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
Research associate salary by:
| Region in which located | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| North East (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) | ||||||
| Mid Atlantic (NJ, NY, PA) | 4 | $57,500 | $500 | $0 | $0 | $58,000 |
| East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) | 5 | $50,800 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $50,800 |
| West N. Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) | ||||||
| S. Atlantic (DC, DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) | 3 | $52,000 | $1,667 | $0 | $667 | $54,333 |
| East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) | ||||||
| West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) | 2 | $84,000 | $7,000 | $0 | $0 | $91,000 |
| Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY) | ||||||
| Pacific Coast (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) | 1 | $93,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $93,000 |
| Canada | 1 | $40,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $40,000 |
| Mexico | ||||||
| Central and South America | ||||||
| Eastern Europe | ||||||
| Western Europe | 5 | $46,400 | $2,600 | $0 | $0 | $49,000 |
| Asia | 2 | $8,500 | $1,000 | $0 | $500 | $10,000 |
| Middle East | ||||||
| Africa | ||||||
| Australia/New Zealand | 1 | $40,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $40,000 |
| Mean | 24 | $51,250 | $1,500 | $0 | $125 | $52,875 |
| Annual revenue/sales of organization | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < $1 Million US dollars | ||||||
| $1M - $3M | 5 | $48,400 | $2,800 | $0 | $400 | $51,600 |
| $3M - $6M | 2 | $40,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $40,000 |
| $6M - $10M | 2 | $84,000 | $500 | $0 | $0 | $84,500 |
| $10M - $50M | 3 | $54,667 | $1,000 | $0 | $0 | $55,667 |
| $50M - $100M | 2 | $65,000 | $3,000 | $0 | $0 | $68,000 |
| $100M - $300M | 2 | $69,000 | $4,000 | $0 | $0 | $73,000 |
| $300M - $500M | 1 | $47,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $47,000 |
| $500M - $1 Billion | 1 | $45,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $45,000 |
| >$1 Billion US dollars | ||||||
| Mean | 18 | $56,333 | $1,778 | $0 | $111 | $58,222 |
| Number of full-time equivalent market researchers on staff | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| 0 | ||||||
| 1 - 2 | ||||||
| 3 - 5 | 1 | $90,000 | $9,000 | $0 | $0 | $99,000 |
| 6 - 10 | 1 | $35,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $35,000 |
| 11 - 15 | 2 | $48,500 | $2,500 | $0 | $1,000 | $52,000 |
| 16 - 25 | 4 | $68,000 | $250 | $0 | $0 | $68,250 |
| >25 | 12 | $46,917 | $1,417 | $0 | $0 | $48,333 |
| Mean | 20 | $52,850 | $1,600 | $0 | $100 | $54,550 |
| Number of years of experience in marketing research | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < 1 year | 3 | $45,667 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $45,667 |
| 1 - 2 | 7 | $39,286 | $714 | $0 | $286 | $40,286 |
| 3 - 5 | 5 | $49,000 | $2,400 | $0 | $0 | $51,400 |
| 6 - 10 | 1 | $75,000 | $6,000 | $0 | $0 | $81,000 |
| 11 - 15 | 2 | $78,500 | $4,000 | $0 | $0 | $82,500 |
| 16 - 25 | 1 | $93,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $93,000 |
| >25 | 1 | $75,000 | $1,000 | $0 | $0 | $76,000 |
| Mean | 20 | $52,850 | $1,600 | $0 | $100 | $54,550 |
| Years at current job | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < 1 year | 5 | $45,400 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $45,400 |
| 1 - 2 | 7 | $39,857 | $714 | $0 | $286 | $40,857 |
| 3 - 5 | 6 | $72,667 | $4,333 | $0 | $0 | $77,000 |
| 6 - 10 | ||||||
| 11 - 15 | ||||||
| 16 - 25 | 1 | $75,000 | $1,000 | $0 | $0 | $76,000 |
| >25 | ||||||
| Mean | 19 | $53,526 | $1,684 | $0 | $105 | $55,316 |
| Number of employees supervised | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| 0 (None) | 16 | $49,938 | $1,438 | $0 | $125 | $51,500 |
| 1 - 2 | 3 | $72,667 | $3,000 | $0 | $0 | $75,667 |
| 3 - 5 | ||||||
| 6 - 10 | ||||||
| > 10 | ||||||
| Mean | 19 | $53,526 | $1,684 | $0 | $105 | $55,316 |
| Highest degree achieved | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| High-school graduate | 1 | $75,000 | $1,000 | $0 | $0 | $76,000 |
| College graduate | 11 | $53,273 | $1,727 | $0 | $182 | $55,182 |
| Masters program graduate | 6 | $43,833 | $2,000 | $0 | $0 | $45,833 |
| Ph.D. graduate | 1 | $93,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $93,000 |
| Mean | 19 | $53,526 | $1,684 | $0 | $105 | $55,316 |
| Gender | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| Male | 9 | $42,667 | $556 | $0 | $222 | $43,444 |
| Female | 10 | $63,300 | $2,700 | $0 | $0 | $66,000 |
| Mean | 19 | $53,526 | $1,684 | $0 | $105 | $55,316 |
| Age | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < 25 | 5 | $38,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $38,000 |
| 25 - 30 | 6 | $41,667 | $500 | $0 | $0 | $42,167 |
| 31 - 35 | 3 | $74,000 | $6,667 | $0 | $667 | $81,333 |
| 36 - 45 | 3 | $62,333 | $2,667 | $0 | $0 | $65,000 |
| 46 - 55 | 2 | $84,000 | $500 | $0 | $0 | $84,500 |
| 56 - 65 | ||||||
| 66+ | ||||||
| Mean | 19 | $53,526 | $1,684 | $0 | $105 | $55,316 |
*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.