Research Engineer
Research Engineer Salary
$37K - $46.5K
3% of jobs
$46.5K - $56K
0% of jobs
$56K - $65.5K
1% of jobs
$65.5K - $75K
1% of jobs
$75K - $84.5K
5% of jobs
$84.5K - $94K
5% of jobs
$97.3K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$94K - $103.5K
28% of jobs
The median wage is $105K / yr.
$103.5K - $113K
41% of jobs
$113K - $122.5K
7% of jobs
$122.5K - $132K
2% of jobs
$132K - $141.5K
7% of jobs
$37K
$104K
$142.5K
$106,012
/year
$50.97
/hour
Research Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$106,012
Columbus
Ohio
$102,397
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How much does a Research Engineer make?
As of Aug 6, 2026, the average annual pay for a Research Engineer in the United States is $106,012 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $50.97 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,038/week or $8,834/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $142,500 and as low as $37,000, the majority of Research Engineer salaries currently range between $104,000 (25th percentile) to $104,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $137,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Research Engineer varies little (about 0), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.
A Research Engineer in your area makes on average $102,397 per year, or $3,615 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $106,012. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Research Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Research 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 Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Research Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Research Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Gold Hill, CO, , with Pennington County, SD, and Randolph Township, NJ, close behind in the second and third positions. Randolph Township, NJ, beats the national average by $75,524 (71.2%), and Gold Hill, CO, furthers that trend with another $88,466 (83.4%) above the $106,012 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Research Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
However, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies modestly at 22% between Gold Hill, CO, and Kernersville, NC, , suggesting it may be difficult to see much positive wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may help determine the balance between location and salary for a Research Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Gold Hill, CO | $194,478 | $93.50 |
Pennington County, SD | $189,497 | $91.10 |
Randolph Township, NJ | $181,536 | $87.28 |
North Smithfield, RI | $175,588 | $84.42 |
West Torrington, CT | $174,878 | $84.08 |
Somerville, NJ | $172,389 | $82.88 |
Town of Niskayuna, NY | $166,174 | $79.89 |
North Chicago, IL | $160,921 | $77.37 |
Windcrest, TX | $156,551 | $75.26 |
Kernersville, NC | $155,534 | $74.78 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Research Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Research Engineer job category, we found that Research And Development Engineer jobs have average salaries similar than Research Engineer jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Research And Development Engineer | $96,571 | $46.43 |
Test Engineer Ii | $92,027 | $44.24 |
Lean Engineer | $79,521 | $38.23 |
Solids Control Operator | $51,245 | $24.64 |
Female Welder | $46,302 | $22.26 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
