Design Researcher

Design Researcher Salary

$30K

$123K

$164K

$113,102

/year

$54.38

/hour

Design Researcher Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$113,102

Columbus

Ohio

$109,245

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    How much does a Design Researcher make?

    As of Aug 1, 2026, the average annual pay for a Design Researcher in the United States is $113,102 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $54.38 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,175/week or $9,425/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $164,000 and as low as $30,000, the majority of Design Researcher salaries currently range between $67,000 (25th percentile) to $154,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $154,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Design Researcher varies greatly (by as much as 87000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

    A Design Researcher in your area makes on average $109,245 per year, or $3,857 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $113,102. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Design Researcher salaries.

    To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Design Researcher jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

    Find your next high paying job as a Design Researcher on ZipRecruiter today.

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Design Researcher Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Design Researcher job is above the national average. Topping the list is Barrow, AK, , with Cupertino, CA, and Berkeley, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Berkeley, CA, beats the national average by $25,384 (22.4%), and Barrow, AK, furthers that trend with another $27,797 (24.6%) above the $113,102 average.

    With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Design Researcher appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

    Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 5% between Barrow, AK, and San Francisco, CA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Design Researcher role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Barrow, AK

    $140,899

    $67.74

    Cupertino, CA

    $139,539

    $67.09

    Berkeley, CA

    $138,486

    $66.58

    Selawik, AK

    $138,317

    $66.50

    Koyuk, AK

    $137,063

    $65.90

    Aspen, CO

    $136,708

    $65.72

    Sitka, AK

    $136,251

    $65.51

    Mountain View, CA

    $133,356

    $64.11

    Menlo Park, CA

    $133,286

    $64.08

    San Francisco, CA

    $133,253

    $64.06

    What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Design Researcher Jobs in the U.S.

    Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Design Researcher job category, we found that Senior Clinical Research Scientist jobs have average salaries greater than Design Researcher jobs.

    Significantly, Senior Clinical Research Scientist jobs pay $34,910 (30.9%) more than the average Design Researcher salary of $113,102. If you're qualified, finding work as a Senior Clinical Research Scientist may help you make more money than that of the average Design Researcher position.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Senior Clinical Research Scientist

    $148,012

    $71.16

    Qualitative Research Consultant

    $81,905

    $39.38

    Health Researcher

    $62,985

    $30.28

    Crf

    $58,118

    $27.94

    Research

    $29,065

    $13.97

    About Our Data

    ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

    Infographic detailing Design Researcher salary across the United States as of July 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $113,102 per year or $54.38 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.