The market research salary and compensation survey is based on data gathered from an invite-only online survey sent to pre-qualified marketing research subscribers of Quirk’s and members of ESOMAR.
The survey was fielded from June 6 to June 28, 2018. In total there were 3,483 respondents. We received 966 usable surveys from client-side researchers (corporate market research) and 1,708 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
Consultant salary by:
| Industry | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| Advertising/Public Relations | ||||||
| Agriculture | ||||||
| Automotive | ||||||
| Banking/Financial | ||||||
| Building Materials/Products | ||||||
| Computer Hardware/Software | 1 | $95,000 | $20,000 | $0 | $1,000 | $116,000 |
| Construction/Housing | ||||||
| Consulting | 2 | $62,000 | $1,500 | $0 | $0 | $63,500 |
| Consumer Goods | 1 | $187,000 | $9,000 | $0 | $3,000 | $199,000 |
| Education | ||||||
| Entertainment | ||||||
| Food/Beverage | ||||||
| Government | 1 | $64,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $64,000 |
| Health Care/Pharmaceuticals | 1 | $87,000 | $2,000 | $0 | $0 | $89,000 |
| Hospitality (hotels, etc.) | ||||||
| Insurance | 1 | $107,000 | $11,000 | $0 | $6,000 | $124,000 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | $155,000 | $50,000 | $0 | $0 | $205,000 |
| Media/Publishing/Information | ||||||
| Non-Profits | 1 | $120,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $120,000 |
| Retail | ||||||
| Technology/IT/Web | 4 | $120,500 | $18,750 | $0 | $750 | $140,000 |
| Telecommunications | ||||||
| Transportation | ||||||
| Travel | ||||||
| Utilities/Energy | ||||||
| Other | ||||||
| Mean | 13 | $109,308 | $13,077 | $0 | $1,000 | $123,385 |
| Region in which located | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| North East (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) | 1 | $80,000 | $3,000 | $0 | $0 | $83,000 |
| Mid Atlantic (NJ, NY, PA) | ||||||
| East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) | 1 | $155,000 | $50,000 | $0 | $0 | $205,000 |
| West N. Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) | 1 | $87,000 | $2,000 | $0 | $0 | $89,000 |
| S. Atlantic (DC, DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) | 2 | $101,000 | $15,500 | $0 | $3,500 | $120,000 |
| East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) | ||||||
| West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) | 1 | $96,000 | $75,000 | $0 | $0 | $171,000 |
| Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY) | ||||||
| Pacific Coast (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) | 3 | $172,333 | $3,000 | $0 | $1,000 | $176,333 |
| Canada | 1 | $44,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $44,000 |
| Mexico | ||||||
| Central and South America | ||||||
| Eastern Europe | ||||||
| Western Europe | 1 | $56,000 | $0 | $0 | $3,000 | $59,000 |
| Asia | 1 | $120,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $120,000 |
| Middle East | ||||||
| Africa | ||||||
| Australia/New Zealand | 1 | $64,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $64,000 |
| Mean | 13 | $109,308 | $13,077 | $0 | $1,000 | $123,385 |
| Annual revenue/sales of organization | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < $1 Million US dollars | 1 | $44,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $44,000 |
| $1M - $3M | ||||||
| $3M - $6M | 3 | $80,000 | $0 | $0 | $1,000 | $81,000 |
| $6M - $10M | ||||||
| $10M - $50M | 1 | $165,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $165,000 |
