Phd Research Assistant Salary in the United States

How much does a Phd Research Assistant make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Phd Research Assistant in the United States is $42,492 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $20.

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

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $53,685
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $37,876 to $48,350
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $33,674

Key Factors That Influence Phd Research Assistant Salaries

A Phd Research Assistant'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 Phd Research Assistant Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Phd Research Assistant'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): $41,402
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $41,530
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $42,363
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $45,199
  • Expert (over 8 years): $46,154
Levels Salary
Entry Level Phd Research Assistant$41,402
Intermediate Level Phd Research Assistant$41,530
Senior Level Phd Research Assistant$42,363
Specialist Level Phd Research Assistant$45,199
Expert Level Phd Research Assistant$46,154

How Do Phd Research Assistant 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 Phd Research Assistants. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $47,047.
  • California: $46,868.
  • Massachusetts: $46,243.

Top Paying Cities for Phd Research Assistants

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: $53,595
  • San Francisco: $53,008
  • Oakland: $51,891

What Skills Can Increase a Phd Research Assistant's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Customer Service (Mentioned in 9.21% Job Postings): Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. The perception of success of such interactions is dependent on employees "who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest". Customer service concerns the priority an organization assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. In this sense, an organization that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organization or may proactively interview customers for feedback. From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. One good customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer holds towards the organization.
  • Food Handling (Mentioned in 2.72% Job Postings): Food Handling means one or more operations of food production, manufacture, offering or displaying for sale, storage, preserving, wrapping, transportation, delivery, importation, exportation, or the licensing or approval for any of such activities.
  • Infection Control (Mentioned in 1.52% Job Postings): Infection control is the discipline concerned with preventing nosocomial or healthcare-associated infection, a practical (rather than academic) sub-discipline of epidemiology. It is an essential, though often underrecognized and undersupported, part of the infrastructure of health care. Infection control and hospital epidemiology are akin to public health practice, practiced within the confines of a particular health-care delivery system rather than directed at society as a whole. Anti-infective agents include antibiotics, antibacterials, antifungals, antivirals and antiprotozoals. Infection control addresses factors related to the spread of infections within the healthcare setting (whether patient-to-patient, from patients to staff and from staff to patients, or among-staff), including prevention (via hand hygiene/hand washing, cleaning/disinfection/sterilization, vaccination, surveillance), monitoring/investigation of demonstrated or suspected spread of infection within a particular health-care setting (surveillance and outbreak investigation), and management (interruption of outbreaks). It is on this basis that the common title being adopted within health care is "infection prevention and control."
Skills Demand Percentage
Customer Service 9.21%
Food Handling 2.72%
Infection Control 1.52%

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 Phd Research Assistant's salary.

  • Innovation: Can increase your salary by up to 20%.
  • Delegation: Can increase your salary by up to 14%.
  • Collaboration: Can increase your salary by up to 12%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Innovation $50,990
20%
Delegation $48,440
14%
Collaboration $47,590
12%

Phd Research Assistant Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Phd Research Assistant 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, Phd Research Assistant positions in Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay, as this sector often view Phd Research Assistant as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industry for a Phd Research Assistant

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Healthcare$50,990$25.020%

Phd Research Assistant Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Phd Research Assistant'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
$37,876
Average $42,492/year
$48,350
$3,156
Average $3,541/month
$4,029
$728
Average $817/week
$930
$18
Average $20/hour
$23
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $48,350 $4,029 $930 $23
Average $42,492 $3,541 $817 $20
25th Percentile $37,876 $3,156 $728 $18

Most common benefits for Phd Research Assistant

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

Common company salaries for Phd Research Assistant

Here are companies hiring for Phd Research Assistant and their salaries, click below for more details.

Find Your Next Phd Research Assistant Job

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

For Employees

Analyze the market and your qualifications to negotiate your salary with confidence.

Get a Salary Increase

Search thousands of open positions to find your next opportunity.

Search Job Openings

For Employers

Individualize employee pay based on unique job requirements and personal qualifications.

Adjust Employee Salary

Get the latest market price for benchmark jobs and jobs in your industry.

Price My Industry Jobs

FAQ about Phd Research Assistant

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Phd Research Assistant?

The Healthcare industry offers the highest average compensation for Phd Research Assistant 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.

Are you an HR manager or compensation specialist?

Salary.com's CompAnalyst platform offers:

  • Detailed skills and competency reports for specific positions
  • Job and employee pricing reports
  • Compensation data tools, salary structures, surveys and benchmarks.
Learn about CompAnalyst