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Job outlook for user experience researchers in the United States
Are user experience researcher jobs in demand?
User experience researcher job and salary trends over time
User experience researcher jobs over time
User experience researcher job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,709 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 1,621 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 1,594 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 1,499 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 1,401 | 0.00% |
Average user experience researcher salary over time
User experience researcher salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $99,849 | $48.00 | +3.2% |
| 2024 | $96,784 | $46.53 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | $95,767 | $46.04 | --0.2% |
| 2022 | $95,934 | $46.12 | +1.1% |
| 2021 | $94,918 | $45.63 | +0.7% |
User experience researcher jobs by state
Most common states for user experience researchers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 136 | 20% |
| 2 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 566 | 8% |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 479 | 7% |
| 4 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 60 | 6% |
| 5 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 193 | 5% |
| 6 | Vermont | 623,657 | 29 | 5% |
| 7 | California | 39,536,653 | 1,555 | 4% |
| 8 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 469 | 4% |
| 9 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 348 | 4% |
| 10 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 234 | 4% |
| 11 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 211 | 4% |
| 12 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 130 | 4% |
| 13 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 51 | 4% |
| 14 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 37 | 4% |
| 15 | Alaska | 739,795 | 31 | 4% |
| 16 | New York | 19,849,399 | 593 | 3% |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 385 | 3% |
| 18 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 260 | 3% |
| 19 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 93 | 3% |
| 20 | Delaware | 961,939 | 33 | 3% |
Most common cities for user experience researchers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dover | 8 | 21% | $118,181 |
| 2 | Annapolis | 7 | 18% | $83,873 |
| 3 | Lansing | 10 | 9% | $78,899 |
| 4 | Hartford | 7 | 6% | $95,612 |
| 5 | Tallahassee | 9 | 5% | $77,193 |
| 6 | Springfield | 6 | 5% | $78,062 |
| 7 | Atlanta | 19 | 4% | $83,644 |
| 8 | Baton Rouge | 6 | 3% | $90,229 |
| 9 | Des Moines | 6 | 3% | $72,648 |
| 10 | Little Rock | 6 | 3% | $89,526 |
| 11 | Montgomery | 6 | 3% | $90,911 |
| 12 | Boston | 16 | 2% | $89,914 |
| 13 | Chicago | 16 | 1% | $79,196 |
| 14 | Washington | 10 | 1% | $105,645 |
| 15 | Indianapolis | 8 | 1% | $72,648 |
| 16 | San Francisco | 8 | 1% | $122,451 |
| 17 | Denver | 7 | 1% | $88,656 |
| 18 | Phoenix | 8 | 0% | $87,597 |
User Experience Researcher job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of user experience researcher experts
Boise State University
Ohio State University
Duquesne University
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
University of St Andrews
Bradley University
DePauw University
University of Minnesota Duluth
Christian Brothers University
Penn State Altoona
West Virginia State University
Mercyhurst University
Western Illinois University
University of Maryland
Chestnut Hill College
What general advice would you give to a User Experience Researcher?
Kristin Snopkowski: Within a degree in Anthropology, there are a wide variety of career opportunities. This can be both a benefit and a challenge - it allows you to pursue many different careers and if you find you don't like one particular job, there are a lot of other areas of employment that you would be qualified for, but at the same time, it makes it harder to decide which employment opportunities to pursue. Further, the onus is on you to explain how your anthropology degree prepares you for a particular job, given that many people do not know or understand the skills gained with a degree in anthropology.
What User Experience Researcher skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Kristin Snopkowski: We know that the world is becoming more data driven, so developing skills in quantitative and qualitative methods will likely give you an advantage when it comes to applying for jobs. Anthropologists have always been good at qualitative methodologies and combining it with quantitative methods makes you a particularly attractive applicant. The recent AI revolution also means that key skills like critical thinking, oral and written communication, and teamwork are going to be some of the most important skills that cannot be replaced by an AI bot.
What will help User Experience Researchers increase their earning potential?
Kristin Snopkowski: There are some areas of anthropology that have better monetary compensation than others. The field of User Experience is a particularly high paying area for anthropology majors, which utilizes qualitative methods to help companies develop products and services that better respond to human needs. Within archaeology, many students opt to pursue a master's degree to maximize their compensation and gain advancement opportunities.
Dr. Judson Jeffries
ProfessorOhio State University
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, And Group Studies
What User Experience Researcher skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Judson Jeffries: Easy, have a vita that clearly shows strong credentials such as publications and the like, which will help said person get multiple interviews, which may lead to multiple offers. Once that person gets multiple offers, that person cannot be shy about negotiating. Everything is negotiable.
