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
Market research analyst salary by:
| Industry | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| Advertising/Public Relations | 4 | $50,250 | $11,000 | $11,000 | $11,000 | $83,250 |
| Agriculture | ||||||
| Automotive | 2 | $100,500 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $100,500 |
| Banking/Financial | 2 | $62,500 | $2,500 | $0 | $0 | $65,000 |
| Building Materials/Products | 1 | $73,000 | $2,000 | $0 | $0 | $75,000 |
| Computer Hardware/Software | ||||||
| Construction/Housing | 1 | $74,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $74,000 |
| Consulting | 2 | $57,500 | $4,500 | $0 | $0 | $62,000 |
| Consumer Goods | 5 | $68,600 | $3,000 | $200 | $0 | $71,800 |
| Education | 4 | $68,750 | $500 | $0 | $0 | $69,250 |
| Entertainment | 4 | $77,500 | $3,250 | $2,250 | $250 | $83,250 |
| Food/Beverage | ||||||
| Government | 4 | $94,250 | $500 | $0 | $0 | $94,750 |
| Health Care/Pharmaceuticals | 1 | $57,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $57,000 |
| Hospitality (hotels, etc.) | 1 | $52,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $52,000 |
| Insurance | 10 | $61,900 | $5,000 | $100 | $1,100 | $68,100 |
| Manufacturing | 4 | $61,000 | $250 | $0 | $0 | $61,250 |
| Media/Publishing/Information | 6 | $64,333 | $833 | $0 | $0 | $65,167 |
| Non-Profits | 4 | $51,000 | $4,750 | $0 | $0 | $55,750 |
| Retail | 1 | $58,000 | $2,000 | $0 | $0 | $60,000 |
| Technology/IT/Web | 2 | $34,000 | $1,000 | $0 | $0 | $35,000 |
| Telecommunications | 1 | $81,000 | $3,000 | $0 | $0 | $84,000 |
| Transportation | 1 | $63,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $63,000 |
| Travel | 1 | $35,000 | $0 | $0 | $2,000 | $37,000 |
| Utilities/Energy | 2 | $69,500 | $10,000 | $0 | $0 | $79,500 |
| Other | 1 | $65,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $65,000 |
| Mean | 64 | $65,078 | $3,031 | $859 | $906 | $69,875 |
| Region in which located | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| North East (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) | 1 | $54,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $54,000 |
| Mid Atlantic (NJ, NY, PA) | 6 | $63,667 | $1,167 | $0 | $0 | $64,833 |
| East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) | 14 | $65,643 | $2,857 | $71 | $0 | $68,571 |
| West N. Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) | 8 | $56,500 | $8,000 | $5,500 | $5,875 | $75,875 |
| S. Atlantic (DC, DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) | 10 | $66,900 | $1,400 | $100 | $800 | $69,200 |
| East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) | ||||||
| West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) | 3 | $70,000 | $3,000 | $0 | $0 | $73,000 |
| Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY) | 3 | $70,333 | $1,667 | $0 | $0 | $72,000 |
| Pacific Coast (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) | 10 | $73,100 | $4,100 | $0 | $0 | $77,200 |
| Canada | 1 | $63,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $63,000 |
| Mexico | ||||||
| Central and South America | ||||||
| Eastern Europe | 1 | $30,000 | $5,000 | $9,000 | $1,000 | $45,000 |
| Western Europe | 3 | $65,667 | $667 | $0 | $667 | $67,000 |
| Asia | 3 | $52,333 | $2,333 | $0 | $0 | $54,667 |
| Middle East | ||||||
| Africa | ||||||
| Australia/New Zealand | 1 | $90,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $90,000 |
| Mean | 64 | $65,078 | $3,031 | $859 | $906 | $69,875 |
| Annual revenue/sales of organization | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < $1 Million US dollars | 1 | $70,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $70,000 |
| $1M - $3M | ||||||
