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Research assistant: pay, job outlook and how to become one

Updated October 26, 2026. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET data. Published by Humblebee.

$61,990median pay per year, or $29.81 an hour, May 2025[1]
  1. $38,090lowest 10% earn less
  2. $48,62025th percentile
  3. $61,990median
  4. $77,76075th percentile
  5. $102,070top 10% earn more
Middle half of workers in the inner band[4]Median for all US jobs, $50,980[2]

The median social science research assistant earned $61,990 a year in May 2025, above the $50,980 median for all occupations[1][2]. BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry education[3].

Job growth, 2025–35
+5%[5]
Openings per year
4,900[6]
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree[3]

How much do research assistants make?

This page covers the BLS category Social Science Research Assistants. The median pay was $61,990 a year, or $29.81 an hour, in May 2025[1]. Half of workers earned more and half earned less[1]. The average was $66,140 a year, or $31.80 an hour[7]. The median for all occupations was $50,980[2].

The range is wide. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $38,090 a year, and the highest-paid 10% earned more than $102,070[4]. Hourly, that is less than $18.31 at the bottom and more than $49.07 at the top[8].

Percentile Annual wage Hourly wage
10th[4][8] $38,090 $18.31
25th[4][8] $48,620 $23.38
Median[1] $61,990 $29.81
75th[4][8] $77,760 $37.38
90th[4][8] $102,070 $49.07

A percentile is a boundary. BLS publishes percentile wages, not a starting salary[9]. The figures cover wage and salary workers only. They leave out the self-employed and do not include benefits such as health insurance or retirement contributions[10].

Pay by state and city

Oklahoma had the highest state median at $69,090 a year[11]. Delaware followed at $68,230, then Kansas at $67,740[11]. Nevada had the lowest median among the places with published data, at $26,560[11]. Some state figures rest on very few jobs. Oklahoma's, for example, covers 100 jobs[11].

California had the most jobs, 5,300, followed by New York with 3,040 and North Carolina with 2,930[12]. Georgia and the District of Columbia completed the top five[12].

Among metro areas with at least 100 jobs, Bowling Green, KY had the highest median at $84,680[13]. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN was next at $82,500[13]. The New York-Newark-Jersey City area had the most jobs at 2,610, with a median of $65,330[14]. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim had 2,290 jobs and a $59,240 median[14].

Show median pay in 44 states and DC
StateMedian per yearJobs
Oklahoma[11]$69,090100
Delaware$68,23040
Kansas$67,740170
Georgia$66,6201,840
Kentucky$66,3901,190
Missouri$65,940750
New Hampshire$65,69070
Maryland$65,550700
District of Columbia$65,3301,560
Illinois$64,890250
South Carolina$64,490500
North Carolina$63,7102,930
Massachusetts$63,480n/a
New Jersey$62,760370
Idaho$62,570n/a
Alaska$62,23040
Arizona$61,6801,020
New York$61,2103,040
California$60,2505,300
Michigan$60,210750
Connecticut$60,11050
Texas$58,0701,180
Indiana$57,020210
Oregon$56,770220
Nebraska$56,190230
Pennsylvania$54,610860
Virginia$53,260700
Alabama$53,080n/a
Louisiana$52,600340
Rhode Island$51,420220
West Virginia$51,140550
Florida$50,7001,130
Maine$50,650120
New Mexico$50,64050
Colorado$50,430100
Washington$50,420450
Ohio$50,330240
Montana$49,86030
Wisconsin$48,090110
Vermont$47,51040
Tennessee$46,410140
Minnesota$44,920300
South Dakota$44,82040
Iowa$40,940140
Nevada$26,560n/a

How to become a research assistant

BLS lists the typical path into this occupation as follows[3]:

In an O*NET survey of 23 workers, 53% said a bachelor's degree was the education level required, 37% said a master's degree and 9% said some college courses[15]. That is a small survey, so treat it as a rough picture only.

Our facts do not say which degree fields employers prefer.

What research assistants do

O*NET describes the job as helping social scientists with laboratory, survey and other research. It may also include helping prepare findings for publication and supporting data management[16]. Common tasks include:

Workers report titles such as graduate research assistant, research technician and research associate[18].

Job outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, from about 38,400 to 40,400 jobs[5]. Employment in all occupations is projected to grow 3.5%[19].

About 4,900 openings are projected each year[6]. Openings count jobs left by people who retire or move to other occupations, not only new jobs[6]. Each year, 2.3% of workers leave the labor force and 9.5% move to a different occupation[20]. About 7.7% of workers in this occupation were self-employed in 2025[21].

Is it a good fit?

The facts suggest a job that asks for a bachelor's degree but no related experience[3]. Pay is above the all-occupations median, at $61,990 against $50,980[1][2]. Projected growth of 5% is a little above the 3.5% for all occupations[5][19]. Many workers move on to other occupations each year, at 9.5%[20]. State pay differs a lot, so check your own area[11].

