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Scientist senior, research and development salary
Average scientist senior, research and development salary
$103,295
Average Scientist Senior, Research and Development Salary
The average salary for a Scientist Senior, Research and Development stands at $103,295 annually, which translates to approximately $50 per hour. This position is critical in various sectors, including pharmaceuticals, technology, and environmental science. Salary levels can vary significantly based on factors like location, years of experience, and specific industry demands.
How Much Does a Scientist Senior, Research and Development Make?
Compensation for this role fluctuates across different states. For instance, states like California and Massachusetts often report higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for advanced research skills. In contrast, other areas may offer lower salary ranges. Understanding these dynamics is vital for job seekers looking to negotiate salaries effectively.
Where Can a Scientist Senior, Research and Development Earn More?
Top-paying cities include San Francisco, Boston, and New York, where the demand for skilled scientists is high. This section provides insights into the cities that offer the best financial incentives for this career.
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Where can a Scientist Senior, Research And Development earn more?
Average scientist senior, research and development salary by state
The highest-paying states for scientist seniors, research and development are California, Indiana, and Montana. The lowest average scientist senior, research and development salary states are Missouri, Louisiana, and Nebraska.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for scientist seniors, research and development
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $108,028 | $51.94 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $106,144 | $51.03 |
| 3 | Indiana | $117,248 | $56.37 |
| 4 | Tennessee | $101,477 | $48.79 |
| 5 | California | $131,927 | $63.43 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $111,925 | $53.81 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | $100,271 | $48.21 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $106,078 | $51.00 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $94,222 | $45.30 |
| 10 | Maryland | $101,786 | $48.94 |
| 11 | Montana | $113,882 | $54.75 |
| 12 | Nevada | $103,427 | $49.72 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $92,819 | $44.62 |
| 14 | Delaware | $100,502 | $48.32 |
| 15 | Maine | $105,725 | $50.83 |
| 16 | Illinois | $102,680 | $49.37 |
| 17 | Hawaii | $99,247 | $47.71 |
| 18 | Oregon | $96,187 | $46.24 |
| 19 | Ohio | $92,269 | $44.36 |
| 20 | South Dakota | $81,358 | $39.11 |
| 21 | Vermont | $89,095 | $42.83 |
| 22 | New York | $89,399 | $42.98 |
| 23 | Rhode Island | $88,726 | $42.66 |
| 24 | Virginia | $91,771 | $44.12 |
| 25 | New Hampshire | $82,776 | $39.80 |
| 26 | Michigan | $82,221 | $39.53 |
| 27 | Arizona | $94,581 | $45.47 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $81,410 | $39.14 |
| 29 | New Mexico | $81,093 | $38.99 |
| 30 | Arkansas | $83,110 | $39.96 |
| 31 | Wyoming | $85,292 | $41.01 |
| 32 | District of Columbia | $100,745 | $48.44 |
| 33 | Washington | $90,778 | $43.64 |
| 34 | Iowa | $81,695 | $39.28 |
| 35 | Colorado | $84,824 | $40.78 |
| 36 | Oklahoma | $82,449 | $39.64 |
| 37 | West Virginia | $76,604 | $36.83 |
| 38 | Alabama | $79,718 | $38.33 |
| 39 | North Dakota | $74,060 | $35.61 |
| 40 | Florida | $75,265 | $36.19 |
| 41 | Georgia | $75,080 | $36.10 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $76,600 | $36.83 |
| 43 | Kansas | $75,214 | $36.16 |
| 44 | Missouri | $73,635 | $35.40 |
| 45 | Texas | $79,708 | $38.32 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $67,797 | $32.59 |
| 47 | Idaho | $75,653 | $36.37 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $69,560 | $33.44 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $65,888 | $31.68 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $66,282 | $31.87 |
| 51 | Utah | $64,186 | $30.86 |
Highest paying cities for scientist seniors, research and development
The highest-paying cities for scientist seniors, research and development are Foster City, CA, Danbury, CT, and Cambridge, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Foster City, CA | $141,596 | $68.08 |
| 2 | Danbury, CT | $111,831 | $53.76 |
| 3 | Cambridge, MA | $106,196 | $51.06 |
| 4 | Rahway, NJ | $106,101 | $51.01 |
| 5 | Des Plaines, IL | $102,982 | $49.51 |
| 6 | Wilmington, DE | $100,659 | $48.39 |
| 7 | Albany, OR | $95,952 | $46.13 |
| 8 | Levittown, PA | $94,828 | $45.59 |
| 9 | Minneapolis, MN | $92,885 | $44.66 |
| 10 | Columbus, OH | $91,902 | $44.18 |
| 11 | Richmond, VA | $91,632 | $44.05 |
| 12 | Central Islip, NY | $89,733 | $43.14 |
| 13 | Denver, CO | $84,730 | $40.74 |
| 14 | Durham, NC | $81,701 | $39.28 |
| 15 | Albuquerque, NM | $81,461 | $39.16 |
| 16 | San Antonio, TX | $80,311 | $38.61 |
| 17 | Saint Petersburg, FL | $76,259 | $36.66 |
| 18 | Overland Park, KS | $75,331 | $36.22 |
| 19 | Atlanta, GA | $75,175 | $36.14 |
| 20 | Twin Falls, ID | $74,779 | $35.95 |
Scientist senior, research and development salary details
A scientist senior, research and development's salary ranges from $75,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $141,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a scientist senior, research and development's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $141,000 | $11,750 | $68 |
| 75th Percentile | $122,000 | $10,167 | $59 |
| Average | $103,295 | $8,608 | $50 |
| 25th Percentile | $87,000 | $7,250 | $42 |
| 10th Percentile | $75,000 | $6,250 | $36 |
Highest paying scientist senior, research and development jobs
The highest paying types of scientist seniors, research and development are research and development manager, senior scientist, and scientist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemist | $64,961 | $5,413 | $31.23 | 20,221 |
| Quality Control Chemist | $58,892 | $4,908 | $28.31 | 90,467 |
| Quality Control Analyst | $59,217 | $4,935 | $28.47 | 85,546 |
| Research Scientist | $89,998 | $7,500 | $43.27 | 93,013 |
| Staff Scientist | $93,941 | $7,828 | $45.16 | 121,054 |
| Scientist | $97,344 | $8,112 | $46.80 | 62,467 |
Top companies hiring scientist seniors, research and development now:
Which companies pay scientist seniors, research and development the most?
