Explore Jobs
Find Specific Jobs
Explore Careers
Explore Professions
Best Companies
Explore Companies
Development Scientist salary
Average development scientist salary
$92,514
How much does a development scientist make?
The average development scientist salary in the United States is $92,514. Development scientist salaries typically range between $68,000 and $124,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for development scientists is $44.48 per hour.
Development scientist salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Development scientists earn the highest average salary in California.
Level up your salary
Let Zippi find your next Development Scientist job
Level up your salary
Let Zippi find your next Development Scientist job
Where can a Development Scientist earn more?
Average development scientist salary by state
Highest paying states for development scientists
Rank  | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montana | $105,064 | $50.51 |
| 2 | Minnesota | $95,687 | $46.00 |
| 3 | Alaska | $95,558 | $45.94 |
| 4 | Delaware | $103,562 | $49.79 |
| 5 | California | $114,158 | $54.88 |
| 6 | Tennessee | $92,616 | $44.53 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $95,855 | $46.08 |
| 8 | Hawaii | $100,053 | $48.10 |
| 9 | Nevada | $89,551 | $43.05 |
| 10 | Indiana | $92,068 | $44.26 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $89,321 | $42.94 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $84,379 | $40.57 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $98,506 | $47.36 |
| 14 | Arizona | $84,739 | $40.74 |
| 15 | Wyoming | $79,601 | $38.27 |
| 16 | Maine | $94,455 | $45.41 |
| 17 | Michigan | $82,655 | $39.74 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $80,159 | $38.54 |
| 19 | Oregon | $89,126 | $42.85 |
| 20 | Washington | $87,266 | $41.95 |
| 21 | Illinois | $86,878 | $41.77 |
| 22 | Ohio | $78,007 | $37.50 |
| 23 | South Dakota | $74,845 | $35.98 |
| 24 | Maryland | $84,341 | $40.55 |
| 25 | Arkansas | $76,046 | $36.56 |
| 26 | Texas | $74,214 | $35.68 |
| 27 | New York | $83,342 | $40.07 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $73,142 | $35.16 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $78,188 | $37.59 |
| 30 | Iowa | $75,689 | $36.39 |
| 31 | Oklahoma | $76,528 | $36.79 |
| 32 | Rhode Island | $79,658 | $38.30 |
| 33 | Vermont | $79,049 | $38.00 |
| 34 | Missouri | $72,964 | $35.08 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $68,449 | $32.91 |
| 36 | Virginia | $79,228 | $38.09 |
| 37 | Colorado | $81,024 | $38.95 |
| 38 | District of Columbia | $82,881 | $39.85 |
| 39 | West Virginia | $70,238 | $33.77 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $70,647 | $33.96 |
| 41 | Kansas | $69,400 | $33.37 |
| 42 | Florida | $68,974 | $33.16 |
| 43 | Alabama | $71,737 | $34.49 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $63,337 | $30.45 |
| 45 | New Hampshire | $74,175 | $35.66 |
| 46 | Idaho | $74,391 | $35.76 |
| 47 | Georgia | $56,482 | $27.15 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $59,321 | $28.52 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $62,528 | $30.06 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $59,559 | $28.63 |
| 51 | Utah | $59,869 | $28.78 |
Highest paying cities for development scientists
The highest-paying cities for development scientists are San Francisco, CA, Wilmington, DE, and New Haven, CT.
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $122,491 | $58.89 |
| 2 | Wilmington, DE | $103,704 | $49.86 |
| 3 | New Haven, CT | $98,562 | $47.39 |
| 4 | Minnetonka, MN | $95,660 | $45.99 |
| 5 | Bloomington, IN | $91,581 | $44.03 |
| 6 | Worcester, MA | $89,442 | $43.00 |
| 7 | Seattle, WA | $87,813 | $42.22 |
| 8 | Bethlehem, PA | $84,538 | $40.64 |
| 9 | Frederick, MD | $84,329 | $40.54 |
| 10 | Madison, WI | $79,999 | $38.46 |
| 11 | Cumberland, RI | $79,692 | $38.31 |
| 12 | Greenville, NC | $78,880 | $37.92 |
| 13 | Columbus, OH | $77,938 | $37.47 |
| 14 | Largo, FL | $69,801 | $33.56 |
| 15 | Pleasant Grove, UT | $59,672 | $28.69 |
| 16 | Atlanta, GA | $56,617 | $27.22 |
Development Scientist salary details
A development scientist's salary ranges from $68,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $124,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a development scientist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $124,000 | $10,333 | $60 |
| 75th Percentile | $108,000 | $9,000 | $52 |
| Average | $92,514 | $7,710 | $44 |
| 25th Percentile | $78,000 | $6,500 | $38 |
| 10th Percentile | $68,000 | $5,667 | $33 |
Highest paying development scientist jobs
The highest paying types of development scientists are medical science liaison, senior scientist, and scientist.