What will help User Experience Researchers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Judson Jeffries: Grant writing ability. Scholars will become increasingly reliant on securing grants as universities and colleges continue to tighten their belts. This is especially true for state schools where some state legislatures are not as generous with funding as they once were. The state supported The Ohio State University is one such example. There are many more.
Jan Levine
Professor of Law and Director, Legal Research & Writing ProgramDuquesne University
School of Law
What hard/technical skills are most important for User Experience Researchers?
Jan Levine: Understanding how to plan a research effort, knowing how to update research, so it is timely, finding materials online and in print (which is often ignored or downplayed), demonstrating a critical examination of sources (i.e., reading them closely and coming up with an independent professional assessment of the reliability and validity of the materials), and knowing to find and use non-legal sources of information to apply to a legal problem (including talking with experts, going beyond online and print research). Plus, good researchers know how to use librarians and secondary sources of the law to expand the scope of their work and to be more efficient in their research (both in time and cost). Finally, the ability to organize material is crucial to a well-conducted search for material.
What skills will help User Experience Researchers earn the most?
Jan Levine: Efficiency in research, clarity in explanation of the use of researched materials, and having a conscious plan of how to conduct research.
Mario Jimenez Chacon
Assistant ProfessorUniversity of Wisconsin - Green Bay
Humanities Department
What soft skills should all User Experience Researchers possess?
Mario Jimenez Chacon: Interpersonal skills, work ethic, the ability to work in teams, flexibility, and communication skills are all fundamental soft skills. Researchers are also humans and work with humans, so it's essential to have these soft skills to create a welcoming research community.
What hard/technical skills are most important for User Experience Researchers?
Mario Jimenez Chacon: Of course, a researcher needs to have the ability to perform high-level, intense research; therefore, a qualified researcher needs to have the hard skills associated with their field, for example, the appropriate certification/ degrees or the ability to use technology effectively. Moreover, nowadays, a researcher needs to dominate more than one language; being multilingual is a skill that makes the candidate really stand out.
What skills will help User Experience Researchers earn the most?
Mario Jimenez Chacon: The skills that will make you earn the most depend very much on their field of research. However, doing the best research possible all the time, having great interpersonal skills, and understanding that one must never stop learning will make you an outstanding candidate in any field.
Dr. Sharon Locke Ph.D.
Director, Center for STEM Research, Education, and Outreach, Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, ISSP Sustainability Excellence AssociateSouthern Illinois University Edwardsville
Department of Environmental Sciences
What soft skills should all User Experience Researchers possess?
Dr. Sharon Locke Ph.D.: -Strong written and oral communication are most important. If you cannot write well, you cannot be a successful scientist. Period.
-Evidence of skills in working as part of a team of diverse people and ability to understand the culture and language across scientific/technical disciplines--for example, an environmental chemist who understands something about policy or an environmental health specialist that would be able to collect and interpret data collected from community members.
-Willingness to be a lifelong learner.
-Something that helps an applicant stand out, such as experience with project management software or a foreign language.
Dr. Jeffrey Hughes
Deputy DirectorUniversity of St Andrews
Graduate School for Interdisciplinary Studies
What soft skills should all User Experience Researchers possess?
Dr. Jeffrey Hughes: The ability to communicate to academics and practitioners from out-with immediate disciplinary boundaries. The ability to listen to differing perspectives and work to understand differing perspectives through bridging knowledge gaps.
Heather Ford
User Experience Design Program Head, Artist and DesignerBradley University
Interactive Media Department
What skills stand out on User Experience Researcher resumes?
Heather Ford: There are many do's and don'ts to resumes. However, gone are the days of making an ornate graphical resume for a UX job. I also inform students that they don't have to put everything and cram it into one page. Sometimes students have a lot of experience, and they want to share that on their resume. Students need to have an overview that summarizes their skills, education, and knowledge and then provide an additional CV that details their expertise or leads the employer to their website with that information.
What soft skills should all User Experience Researchers possess?
Heather Ford: Empathy, communication, adaptability, passion, and open-mindedness are essential. A successful designer understands the goals of their users and makes sure their needs are being met for the project. Students need to realize that working solely as the only designer on the project is rare, so communication is also essential. Learning tools such as Slack while in college will help with this endeavor. The industry evolves, so making sure you are open-minded and adaptable is key.
