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R & D Employees Earn from $15,000 to $250,000+Compensation in Research & Development, 19th Edition - 2005PUBLISHED: April 2005 Summary of the 828-page Compensation in Research & Development, 19th Edition - 2005 survey report of 67 benchmark jobs from Abbott, Langer & Associates, Inc. The following describes the highest and lowest paid job characteristics, the national median total cash compensation for 14 benchmark jobs, and the factors affecting salary (Geographic Area, Type of Employer, Supervisory/Managerial Responsibility, Length of Experience, Education, Education vs. Experience, and Discipline):
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our next Research & Development salary survey The composite R&D practitioner with the highest annual income (salary plus cash bonus and/or cash profit sharing) reported in an R&D Director located in or near the San Gabriel (CA) Valley, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Detroit, Syracuse/Utica (NY), Anchorage, or Dayton, or outside the metropolitan areas studied in California. This composite individual is employed by a manufacturer or pharmaceutical products, a for-profit contract research center, a manufacturer of electrical/electronics equipment & supplies, a consulting firm, or a fabricated metal products manufacturer. This individual typically holds a doctorate; works in the field of biochemistry, health sciences, mechanical engineering, metallurgical engineering, chemical engineering, life sciences, or engineering technology; and has had 20 or more years of experience. While the median R&D Director has a total annual income of $103,300, the highest-paid individuals in the group make from $250,000 to well over $1,000,000.
Far toward the other end of the income spectrum, Engineering R&D Technicians "C" (the lowest level of technician) have a median income of $26,000. Earning as little as $15,000 the composite member of the lowest-paid technicians is located in or near Long Beach/South Bay (CA), Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater (FL), Atlanta, the Inland Empire (CA), or Indianapolis, or outside the metropolitan areas studied in Wyoming or Oklahoma; and works for a nonprofit or for-profit contract research center or a pharmaceutical manufacturer. He or she typically has little or no college education or experience. The employees who make up this composite are assisting in research & development in chemistry, biology (excluding genetics), or biochemistry. These composites represent the briefest possible "boil-down" of the voluminous data provided regarding current salaries and cash bonuses and/or profit sharing, and numerous demographic variables provided by 122 organizations regarding the compensation of 1,591 R&D practitioners in 67 benchmark jobs. The end results of the survey appear in Compensation in Research & Development, 19th Edition - 2005, an 828-page statistical analysis of compensation practices in R&D, sponsored by Research & Development Magazine. Copies of this four-volume report are available for $1,100.00 through our On-Line Order Form or from Abbott, Langer & Associates, Inc., Dept. NET, 548 First St., Crete, IL 60417 (708/672-4200). Overall Compensation The median total cash compensation for some of the other 65 benchmark jobs (without reference to the field of work) included in the survey report is:
Naturally, these nation-wide pay rates vary by region, state & metropolitan area, type of services provided and annual fees received by the firm, size of firm, type of work performed/supervised/managed, level of education, length of experience, and supervisory/managerial responsibility involved - all demographic variables for which data are provided in the complete report. Geographic Area By region, most R&D jobs are compensated best in the southern, northeastern, and Pacific states. However, supervisory/ managerial R&D personnel earn most in the midwestern, northeastern, and Rocky Mountain states; non-supervisory researchers do best in the southern, Pacific, and Rocky Mountain states; and R&D technicians do best in the southern, midwestern, and Rocky Mountain states. By state, overall compensation is highest in Illinois, North Carolina, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Michigan. By metropolitan area, the highest median incomes are found in the Chicago, San Jose, Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, Waterbury (CT), Minneapolis/St. Paul, Detroit, and Atlanta areas. Regionally, the lowest median R&D incomes are found in the southwestern, Rocky Mountain, north central, and Midwestern states. However, supervisory/managerial R&D personnel are paid least well in the north central, Pacific, and southern states; non-supervisory researchers in the north central, southwestern, northeastern, and midwestern states; and technicians in the southwestern, northeastern, north central, and Pacific states. Overall, by state, the lowest median income data were received for West Virginia, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Utah, and Maine; by metropolitan area, for Charleston (WV), Indianapolis, Miami, Manchester/Nashua (NH), Portland (OR), Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater (FL), and Salt Lake City/Ogden/Provo. Type of Employer Overall, non-manufacturing organizations (led by the federal government and for-profit contract research centers) provide better compensation than do manufacturing organizations for most R&D jobs. However, manufacturers of electrical & electronic equipment and aerospace/aircraft/electrical/electronic products tend to pay better than most other types of employers, while producers of food/beverage/tobacco and rubber & plastic products tend to be among the lowest-paying. Naturally, this varies by job. For example, R&D Directors are paid best by nonprofit contract research centers ($128,974), pharmaceutical manufacturers ($124,125), and medical & scientific equipment manufacturers ($114,000). They are paid least well by consulting firms ($80,000) and chemical manufacturing firms ($102,000). Supervisory/Managerial Responsibility This is a fair predictor of R&D compensation. Overall, the compensation of R&D practitioners who direct the work of 50 or more professional employees and technicians ($126,000) is 41% higher than those who supervise under five such employees ($89,400). Median income increases fairly regularly with increasing supervisory/managerial responsibility, providing those directing the activities of 10 or more professional employees with incomes ($118,512) 16% higher than that of those who supervise under five such employees ($101,800). Length of Experience As can be expected, length of experience is correlated strongly with the income of R&D practitioners. For example, the overall median income of those with 30 or more years of experience is $85,571, 168% higher than that of those with under one year of experience ($31,916). Naturally, managerial and supervisory employees have higher average lengths of experience. This smoothed out the overall income vs. experience curve. The income curves for individual benchmark jobs show somewhat less regularity, although they all tend to rise with increased length of experience. Education Education is also a good predictor of compensation in the R&D field. For example, the range of median total compensation in the R&D field by level of education is from $44,640 (with no college) to $88,935 (with the doctorate), an increase of 99%. Education vs. Experience A combination of education and experience is a better predictor of compensation than either area alone. While dealt with in detail in the report, space does not allow an analysis of the data herein. Discipline On an overall basis, R&D practitioners earn considerably more in metallurgical engineering, physics (excluding biophysics), and aeronautical/aerospace engineering than in all other fields. Individually, the other highest-paid disciplines (in descending order) are computer science, software engineering, chemical engineering, behavioral science, mechanical engineering, electrical/electronics engineering, and materials engineering. The lowest-paying disciplines studied (in ascending order by median total compensation) are biochemistry, engineering technology, biology (excluding genetics), polymer chemistry, food science, analytical chemistry, biotechnology, business/economics, chemistry, life sciences, and computer engineering.
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