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UX Researcher I Salary in the United States

How much does a UX Researcher I make in the United States?

As of August 01, 2026, the average salary for a UX Researcher I in the United States is $81,262 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $39.

However, a UX Researcher I's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $95,886
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $75,293 to $88,917
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $69,859
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View as table View as graph 25% $75,293 10% $69,859 90% $95,886 75% $88,917 $81,262 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

UX Researcher I Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $88,917 $7,410 $1,710 $43
Average $81,262 $6,772 $1,563 $39
25th Percentile $75,293 $6,274 $1,448 $36
Check out UX Researcher I Job Openings in the United States
Senior UX Researcher

Dtsdelivers - Columbus, OH

Chief AI Officer

Confidential - Columbus, OH

Associate Vice President Internal Communications

Confidential - Columbus, OH

Vice President Credit Risk Strategy&Data Science

Confidential - Columbus, OH

Search More UX Researcher I Jobs in the United States

Key Factors That Influence UX Researcher I Salaries

A UX Researcher I's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects UX Researcher Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a UX Researcher I's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • UX Researcher I (0-2 years): $81,272
  • User Experience Digital Designer II (2-4 years): $103,288
  • User Experience Digital Designer III (4-7 years): $116,108
  • User Experience Digital Designer IV (7+ years): $143,206
  • User Experience Digital Designer V (7-10 years): $157,994
Job Role Years of Experience Average Salary
UX Researcher I0-2 years$81,272
User Experience Digital Designer II2-4 years$103,288
User Experience Digital Designer III4-7 years$116,108
User Experience Digital Designer IV7+ years$143,206
User Experience Digital Designer V7-10 years$157,994
$81,272 UX Resear...
$103,288 User Expe...
$116,108 User Expe...
$143,206 User Expe...
$157,994 User Expe...
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for UX Researcher Is

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $102,499
  • San Francisco: $101,377
  • Oakland: $99,240

What Skills Can Increase a UX Researcher I's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Insight (Mentioned in 3.51% Job Postings): Insight is the understanding cause and effect based on the identification of relationships and behaviors within a model, context, or scenario.
  • Typography (Mentioned in 3.38% Job Postings): Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing (leading), and letter-spacing (tracking), and adjusting the space between pairs of letters (kerning). The term typography is also applied to the style, arrangement, and appearance of the letters, numbers, and symbols created by the process. Type design is a closely related craft, sometimes considered part of typography; most typographers do not design typefaces, and some type designers do not consider themselves typographers. Typography also may be used as a decorative device, unrelated to communication of information. Typography is the work of typesetters (also known as compositors), typographers, graphic designers, art directors, manga artists, comic book artists, graffiti artists, and, now, anyone who arranges words, letters, numbers, and symbols for publication, display, or distribution, from clerical workers and newsletter writers to anyone self-publishing materials. Until the Digital Age, typography was a specialized occupation. Digitization opened up typography to new generations of previously unrelated designers and lay users. As the capability to create typography has become ubiquitous, the application of principles and best practices developed over generations of skilled workers and professionals has diminished. So at a time when scientific techniques can support the proven traditions (e.g., greater legibility with the use of serifs, upper and lower case, contrast, etc.) through understanding the limitations of human vision, typography as often encountered may fail to achieve its principal objective: effective communication.
  • Product Design (Mentioned in 2.41% Job Postings): Product design as a verb is to create a new product to be sold by a business to its customers. A very broad coefficient and effective generation and development of ideas through a process that leads to new products. Thus, it is a major aspect of new product development. Due to the absence of a consensually accepted definition that reflects the breadth of the topic sufficiently, two discrete, yet interdependent, definitions are needed: one that explicitly defines product design in reference to the artifact, the other that defines the product design process in relation to this artifact. Product design as a noun: the set of properties of an artifact, consisting of the discrete properties of the form (i.e., the aesthetics of the tangible good and/or service) and the function (i.e. its capabilities) together with the holistic properties of the integrated form and function.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Insight 3.51%
Typography 3.38%
Product Design 2.41%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a UX Researcher I's salary.
  • Prioritization: Can increase your salary by up to 36%.
  • Storytelling: Can increase your salary by up to 30%.
  • Commitment: Can increase your salary by up to 20%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Prioritization
$110,516
36%
Storytelling
$105,641
30%
Commitment
$97,514
20%
Collaborating
$92,639
14%
Written Communication
$92,639
14%
Human-Computer Interaction
$91,826
13%
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UX Researcher I Salary by Company Size: Startups vs. Enterprise

