As of August 01, 2026, the average hourly rate for a Researcher I - Academic in the United States is $28, which translates to an annual salary of about $58,760.
However, the hourly wage can vary significantly based on several factors. Here’s a detailed look at the typical pay range per hour:
Researcher I - Academic Salaries by Percentile
| Annual Salary |
Monthly Pay |
Weekly Pay |
Hourly Wage |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75th Percentile | $65,701 | $5,475 | $1,263 | $32 |
| Average | $58,760 | $4,897 | $1,130 | $28 |
| 25th Percentile | $50,663 | $4,222 | $974 | $24 |
A Researcher I - Academic'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, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.
Experience is a primary driver of a Researcher I - Academic'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:
| Job Role | Years of Experience | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Researcher I - Academic | 0-2 years | $58,760 |
| Researcher II - Academic | 4-7 years | $76,627 |
| Researcher III - Academic | 7+ years | $90,477 |
| Dean | 7+ years | $228,262 |
Demanded Skills for the Role:
| Skills | Demand Percentage |
|---|---|
| Analysis | 12.21% |
| Data Analysis | 2.9% |
| Financial Services | 1.78% |
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 Researcher I - Academic's salary.
| Skill | Salary | Salary % Increase |
|---|---|---|
| Cell Biology | $73,450 | |
| Cell Culture | $72,862 | |
| Immunology | $71,100 |
Researcher I - Academic salary potential scales significantly with company size. Data shows that Enterprise companies (5,000+ employees) pay the highest average salary at around $65,778. While startup companies pay approximate $55,647.
| Company Size | Employees | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Startup | 1~50 | $55,647 |
| Growth Stage | 51~500 | $58,853 |
| Established | 501~5000 | $63,521 |
| Enterprise | 5000+ | $65,778 |
Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Researcher I - Academic enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.
According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for an Researcher I - Academic with a Bachelor's Degree is between $59,152 and $63,325.
| Typical Education for Researcher I - Academic | |
|---|---|
| Degree Level | % of user with this level of education |
| No Diploma | 0.3% |
| High School | 0.9% |
| Associates | 0.7% |
| Bachelors | 41.3% |
| Masters | 37.5% |
| Doctorate | 19.4% |
Understanding how a Researcher I - Academic'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.
| Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | Weekly Pay | Hourly Wage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75th Percentile | $65,701 | $5,475 | $1,263 | $32 |
| Average | $58,760 | $4,897 | $1,130 | $28 |
| 25th Percentile | $50,663 | $4,222 | $974 | $24 |
Salaries for a Researcher I - Academic can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $52,789 in 2023 to around $51,377 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Researcher I - Academic salary trends, .
| Year | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 2022 | View More |
| 2023 | $52,789 |
| 2024 | $52,194 |
| 2025 | $51,377 |
| 2026 |
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|
| 2027 |
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Carries out research/development activities. Makes detailed observations, analyzes data, and interprets results. Compiles results and prepares technical reports and documentation of outcomes. Develops research or policy papers, studies, and reports by conducting research in specific areas. Requires a bachelor's degree. Typically reports to a supervisor or manager. Works on projects/matters of limited complexity in a support role. Work is closely managed. Typically requires 0-2 years of related experience.
Specify the abilities and skills that a person needs in order to carry out the specified job duties. Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.
Analysis: Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
Data Analysis: Data analysis is a process of inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and modeling data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions, and supporting decision-making. Data analysis has multiple facets and approaches, encompassing diverse techniques under a variety of names, and is used in different business, science, and social science domains. In today's business world, data analysis plays a role in making decisions more scientific and helping businesses operate more effectively. Data mining is a particular data analysis technique that focuses on modeling and knowledge discovery for predictive rather than purely descriptive purposes, while business intelligence covers data analysis that relies heavily on aggregation, focusing mainly on business information. In statistical applications, data analysis can be divided into descriptive statistics, exploratory data analysis (EDA), and confirmatory data analysis (CDA). EDA focuses on discovering new features in the data while CDA focuses on confirming or falsifying existing hypotheses. Predictive analytics focuses on application of statistical models for predictive forecasting or classification, while text analytics applies statistical, linguistic, and structural techniques to extract and classify information from textual sources, a species of unstructured data. All of the above are varieties of data analysis.
Financial Services: A services provided by the finance industry, which encompasses a broad range of businesses that manage money. These services involve banking, brokerage, mortgages, credit cards, payment services, real estate, investment funds, taxes and accounting.
Salary.com salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources. We also provide multiple percentiles of salary information for your reference, click here to know Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial to Getting Pay Equity Right. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.
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