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laboratory Analyst | $44,024 | $3,669 | $21.17 | 44,074 |
| Research Fellow | $53,823 | $4,485 | $25.88 | 59,746 |
| Microbiologist | $54,620 | $4,552 | $26.26 | 11,444 |
| Research Chemist | $75,843 | $6,320 | $36.46 | 53,769 |
| Chemist | $64,961 | $5,413 | $31.23 | 20,221 |
| Quality Control Analyst | $59,217 | $4,935 | $28.47 | 85,546 |
Top companies hiring development scientists now:
Which companies pay development scientists the most?
Development scientist salaries at Amazon and 10x Genomics are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average development scientist salary at companies like Genentech and Biogen are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amazon | $116,751 | $56.13 |
| 2 | 10x Genomics | $111,635 | $53.67 |
| 3 | Genentech | $110,412 | $53.08 |
| 4 | Biogen | $108,166 | $52.00 |
| 5 | AbbVie | $107,250 | $51.56 |
| 6 | Bayer | $106,642 | $51.27 |
| 7 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | $106,448 | $51.18 |
| 8 | Waters | $105,044 | $50.50 |
| 9 | Alexion Pharmaceuticals | $103,644 | $49.83 |
| 10 | FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies | $103,154 | $49.59 |
| 11 | CAMRIS International, Inc. | $102,752 | $49.40 |
| 12 | The Dow Chemical Company | $102,040 | $49.06 |
| 13 | Boehringer Ingelheim | $101,987 | $49.03 |
| 14 | Los Alamos National Laboratory | $101,811 | $48.95 |
| 15 | Broadcom | $101,811 | $48.95 |
| 16 | Horizon Pharma USA, Inc. | $101,811 | $48.95 |
| 17 | AstraZeneca | $101,645 | $48.87 |
| 18 | Gillette | $101,621 | $48.86 |
| 19 | Agilent Technologies | $101,458 | $48.78 |
| 20 | The Chemours Company | $100,857 | $48.49 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Development Scientist salary by industry
The average development scientist salary varies across industries:
- The average development scientist salary in the technology industry is $96,501, the highest of any industry.
- The average development scientist salary in the finance industry is $92,119.
- Development scientists in the finance industry earn an average salary of $78,442, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for development scientists
| Rank | Industry | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $96,501 | $46.39 |
| 2 | Health Care | $92,119 | $44.29 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $91,227 | $43.86 |
| 4 | Pharmaceutical | $87,603 | $42.12 |
| 5 | Finance | $78,442 | $37.71 |
High Paying Development Scientist Jobs
Development Scientist salary trends
The average development scientist salary has risen by $15,548 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average development scientist earned $76,966 annually, but today, they earn $92,514 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for development scientists over the last decade.
Compare development scientist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average development scientist salary over time
Compare development scientist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
- National Average
- Columbus, OH
Development Scientist salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $92,500 | $44.48 | +3.0% |
| 2024 | $89,800 | $43.16 | +4.5% |
| 2023 | $85,700 | $41.22 | +3.2% |
| 2022 | $83,000 | $39.90 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | $81,400 | $39.14 | -2.1% |
Recently added development scientist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guardant Health | Scientist I-Technology Development | Redwood City, CA | 12/16/2024 | $95,200 |
| Amazon | Applied Scientist II, Next GEN Developer Experience (Ngde) | Santa Clara, CA | 12/15/2024 | $136,000 |
| Gsknch | Development Scientist | Richmond, VA | 12/15/2024 | $82,452 |
| Novozymes A/S, Part of Novonesis Group | Scientist-Microbial Development | Salem, VA | 12/15/2024 | $75,000 |
| Microsoft Corporation | Applied Scientist: Microsoft AI Development Acceleration Program | Redmond, WA | 12/14/2024 | $105,600 |
| Gentrac | Quality Analytical Development Scientist | Tony, WI | 12/14/2024 | $64,600 |
| Novozymes | Scientist-Microbial Development | Enon, VA | 12/13/2024 | $75,000 |
| Randstad USA | Clinical Development Scientist | Cambridge, MA | 12/13/2024 | $198,265 |
| Pfizer | Quality Analytical Development Scientist | Middleton, WI | 12/12/2024 | $64,600 |
| Pyramid Consulting, Inc. | Development Scientist I | West Sacramento, CA | 12/12/2024 | $58,436 |
Development Scientist salary FAQs
Search for development scientist jobs