What hard/technical skills are most important for User Experience Researchers?
Heather Ford: Mainly from the transition of so many companies working partially or fully remotely, Miro, Zoom/Microsoft Teams, and Figma are the most prevalent technical skills for UX designers. Adobe Creative Cloud, WordPress, Marvel, Webflow, User Testing, Google Forms, Sketch, and Microsoft 365 are other essential software and platforms.
What skills will help User Experience Researchers earn the most?
Heather Ford: Learning to work on a team and experience in the workplace will help you transition and support more opportunities after graduation in the field.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the User Experience Researcher job market given the pandemic?
Pedar Foss Ph.D.: The short term is uncertain and depends on the pandemic. Long term, I'm betting on clean energy tech, health tech, and innovative delivery technology.
What general advice would you give to a User Experience Researcher?
Pedar Foss Ph.D.: The advice to students who are graduating is that college prepares them not just for their first job but for a lifetime of adapting to the changing labor landscape. What matters is not what one is doing at age 25, but at age 40. Flexibility, adaptability, and nimbleness, combined with an open mind and exposure to multiple points of view and numerous disciplinary approaches to problems, will ensure that a student can surf their career and not get swamped by a wave of change that overcomes someone who has learned/done only one thing and is therefore stuck in that job.
How do you envision technology impacting User Experience Researchers in the next 5 years?
David Woodward: Like many fields, the public History and historical interpretation fields have had to be creative and find alternative ways to reach the public. Many museums and heritage organizations have increased their online presence by having virtual tours/events, and many have moved their collections on-line so the public may still access and interact with them. Our graduates will find that on-line skills and social media may be much more important in the future.
Dr. Neal Palmer Ph.D.
Chair, Associate ProfessorChristian Brothers University
Department of History and Political Science
How do you envision technology impacting User Experience Researchers in the next 5 years?
Dr. Neal Palmer Ph.D.: History, like all fields, will surely move to more virtual forms of communication and internet-based work. I think history majors and professors will continue to become more creative and skilled in their use of technology to communicate, teach, and research. I expect professional historians will increasingly use virtual platforms to share their research and communicate with the general public. I expect history majors to enter the workforce with increased comfort, confidence, and knowledge regarding technology.
What general advice would you give to a User Experience Researcher?
Dr. Neal Palmer Ph.D.: I think the pandemic will affect history graduates in many of the same ways it will affect graduates in any major. I hope they will be struck, hopefully, humbled by the power of the natural environment to dictate the terms on which humanity can function. I also hope that it teaches the importance of group cohesion and cooperation in confronting problems. If this happens, I think it could have long-range effects on the personal and political behavior of these graduates as they confront future environmental and social challenges. If you are asking about the more mundane question of jobs, I think history majors should fair well in the post-pandemic world. History majors leave college with communication and thinking skills that will help them adapt and succeed in a fast-changing and unpredictable world.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for User Experience Researchers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Neal Palmer Ph.D.: The answer to that question likely won't change from pre- to post-pandemic. Southern cities such as Nashville and Memphis were booming before the pandemic, and that will likely continue. These are good places to find jobs because the cost of living is relatively low, there are vibrant culture and entertainment, and there is not as much college-educated competition for jobs as in larger cities.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on User Experience Researchers?
Doug Page Ph.D.: That is difficult to say. What I imagine might be a short-term shifting of in-demand fields, so that our current technology needs might be better addressed. This would include further development and support of software that enables us to meet virtually. That said, History graduates, like others who study within the Humanities, are well-situated to engage in a broad range of areas, given the breadth of their education.
While History is topic-specific, it offers training and practice in those skills that are desired, and allows one to move in the worlds of business, industry, education, law, museums, and others. And, luckily for History graduates, much of the work in all of those fields can be done virtually. Indeed, some exciting and innovative things have been done by museums, especially that makes it possible for more people than ever to "visit" these museums; this could be a big new avenue for History graduates.
How do you envision technology impacting User Experience Researchers in the next 5 years?
Doug Page Ph.D.: Our technology is changing and becoming more sophisticated at such a rapid pace; it is challenging to imagine what it will bring to the field of History. I can imagine improvements in the delivery of historical materials in places like the classroom, but also in museums, archives, and libraries. Archival preservation and retrieval are bound to improve, benefitting the public world of libraries and museums, but also corporate and governmental offices as well. If we are extremely lucky, such growing access could create a more informed citizenry, dedicated to using all that History can teach us about ourselves and how to best work together for progress.
