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Research Scientist

Research Scientist Salary

$32,000 - $40,999
3% of jobs
$41,000 - $49,999
7% of jobs
$50,000 - $58,999
9% of jobs
$62,500 is the 25th percentile. Salaries below this are outliers.
$59,000 - $67,999
12% of jobs
$68,000 - $76,999
12% of jobs
The average salary is $83,934 a year
$77,000 - $85,999
13% of jobs
$86,000 - $94,999
9% of jobs
$95,000 - $103,999
9% of jobs
$104,000 is the 75th percentile. Salaries above this are outliers.
$104,000 - $112,999
10% of jobs
$113,000 - $121,999
6% of jobs
$122,500 is the 90th percentile. Salaries above this are outliers.
$122,000 - $131,000
4% of jobs
National Average
$32,000 $83,934 /year $131,000
$40 /hour
$2,667 - $3,417
3% of jobs
$3,417 - $4,167
7% of jobs
$4,167 - $4,917
9% of jobs
$5,208 is the 25th percentile. Salaries below this are outliers.
$4,917 - $5,667
12% of jobs
$5,667 - $6,417
12% of jobs
The average salary is $6,994 a month
$6,417 - $7,167
13% of jobs
$7,167 - $7,917
9% of jobs
$8,666 is the 75th percentile. Salaries above this are outliers.
$7,917 - $8,667
9% of jobs
$8,667 - $9,417
10% of jobs
$9,417 - $10,167
6% of jobs
$10,208 is the 90th percentile. Salaries above this are outliers.
$10,167 - $10,917
4% of jobs
National Average
$2,667 $6,994 /month $10,917
$40 /hour
$615 - $788
3% of jobs
$788 - $962
7% of jobs
$962 - $1,135
9% of jobs
$1,201 is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$1,135 - $1,308
12% of jobs
$1,308 - $1,481
12% of jobs
The average wage is $1,614 a week
$1,481 - $1,654
13% of jobs
$1,654 - $1,827
9% of jobs
$1,827 - $2,000
9% of jobs
$2,000 is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$2,000 - $2,173
10% of jobs
$2,173 - $2,346
6% of jobs
$2,355 is the 90th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$2,346 - $2,519
4% of jobs
National Average
$615 $1,614 /week $2,519
$40 /hour
$15.38 - $19.71
3% of jobs
$19.71 - $24.04
7% of jobs
$24.04 - $28.36
9% of jobs
$30.05 is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$28.37 - $32.69
12% of jobs
$32.69 - $37.02
12% of jobs
The average wage is $40.35 an hour
$37.02 - $41.35
13% of jobs
$41.35 - $45.67
9% of jobs
$45.67 - $50.00
9% of jobs
$50.00 is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$50.00 - $54.33
10% of jobs
$54.33 - $58.65
6% of jobs
$58.89 is the 90th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$58.65 - $62.98
4% of jobs
National Average
$15.38 $40 /hour $62.98
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
Top Earners $122,500 $10,208 $2,355 $59
75th Percentile $104,000 $8,666 $2,000 $50
Average $83,934 $6,994 $1,614 $40
25th Percentile $62,500 $5,208 $1,201 $30
Research Scientist Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$83,934
$6,994
$1,614
$40
Ashburn, VA
Virginia
$85,110
$7,092
$1,637
$41

How much does a Research Scientist make?

As of Aug 5, 2022, the average annual pay for a Research Scientist in the United States is $83,934 a year.

Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $40.35 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,614/week or $6,994/month.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $131,000 and as low as $32,000, the majority of Research Scientist salaries currently range between $62,500 (25th percentile) to $104,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $122,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Research Scientist varies greatly (by as much as $41,500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

Based on recent job postings on ZipRecruiter, the Research Scientist job market in both Ashburn, VA and the surrounding area is very active. A Research Scientist in your area makes on average $85,110 per year, or $1,176 (1%) more than the national average annual salary of $83,934. Virginia ranks number 7 out of 50 states nationwide for Research Scientist salaries.

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

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

What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Research Scientist Jobs

We’ve identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Research Scientist job is above the national average. Topping the list is Palo Alto, CA, with San Mateo, CA and Stanford, CA close behind in the second and third positions. Stanford, CA beats the national average by $16,090 (19.2%), and Palo Alto, CA furthers that trend with another $17,617 (21.0%) above the $83,934 average.

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

Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top ten cities varies very little at 8% between Palo Alto, CA and Orange, 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 Scientist role.

CityAnnual SalaryMonthly PayWeekly PayHourly Wage
Palo Alto, CA$101,552$8,463$1,953$48.82
San Mateo, CA$100,365$8,364$1,930$48.25
Stanford, CA$100,024$8,335$1,924$48.09
Daly City, CA$98,555$8,213$1,895$47.38
Berkeley, CA$98,485$8,207$1,894$47.35
Green River, WY$96,104$8,009$1,848$46.20
Irvine, CA$95,836$7,986$1,843$46.08
Richmond, CA$93,915$7,826$1,806$45.15
Merced, CA$93,088$7,757$1,790$44.75
Orange, CA$93,073$7,756$1,790$44.75

What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Research Scientist Jobs in the U.S.

We found at least five jobs related to the Research Scientist job category that pay more per year than a typical Research Scientist salary. Top examples of these roles include: Principal Research Scientist, Researcher Developer, and Research Scientist II.

Importantly, all of these jobs are paid between $30,058 (35.8%) and $49,399 (58.9%) more than the average Research Scientist salary of $83,934. If you’re qualified, getting hired for one of these related Research Scientist jobs may help you make more money than that of the average Research Scientist position.

Job TitleAnnual SalaryMonthly PayWeekly PayHourly Wage
Principal Research Scientist$133,333$11,111$2,564$64.10
Researcher Developer$127,652$10,638$2,455$61.37
Research Scientist II$126,357$10,530$2,430$60.75
Senior Clinical Research Scientist$115,930$9,661$2,229$55.74
Research Analytics$113,992$9,499$2,192$54.80
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
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