Side-by-side distribution
Biologist
$124,800
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 55.3%
- Live roles
- 76
Clinical Research
$68,853
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 37.5%
- Live roles
- 1,108
Highest-paying jobs
Senior / Principal Computational Biologist, AI Safety
Staff Computational Biologist
Staff Computational Biologist
Senior / Principal Computational Biologist
Senior / Principal Computational Biologist
Senior Terrestrial Biologist, Project
Fisheries Biologist, Project
Senior Computational Biologist – Early Discovery Immunology
Senior Computational Biologist - Early Discovery Oncology
Computational Biologist, Immune Cell Repolarization
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
Associate Principal Scientist, Clinical Research
Clinical Research Associate Manager (Remote)
Senior Clinical Research Associate - Cardiovascular (Bilingual-English/Spanish) (Remote)
Clinical Research Associate, Sponsor Dedicated
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
ERM
|
$85,863 | 9 |
| FR Freenome | $229,325 | 3 |
|
Recursion
|
$176,200 | 2 |
| PA Parsons | $155,750 | 2 |
JUST ONE | Recruitment & Executive Search agency
|
$136,650 | 2 |
Axle
|
$116,250 | 2 |
| GU Guidehouse | $87,000 | 2 |
State of Oregon
|
$7,076 | 2 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
University of Pennsylvania
|
$50,366 | 48 |
Washington University in St. Louis
|
$68,250 | 45 |
|
IQVIA
|
$126,950 | 41 |
| WC Worldwide Clinical Trials | $145,000 | 37 |
| MG Mass General Brigham | $52,010 | 31 |
ICON plc
|
$124,335 | 29 |
| FO Fortrea | $110,000 | 15 |
University of Chicago
|
$67,500 | 11 |
Biologist salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $174,100 | 4 |
Clinical Research salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $132,650 | 6 |
| New York | $124,335 | 8 |
| Los Angeles | $124,335 | 4 |
| Denver | $113,544 | 6 |
| Seattle | $102,753 | 3 |
| Chicago | $67,500 | 19 |
| Boston | $52,010 | 31 |
| Austin | $48,000 | 5 |
Biologist vs Clinical Research: which pays more?
The median for Biologist is $124,800 per year (typically $88,557–$151,975), versus $68,853 for Clinical Research ($59,701–$110,000). That puts Biologist about 81% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Biologist 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.