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Research scientist salary in United States (Updated 2026)

How much does a Research Scientist make in the United States?

Average base salary

$138,860
Average $138,860
Low $65,992
High $292,187

The average salary for a research scientist is $138,860 per year in the United States. 2.7k salaries taken from job postings on Indeed in the past 36 months (updated June 9, 2026).

Research Scientist job openings in United States

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Research Scientist 6 - Attendi...
Staten Island, NY
$161,476 - $197,823 a year
Full-time
2 days ago

Highest paying companies for Research Scientist in United States

Average year pay is based on job postings on Indeed in the past 36 months.
HARVEY
 
$300,000per year
View company
Scale AI
 
$282,498per year
View company
ByteDance
 
$267,878per year
View company
Public Company Accounting Over...
 
$262,650per year
View company
North Wind Group
 
$262,427per year
View company
Roblox
 
$248,923per year
View company

Highest paying cities for Research Scientists near United States

  1. San Jose, CA
    $255,830 per year
  2. San Francisco, CA
    $220,657 per year
  3. Seattle, WA
    $193,241 per year
  4. San Diego, CA
    $139,034 per year
  5. Cambridge, MA
    $128,336 per year

Where can a Research Scientist earn more?

Compare salaries for Research Scientists in different locations
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How much do similar professions as Research Scientist get paid in United States?

Junior Research Scientist

Job openings
Average $71,637 per year

Senior Research Scientist

Job openings
Average $143,086 per year