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Research Scientist salary: median $240,000 a year

Research Scientist listings that state pay run from $168,000 to $310,000 for the middle half, based on 73 current job listings. 202 research scientist roles are open now.

Research Scientist pay range

From 73 open listings that state pay. Annual, in US dollars.

Lower quarter
$168,000
Median
$240,000
Upper quarter
$310,000

Do AI skills change research scientist pay?

For Research roles in general, as of November 9, 2026. This is the function’s figure, not one for research scientist alone: one title rarely has enough listings on both sides.

Among Research listings, those that ask for an AI skill advertise a median $212,500, against $110,000 for those that never mention AI (+93.2%). That raw gap is not matched on level or industry.

Listings that ask for an AI skill
$212,500
median, from 150 paid listings
Listings that never mention AI
$110,000
median, from 346 paid listings

Advertised pay only: the midpoint of the range an employer posted, on live U.S. postings read from the full text. “Asks for an AI skill” means the posting names a specific AI skill; “no AI” means it never mentions AI. A difference in what is advertised is not a promise of what you would be paid, and it does not show that learning a skill causes a raise.

See the AI-skill pay table for every function · Check your own pay against these listings

More pay data: Research pay by level, skills that pay more and pay by employer size.

Open research scientist jobs

Verified against the employer’s own career site within the last week.

Showing the newest 15 of about 202 verified open jobs here. Search all jobs

All 202 research scientist jobs

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Research Scientist salary questions

How much does a research scientist make?
Among 73 open research scientist listings that state pay, the median is $240,000 a year, and half of listings fall between $168,000 and $310,000.
Where does this research scientist pay data come from?
From current job listings on employers’ own career sites that state a pay range. Hourly pay is converted at 2,080 hours a year, and a listing’s midpoint is used. Listed pay is what employers advertise, not what people are paid.
Which state pays research scientists the most?
Of the states with enough listings, California has the highest median listed pay at $295,000.

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