Scientist senior, research and development salaries at The Clorox Company and Sandia National Labs are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average scientist senior, research and development salary at companies like Kelly Services and Edwards Lifesciences are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Clorox Company | $115,589 | $55.57 |
| 2 | Sandia National Labs | $114,343 | $54.97 |
| 3 | Kelly Services | $114,157 | $54.88 |
| 4 | Edwards Lifesciences | $113,230 | $54.44 |
| 5 | Afton Chemical | $113,057 | $54.35 |
| 6 | Boehringer Ingelheim | $111,149 | $53.44 |
| 7 | The Judge Group | $109,170 | $52.49 |
| 8 | Abbott | $109,120 | $52.46 |
| 9 | Entegris | $109,023 | $52.41 |
| 10 | AstraZeneca | $108,414 | $52.12 |
| 11 | Foundation Medicine | $108,152 | $52.00 |
| 12 | BD | $107,716 | $51.79 |
| 13 | FMC | $107,676 | $51.77 |
| 14 | Ingevity | $106,006 | $50.96 |
| 15 | W. R. Grace & Co | $105,979 | $50.95 |
| 16 | Siemens | $105,790 | $50.86 |
| 17 | Catalent Pharma Solutions | $104,940 | $50.45 |
| 18 | Nephron Pharmaceuticals | $104,775 | $50.37 |
| 19 | CEM Business Solutions | $104,473 | $50.23 |
| 20 | Corning Incorporated | $104,394 | $50.19 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Scientist senior, research and development salary trends
The average scientist senior, research and development salary has risen by $17,361 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average scientist senior, research and development earned $85,934 annually, but today, they earn $103,295 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for scientist seniors, research and development over the last decade.
Compare scientist senior, research and development salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average scientist senior, research and development salary over time
Compare scientist senior, research and development salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Scientist senior, research and development salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $103,000 | $49.66 | +3.0% |
| 2024 | $100,000 | $48.19 | +4.5% |
| 2023 | $95,700 | $46.03 | +3.2% |
| 2022 | $92,700 | $44.55 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | $90,900 | $43.70 | -2.1% |
Recently added scientist senior, research and development salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merck | SR. Scientist, Analytical R&D (Microbiologist)-Onsite | Rahway, NJ | 06/30/2025 | $114,700 |
| General Mills, Inc. | SR R&D Statistical Data Scientist | Golden Valley, MN | 06/26/2025 | $106,800 |
| The Kraft Heinz Company | SR Scientist, R&D-Product DEV | Glenview, IL | 06/14/2025 | $88,000 |
| Hormel Foods | Scientist/Associate Senior Scientist-Chemistry-Research & Development | Austin, MN | 06/10/2025 | $72,950 |
| Amneal Pharmaceuticals | Senior Scientist, Analytical R&D | Piscataway, NJ | 06/10/2025 | $75,000 |
| LS Solutions | Senior R&D Scientist-Food & Confectionary | Greendale, IN | 06/10/2025 | $93,915 |
| Natera | Senior Scientist R&D | San Carlos, CA | 06/09/2025 | $125,300 |
| Kelly Services | Senior Scientist, Assay R&D Biorepository | Sunnyvale, CA | 06/05/2025 | $114,785 |
| The Kraft Heinz Company | SR Scientist, R&D-Process Development | Glenview, IL | 05/30/2025 | $88,000 |
| Kelly Science, Engineering, Technology & Telecom | SR Scientist, R&D Operations | Sunnyvale, CA | 05/30/2025 | $114,785 |
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