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The market research salary and compensation survey was conducted online from June 5 to June 23, 2017 among Quirk’s subscribers. In total we received 2,637 responses. We received 858 usable surveys from client-side researchers (corporate market research) and 1,422 usable surveys from provider-side researchers (market research company employees). An interval (margin of error) of 1.9 at the 95 percent confidence level was achieved. (Not all respondents answered all questions.)
For a complete survey results follow the link below:
Market research salaries by job title
Group head/manager salary by:
| Region in which located | |||||||||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | ||||||||
| North East (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) | 6 | $122,167 | $8,500 | $16,167 | $0 | $146,833 | |||||||
| Mid Atlantic (NJ, NY, PA) | 6 | $103,667 | $27,500 | $2,000 | $500 | $133,667 | |||||||
| East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) | 5 | $103,600 | $3,200 | $0 | $0 | $106,800 | |||||||
| West N. Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) | 2 | $92,000 | $9,000 | $0 | $0 | $101,000 | |||||||
| S. Atlantic (DC, DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) | 4 | $113,250 | $3,000 | $2,750 | $1,750 | $120,750 | |||||||
| East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) | 1 | $80,000 | $4,000 | $0 | $0 | $84,000 | |||||||
| West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) | 3 | $80,667 | $3,000 | $0 | $3,333 | $87,000 | |||||||
| Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY) | |||||||||||||
| Pacific Coast (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) | 5 | $124,600 | $45,600 | $4,000 | $1,000 | $175,200 | |||||||
| Canada | 1 | $59,000 | $3,000 | $0 | $0 | $62,000 | |||||||
| Mexico | |||||||||||||
| Central and South America | 1 | $28,000 | $2,000 | $0 | $0 | $30,000 | |||||||
| Eastern Europe | 3 | $16,000 | $3,333 | $0 | $0 | $19,333 | |||||||
| Western Europe | 5 | $65,800 | $10,400 | $1,400 | $3,200 | $80,800 | |||||||
| Asia | 5 | $63,800 | $6,200 | $0 | $8,000 | $78,000 | |||||||
| Middle East | |||||||||||||
| Africa | |||||||||||||
| Australia/New Zealand | 2 | $105,500 | $0 | $0 | $500 | $106,000 | |||||||
| Mean | 49 | $90,796 | $12,265 | $3,000 | $1,673 | $107,735 | |||||||
| Annual revenue/sales of organization | |||||||||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | ||||||||
| < $1 Million US dollars | 4 | $57,000 | $3,250 | $0 | $2,500 | $62,750 | |||||||
| $1M - $3M | 4 | $57,250 | $5,000 | $0 | $500 | $62,750 | |||||||
| $3M - $6M | 6 | $76,500 | $10,667 | $2,000 | $0 | $89,167 | |||||||
| $6M - $10M | 2 | $87,000 | $0 | $48,000 | $3,500 | $138,500 | |||||||
| $10M - $50M | 21 | $101,190 | $12,190 | $48 | $2,143 | $115,571 | |||||||
| $50M - $100M | 2 | $118,000 | $1,000 | $0 | $0 | $119,000 | |||||||
| $100M - $300M | 4 | $101,750 | $48,000 | $1,750 | $250 | $151,750 | |||||||
| $300M - $500M | |||||||||||||
| $500M - $1 Billion | 3 | $112,333 | $15,667 | $10,333 | $4,000 | $142,333 | |||||||
| >$1 Billion US dollars | 3 | $84,667 | $2,333 | $0 | $1,667 | $88,667 | |||||||
| Mean | 49 | $90,796 | $12,265 | $3,000 | $1,673 | $107,735 | |||||||
| Number of full-time equivalent market researchers on staff | |||||||||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | ||||||||
| 0 | |||||||||||||
| 1 - 2 | 1 | $82,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $82,000 | |||||||
| 3 - 5 | 7 | $70,143 | $10,286 | $0 | $1,429 | $81,857 | |||||||
| 6 - 10 | 2 | $58,000 | $9,500 | $0 | $0 | $67,500 | |||||||
