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USRA salary estimate

$72,411yearly

$34.81 hourly rate

Entry-level salary
$42,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

USRA Salary Overview

At USRA, the average salary is $72,411, but earnings vary significantly based on position and department. For example, the Vice President of Information Technology leads the salary chart with an average of $149,001 annually, while directors and technical experts earn around $122,186 and $106,387, respectively. In contrast, entry-level positions such as general office clerks earn an average salary of $29,371.

Departmental differences also play a crucial role in salary determination. The IT department offers the highest average salary at $92,192, followed closely by engineering at $85,833. However, administrative roles tend to have lower compensation, averaging $39,826, highlighting the disparity within the company.

Location impacts pay as well, with the highest salaries found in the District of Columbia. This reflects the competitive market and higher living costs in that area. Understanding these salary dynamics can provide valuable insights for both current and prospective employees.

Highest paying jobs at USRA

The highest paying jobs at USRA are vice president of information technology, director, technical expert, and scientist. Vice president of information technology jobs at USRA earn an average yearly salary of $149,001, USRA director jobs average $122,186, and USRA technical expert jobs average $106,387.

The lowest paying USRA roles include general office clerk and receptionist. USRA general office clerk average salary is $29,371 per year. So while the average USRA salary is $72,411 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.

Highest paying jobs at USRA

RankJob titleAverage USRA salaryHourly rate
1Vice President Of Information Technology$149,001$71.64
2Director$122,186$58.74
3Technical Expert$106,387$51.15
4Scientist$94,165$45.27
5Software Engineer$90,838$43.67
6Applications Developer$89,673$43.11
7Aerospace Engineer$89,220$42.89
8Configuration Management Lead$88,569$42.58
9Software Developer$87,602$42.12
10Applications Programmer$85,006$40.87
11Project Manager$81,895$39.37
12Operations Manager$80,624$38.76
13Systems Administrator$79,823$38.38
14Consultant$76,996$37.02
15Senior Technical Recruiter$75,230$36.17
16Data Analyst$71,256$34.26
17Operations Specialist$68,396$32.88
18Media Specialist$67,146$32.28
19Project Coordinator$63,815$30.68
20Internal Auditor$63,450$30.50

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Average USRA salary by state

USRA pays the highest salaries in District of Columbia due to higher costs of living and competition in the state.

RankStateAverage USRA salaryHourly rate
1District of Columbia$73,610$35.39
2Maryland$72,289$34.75
3Ohio$62,810$30.20
4Idaho$61,219$29.43
5Texas$60,997$29.33
6Alabama$56,403$27.12

How much does USRA pay by location?

The average USRA salary varies by location. USRA salaries are the highest in Mountain View, CA, at $91,052 per year. USRA pays the second highest average salary in Cambridge, MA, at $76,640 per year. It's important to factor in the cost of living when negotiating a salary or choosing a place to work.

Highest paying USRA locations

RankLocationAverage USRA salaryHourly rate
1Mountain View, CA$91,052$43.78
2Cambridge, MA$76,640$36.85
3Greenbelt, MD$72,185$34.70
4Houston, TX$61,518$29.58
5Idaho Falls, ID$59,706$28.70
6Huntsville, AL$56,439$27.13
7Arecibo, PR$56,231$27.03

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USRA salaries by department

Salaries at USRA vary depending on the department you work in. USRA salaries in the it department are the highest with an average salary of $92,192. Employees in the engineering department at USRA receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $85,833 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at USRA include the administrative and the accounting organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $39,826 and $56,914, respectively.

Average USRA salary by department

RankDepartmentAverage USRA salaryHourly rate
1IT$92,192$44.32
2Engineering$85,833$41.27
3Research & Development$80,629$38.76
4Finance$75,950$36.51
5Marketing$62,546$30.07
6Non Profit/Government$61,329$29.49
7Accounting$56,915$27.36
8Administrative$39,826$19.15

How much does USRA pay by department?

Best paying USRA research & development salaries

RankPositionAverage USRA salaryHourly rate
1Scientist$94,165$45.27
2Research Associate$56,672$27.25
3Research Assistant$40,627$19.53

Best paying USRA engineering salaries

RankPositionAverage USRA salaryHourly rate
1Senior Engineering Manager$155,029$74.53
2Software Engineer$90,838$43.67
3Applications Developer$89,673$43.11
4Aerospace Engineer$89,220$42.89
5Configuration Management Lead$88,569$42.58
6Software Developer$87,602$42.12
7Applications Programmer$85,006$40.87
8Data Analyst$71,256$34.26
9GIS Analyst$61,587$29.61
10Engineering Internship$33,661$16.18

Best paying USRA administrative salaries

RankPositionAverage USRA salaryHourly rate
1Executive Assistant$60,651$29.16
2Administrative Assistant$42,007$20.20
3Office Administrator$41,449$19.93
4Administrative Internship$39,284$18.89
5Student Internship$33,783$16.24
6Receptionist$31,056$14.93
7General Office Clerk$29,371$14.12

Recently added USRA salaries

JobLocationDate addedSalary
Scientist, Space ScienceHuntsville, AL05/26/2025$61,110
Associate Scientist/Scientist, SpaceHuntsville, AL04/28/2025$61,110
Scientist, Earth SciencesMountain View, CA03/19/2025$113,568

What employees say about salary at USRA

Employee reviews
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A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2023
Cons of working at USRA

The CEO, Jeff Isaacson, has run this once proud company, started by James Webb himself, into the ground. Doubling his own salary during COVID years while cutting salary and benefits to the scientists and engineers that generate revenue and make contracts happen. This stems from a basic lack of understanding in what the government is purchasing from the contractor (i.e. scientific expertise, not conceded, incompetent, overpaid management). The company is now hemorrhaging money and high quality employees because of poor leadership. It will be financially impossible for USRA to move forward without the lost subject matter expertise that they squandered.

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Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of USRA, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about USRA. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at USRA. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by USRA. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of USRA and its employees or that of Zippia.

USRA may also be known as or be related to UNIVERSITIES SPACE RESEARCH ASSOCIATION, USRA, Universities Space Research Association and Usra.