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Junior Research Scientist Salary in the United States

How much does a Junior Research Scientist make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Junior Research Scientist in the United States is $69,854 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $34.

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

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $85,022
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $61,995 to $77,794
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $54,840
Salary Factors Salary-Boosting Skills Salary by Experience Related Job Salaries Top Paying Cities Explore Related Jobs

Key Factors That Influence Junior Research Scientist Salaries

A Junior Research Scientist'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 Junior Research Scientist Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Junior Research Scientist'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): $69,270
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $80,561
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $97,472
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $128,538
  • Expert (over 8 years): $156,945
Levels Salary
Junior Re... Level Junior Research Scientist$69,270
Research ... Level Junior Research Scientist$80,561
Research ... Level Junior Research Scientist$97,472
Research ... Level Junior Research Scientist$128,538
Research ... Level Junior Research Scientist$156,945
View as Graph

How Do Junior Research Scientist 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 Junior Research Scientists. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $77,342.
  • California: $77,049.
  • Massachusetts: $76,022.

Top Paying Cities for Junior Research Scientists

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: $88,107
  • San Francisco: $87,142
  • Oakland: $85,306

What Skills Can Increase a Junior Research Scientist's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Analysis (Mentioned in 12.04% 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 2.73% 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.
  • SOP (Mentioned in 1.81% Job Postings): SOP is A standard operating procedure is a set of step-by-step instructions compiled by an organization to help workers carry out routine operations.
Skills Demand Percentage
Analysis 12.04%
Data Analysis 2.73%
SOP 1.81%
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 Junior Research Scientist's salary.

  • Corporate Development: Can increase your salary by up to 32%.
  • Process Development: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
  • Commitment: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Corporate Development $92,207
32%
Process Development $74,744
7%
Commitment $74,744
7%
Get Latest Data

Junior Research Scientist Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Junior Research Scientist roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 65% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Software & Networking and Pharmaceuticals sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 35% above the average. In contrast, Junior Research Scientist positions in Hospitality & Leisure or Transportation typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Junior Research Scientist as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Junior Research Scientist

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Software & Networking$94,303$45.035%
Pharmaceuticals$90,810$44.030%
Biotechnology$87,318$42.025%
Financial Services$87,318$42.025%
Internet$83,825$40.020%

How Education impacts a Junior Research Scientist's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Junior Research Scientists enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree 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 Junior Research Scientist with a Bachelor's Degree is between $69,477 and $74,521).

Junior Research Scientist Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Junior Research Scientist
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 0.5%
High School 2.0%
Associates 3.2%
Bachelors 56.5%
Masters 28.2%
Doctorate 9.5%
View as Graph

Junior Research Scientist Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Junior Research Scientist'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
$61,995
Average $69,854/year
$77,794
$5,166
Average $5,821/month
$6,483
$1,192
Average $1,343/week
$1,496
$30
Average $34/hour
$37
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $77,794 $6,483 $1,496 $37
Average $69,854 $5,821 $1,343 $34
25th Percentile $61,995 $5,166 $1,192 $30

Most common benefits for Junior Research Scientist

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

Common company salaries for Junior Research Scientist

Here are companies hiring for Junior Research Scientist and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Junior Research Scientist

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Junior Research Scientist?

The Software & Networking industry offers the highest average compensation for Junior Research Scientist roles, with salaries approximately 35% 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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