Cell Culture Specialist Salary in the United States

How much does a Cell Culture Specialist make in the United States?

As of August 01, 2026, the average salary for a Cell Culture Specialist in the United States is $127,730 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $61.

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

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $155,871
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $114,715 to $142,460
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $102,866
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View as table View as graph 25% $114,715 10% $102,866 90% $155,871 75% $142,460 $127,730 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Cell Culture Specialist Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $142,460 $11,872 $2,740 $68
Average $127,730 $10,644 $2,456 $61
25th Percentile $114,715 $9,560 $2,206 $55
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Key Factors That Influence Cell Culture Specialist Salaries

A Cell Culture Specialist'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 Do Cell Culture Specialist 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 Cell Culture Specialists. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

  • District of Columbia: $141,423.
  • California: $140,886.
  • Massachusetts: $139,009.

Top Paying Cities for Cell Culture Specialists

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: $161,106
  • San Francisco: $159,342
  • Oakland: $155,984

What Skills Can Increase a Cell Culture Specialist's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Analysis (Mentioned in 12.14% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
  • Data Analysis (Mentioned in 2.81% Job Postings): 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.
  • Process Development (Mentioned in 1.78% Job Postings): Process development consists of designing and developing, as well as evaluating costs and efficiency.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Analysis 12.14%
Data Analysis 2.81%
Process Development 1.78%
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 Cell Culture Specialist's salary.
  • Drug Discovery: Can increase your salary by up to 8%.
  • Oncology: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
  • Machine Learning: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Drug Discovery
$137,948
8%
Oncology
$136,671
7%
Machine Learning
$135,394
6%
Cell Biology
$134,117
5%
Biotechnology
$134,117
5%
Immunology
$134,117
5%
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Cell Culture Specialist Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Cell Culture Specialist roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 80% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Software & Networking and Healthcare sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 40% above the average. In contrast, Cell Culture Specialist positions in Retail & Wholesale or MFG Durable typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Cell Culture Specialist as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Cell Culture Specialist

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Software & Networking$178,822$86.040%
Healthcare$166,049$80.030%
Biotechnology$153,276$74.020%
Energy & Utilities$140,503$68.010%

How Education impacts a Cell Culture Specialist's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Cell Culture Specialists 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 Cell Culture Specialist with a JD, MD, PhD or Equivalent is between $128,693 and $136,760).

Cell Culture Specialist Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Cell Culture Specialist
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 0.2%
High School 0.2%
Associates 9.9%
Bachelors 11.2%
Masters 9.9%
Doctorate 78.7%
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Cell Culture Specialist Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Cell Culture Specialist'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

Salary Trends for Cell Culture Specialist

Salaries for a Cell Culture Specialist can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $91,917 in 2023 to around $89,488 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Cell Culture Specialist salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Cell Culture Specialist Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$91,917
2024
$90,775
2025
$89,488
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $91,917
2024 $90,775
2025 $89,488
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Cell Culture Specialist

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Cell Culture Specialist

Here are companies hiring for Cell Culture Specialist and their salaries, click below for more details.

Find Your Next Cell Culture Specialist Job

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

United States
  • MD Staff, LLC

    Columbus, OH

    MD Staff, LLC | Columbus, OH

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    Columbus, OH

    Confidential | Columbus, OH

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    14 Days Ago

  • C.R. England

    Columbus, OH

    C.R. England | Columbus, OH

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  • Confidential

    Columbus, OH

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    Vice President, Credit Risk Strategy & Data Science. About the Company. High-growth SMB lender building the next generation of credit decisioning. Industry... more

    15 Days Ago

  • 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

    15 Days Ago

  • Maxim Healthcare

    Columbus, OH

    Maxim Healthcare | Columbus, OH

    Private duty nursing (PDN) allows medically fragile patients to receive quality, skilled nursing care in the comfort of their home: a setting preferred by ... more

    17 Days Ago

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FAQ about Cell Culture Specialist

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Cell Culture Specialist?

The Software & Networking industry offers the highest average compensation for Cell Culture Specialist roles, with salaries approximately 40% 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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