaison, principal scientist, and senior scientist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fellow | $66,364 | $5,530 | $31.91 | 7,459 |
| Research Laboratory Manager | $64,333 | $5,361 | $30.93 | 89,981 |
| PHD Researcher | $51,634 | $4,303 | $24.82 | 19,736 |
| Laboratory Researcher | $27,760 | $2,313 | $13.35 | 57,359 |
| Postdoctoral Scholar | $57,587 | $4,799 | $27.69 | 18,983 |
| Researcher | $67,145 | $5,595 | $32.28 | 30,498 |
Top companies hiring senior scientists, product development now:
Senior scientist, product development salaries at Natera and AbbVie are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior scientist, product development salary at companies like REGENXBIO and Caterpillar are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Natera | $118,355 | $56.90 |
| 2 | AbbVie | $114,097 | $54.85 |
| 3 | REGENXBIO | $106,271 | $51.09 |
| 4 | Caterpillar | $105,822 | $50.88 |
| 5 | Lily Of The Desert | $103,649 | $49.83 |
| 6 | Entegris | $102,699 | $49.37 |
| 7 | Abbott | $102,041 | $49.06 |
| 8 | Henkel | $101,270 | $48.69 |
| 9 | Pfizer | $100,702 | $48.41 |
| 10 | Catalent Pharma Solutions | $97,941 | $47.09 |
| 11 | Campbell Soup | $97,380 | $46.82 |
| 12 | Colorcon | $96,318 | $46.31 |
| 13 | Mead Johnson & Company LLC | $95,560 | $45.94 |
| 14 | Sanofi US | $95,233 | $45.79 |
| 15 | Altria | $95,101 | $45.72 |
| 16 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $94,926 | $45.64 |
| 17 | Fate Therapeutics | $94,336 | $45.35 |
| 18 | Elanco | $93,711 | $45.05 |
| 19 | Rich Products | $92,478 | $44.46 |
| 20 | Perrigo | $91,270 | $43.88 |
The average senior scientist, product development salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pharmaceutical | $100,931 | $48.52 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $99,157 | $47.67 |
| 3 | Health Care | $96,261 | $46.28 |
| 4 | Finance | $90,416 | $43.47 |
The average senior scientist, product development salary has risen by $16,996 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior scientist, product development earned $84,131 annually, but today, they earn $101,127 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for senior scientists, product development over the last decade.
Compare senior scientist, product development salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare senior scientist, product development salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $101,000 | $48.62 | +3.0% |
| 2024 | $98,100 | $47.17 | +4.5% |
| 2023 | $93,700 | $45.06 | +3.2% |
| 2022 | $90,700 | $43.61 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | $89,000 | $42.79 | -2.1% |
Search for senior scientist, product development jobs