Research Development Engineer

Research Development Engineer Salary

$20K

$92.5K

$151K

$96,571

/year

$46.43

/hour

Research Development Engineer Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$96,571

Columbus

Ohio

$93,278

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    How much does a Research Development Engineer make?

    As of Jun 11, 2026, the average annual pay for a Research Development Engineer in the United States is $96,571 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $46.43 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,857/week or $8,047/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $151,000 and as low as $20,000, the majority of Research Development Engineer salaries currently range between $77,500 (25th percentile) to $117,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $138,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Research Development Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 39500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

    A Research Development Engineer in your area makes on average $93,278 per year, or $3,293 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $96,571. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Research Development Engineer salaries.

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

    Find your next high paying job as a Research Development Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Research Development Engineer Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Research Development Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Nome, AK, , with Berkeley, CA, and Sitka, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Sitka, AK, beats the national average by $19,766 (20.5%), and Nome, AK, furthers that trend with another $23,225 (24.0%) above the $96,571 average.

    With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Research Development Engineer 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 Nome, AK, and Livermore, 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 Research Development Engineer role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Nome, AK

    $119,796

    $57.59

    Berkeley, CA

    $118,245

    $56.85

    Sitka, AK

    $116,337

    $55.93

    Pennington County, SD

    $114,321

    $54.96

    Mountain View, CA

    $113,923

    $54.77

    San Francisco, CA

    $113,777

    $54.70

    Stanford, CA

    $113,613

    $54.62

    Palo Alto, CA

    $113,521

    $54.58

    Santa Clara, CA

    $113,416

    $54.53

    Livermore, CA

    $113,276

    $54.46

    What are Top 0 Best Paying Related Research Development Engineer Jobs in the U.S.

    Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Research Development Engineer job category, we found that related job jobs have average salaries similar than Research Development Engineer jobs.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    About Our Data

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

    Infographic detailing Research Development Engineer salary across the United States as of June 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $96,571 per year or $46.43 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.