Dr. Michael Workman
Associate ProfessorWest Virginia State University
Department of History & Political Science
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on User Experience Researchers?
Dr. Michael Workman: I'm afraid that the Covid-19 pandemic already has affected our History graduates here at WVSU in a big way. Some have delayed plans for grad school; others are hunkering-down and delaying job searches. Those who have taken teaching positions face hurdles reaching students remotely. And those who are engaged in research and writing find themselves unable to travel to perform research at various archives. But I seriously doubt that these impacts will be enduring. This storm cloud may have a silver lining of sorts because many have further developed their computer skills and learned how to access information remotely.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for User Experience Researchers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Michael Workman: A History Degree at WVSU equips students for a variety of work opportunities-not just in the field of history. Graduates learn about U.S. & world history, but they also develop skills in research and analysis, writing and argument, as well as presentations that are valuable in many fields, including government and politics, education, and even business. Teaching and working for local, state, and federal government agencies will remain the main fields for our history graduates. With the American public's growing appreciation for history, our graduates will find jobs in historic preservation and interpretation.
Living in a mostly rural state does limit the number of new jobs available, so some graduates will find their way to more urbanized areas, where salaries are usually higher as well. We've also found that some of our graduates truly love our state and are willing to stay and work here, albeit at lower salaries, because of the high
quality of life and family-like relations.
How do you envision technology impacting User Experience Researchers in the next 5 years?
Benjamin Scharff Ph.D.: Technology evolves so quickly that it is difficult to imagine exactly how it will impact the field. However, the general trend has been an increasing emphasis on digital humanities. Graduates will therefore be more digitally literate than in the past.
Dr. Timothy Roberts
Professor and Director of Graduate StudiesWestern Illinois University
Department of History
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on User Experience Researchers?
Dr. Timothy Roberts: The coronavirus, of course, has affected education profoundly by accelerating, at least at the moment, the trend away from face-to-face learning and toward distance learning. That transition will hurt students' learning experience, in my opinion, although, besides allowing classes to occur with safe social distancing, distance learning allows nearly anyone with a computer and internet service to take (or, though it's a different kind of hazard, offer) courses.
I think it's easy to imagine that high school and college students who navigate education substantially through online courses will become more independent or self-reliant and tech-savvy. Those are the benefits. The risks are that they may not have the chance to interact with and learn from other students in the class, and not ever experience or be rewarded for learning in any formal setting - a campus, a library, a classroom, a professor's office, a graduation ceremony.
Crystal Sehlke
Program Director,University of Maryland
College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on User Experience Researchers?
Crystal Sehlke: Almost certainly, but the impact will endure longer in some interest fields than others; for example, the hospitality and travel industries, where the impact has been so devastating, will probably not recover quickly once the pandemic has subsided. However, many fields still need the skills our social science students possess, including their quantitative skills/tools, scientific inquiry, and critical thinking skills, and thus will still have options. The biggest problem will be graduates of 2020 competing head-to-head with graduates of 2021-much like traffic backing up on an overcrowded interstate. Graduates that pivot effectively to other fields will fare better than those who wait for conditions in the primary interest field to improve.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for User Experience Researchers to find work opportunities?
Crystal Sehlke: Some sectors are growing: E-commerce, online services, almost anything related to the delivery of goods. Technology skills will remain in demand, and there is an expanding need for data analytics and people who can extract key messages from masses of data. Another area of rapid expansion is human-focused services that can be delivered remotely, such as telehealth and tele-counseling. The popularity of "remote work" in the job and internship market has exploded out of necessity, and some of our current students have benefited from it by applying for remote internships at jobs and organizations that might have posed a geographic challenge prior to COVID-19.
How do you envision technology impacting User Experience Researchers in the next 5 years?
Crystal Sehlke: As we've found with our own immediate conversion to remote operations, some of the programs, resources, and services that were previously provided in person have had to evolve into different mediums quickly. Post-pandemic, many of these new resources-e.g., self-help online modules, automated training, AI-driven chatbots-will permanently complement in-person resources, which will become more specialized. Professionals in fields that provide information, consultation, or other in-person services will need to become fluent using these technology-based tools.
How do you envision technology impacting User Experience Researchers in the next 5 years?
Lorraine Coons Ph.D.: Technology has already impacted the field as it has in most academic areas of study. Students interested in careers in archives, museums, and historical societies need to be conversant with computer software specifically related to their work. Teachers, as this pandemic is showing, need to be brought up to speed with online instruction.