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Survey researcher salary

Average survey researcher salary

$50,405

$24.23 hourly rate

Entry-level survey researcher salary
$31,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Overview of Survey Researcher Salaries

In the role of a Survey Researcher, the average annual salary is $50,405, which translates to about $24 per hour. Salaries in this field can differ significantly based on various factors including geographic location, experience level, and the specific industry. For instance, researchers in urban areas often earn more than those in rural settings due to cost of living adjustments.

Factors Influencing Salaries

Experience is a critical factor, with entry-level positions typically offering lower salaries compared to more seasoned professionals. Additionally, industries such as healthcare and technology tend to provide higher compensation for survey researchers due to the complexity and demand for data analysis. To gain a clearer understanding, here are some insights into salary variations:

  • Experience Level: Entry-level positions generally range from $40,000 to $45,000, while experienced researchers can earn upwards of $60,000.
  • Location: States like California and New York are among the highest-paying, with salaries exceeding $70,000.
  • Industry: The healthcare sector often provides competitive salaries, reflecting the critical role of data in decision-making processes.

By considering these factors, aspiring survey researchers can better position themselves for successful careers in this rewarding field.

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Where can a Survey Researcher earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
85k
65k
45k
25k
5k
Columbus, OH$73,218
Durham, NC$35,061
Compare salary by company
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143k
123k
103k
83k
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Google$120,496
Industrial Info Resources$53,009

Survey researcher salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a survey researcher typically falls between $50,405 and $88,632.
zippia
$50,405yearly
glassdoor[1]
$53,941yearly
comparably[2]
$88,632yearly
Salary.com[3]
$63,929yearly
ZipRecruiter[4]
$59,333yearly
payscale[5]
$67,404yearly

Average survey researcher salary by state

The highest-paying states for survey researchers are Maryland, Ohio, and West Virginia. The lowest average survey researcher salary states are Pennsylvania, Florida, and North Carolina.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for survey researchers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Washington$66,424$31.93
2Maryland$73,685$35.43
3New York$65,984$31.72
4District of Columbia$65,673$31.57
5Ohio$67,047$32.23
6Maine$64,633$31.07
7West Virginia$66,864$32.15
8Colorado$61,531$29.58
9Idaho$65,067$31.28
10Virginia$59,208$28.47
11Utah$51,457$24.74
12Indiana$64,144$30.84
13New Jersey$54,682$26.29
14Rhode Island$49,132$23.62
15Kentucky$63,319$30.44
16South Carolina$61,894$29.76
17Illinois$59,402$28.56
18North Dakota$48,111$23.13
19Arizona$58,419$28.09
20Alaska$49,425$23.76
21California$50,606$24.33
22Nebraska$47,704$22.93
23Massachusetts$48,149$23.15
24Mississippi$48,889$23.50
25Louisiana$45,610$21.93
26Missouri$48,556$23.34
27Connecticut$49,352$23.73
28Delaware$47,926$23.04
29Michigan$45,727$21.98
30Hawaii$53,875$25.90
31Montana$43,648$20.98
32New Mexico$44,020$21.16
33Wisconsin$46,786$22.49
34Nevada$46,674$22.44
35Kansas$44,388$21.34
36New Hampshire$46,689$22.45
37Iowa$45,001$21.64
38Oregon$42,731$20.54
39Vermont$44,385$21.34
40South Dakota$43,406$20.87
41Texas$42,723$20.54
42Minnesota$33,734$16.22
43Pennsylvania$39,122$18.81
44Oklahoma$42,882$20.62
45Tennessee$41,288$19.85
46Georgia$41,049$19.74
47North Carolina$34,542$16.61
48Arkansas$40,810$19.62
49Florida$37,689$18.12
50Alabama$32,825$15.78
51Wyoming$32,401$15.58

Highest paying cities for survey researchers

The highest-paying cities for survey researchers are Rockville, MD, Cleveland, OH, and Bellevue, WA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Rockville, MD$73,218$35.20
2Cleveland, OH$68,892$33.12
3Bellevue, WA$66,655$32.05
4New York, NY$66,005$31.73
5Washington, DC$65,644$31.56
6Arlington, VA$60,592$29.13
7Chicago, IL$59,693$28.70
8Hackensack, NJ$54,836$26.36
9San Francisco, CA$52,503$25.24
10Saint Louis, MO$48,940$23.53
11Wellesley, MA$48,253$23.20
12Wausau, WI$46,824$22.51
13Austin, TX$42,877$20.61
14Portland, OR$42,542$20.45
15Abington, PA$39,492$18.99
16Coral Springs, FL$37,651$18.10
17Durham, NC$35,061$16.86

