Side-by-side distribution
Bioinformatics
$154,750
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 54.3%
- Live roles
- 70
Clinical Research
$70,916
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 36.9%
- Live roles
- 1,087
Highest-paying jobs
Staff Computational Biologist
Staff Computational Biologist
Lead Scientist / Associate Director, Bioinformatics and Data Science
Senior Bioinformatician
Senior / Principal Computational Biologist
Senior / Principal Computational Biologist
Sr. Scientist, Therapeutics & Translational Bioinformatics
Associate Principal Bioinformatics Scientist
Staff Bioinformatics Scientist
Principal Scientist, Bioinformatics
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Clinical Research Associate - Oncology (US)
Associate Medical Director, Clinical Research
Associate Medical Director, Clinical Research
Clinical AI Researcher
Client Relationship Associate Director, Connected Devices PM (Clinical Research)
Associate Clinical Research Director
Clinical Research Associate Manager (Remote)
RN - Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator - MGH
Senior Clinical Research Associate - Cardiovascular (Bilingual-English/Spanish) (Remote)
Clinical Research Associate - Sponsor Dedicated
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Natera
|
$148,250 | 6 |
|
Abbott
|
$153,000 | 4 |
| SJ St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | $145,080 | 4 |
| FR Freenome | $229,325 | 3 |
Recursion
|
$176,200 | 2 |
University of Chicago
|
$82,500 | 2 |
University of Pennsylvania
|
$79,602 | 2 |
|
Vivodyne
|
$229,700 | 1 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
University of Pennsylvania
|
$50,366 | 47 |
Washington University in St. Louis
|
$68,250 | 44 |
|
IQVIA
|
$128,050 | 39 |
| WC Worldwide Clinical Trials | $145,000 | 35 |
ICON plc
|
$124,335 | 27 |
| MG Mass General Brigham | $52,010 | 25 |
| FO Fortrea | $110,000 | 16 |
|
University of Chicago
|
$62,500 | 10 |
Bioinformatics salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $197,500 | 3 |
| New York | $174,100 | 4 |
Clinical Research salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $124,335 | 8 |
| Los Angeles | $124,335 | 4 |
| San Francisco | $117,702 | 6 |
| Denver | $113,544 | 6 |
| Seattle | $102,753 | 3 |
| Chicago | $66,635 | 18 |
| Austin | $53,454 | 5 |
| Boston | $52,010 | 24 |
Bioinformatics vs Clinical Research: which pays more?
The median for Bioinformatics is $154,750 per year (typically $120,468–$178,050), versus $70,916 for Clinical Research ($60,000–$111,475). That puts Bioinformatics about 118% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Bioinformatics and Clinical Research are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.