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Neuroscientist Salary in the United States

How much does a Neuroscientist make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Neuroscientist in the United States is $697,929 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $336.

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

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $928,148
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $610,379 to $818,434
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $530,669
Salary Factors Salary-Boosting Skills Salary by Experience Related Job Salaries Top Paying Cities Explore Related Jobs

Key Factors That Influence Neuroscientist Salaries

A Neuroscientist'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.

How Experience Level Affects Neuroscientist Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Neuroscientist'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:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $683,337
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $689,417
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $697,929
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $757,910
  • Expert (over 8 years): $789,215
Levels Salary
Entry Level Neuroscientist$683,337
Intermediate Level Neuroscientist$689,417
Senior Level Neuroscientist$697,929
Specialist Level Neuroscientist$757,910
Expert Level Neuroscientist$789,215
View as Graph

How Do Neuroscientist Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Neuroscientists. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $772,747.
  • California: $769,816.
  • Massachusetts: $759,556.

Top Paying Cities for Neuroscientists

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: $880,298
  • San Francisco: $870,659
  • Oakland: $852,311

What Skills Can Increase a Neuroscientist's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Leadership (Mentioned in 4.1% Job Postings): Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
  • Acute Care (Mentioned in 4.4% Job Postings): Acute care is a branch of secondary health care where a patient receives active but short-term treatment for a severe injury or episode of illness, an urgent medical condition, or during recovery from surgery. In medical terms, care for acute health conditions is the opposite from chronic care, or longer term care. Acute care services are generally delivered by teams of health care professionals from a range of medical and surgical specialties. Acute care may require a stay in a hospital emergency department, ambulatory surgery center, urgent care centre or other short-term stay facility, along with the assistance of diagnostic services, surgery, or follow-up outpatient care in the community. Hospital-based acute inpatient care typically has the goal of discharging patients as soon as they are deemed healthy and stable. Acute care settings include emergency department, intensive care, coronary care, cardiology, neonatal intensive care, and many general areas where the patient could become acutely unwell and require stabilization and transfer to another higher dependency unit for further treatment.
  • Medical Education (Mentioned in 3.03% Job Postings): Medical education is a course of study directed toward imparting knowledge and skills required for the prevention and treatment of diseases to persons seeking to become physicians.
Skills Demand Percentage
Leadership 4.1%
Acute Care 4.4%
Medical Education 3.03%
See More Skills

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 Neuroscientist's salary.

  • Geriatrics: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
  • Insight: Can increase your salary by up to 8%.
  • Medical Education: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Geriatrics $760,743
9%
Insight $753,763
8%
Medical Education $746,784
7%
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Neuroscientist Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Neuroscientist roles, the industry you choose can impact your earning potential by as much as 40% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the highest-paying industry, Healthcare, offers compensation 20% above the average. Conversely, Neuroscientist positions in Edu., Gov't & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay, as this sector often view Neuroscientist as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industry for a Neuroscientist

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Healthcare$837,515$403.020%

How Education impacts a Neuroscientist's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Neuroscientists enter the field with a JD, MD, PhD or Equivalent degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Neuroscientist with a JD, MD, PhD or Equivalent is between $646,846 and $744,401).

Neuroscientist Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Neuroscientist
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 3.4%
High School 3.4%
Associates 5.3%
Bachelors 2.9%
Masters 5.3%
Doctorate 88.4%
View as Graph

Neuroscientist Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Neuroscientist'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 September 01, 2026
$610,379
Average $697,929/year
$818,434
$50,865
Average $58,161/month
$68,203
$11,738
Average $13,422/week
$15,739
$293
Average $336/hour
$393
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $818,434 $68,203 $15,739 $393
Average $697,929 $58,161 $13,422 $336
25th Percentile $610,379 $50,865 $11,738 $293

Most common benefits for Neuroscientist

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Neuroscientist

Here are companies hiring for Neuroscientist and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Neuroscientist

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Neuroscientist?

The Healthcare industry offers the highest average compensation for Neuroscientist roles, with salaries approximately 20% 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.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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