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
Sales salary by:
| Industry | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| Advertising/Public Relations | ||||||
| Agriculture | ||||||
| Automotive | ||||||
| Banking/Financial | 1 | $36,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $36,000 |
| Building Materials/Products | ||||||
| Computer Hardware/Software | 1 | $22,000 | $3,000 | $2,000 | $1,000 | $28,000 |
| Construction/Housing | ||||||
| Consulting | ||||||
| Consumer Goods | ||||||
| Education | ||||||
| Entertainment | ||||||
| Food/Beverage | ||||||
| Government | 1 | $33,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $33,000 |
| Health Care/Pharmaceuticals | 1 | $125,000 | $205,000 | $0 | $7,000 | $337,000 |
| Hospitality (hotels, etc.) | ||||||
| Insurance | ||||||
| Manufacturing | ||||||
| Media/Publishing/Information | 1 | $18,000 | $4,000 | $0 | $0 | $22,000 |
| Non-Profits | ||||||
| Retail | ||||||
| Technology/IT/Web | 1 | $90,000 | $63,000 | $0 | $0 | $153,000 |
| Telecommunications | ||||||
| Transportation | ||||||
| Travel | ||||||
| Utilities/Energy | ||||||
| Other | 1 | $60,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $60,000 |
| Mean | 7 | $54,857 | $39,286 | $286 | $1,143 | $95,571 |
| Region in which located | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| North East (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) | ||||||
| Mid Atlantic (NJ, NY, PA) | 2 | $92,500 | $102,500 | $0 | $3,500 | $198,500 |
| East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) | 2 | $29,000 | $1,500 | $1,000 | $500 | $32,000 |
| West N. Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) | 1 | $33,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $33,000 |
| S. Atlantic (DC, DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) | 1 | $90,000 | $63,000 | $0 | $0 | $153,000 |
| East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) | ||||||
| West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) | ||||||
| Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY) | ||||||
| Pacific Coast (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) | ||||||
| Canada | ||||||
| Mexico | ||||||
| Central and South America | ||||||
| Eastern Europe | ||||||
| Western Europe | 1 | $18,000 | $4,000 | $0 | $0 | $22,000 |
| Asia | ||||||
| Middle East | ||||||
| Africa | ||||||
| Australia/New Zealand | ||||||
| Mean | 7 | $54,857 | $39,286 | $286 | $1,143 | $95,571 |
| Annual revenue/sales of organization | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < $1 Million US dollars | 1 | $22,000 | $3,000 | $2,000 | $1,000 | $28,000 |
| $1M - $3M | 1 | $18,000 | $4,000 | $0 | $0 | $22,000 |
| $3M - $6M | ||||||
| $6M - $10M | ||||||
| $10M - $50M | 1 | $60,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $60,000 |
| $50M - $100M | 1 | $90,000 | $63,000 | $0 | $0 | $153,000 |
| $100M - $300M | ||||||
| $300M - $500M | ||||||
| $500M - $1 Billion | 1 | $125,000 | $205,000 | $0 | $7,000 | $337,000 |
| >$1 Billion US dollars | 1 | $36,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $36,000 |
| Mean | 6 | $58,500 | $45,833 | $333 | $1,333 | $106,000 |
| Number of full-time equivalent market researchers on staff | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| 0 | 1 | $90,000 | $63,000 | $0 | $0 | $153,000 |
| 1 - 2 | 1 | $22,000 | $3,000 | $2,000 | $1,000 | $28,000 |
| 3 - 5 | ||||||
| 6 - 10 | 1 | $36,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $36,000 |
| 11 - 15 | ||||||
| 16 - 25 | 1 | $125,000 | $205,000 | $0 | $7,000 | $337,000 |
| >25 | 2 | $39,000 | $2,000 | $0 | $0 | $41,000 |
| Mean | 6 | $58,500 | $45,833 | $333 | $1,333 | $106,000 |
| Number of years of experience in marketing research | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < 1 year | 1 | $60,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $60,000 |
| 1 - 2 | 1 | $18,000 | $4,000 | $0 | $0 | $22,000 |
| 3 - 5 | 2 | $29,000 | $1,500 | $1,000 | $500 | $32,000 |
| 6 - 10 | ||||||
| 11 - 15 | ||||||
| 16 - 25 | 2 | $107,500 | $134,000 | $0 | $3,500 | $245,000 |
| >25 | ||||||
| Mean | 6 | $58,500 | $45,833 | $333 | $1,333 | $106,000 |
| Years at current job | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < 1 year | 2 | $48,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $48,000 |
| 1 - 2 | 1 | $18,000 | $4,000 | $0 | $0 | $22,000 |
| 3 - 5 | 2 | $73,500 | $104,000 | $1,000 | $4,000 | $182,500 |
| 6 - 10 | 1 | $90,000 | $63,000 | $0 | $0 | $153,000 |
| 11 - 15 | ||||||
| 16 - 25 | ||||||
| >25 | ||||||
| Mean | 6 | $58,500 | $45,833 | $333 | $1,333 | $106,000 |
| Number of employees supervised | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| 0 (None) | 2 | $107,500 | $134,000 | $0 | $3,500 | $245,000 |
| 1 - 2 | 3 | $38,000 | $1,333 | $0 | $0 | $39,333 |
| 3 - 5 | ||||||
| 6 - 10 | 1 | $22,000 | $3,000 | $2,000 | $1,000 | $28,000 |
| > 10 | ||||||
| Mean | 6 | $58,500 | $45,833 | $333 | $1,333 | $106,000 |
| Highest degree achieved | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| High-school graduate | ||||||
| College graduate | 5 | $66,600 | $54,200 | $400 | $1,600 | $122,800 |
| Masters program graduate | 1 | $18,000 | $4,000 | $0 | $0 | $22,000 |
| Ph.D. graduate | ||||||
| Mean | 6 | $58,500 | $45,833 | $333 | $1,333 | $106,000 |
| Gender | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| Male | 2 | $41,000 | $1,500 | $1,000 | $500 | $44,000 |
| Female | 4 | $67,250 | $68,000 | $0 | $1,750 | $137,000 |
| Mean | 6 | $58,500 | $45,833 | $333 | $1,333 | $106,000 |
| Age | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < 25 | 1 | $60,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $60,000 |
| 25 - 30 | 1 | $18,000 | $4,000 | $0 | $0 | $22,000 |
| 31 - 35 | ||||||
| 36 - 45 | ||||||
| 46 - 55 | 3 | $83,667 | $89,333 | $0 | $2,333 | $175,333 |
| 56 - 65 | ||||||
| 66+ | 1 | $22,000 | $3,000 | $2,000 | $1,000 | $28,000 |
| Mean | 6 | $58,500 | $45,833 | $333 | $1,333 | $106,000 |
*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.