Side-by-side distribution
Biotech Research
$94,975
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 35.8%
- Live roles
- 1,684
Clinical Trial
$155,900
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 20%
- Live roles
- 275
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Clinical Research Associate - Oncology (US)
Principal Scientist / Associate Director, Agentic AI Research for Materials Science
Associate Principal, Patient-Centered Research
Postdoctoral Research Associate - Uncertainty Modeling
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Associate Vice President, Market & Client Research (Hospital and Healthcare) - REMOTE
Associate Director, Health Economics & Outcomes Research, Solid Tumors
Associate Medical Director, Clinical Research
Associate Medical Director, Clinical Research
Fundamental Research Group Associate (Biotech)
Highest-paying jobs
Associate Clinical Trials Director
Senior Clinical Trial Manager (Oncology, Sponsor Dedicated)
(Senior) Clinical Trial Manager (II), IQVIA Biotech
Clinical Trial Manager (Sponsor Dedicated)
Senior Clinical Trial Manager - Cardiovascular, CAR-T (US)
Senior Clinical Trial Manager - Metabolic - U.S.
Senior Clinical Trial Manager - Oncology
Manager or Sr. Manager, Clinical Trial Feasibility Lead
Senior Clinical Trial Manager
Senior Clinical Trial Manager (Contract)
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
IQVIA
|
$130,450 | 38 |
The University of Texas at Austin
|
$50,864 | 36 |
| WC Worldwide Clinical Trials | $145,000 | 35 |
| NU Northeastern University | $72,754 | 31 |
ICON plc
|
$124,335 | 24 |
USC
|
$71,045 | 18 |
| SJ St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | $72,500 | 15 |
| BN Brookhaven National Laboratory | $82,400 | 13 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
IQVIA
|
$155,050 | 7 |
| WC Worldwide Clinical Trials | $167,000 | 3 |
Novartis
|
$88,711 | 3 |
|
Centessa Pharmaceuticals, LLC
|
$197,600 | 2 |
Corcept Therapeutics
|
$178,025 | 2 |
Nurix
|
$175,407 | 2 |
|
Kymera Therapeutics
|
$172,500 | 2 |
Adicet Bio
|
$156,000 | 2 |
Biotech Research salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $142,500 | 76 |
| Atlanta | $132,650 | 3 |
| San Francisco | $124,600 | 25 |
| Seattle | $113,544 | 6 |
| Denver | $113,544 | 8 |
| London | $113,500 | 3 |
| Chicago | $102,753 | 13 |
| Los Angeles | $74,000 | 29 |
| Boston | $72,754 | 50 |
| Toronto | $58,524 | 4 |
Clinical Trial salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Boston | $150,600 | 5 |
Biotech Research vs Clinical Trial: which pays more?
The median for Biotech Research is $94,975 per year (typically $70,107–$131,688), versus $155,900 for Clinical Trial ($131,250–$167,000). That puts Clinical Trial about 64% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Biotech Research and Clinical Trial 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.