UX Researcher I salary potential scales significantly with company size. Data shows that Enterprise companies (5,000+ employees) pay the highest average salary at around $90,968. While startup companies pay approximate $76,957.

UX Researcher I Salary by Company Size

Company Size Employees Average Salary
Startup1~50$76,957
Growth Stage51~500$81,391
Established501~5000$87,846
Enterprise5000+$90,968

UX Researcher I Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For UX Researcher I roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 45% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Financial Services and Software & Networking sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 25% above the average. In contrast, UX Researcher positions in Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit or Hospitality & Leisure typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view UX Researcher I as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a UX Researcher I

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Financial Services$101,578$49.025%
Software & Networking$97,514$47.020%
Pharmaceuticals$93,451$45.015%
Internet$89,388$43.010%
Aerospace & Defense$85,325$41.05%

UX Researcher I Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a UX Researcher I's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on August 01, 2026

UX Researcher I Salary Growth & Career Path

For a UX Researcher I, the most direct path to higher earnings is advancing to the User Experience Digital Designer II role. This promotion typically comes with a significant pay increase, bringing the average annual salary to $103,300 - a projected growth of 27% over your current level.

Salary Trends for UX Researcher I

Salaries for a UX Researcher I can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary increased from $76,805 in 2023 to around $77,094 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of UX Researcher I salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of UX Researcher I Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$76,805
2024
$77,688
2025
$77,094
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $76,805
2024 $77,688
2025 $77,094
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for UX Researcher I

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for UX Researcher I

Here are companies hiring for UX Researcher I and their salaries, click below for more details.

Find Your Next UX Researcher I Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current UX Researcher I job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

United States
  • KreilKamp Trucking

    Columbus, OH

    KreilKamp Trucking | Columbus, OH

    Regional CDL A Drivers | NEW Grads Welcome | Earn $70,000+ Annually. We're proud to be a 4th generation family truck line, started in 1935, but even proude... more

    19 Days Ago

  • Confidential

    Columbus, OH

    Confidential | Columbus, OH

    Vice President, Payments Engineering. About the Company. Globally-recognized provider of corporate payment solutions. Industry. Financial Services. Type. P... more

    21 Days Ago

  • Confidential

    Columbus, OH

    Confidential | Columbus, OH

    Senior Vice President of Project Delivery. About the Company. A multi-billion-dollar construction organization with collaborative, servant-minded leadershi... more

    21 Days Ago

  • Confidential

    Columbus, OH

    Confidential | Columbus, OH

    Chief of Staff. About the Company. Innovative travel platform for booking & managing work trips. Industry. Computer Software. Type. Privately Held, VC-back... more

    21 Days Ago

  • McDonalds

    Columbus, OH

    McDonalds | Columbus, OH

    McDonald’s is seeking Crew Team Members to assist with daily restaurant operations including customer service, food preparation, and maintaining restaurant... more

    28 Days Ago

  • Amazon Flex

    Columbus, OH

    Amazon Flex | Columbus, OH

    Amazon Flex Delivery Drivers use their own vehicle to deliver Amazon packages to customers on scheduled delivery blocks. Drivers are responsible for pickin... more

    28 Days Ago

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FAQ about UX Researcher I

1. What industry pays the highest salary for UX Researcher I?

The Financial Services industry offers the highest average compensation for UX Researcher I roles, with salaries approximately 25% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

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