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Senior specialist salary

Quoted expert
Kim Chatani

Average senior specialist salary

$92,360

$44.4 hourly rate

Entry-level senior specialist salary
$63,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Average Senior Specialist Salary

The typical Senior Specialist salary is around $92,360 per year, translating to about $44 per hour. This salary can vary based on factors such as geographical location, industry, and individual experience. For instance, states like California and New York often offer higher compensation due to the cost of living and demand for skilled professionals.

Where Can Senior Specialists Earn More?

Senior Specialists can find lucrative positions in various industries, particularly in technology, healthcare, and finance. The demand for specialists in these sectors often results in competitive salaries. It’s advisable for candidates to research companies and geographic locations that offer the best remuneration packages. Additionally, gaining certifications or advanced degrees can significantly enhance earning potential.

Industry Insights

According to recent data, technology and healthcare are among the highest-paying industries for Senior Specialists. Job seekers should consider these sectors when exploring career opportunities. Furthermore, salary estimates may differ based on an individual’s years of experience and specific skill sets.

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Where can a Senior Specialist earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
130k
110k
90k
70k
50k
Columbus, OH$113,263
Columbus, MS$80,471
Compare salary by company
Vs
176k
156k
136k
116k
96k
Cheniere Energy$159,908
SAP$125,998

Senior specialist salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Payscale, the average salary for a senior specialist typically falls between $62,951 and $111,150.
zippia
$92,360yearly
glassdoor[1]
$83,995yearly
indeed[2]
$111,150yearly
Salary.com[3]
$62,951yearly
ZipRecruiter[4]
$84,500yearly
payscale[5]
$71,577yearly

Average senior specialist salary by state

The highest-paying states for senior specialists are California, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. The lowest average senior specialist salary states are Colorado, North Dakota, and Montana.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for senior specialists

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Delaware$101,804$48.94
2Massachusetts$101,925$49.00
3Alaska$98,700$47.45
4Virginia$98,783$47.49
5New Jersey$102,290$49.18
6New York$101,257$48.68
7Connecticut$101,720$48.90
8Rhode Island$95,214$45.78
9Pennsylvania$96,353$46.32
10California$106,288$51.10
11Maryland$98,820$47.51
12New Hampshire$97,298$46.78
13District of Columbia$97,609$46.93
14Arizona$88,137$42.37
15Michigan$92,709$44.57
16Texas$90,538$43.53
17Oregon$89,596$43.08
18North Carolina$89,758$43.15
19West Virginia$89,890$43.22
20Vermont$88,569$42.58
21Nevada$85,535$41.12
22Hawaii$90,952$43.73
23Ohio$89,270$42.92
24Utah$80,258$38.59
25Maine$87,981$42.30
26Louisiana$86,969$41.81
27Florida$85,339$41.03
28Washington$84,430$40.59
29Illinois$84,558$40.65
30Georgia$84,852$40.79
31New Mexico$82,205$39.52
32Alabama$82,270$39.55
33Mississippi$82,601$39.71
34Idaho$68,899$33.12
35Indiana$78,876$37.92
36Minnesota$75,411$36.26
37South Carolina$80,706$38.80
38North Dakota$63,081$30.33
39Kentucky$78,427$37.71
40Tennessee$76,274$36.67
41Montana$57,411$27.60
42Wyoming$57,230$27.51
43Wisconsin$78,026$37.51
44Missouri$72,346$34.78
45Arkansas$70,848$34.06
46Iowa$66,028$31.74
47Nebraska$57,337$27.57
48Kansas$67,828$32.61
49Oklahoma$71,728$34.48
50Colorado$64,642$31.08
51South Dakota$56,648$27.23

Highest paying cities for senior specialists

The highest-paying cities for senior specialists are San Francisco, CA, Jersey City, NJ, and Boston, MA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1San Francisco, CA$113,263$54.45
2Jersey City, NJ$102,402$49.23
3Boston, MA$101,986$49.03
4Hartford, CT$101,767$48.93
5New York, NY$101,475$48.79
6Arlington, VA$99,798$47.98
7Washington, DC$97,665$46.95
8Philadelphia, PA$96,869$46.57
9Detroit, MI$93,412$44.91
10Raleigh, NC$91,877$44.17
11San Antonio, TX$91,458$43.97
12Columbus, OH$88,861$42.72
13Portland, ME$88,803$42.69
14Phoenix, AZ$88,247$42.43
15Portland, OR$86,994$41.82
16Tampa, FL$86,665$41.67
17Columbus, GA$86,185$41.44
18Chicago, IL$85,767$41.23
19Seattle, WA$85,461$41.09
20Columbus, MS$80,471$38.69

