Research Scientist salary in United States

Based on 2,031 job listings - 2026

Average salary

$73,312 - $113,714

Median salary

$25,833 - $43,379

Lower rangeUpper range

Salary distribution by percentile

10th percentile$11K

25th percentile$13K

Median$26K

75th percentile$127K

90th percentile$170K

50% of professionals earn between $12,914 - $126,802 USD

The median salary is $25,833

Top cities

San Francisco94 job openings

Sunnyvale57 job openings

Seattle54 job openings

New York51 job openings

San Diego45 job openings

Boston38 job openings

Redmond34 job openings

Santa Clara32 job openings

Palo Alto30 job openings

San Jose29 job openings

Mountain View27 job openings

Cambridge24 job openings

Menlo Park22 job openings

Houston18 job openings

Los Angeles12 job openings

California10 job openings

Atlanta9 job openings

Billerica9 job openings

Top companies hiring

Inside Higher Ed32

Net2Source (N2S)19

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Research Scientist

2,031 job openings

View job listings

The average salary for a Research Scientist in United States is USD 73,312 - USD 113,714 per year in 2026. The median salary is USD 34,606 per year, based on 2,031 active job listings.

The cities with the most Research Scientist job opportunities in United States are San Francisco, Sunnyvale, Seattle, New York, San Diego. San Francisco leads with 94 job openings.

Leading employers for Research Scientist roles in United States include Inside Higher Ed, Meta, Net2Source (N2S), Google, Apple.

Explore 2,031 Research Scientist job listings in United States on BeBee, or check our salary calculator for a personalized estimate.