How Much Do Research Specialists 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 specialists 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 specialists 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 specialists are offering as compensation.
Keep reading to learn more about how much research specialists can expect to make in the United States.
At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Research Specialists
According to data from 2022, there were about 35,686 positions for research specialists in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for research specialists was reported to be $50,461. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 12,283 job postings related to positions for research specialists.
How Much Money Do Research Specialists Make?
Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money research specialists 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 specialists.
Annual Salary for Research Specialists
According to the BLS, the lowest earners for research specialists and related professions earned about $33,862 per year in 2022. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $82,347 annually.
As mentioned previously, the median salary for research specialists in the United States in 2022 was $50,461.
Annual Salary Range For Research Specialists In 2022
Hourly Salary for Research Specialists
The BLS also breaks down compensation for research specialists by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for research specialists in 2022 was $24. Lowest hourly earners took home $16 while the highest reported hourly salaries for research specialists was $40.
Hourly Salary Range For Research Specialists In 2022
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Advertised Compensation for Research Specialists
Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for research specialists, 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 specialists.
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 Specialists
Advertised Annual Salary
During a review of 11,716 job postings related to research specialists, advertised salary was included in 3,917 of them, which was 33%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for research specialists was $59,264 per year.
Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Research Specialists
Advertised Hourly Salary
A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for research specialists. Based on 32% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for research specialists in the United States is about $28.
Salary Trend for Research Specialists
If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the field, you may want to understand how compensation has changed over time for research specialists. 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 specialists dating back to September 2019, advertised salaries for research specialists have increased 12%.
Advertised Wage Trend For Research Specialists
What's the Job Growth for Research Specialists?
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 specialists over the next 10 years.
According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 35,705 jobs for research specialists in the United States in 2022. By 2032, it is expected that about 5,966 jobs will be added. That's a 16.7% increase over the next 10-year period.
Employment Projections For Research Specialists
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about research specialists? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for research specialists.
What do research specialists do?
Research Specialists: How do you become one?
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