| $50M - $100M | ||||||
| $100M - $300M | ||||||
| $300M - $500M | ||||||
| $500M - $1 Billion | 1 | $95,000 | $20,000 | $0 | $1,000 | $116,000 |
| >$1 Billion US dollars | 7 | $125,286 | $21,429 | $0 | $1,286 | $148,000 |
| Mean | 13 | $109,308 | $13,077 | $0 | $1,000 | $123,385 |
| Number of full-time equivalent market researchers on staff | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| 0 | 1 | $165,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $165,000 |
| 1 - 2 | 4 | $95,500 | $7,250 | $0 | $1,750 | $104,500 |
| 3 - 5 | 2 | $92,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $92,000 |
| 6 - 10 | 3 | $114,000 | $21,333 | $0 | $2,000 | $137,333 |
| 11 - 15 | ||||||
| 16 - 25 | ||||||
| >25 | 3 | $116,000 | $25,667 | $0 | $0 | $141,667 |
| Mean | 13 | $109,308 | $13,077 | $0 | $1,000 | $123,385 |
| Number of years of experience in marketing research | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < 1 year | ||||||
| 1 - 2 | 1 | $44,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $44,000 |
| 3 - 5 | 2 | $68,000 | $1,500 | $0 | $1,500 | $71,000 |
| 6 - 10 | 2 | $80,000 | $37,500 | $0 | $0 | $117,500 |
| 11 - 15 | 2 | $121,000 | $26,000 | $0 | $0 | $147,000 |
| 16 - 25 | 4 | $156,000 | $5,000 | $0 | $2,250 | $163,250 |
| >25 | 2 | $107,500 | $10,000 | $0 | $500 | $118,000 |
| Mean | 13 | $109,308 | $13,077 | $0 | $1,000 | $123,385 |
| Years at current job | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < 1 year | 4 | $132,000 | $21,750 | $0 | $750 | $154,500 |
| 1 - 2 | 6 | $87,167 | $2,167 | $0 | $1,500 | $90,833 |
| 3 - 5 | 1 | $95,000 | $20,000 | $0 | $1,000 | $116,000 |
| 6 - 10 | 1 | $155,000 | $50,000 | $0 | $0 | $205,000 |
| 11 - 15 | ||||||
| 16 - 25 | ||||||
| >25 | 1 | $120,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $120,000 |
| Mean | 13 | $109,308 | $13,077 | $0 | $1,000 | $123,385 |
| Number of employees supervised | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| 0 (None) | 10 | $105,800 | $16,100 | $0 | $700 | $122,600 |
| 1 - 2 | 2 | $121,500 | $4,500 | $0 | $3,000 | $129,000 |
| 3 - 5 | 1 | $120,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $120,000 |
| 6 - 10 | ||||||
| > 10 | ||||||
| Mean | 13 | $109,308 | $13,077 | $0 | $1,000 | $123,385 |
| Highest degree achieved | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| High-school graduate | ||||||
| College graduate | 5 | $102,800 | $19,600 | $0 | $1,800 | $124,200 |
| Masters program graduate | 8 | $113,375 | $9,000 | $0 | $500 | $122,875 |
| Ph.D. graduate | ||||||
| Mean | 13 | $109,308 | $13,077 | $0 | $1,000 | $123,385 |
| Gender | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| Male | 5 | $100,000 | $2,200 | $0 | $1,200 | $103,400 |
| Female | 8 | $115,125 | $19,875 | $0 | $875 | $135,875 |
| Mean | 13 | $109,308 | $13,077 | $0 | $1,000 | $123,385 |
| Age | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < 25 | ||||||
| 25 - 30 | 3 | $62,667 | $1,000 | $0 | $0 | $63,667 |
| 31 - 35 | 2 | $91,500 | $38,500 | $0 | $0 | $130,000 |
| 36 - 45 | 1 | $56,000 | $0 | $0 | $3,000 | $59,000 |
| 46 - 55 | 3 | $141,667 | $6,667 | $0 | $333 | $148,667 |
| 56 - 65 | 4 | $142,250 | $17,500 | $0 | $2,250 | $162,000 |
| 66+ | ||||||
| Mean | 13 | $109,308 | $13,077 | $0 | $1,000 | $123,385 |
*Bonus was defined as bonus or commission for 2017 in US dollars.
*Dividends were defined as compensation in the form of dividends, stock options or profit sharing in US dollars for 2017.
*Other was defined as annual value of other compensation (company car, health club membership, mobile phone etc.) in US dollars.