Related occupations from O*NET, with BLS median pay and projected growth[22].

Frequently asked questions

How much does a research assistant make an hour?
The median for social science research assistants was $29.81 an hour in May 2025[1]. The 10th percentile was $18.31 and the 90th was $49.07[8].
What degree do you need to be a research assistant?
BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry education, with no related experience needed[3].
Are research assistants in demand?
Employment is projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 4,900 openings a year[5][19][6].
What is the highest paying state for research assistants?
Oklahoma has the highest median, at $69,090[11]. Delaware is next at $68,230[11].

Facts and sources

  1. BLS OEWS, May 2025: the median wage for Social Science Research Assistants in the US was $61,990 per year and $29.81 per hour. Half of workers earned more and half earned less. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  2. BLS OEWS, May 2025: the median annual wage for all occupations in the US was $50,980. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  3. BLS Employment Projections, typical path into Social Science Research Assistants: education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree; work experience in a related occupation: None; typical on-the-job training: None. BLS Employment Projections
  4. BLS OEWS, May 2025, annual wage percentiles for Social Science Research Assistants: 10th percentile $38,090, 25th percentile $48,620, 75th percentile $77,760, 90th percentile $102,070. The 10th percentile means 10% of workers earned less. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  5. BLS Employment Projections: employment of Social Science Research Assistants is projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, from about 38,400 to 40,400 jobs (a change of +1,900). These counts include self-employed workers. BLS Employment Projections
  6. BLS Employment Projections: about 4,900 openings for Social Science Research Assistants are projected each year, on average, from 2025 to 2035. Openings include jobs that open when workers retire or move to other occupations, not only new jobs. BLS Employment Projections
  7. BLS OEWS, May 2025: the mean (average) wage for Social Science Research Assistants was $66,140 per year and $31.80 per hour. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  8. BLS OEWS, May 2025, hourly wage percentiles for Social Science Research Assistants: 10th percentile $18.31, 25th percentile $23.38, 75th percentile $37.38, 90th percentile $49.07. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  9. BLS OEWS FAQ: a percentile wage is a boundary. The median (50th percentile) separates the highest-paid 50% from the lowest-paid 50% of workers in the occupation. OEWS publishes percentile wages, not a starting salary. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  10. BLS OEWS FAQ: OEWS covers part-time and full-time workers paid a wage or salary. It does not cover the self-employed, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, household workers or unpaid family workers. OEWS wages do not include nonproduction bonuses or employer costs of benefits such as health insurance or retirement contributions. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  11. Median annual wage for Social Science Research Assistants in every state with published data, May 2025 (table on this page). BLS OEWS, May 2025
  12. BLS OEWS, May 2025, states with the most Social Science Research Assistants jobs: California 5,300; New York 3,040; North Carolina 2,930; Georgia 1,840; District of Columbia 1,560. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  13. BLS OEWS, May 2025, metro areas with the highest median annual wage for Social Science Research Assistants (areas with at least 100 jobs): Bowling Green, KY $84,680; Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN $82,500; San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $82,020; San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $75,010; Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC $74,060; Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA $67,440; San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $66,520; Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $66,200. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  14. BLS OEWS, May 2025, metro areas with the most Social Science Research Assistants jobs: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ 2,610 (median $65,330); Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 2,290 (median $59,240); Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 2,170 (median $65,330); Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 990 (median $67,440); San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 710 (median $82,020); San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 670 (median $66,520). BLS OEWS, May 2025
  15. O*NET 19-4061.00 survey of workers (23 respondents), education level they say is required: Bachelor's Degree 53%, Master's Degree 37%, Some College Courses 9% (levels under 5% not listed). O*NET OnLine
  16. O*NET description of Social Science Research Assistants. O*NET OnLine
  17. O*NET task list for Social Science Research Assistants. O*NET OnLine
  18. O*NET 19-4061.00 sample job titles reported by workers: Clinical Research Assistant, Graduate Assistant, Graduate Research Assistant, Research Aide, Research Assistant, Research Associate, Research Technician, Social Research Assistant. O*NET OnLine
  19. BLS Employment Projections: employment in all occupations is projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035. BLS Employment Projections
  20. BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35 annual average for Social Science Research Assistants: 2.3% of workers leave the labor force each year and 9.5% move to a different occupation. BLS Employment Projections
  21. BLS Employment Projections: 7.7% of Social Science Research Assistants were self-employed in 2025. BLS Employment Projections
  22. Related occupations (O*NET) with BLS pay, growth and entry education. O*NET OnLine

Notes are for reading the data only. They are not facts and cannot be cited: use the wage_scope and percentile_meaning facts instead. OEWS employment (jobs in May 2025) and Employment Projections employment (2025, includes self-employed) are different measures and can differ. O*NET education shares come from a small survey of workers in the occupation, not from all workers.

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerFacts has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.