Survey researcher salary details

A survey researcher's salary ranges from $31,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $80,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average survey researcher salary graph
Average survey researcher salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a survey researcher's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$80,000$6,667$38
75th Percentile$64,000$5,333$31
Average$50,405$4,200$24
25th Percentile$39,000$3,250$19
10th Percentile$31,000$2,583$15

Highest paying survey researcher jobs

The highest paying types of survey researchers are survey operations director, junior research associate, and research archaeologist.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Interviewer$30,819$2,568$14.822,028
Field Researcher$25,347$2,112$12.1949,321
Researcher$67,145$5,595$32.2830,498
Market Researcher$52,309$4,359$25.1523,734

Top companies hiring survey researchers now:

  1. Google jobs (5)
  2. Mathematica jobs (15)
  3. Westat jobs (9)
  4. Children's Hospital Colorado jobs (5)
  5. ICF jobs (33)

Which companies pay survey researchers the most?

Survey researcher salaries at Google and Mathematica are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average survey researcher salary at companies like American Institutes for Research and ORION are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Google$120,496$57.93
2Mathematica$78,916$37.94
3American Institutes for Research$78,295$37.64
4ORION$78,022$37.51
5Westat$73,884$35.52
6Brand Institute$69,348$33.34
7Children's Hospital Colorado$63,073$30.32
8Gettry Marcus$59,779$28.74
9Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare$59,528$28.62
10Code and Theory$56,360$27.10
11PSEA$55,532$26.70
12Chenega$54,927$26.41
13House Foods America$54,361$26.14
14Issuer Direct$54,079$26.00
15American Surveying And Mapping, Inc.$54,032$25.98
16MMI Communications$54,032$25.98
17NORC at the University of Chicago$53,994$25.96
18Hsu Ginseng Enterprise$53,388$25.67
19The New York Public Library$53,327$25.64
20Industrial Info Resources$53,009$25.49

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$43,000$42,800$42,600$42,400$42,200$42,000
MaleFemale

Survey Researcher salary by industry

The average survey researcher salary varies across industries:

  • The average survey researcher salary in the media industry is $52,852, the highest of any industry.
  • The average survey researcher salary in the finance industry is $52,378.
  • Survey researchers in the hospitality industry earn an average salary of $43,751, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for survey researchers

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Media$52,852$25.41
2Education$52,378$25.18
3Health Care$51,801$24.90
4Professional$50,912$24.48
5Hospitality$43,751$21.03

High paying survey researcher jobs

Survey researcher salary trends

The average survey researcher salary has risen by $16,602 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average survey researcher earned $33,803 annually, but today, they earn $50,405 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for survey researchers over the last decade.

Compare survey researcher salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average survey researcher salary over time

Compare survey researcher salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Survey researcher salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$50,400$24.23+1.2%
2024$49,800$23.95+2.5%
2023$48,600$23.35+5.9%
2022$45,700$21.97-0.4%
2021$45,900$22.05+1.0%

Recently added survey researcher salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Amazon.com, Inc.Survey Researcher, Reputation Marketing & InsightsArlington, VA02/21/2025$72,600
Sc&A Inc.Survey ResearcherArlington, VA01/19/2025$120,000
Heterodox AcademySurvey Researcher, Faculty (Research Fellow)New York, NY11/05/2024$50,000
American Institutes for ResearchSurvey Researcher, Education StatisticsArlington, VA10/31/2024$85,000
Georgetown UniverisitySurvey Researcher, Center for Security and Emerging Technology-Walsh School of Foreign ServiceWashington, DC10/31/2024$66,783
Campus BuildingSurvey ResearcherSeattle, WA10/24/2024$113,900
American Institutes for ResearchSurvey Researcher, Education StatisticsRockville, MD10/18/2024$85,000
AmazonSurvey Researcher, Reputation Marketing & InsightsArlington, VA10/12/2024$72,600
Remitly Inc.Senior Survey ResearcherSeattle, WA09/28/2024$124,000
Amazon, Inc.Survey Researcher, Reputation Marketing & InsightsArlington, VA09/27/2024$106,400

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