| 11 - 15 | 2 | $78,500 | $0 | $6,000 | $1,000 | $85,500 | |||||||
| 16 - 25 | 4 | $79,250 | $3,750 | $0 | $0 | $83,000 | |||||||
| >25 | 33 | $99,576 | $15,000 | $4,091 | $2,121 | $120,788 | |||||||
| Mean | 49 | $90,796 | $12,265 | $3,000 | $1,673 | $107,735 | |||||||
| Number of years of experience in marketing research | |||||||||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | ||||||||
| < 1 year | |||||||||||||
| 1 - 2 | |||||||||||||
| 3 - 5 | 4 | $49,000 | $12,000 | $0 | $0 | $61,000 | |||||||
| 6 - 10 | 11 | $100,091 | $8,818 | $0 | $4,636 | $113,545 | |||||||
| 11 - 15 | 12 | $82,333 | $5,333 | $2,667 | $583 | $90,917 | |||||||
| 16 - 25 | 16 | $99,625 | $23,313 | $7,188 | $1,500 | $131,625 | |||||||
| >25 | 6 | $95,000 | $3,167 | $0 | $0 | $98,167 | |||||||
| Mean | 49 | $90,796 | $12,265 | $3,000 | $1,673 | $107,735 | |||||||
| Years at current job | |||||||||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | ||||||||
| < 1 year | 8 | $81,625 | $9,250 | $1,375 | $2,750 | $95,000 | |||||||
| 1 - 2 | 10 | $69,100 | $3,500 | $0 | $3,700 | $76,300 | |||||||
| 3 - 5 | 19 | $103,158 | $6,789 | $2,105 | $737 | $112,789 | |||||||
| 6 - 10 | 6 | $99,333 | $3,167 | $16,000 | $167 | $118,667 | |||||||
| 11 - 15 | 3 | $107,000 | $109,333 | $0 | $667 | $217,000 | |||||||
| 16 - 25 | 1 | $59,000 | $3,000 | $0 | $0 | $62,000 | |||||||
| >25 | 1 | $80,000 | $6,000 | $0 | $0 | $86,000 | |||||||
| Mean | 48 | $90,833 | $12,375 | $3,063 | $1,583 | $107,854 | |||||||
| Number of employees supervised | |||||||||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | ||||||||
| 0 (None) | 1 | $120,000 | $0 | $0 | $5,000 | $125,000 | |||||||
| 1 - 2 | 12 | $74,000 | $6,333 | $0 | $3,000 | $83,333 | |||||||
| 3 - 5 | 17 | $90,941 | $14,765 | $765 | $1,235 | $107,706 | |||||||
| 6 - 10 | 10 | $86,500 | $3,500 | $9,600 | $600 | $100,200 | |||||||
| > 10 | 9 | $114,444 | $26,556 | $4,222 | $1,556 | $146,778 | |||||||
| Mean | 49 | $90,796 | $12,265 | $3,000 | $1,673 | $107,735 | |||||||
| Highest degree achieved | |||||||||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | ||||||||
| High-school graduate | 3 | $60,000 | $1,667 | $0 | $0 | $61,667 | |||||||
| College graduate | 21 | $96,286 | $14,286 | $5,190 | $619 | $116,381 | |||||||
| Masters program graduate | 23 | $93,261 | $12,435 | $1,652 | $3,000 | $110,348 | |||||||
| Ph.D. graduate | 2 | $51,000 | $5,000 | $0 | $0 | $56,000 | |||||||
| Mean | 49 | $90,796 | $12,265 | $3,000 | $1,673 | $107,735 | |||||||
| Gender | |||||||||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | ||||||||
| Male | 28 | $90,786 | $12,786 | $1,071 | $964 | $105,607 | |||||||
| Female | 21 | $90,810 | $11,571 | $5,571 | $2,619 | $110,571 | |||||||
| Mean | 49 | $90,796 | $12,265 | $3,000 | $1,673 | $107,735 | |||||||
| Age | |||||||||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | ||||||||
| < 25 | |||||||||||||
| 25 - 30 | 3 | $48,667 | $2,667 | $0 | $3,333 | $54,667 | |||||||
| 31 - 35 | 12 | $87,750 | $8,000 | $1,000 | $83 | $96,833 | |||||||
| 36 - 45 | 20 | $87,350 | $14,600 | $1,950 | $3,500 | $107,400 | |||||||
| 46 - 55 | 12 | $108,083 | $16,667 | $8,000 | $83 | $132,833 | |||||||
| 56 - 65 | 1 | $106,000 | $2,000 | $0 | $0 | $108,000 | |||||||
| 66+ | 1 | $100,000 | $3,000 | $0 | $0 | $103,000 | |||||||
| Mean | 49 | $90,796 | $12,265 | $3,000 | $1,673 | $107,735 | |||||||
*Bonus was defined as bonus or commission for 2016 in US dollars.
*Dividends were defined as compensation in the form of dividends, stock options or profit sharing in US dollars for 2016.
*Other was defined as annual value of other compensation (company car, health club membership, mobile phone etc.) in US dollars.