Research Operations Salary
$38.5K - $49K
10% of jobs
$49K - $59.5K
6% of jobs
$66.7K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$59.5K - $70K
14% of jobs
$70K - $80.5K
7% of jobs
$80.5K - $91K
12% of jobs
The median wage is $93.3K / yr.
$91K - $101.5K
8% of jobs
$101.5K - $112K
15% of jobs
$115.2K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$112K - $122.5K
13% of jobs
$122.5K - $133K
11% of jobs
$133K - $143.5K
3% of jobs
$143.5K - $154K
2% of jobs
$38.5K
$95K
$151.5K
$93,804
/year
$45.10
/hour
Research Operations Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$93,804
Columbus
Ohio
$90,605
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How much does a Research Operations make?
As of May 28, 2026, the average annual pay for a Research Operations in the United States is $93,804 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $45.10 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,803/week or $7,817/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $151,500 and as low as $38,500, the majority of Research Operations salaries currently range between $66,500 (25th percentile) to $115,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $130,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Research Operations varies greatly (by as much as 49000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Research Operations in your area makes on average $90,605 per year, or $3,199 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $93,804. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Research Operations salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Research Operations jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Research Operations on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Research Operations Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Research Operations job is above the national average. Topping the list is San Diego, CA, , with Downers Grove, IL, and Park Ridge, IL, close behind in the second and third positions. Park Ridge, IL, beats the national average by $25,099 (26.8%), and San Diego, CA, furthers that trend with another $41,985 (44.8%) above the $93,804 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Research Operations appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 16% between San Diego, CA, and Berkeley, 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 Operations role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
San Diego, CA | $135,789 | $65.28 |
Downers Grove, IL | $119,952 | $57.67 |
Park Ridge, IL | $118,903 | $57.16 |
King of Prussia, PA | $118,056 | $56.76 |
Zebulon, NC | $117,856 | $56.66 |
Burleigh County, ND | $116,962 | $56.23 |
Nome, AK | $116,364 | $55.94 |
Cupertino, CA | $115,730 | $55.64 |
Pennington County, SD | $115,225 | $55.40 |
Berkeley, CA | $114,858 | $55.22 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Research Operations Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Research Operations job category, we found that Clinical Trial Scientist jobs have average salaries greater than Research Operations jobs.
Significantly, Clinical Trial Scientist jobs pay $23,347 (24.9%) more than the average Research Operations salary of $93,804. If you're qualified, finding work as a Clinical Trial Scientist may help you make more money than that of the average Research Operations position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Clinical Trial Scientist | $117,151 | $56.32 |
Research Coordinator Ii | $80,570 | $38.74 |
Lead Clinical Research Coordinator | $71,351 | $34.30 |
Clinical Research Project Coordinator | $63,365 | $30.46 |
Clinical Trial Recruiter | $62,594 | $30.09 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