Senior specialist salary details

A senior specialist's salary ranges from $63,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $134,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average senior specialist salary graph
Average senior specialist salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a senior specialist's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$134,000$11,167$64
75th Percentile$112,000$9,333$54
Average$92,360$7,697$44
25th Percentile$75,000$6,250$36
10th Percentile$63,000$5,250$30

How would you rate the starting salaries for senior specialists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Kim Chatani

Assistant Professor, Concordia University Irvine

Starting salaries will continue to increase but will be more dictated by supply and demand for the skill sets that graduates will provide. The current COVID 19 pandemic has put traditional thinking on its head. Employers will be evaluating employee skills in a multi-dimensional plane, competency, mobility, and transferability.

Top companies hiring senior specialists now:

  1. Novartis jobs (87)
  2. Citi jobs (93)
  3. Novo Nordisk jobs (139)
  4. Edwards Lifesciences jobs (148)
  5. BNY Mellon jobs (238)

Which companies pay senior specialists the most?

Senior specialist salaries at Cheniere Energy and McKinsey & Company Inc are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior specialist salary at companies like DLA Piper and Apple are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Cheniere Energy$159,908$76.88
2McKinsey & Company Inc$154,239$74.15
3DLA Piper$145,037$69.73
4Apple$144,641$69.54
5Boston Consulting Group$141,507$68.03
6Davis Wright Tremaine$140,888$67.73
7Bain & Company$135,677$65.23
8Genentech$134,369$64.60
9Publicis Sapient$133,875$64.36
10Biogen$132,258$63.59
11Cloudflare$131,175$63.06
12Oliver Wyman$130,177$62.59
13Google$130,066$62.53
14AbbVie$129,221$62.13
15Novartis$129,188$62.11
16Bristol-Myers Squibb$128,421$61.74
17Exxon Mobil$128,385$61.72
18Eli Lilly and Company$128,353$61.71
19Colonial Pipeline$128,290$61.68
20SAP$125,998$60.58

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$94,000$92,200$90,400$88,600$86,800$85,000
MaleFemale

Senior Specialist salary by industry

The average senior specialist salary varies across industries:

  • The average senior specialist salary in the pharmaceutical industry is $114,721, the highest of any industry.
  • The average senior specialist salary in the finance industry is $99,274.
  • Senior specialists in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $84,574, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for senior specialists

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Pharmaceutical$114,721$55.15
2Professional$99,274$47.73
3Technology$90,823$43.66
4Finance$87,814$42.22
5Insurance$87,011$41.83
6Health Care$85,016$40.87
7Manufacturing$84,574$40.66

High paying senior specialist jobs

Senior specialist salary trends

The average senior specialist salary has risen by $13,593 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior specialist earned $78,767 annually, but today, they earn $92,360 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for senior specialists over the last decade.

Compare senior specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average senior specialist salary over time

Compare senior specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Senior specialist salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$92,400$44.40+3.8%
2024$88,800$42.71+2.3%
2023$86,800$41.71+0.7%
2022$86,100$41.41+1.4%
2021$84,900$40.83+1.3%

Recently added senior specialist salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
JeppesenSenior Global Engagement SpecialistArlington, VA06/30/2025$105,400
JeppesenSenior Global Talent Management SpecialistSeattle, WA06/30/2025$104,550
JeppesenSenior Global Talent Management SpecialistBerkeley, MO06/30/2025$96,900
MedtronicSenior Affera Mapping SpecialistBoise, ID06/30/2025$135,000
MedtronicSenior Affera Mapping Specialist-CASJuneau, AK06/30/2025$135,000
MedtronicSenior Affera Mapping Specialist-CASOlympia, WA06/30/2025$135,000
WheelsSR. Toll Management SpecialistDes Plaines, IL06/30/2025$34,000
Northwestern MutualParalegal SR. Specialist-Enterprise GovernanceMilwaukee, WI06/30/2025$60,340
TargetSR Specialist Space & Presentation Apparel & AccessoriesMinneapolis, MN06/30/2025$42,137
Helix Environmental PlanningSenior Acoustics/Noise SpecialistLos Angeles, CA06/30/2025$105,000

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