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
Senior research associate salary by:
| Region in which located | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| North East (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) | 2 | $79,000 | $0 | $0 | $3,500 | $82,500 |
| Mid Atlantic (NJ, NY, PA) | 1 | $55,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $55,000 |
| East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) | 4 | $56,000 | $2,250 | $1,250 | $0 | $59,500 |
| West N. Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) | 2 | $71,000 | $4,000 | $0 | $0 | $75,000 |
| S. Atlantic (DC, DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) | ||||||
| East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) | 1 | $74,000 | $3,000 | $0 | $0 | $77,000 |
| West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) | ||||||
| Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY) | ||||||
| Pacific Coast (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) | 3 | $69,333 | $1,667 | $333 | $0 | $71,333 |
| Canada | 2 | $50,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $50,000 |
| Mexico | ||||||
| Central and South America | ||||||
| Eastern Europe | 1 | $12,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $12,000 |
| Western Europe | 3 | $52,667 | $1,000 | $0 | $0 | $53,667 |
| Asia | 4 | $36,500 | $1,000 | $0 | $0 | $37,500 |
| Middle East | ||||||
| Africa | 1 | $40,000 | $0 | $0 | $1,000 | $41,000 |
| Australia/New Zealand | ||||||
| Mean | 24 | $54,875 | $1,333 | $250 | $333 | $56,792 |
| Annual revenue/sales of organization | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < $1 Million US dollars | ||||||
| $1M - $3M | 3 | $36,667 | $1,667 | $0 | $0 | $38,333 |
| $3M - $6M | 3 | $66,000 | $1,333 | $333 | $0 | $67,667 |
| $6M - $10M | 2 | $47,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $47,000 |
| $10M - $50M | 5 | $46,600 | $2,200 | $0 | $0 | $48,800 |
| $50M - $100M | 2 | $71,500 | $0 | $0 | $3,500 | $75,000 |
| $100M - $300M | 1 | $84,000 | $4,000 | $0 | $0 | $88,000 |
| $300M - $500M | 1 | $40,000 | $0 | $0 | $1,000 | $41,000 |
| $500M - $1 Billion | ||||||
| >$1 Billion US dollars | 3 | $67,333 | $1,667 | $0 | $0 | $69,000 |
| Mean | 20 | $55,200 | $1,450 | $50 | $400 | $57,100 |
| Number of full-time equivalent market researchers on staff | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| 0 | ||||||
| 1 - 2 | ||||||
| 3 - 5 | ||||||
| 6 - 10 | 3 | $62,333 | $2,333 | $0 | $0 | $64,667 |
| 11 - 15 | 3 | $48,667 | $1,000 | $2,000 | $333 | $52,000 |
| 16 - 25 | 1 | $50,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $50,000 |
| >25 | 17 | $54,941 | $1,294 | $0 | $412 | $56,647 |
| Mean | 24 | $54,875 | $1,333 | $250 | $333 | $56,792 |
| Number of years of experience in marketing research | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < 1 year | ||||||
| 1 - 2 | 3 | $54,333 | $1,667 | $0 | $0 | $56,000 |
| 3 - 5 | 6 | $48,333 | $667 | $167 | $0 | $49,167 |
| 6 - 10 | 11 | $54,818 | $1,727 | $0 | $0 | $56,545 |
| 11 - 15 | 2 | $37,000 | $0 | $2,500 | $500 | $40,000 |
| 16 - 25 | ||||||
| >25 | 2 | $93,500 | $2,000 | $0 | $3,500 | $99,000 |
| Mean | 24 | $54,875 | $1,333 | $250 | $333 | $56,792 |
| Years at current job | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < 1 year | 3 | $34,000 | $333 | $0 | $0 | $34,333 |
| 1 - 2 | 11 | $54,636 | $1,818 | $91 | $0 | $56,545 |
| 3 - 5 | 8 | $63,125 | $1,125 | $0 | $1,000 | $65,250 |
| 6 - 10 | 2 | $54,500 | $1,000 | $2,500 | $0 | $58,000 |
| 11 - 15 | ||||||
| 16 - 25 | ||||||
| >25 | ||||||
| Mean | 24 | $54,875 | $1,333 | $250 | $333 | $56,792 |
| Number of employees supervised | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| 0 (None) | 14 | $58,786 | $1,500 | $0 | $500 | $60,786 |
| 1 - 2 | 7 | $49,714 | $1,143 | $0 | $0 | $50,857 |
| 3 - 5 | 3 | $48,667 | $1,000 | $2,000 | $333 | $52,000 |
| 6 - 10 | ||||||
| > 10 | ||||||
| Mean | 24 | $54,875 | $1,333 | $250 | $333 | $56,792 |
| Highest degree achieved | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| High-school graduate | 1 | $34,000 | $0 | $5,000 | $0 | $39,000 |
| College graduate | 14 | $57,429 | $1,357 | $0 | $571 | $59,357 |
| Masters program graduate | 9 | $53,222 | $1,444 | $111 | $0 | $54,778 |
| Ph.D. graduate | ||||||
| Mean | 24 | $54,875 | $1,333 | $250 | $333 | $56,792 |
| Gender | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| Male | 8 | $47,125 | $1,625 | $625 | $0 | $49,375 |
| Female | 16 | $58,750 | $1,188 | $63 | $500 | $60,500 |
| Mean | 24 | $54,875 | $1,333 | $250 | $333 | $56,792 |
| Age | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < 25 | 1 | $55,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $55,000 |
| 25 - 30 | 13 | $53,308 | $1,615 | $77 | $0 | $55,000 |
| 31 - 35 | 5 | $51,600 | $1,400 | $0 | $0 | $53,000 |
| 36 - 45 | 3 | $41,333 | $0 | $1,667 | $333 | $43,333 |
| 46 - 55 | ||||||
| 56 - 65 | 2 | $93,500 | $2,000 | $0 | $3,500 | $99,000 |
| 66+ | ||||||
| Mean | 24 | $54,875 | $1,333 | $250 | $333 | $56,792 |
*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.