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
Senior research associate salary by:
| Region in which located | |||||||||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | ||||||||
| North East (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) | 1 | $72,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $72,000 | |||||||
| Mid Atlantic (NJ, NY, PA) | 1 | $80,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $80,000 | |||||||
| East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) | 2 | $101,500 | $0 | $12,000 | $1,000 | $114,500 | |||||||
| West N. Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) | 3 | $83,667 | $2,333 | $0 | $0 | $86,000 | |||||||
| S. Atlantic (DC, DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) | 1 | $54,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $54,000 | |||||||
| East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) | |||||||||||||
| West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) | |||||||||||||
| Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY) | 1 | $74,000 | $2,000 | $0 | $2,000 | $78,000 | |||||||
| Pacific Coast (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) | 3 | $73,000 | $2,000 | $667 | $0 | $75,667 | |||||||
| Canada | 2 | $57,000 | $0 | $0 | $1,000 | $58,000 | |||||||
| Mexico | |||||||||||||
| Central and South America | |||||||||||||
| Eastern Europe | 2 | $4,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $4,000 | |||||||
| Western Europe | 1 | $41,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $41,000 | |||||||
| Asia | 2 | $24,000 | $1,000 | $0 | $0 | $25,000 | |||||||
| Middle East | |||||||||||||
| Africa | |||||||||||||
| Australia/New Zealand | 1 | $75,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $75,000 | |||||||
| Mean | 20 | $61,950 | $850 | $1,300 | $300 | $64,400 | |||||||
| Annual revenue/sales of organization | |||||||||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | ||||||||
| < $1 Million US dollars | 4 | $32,500 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $32,500 | |||||||
| $1M - $3M | 4 | $65,250 | $2,000 | $0 | $0 | $67,250 | |||||||
| $3M - $6M | 4 | $74,250 | $0 | $5,000 | $500 | $79,750 | |||||||
| $6M - $10M | 2 | $39,500 | $1,000 | $0 | $1,000 | $41,500 | |||||||
| $10M - $50M | 3 | $84,333 | $667 | $1,333 | $0 | $86,333 | |||||||
| $50M - $100M | 1 | $74,000 | $2,000 | $0 | $2,000 | $78,000 | |||||||
| $100M - $300M | 1 | $81,000 | $3,000 | $0 | $0 | $84,000 | |||||||
| $300M - $500M | |||||||||||||
| $500M - $1 Billion | |||||||||||||
| >$1 Billion US dollars | 1 | $64,000 | $0 | $2,000 | $0 | $66,000 | |||||||
| Mean | 20 | $61,950 | $850 | $1,300 | $300 | $64,400 | |||||||
| Number of full-time equivalent market researchers on staff | |||||||||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | ||||||||
| 0 | |||||||||||||
| 1 - 2 | |||||||||||||
| 3 - 5 | 5 | $46,600 | $0 | $800 | $0 | $47,400 | |||||||
| 6 - 10 | 2 | $58,000 | $2,000 | $0 | $1,000 | $61,000 | |||||||
| 11 - 15 | 2 | $97,500 | $2,000 | $0 | $0 | $99,500 | |||||||
| 16 - 25 | 3 | $60,667 | $0 | $6,667 | $667 | $68,000 | |||||||
| >25 | 8 | $64,125 | $1,125 | $250 | $250 | $65,750 | |||||||
| Mean | 20 | $61,950 | $850 | $1,300 | $300 | $64,400 | |||||||
| Number of years of experience in marketing research | |||||||||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | ||||||||
| < 1 year | 2 | $55,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $55,000 | |||||||
| 1 - 2 | |||||||||||||
| 3 - 5 | 6 | $71,500 | $667 | $3,667 | $333 | $76,167 | |||||||
| 6 - 10 | 5 | $50,200 | $1,600 | $0 | $0 | $51,800 | |||||||
| 11 - 15 | 3 | $59,667 | $667 | $1,333 | $667 | $62,333 | |||||||
| 16 - 25 | 3 | $63,000 | $0 | $0 | $667 | $63,667 | |||||||
| >25 | 1 | $81,000 | $3,000 | $0 | $0 | $84,000 | |||||||
| Mean | 20 | $61,950 | $850 | $1,300 | $300 | $64,400 | |||||||
| Years at current job | |||||||||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | ||||||||
| < 1 year | 3 | $75,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $75,000 | |||||||
| 1 - 2 | 4 | $78,250 | $500 | $5,500 | $1,000 | $85,250 | |||||||
| 3 - 5 | 9 | $47,333 | $889 | $444 | $0 | $48,667 | |||||||
| 6 - 10 | 4 | $68,750 | $1,750 | $0 | $500 | $71,000 | |||||||
| 11 - 15 | |||||||||||||
| 16 - 25 | |||||||||||||
| >25 | |||||||||||||
| Mean | 20 | $61,950 | $850 | $1,300 | $300 | $64,400 | |||||||
| Number of employees supervised | |||||||||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | ||||||||
| 0 (None) | 13 | $73,615 | $1,000 | $2,000 | $308 | $76,923 | |||||||
| 1 - 2 | 5 | $41,000 | $800 | $0 | $400 | $42,200 | |||||||
| 3 - 5 | 2 | $38,500 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $38,500 | |||||||
| 6 - 10 | |||||||||||||
| > 10 | |||||||||||||
| Mean | 20 | $61,950 | $850 | $1,300 | $300 | $64,400 | |||||||
| Highest degree achieved | |||||||||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | ||||||||
| High-school graduate | 2 | $38,500 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $38,500 | |||||||
| College graduate | 10 | $63,800 | $1,500 | $200 | $400 | $65,900 | |||||||
| Masters program graduate | 6 | $81,333 | $333 | $4,000 | $333 | $86,000 | |||||||
| Ph.D. graduate | 2 | $18,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $18,000 | |||||||
| Mean | 20 | $61,950 | $850 | $1,300 | $300 | $64,400 | |||||||
| Gender | |||||||||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | ||||||||
| Male | 10 | $50,800 | $1,000 | $2,000 | $400 | $54,200 | |||||||
| Female | 10 | $73,100 | $700 | $600 | $200 | $74,600 | |||||||
| Mean | 20 | $61,950 | $850 | $1,300 | $300 | $64,400 | |||||||
| Age | |||||||||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | ||||||||
| < 25 | |||||||||||||
| 25 - 30 | 5 | $58,800 | $1,600 | $400 | $0 | $60,800 | |||||||
| 31 - 35 | 8 | $67,500 | $750 | $2,500 | $500 | $71,250 | |||||||
| 36 - 45 | 5 | $58,800 | $0 | $800 | $400 | $60,000 | |||||||
| 46 - 55 | 1 | $30,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $30,000 | |||||||
| 56 - 65 | 1 | $81,000 | $3,000 | $0 | $0 | $84,000 | |||||||
| 66+ | |||||||||||||
| Mean | 20 | $61,950 | $850 | $1,300 | $300 | $64,400 | |||||||
*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.