How Much Do Research Associates Make?
Having a clear understanding of earnings potential is important, especially if you are researching career paths or considering changing jobs. If you're one of those people, and you're curious what kind of salary research associates make, you've come to the right place.
Using data from Lightcast,™ the Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled rich information about salary for research associates and related jobs, including details about average compensation, salary trends and job growth. We've also gathered advertised salaries from actual job postings to provide insight into what employers of research associates are offering as compensation.
Keep reading to learn more about how much research associates can expect to make in the United States.
At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Research Associates
According to data from 2023, there were about 123,833 positions for research associates in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for research associates was reported to be $83,637. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 40,058 job postings related to positions for research associates.
How Much Money Do Research Associates Make?
Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money research associates and related positions can expect to make in the United States, it can be helpful to look at the full range of compensation for those jobs.
Let's look more deeply at data that was reported to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for detail into the lowest and highest salary earnings for research associates.
Annual Salary for Research Associates
According to the BLS, the lowest earners for research associates and related professions earned about $52,936 per year in 2023. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $148,928 annually.
As mentioned previously, the median salary for research associates in the United States in 2023 was $83,637.
Annual Salary Range For Research Associates In 2023
Hourly Salary for Research Associates
The BLS also breaks down compensation for research associates by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for research associates in 2023 was $40. Lowest hourly earners took home $25 while the highest reported hourly salaries for research associates was $72.
Hourly Salary Range For Research Associates In 2023
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Advertised Compensation for Research Associates
Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for research associates, but another way to build a more real-time understanding of salary is to look at actual job postings and see what compensation organizations are currently providing to fill open positions for research associates.
Keep in mind that salary data is not included in every job posting, so the information compiled here is reflective of the data available through Lightcast.™
Annual Salary from Job Postings for Research Associates
Advertised Annual Salary
During a review of 57,393 job postings related to research associates, advertised salary was included in 16,446 of them, which was 29%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for research associates was $92,544 per year.
Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Research Associates
Advertised Hourly Salary
A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for research associates. Based on 41% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for research associates in the United States is about $44.
Salary Trend for Research Associates
If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the field, you may want to understand how compensation has changed over time for research associates. The chart below provides a snapshot of advertised salaries over the past three years.
Based on compensation data that was included in job postings for research associates dating back to September 2020, advertised salaries for research associates have increased 39%.
Advertised Wage Trend For Research Associates
What's the Job Growth for Research Associates?
Another data point that someone thinking about a career path should consider is whether or not jobs are expected to see growth in the future. The chart below looks at projected employment for research associates over the next 10 years.
According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 123,963 jobs for research associates in the United States in 2023. By 2033, it is expected that about 28,160 jobs will be added. That's a 22.7% increase over the next 10-year period.
Employment Projections For Research Associates
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about research associates? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for research associates.
What do research associates do?
Research Associates: How do you become one?
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