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Visiting researcher salary

Average visiting researcher salary

$68,912

$33.13 hourly rate

Entry-level visiting researcher salary
$40,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding the Salary of a Visiting Researcher

The salary of a Visiting Researcher averages around $68,912 annually. This figure can fluctuate based on various elements, including geographic location, years of experience, and the type of research institution. For instance, those working in urban areas or prestigious universities may command higher salaries.

Key Factors Influencing Salary

  • Location: Salaries vary by state, with those in states like California and New York typically earning more.
  • Experience: Researchers with more years in the field generally see higher pay.
  • Institution Type: Positions at renowned universities or research facilities often offer better compensation.

To maximize your earning potential as a Visiting Researcher, consider roles in high-paying industries such as healthcare, technology, and academia. Additionally, continuously improving your skills and expanding your professional network can open doors to lucrative opportunities in this field.

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Where can a Visiting Researcher earn more?

Compare salary by location
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Columbus, OH$102,284
Baton Rouge, LA$41,580
Compare salary by company
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Microsoft$140,746
Rutgers University$56,498

Visiting researcher salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a visiting researcher typically falls between $53,114 and $112,804.
zippia
$68,912yearly
glassdoor[1]
$112,804yearly
comparably[2]
$75,470yearly
Salary.com[3]
$53,114yearly
payscale[4]
$81,279yearly

Average visiting researcher salary by state

The highest-paying states for visiting researchers are California, Hawaii, and Nevada. The lowest average visiting researcher salary states are Florida, South Carolina, and Mississippi.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for visiting researchers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1California$95,108$45.73
2Washington$78,943$37.95
3Connecticut$81,375$39.12
4Oregon$78,690$37.83
5Tennessee$79,646$38.29
6New Jersey$66,429$31.94
7Arizona$83,327$40.06
8Alaska$79,953$38.44
9Rhode Island$68,954$33.15
10Nevada$83,448$40.12
11Indiana$72,413$34.81
12Maine$62,549$30.07
13Colorado$61,767$29.70
14Hawaii$84,528$40.64
15Montana$64,691$31.10
16Pennsylvania$58,701$28.22
17Idaho$66,175$31.81
18Delaware$60,042$28.87
19Wyoming$65,792$31.63
20Minnesota$57,262$27.53
21New York$57,609$27.70
22Wisconsin$55,924$26.89
23Massachusetts$55,956$26.90
24Maryland$58,713$28.23
25Illinois$58,722$28.23
26South Dakota$56,714$27.27
27New Mexico$58,147$27.96
28Michigan$56,357$27.09
29Nebraska$54,378$26.14
30District of Columbia$55,819$26.84
31Oklahoma$57,262$27.53
32Texas$54,576$26.24
33Vermont$53,580$25.76
34Virginia$53,602$25.77
35Arkansas$55,695$26.78
36Missouri$50,595$24.32
37Iowa$51,359$24.69
38Ohio$51,159$24.60
39North Carolina$49,767$23.93
40Utah$49,605$23.85
41New Hampshire$52,351$25.17
42Kansas$51,593$24.80
43Kentucky$50,152$24.11
44West Virginia$40,941$19.68
45Alabama$49,850$23.97
46North Dakota$46,089$22.16
47Georgia$41,180$19.80
48Louisiana$41,524$19.96
49Mississippi$42,131$20.26
50Florida$43,370$20.85
51South Carolina$42,267$20.32

Highest paying cities for visiting researchers

The highest-paying cities for visiting researchers are Berkeley, CA, Urban Honolulu, HI, and Memphis, TN.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Berkeley, CA$102,284$49.17
2Urban Honolulu, HI$84,682$40.71
3Memphis, TN$81,757$39.31
4Seattle, WA$80,152$38.53
5Bloomington, IN$72,778$34.99
6New Brunswick, NJ$66,144$31.80
7Bozeman, MT$65,480$31.48
8Boulder, CO$61,813$29.72
9Troy, NY$59,309$28.51
10Chicago, IL$58,517$28.13
11Pittsburgh, PA$56,837$27.33
12East Lansing, MI$56,345$27.09
13Boston, MA$55,973$26.91
14Houston, TX$53,360$25.65
15Durham, NC$49,617$23.85
16Tallahassee, FL$45,656$21.95
17Baton Rouge, LA$41,580$19.99

Visiting researcher salary details

A visiting researcher's salary ranges from $40,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $115,000 at the 90th percentile.

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

What is a visiting researcher's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$115,000$9,583$55
75th Percentile$90,000$7,500$43
Average$68,912$5,743$33
25th Percentile$52,000$4,333$25
10th Percentile$40,000$3,333$19

Highest paying visiting researcher jobs

The highest paying types of visiting researchers are medical science liaison, principal scientist, and senior scientist.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Fellow$66,364$5,530$31.917,459
Medical Science Liaison$145,718$12,143$70.0657,208
Principal Scientist$119,982$9,998$57.6880,899
Doctoral Fellow$53,366$4,447$25.6622,661
Staff Scientist$93,941$7,828$45.16121,054
Scientist$97,344$8,112$46.8062,467

Which companies pay visiting researchers the most?

Visiting researcher salaries at Microsoft and Meta are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average visiting researcher salary at companies like Qualcomm and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are highly competitive.

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$67,000$66,800$66,600$66,400$66,200$66,000
MaleFemale

Visiting Researcher salary by industry

The average visiting researcher salary varies across industries:

  • The average visiting researcher salary in the technology industry is $80,381, the highest of any industry.
  • The average visiting researcher salary in the finance industry is $70,228.
  • Visiting researchers in the education industry earn an average salary of $61,057, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for visiting researchers

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Technology$80,381$38.64
2Internet$70,228$33.76
3Professional$67,838$32.61
4Education$61,057$29.35

High paying visiting researcher jobs

Visiting researcher salary trends

The average visiting researcher salary has risen by $11,582 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average visiting researcher earned $57,330 annually, but today, they earn $68,912 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for visiting researchers over the last decade.

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

Average visiting researcher salary over time

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

Visiting researcher salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$68,900$33.13+3.0%
2025$66,900$32.15+4.5%
2024$63,900$30.71+3.2%
2023$61,800$29.72+1.9%
2022$60,600$29.16-2.1%

Recently added visiting researcher salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
University of Colorado BoulderVisiting ResearcherBoulder, CO06/21/2025$72,000
Princeton UniversityVisiting Research ScholarPrinceton, NJ06/20/2025$60,000
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IlVisiting Scientific Specialist, Environmental Assessments Researcher-Illinois State Geological SURUrbana, IL06/20/2025$60,000
University of ColoradoVascular Visiting ResearcherAurora, CO06/09/2025$40,000
Rutgers UniversityVisiting Researcher, Multiple VacanciesNew Brunswick, NJ06/02/2025$41,000
University of ColoradoVascular Visiting ResearcherAurora, CO05/26/2025$40,000
U0001Vascular Visiting ResearcherAurora, CO05/21/2025$40,000
Wright State UniversityVisiting Research ScholarDayton, OH05/11/2025$47,000
Rutgers UniversityVisiting Researcher, Multiple VacanciesNew Brunswick, NJ04/15/2025$41,000
MetaVisiting Researcher, Fundamental AI Research-RoboticsNew York, NY03/06/2025$177,000

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