| $3M - $6M | 1 | $70,000 | $4,000 | $0 | $0 | $74,000 |
| $6M - $10M | 2 | $51,000 | $30,500 | $22,000 | $22,000 | $125,500 |
| $10M - $50M | 7 | $56,429 | $286 | $0 | $0 | $56,714 |
| $50M - $100M | 3 | $56,333 | $1,667 | $0 | $0 | $58,000 |
| $100M - $300M | 4 | $54,500 | $2,750 | $0 | $750 | $58,000 |
| $300M - $500M | 8 | $73,750 | $2,625 | $125 | $0 | $76,500 |
| $500M - $1 Billion | 11 | $64,727 | $1,273 | $91 | $909 | $67,000 |
| >$1 Billion US dollars | 18 | $67,778 | $3,444 | $500 | $56 | $71,778 |
| Mean | 55 | $64,473 | $3,273 | $1,000 | $1,055 | $69,800 |
| Number of full-time equivalent market researchers on staff | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| 0 | 1 | $42,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $42,000 |
| 1 - 2 | 23 | $64,435 | $4,000 | $2,000 | $2,391 | $72,826 |
| 3 - 5 | 13 | $70,231 | $2,154 | $0 | $154 | $72,538 |
| 6 - 10 | 13 | $62,154 | $3,077 | $0 | $0 | $65,231 |
| 11 - 15 | 1 | $81,000 | $3,000 | $0 | $0 | $84,000 |
| 16 - 25 | 2 | $70,000 | $4,000 | $0 | $0 | $74,000 |
| >25 | 7 | $60,286 | $3,286 | $1,286 | $143 | $65,000 |
| Mean | 60 | $64,800 | $3,233 | $917 | $967 | $69,917 |
| Number of years of experience in marketing research | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < 1 year | 4 | $51,500 | $1,750 | $0 | $750 | $54,000 |
| 1 - 2 | 9 | $67,778 | $2,000 | $0 | $0 | $69,778 |
| 3 - 5 | 21 | $57,095 | $5,143 | $2,095 | $2,190 | $66,524 |
| 6 - 10 | 7 | $67,429 | $3,000 | $0 | $0 | $70,429 |
| 11 - 15 | 8 | $66,875 | $2,000 | $1,125 | $125 | $70,125 |
| 16 - 25 | 6 | $65,167 | $3,667 | $167 | $1,333 | $70,333 |
| >25 | 4 | $88,750 | $500 | $250 | $0 | $89,500 |
| Mean | 59 | $63,864 | $3,288 | $932 | $983 | $69,068 |
| Years at current job | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < 1 year | 11 | $51,818 | $3,636 | $0 | $273 | $55,727 |
| 1 - 2 | 25 | $63,360 | $2,640 | $360 | $120 | $66,480 |
| 3 - 5 | 17 | $65,706 | $4,824 | $2,706 | $3,059 | $76,294 |
| 6 - 10 | 4 | $73,250 | $1,000 | $0 | $0 | $74,250 |
| 11 - 15 | 1 | $63,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $63,000 |
| 16 - 25 | 1 | $141,000 | $2,000 | $0 | $0 | $143,000 |
| >25 | ||||||
| Mean | 59 | $63,864 | $3,288 | $932 | $983 | $69,068 |
| Number of employees supervised | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| 0 (None) | 56 | $64,446 | $3,464 | $982 | $1,000 | $69,893 |
| 1 - 2 | 3 | $53,000 | $0 | $0 | $667 | $53,667 |
| 3 - 5 | ||||||
| 6 - 10 | ||||||
| > 10 | ||||||
| Mean | 59 | $63,864 | $3,288 | $932 | $983 | $69,068 |
| Highest degree achieved | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| High-school graduate | ||||||
| College graduate | 22 | $54,409 | $4,455 | $2,455 | $2,500 | $63,818 |
| Masters program graduate | 35 | $68,229 | $2,571 | $29 | $86 | $70,914 |
| Ph.D. graduate | 2 | $91,500 | $3,000 | $0 | $0 | $94,500 |
| Mean | 59 | $63,864 | $3,288 | $932 | $983 | $69,068 |
| Gender | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| Male | 20 | $66,850 | $3,750 | $2,200 | $2,300 | $75,100 |
| Female | 39 | $62,333 | $3,051 | $282 | $308 | $65,974 |
| Mean | 59 | $63,864 | $3,288 | $932 | $983 | $69,068 |
| Age | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < 25 | 4 | $54,500 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $54,500 |
| 25 - 30 | 20 | $56,700 | $4,950 | $2,200 | $2,450 | $66,300 |
| 31 - 35 | 11 | $71,091 | $3,182 | $0 | $0 | $74,273 |
| 36 - 45 | 12 | $64,000 | $4,167 | $750 | $83 | $69,000 |
| 46 - 55 | 5 | $59,000 | $600 | $200 | $1,600 | $61,400 |
| 56 - 65 | 7 | $81,571 | $1,000 | $143 | $0 | $82,714 |
| 66+ | ||||||
| Mean | 59 | $63,864 | $3,288 | $932 | $983 | $69,068 |
*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.