The salary of a Clinical Research Associate I in the United States varies depending on several factors, including experience, location, education level, marketing trend and company sizes.
As of April 01, 2025, the average hourly pay of Clinical Research Associate I in the United States is $29. While Salary.com is seeing that Clinical Research Associate I salary in the US can go up to $35 or down to $22, but most earn between $25 and $32. Salary.com shows the average base salary (core compensation), as well as the average total cash compensation for the job of Clinical Research Associate I in the United States.
| Annual Salary |
Monthly Pay |
Weekly Pay |
Hourly Wage |
|
| 75th Percentile | $32 | $3 | $1 | $0 |
| Average | $29 | $2 | $1 | $0 |
| 25th Percentile | $25 | $2 | $0 | $0 |
As of April 01, 2025, Salary.com is seeing that an entry-level Clinical Research Associate I with under 1 year experience makes about $60,693. With less than 2 years of experience, a mid-level Clinical Research Associate I makes around $61,317. After 2-4 years, the Clinical Research Associate I pay rises to about $62,437. Those senior Clinical Research Associate I with 5-8 years of experience earn roughly $63,184, and those Clinical Research Associate I having 8 years or more experience is expected to earn about $63,371 on average.
| Levels | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry Level Clinical Research Associate I | $60,693 |
| Intermediate Level Clinical Research Associate I | $61,317 |
| Senior Level Clinical Research Associate I | $62,437 |
| Specialist Level Clinical Research Associate I | $63,184 |
| Expert Level Clinical Research Associate I | $63,371 |
| Entry Level | 1% |
| Mid Level | 0% |
| Senior Level | 2% |
| Top Level | 3% |
| Experienced | 3% |
Salaries in the United States can vary significantly from state to state due to a multitude of factors, including cost of living, local economic conditions, and industry presence.
For example, as of April 01, 2025, the average yearly salary of Clinical Research Associate I is $67,633 in California and in Massachusetts, the average annual salary goes to $66,731. While in New Jersey, a Clinical Research Associate I earns $66,461 per year.
What Am I Worth?
Salaries in the United States can vary significantly from city to city due to a multitude of factors, including cost of living, local economic conditions, and industry presence.
For example, as of April 01, 2025, the average yearly salary of Clinical Research Associate I in San Francisco, CA is $76,579 and in New York, NY, the average annual salary goes to $71,060. While a Clinical Research Associate I earns $68,387 per year in Boston, MA.
For those exploring the changing dynamics of Clinical Research Associate I salaries, Salary.com offers detailed insights through our Job Trending in CA Labor Market analysis. As of April 01, 2025, our research highlights a notable shift in Clinical Research Associate I compensation over the past six years. For instance, the median salary has moved from $56,713 in 2023 to about $56,824 in 2024 (for a comprehensive analysis of Clinical Research Associate I salary trends, click here). It's crucial to consider several elements, including geographical location, experience level, industry demand, and economic development, as they play a significant role in influencing salary variations.
Salary.com job board provides millions of Clinical Research Associate I information for you to search for. Click on search button below to see Clinical Research Associate I job openings or enter a new job title here.
Here are companies hiring for Clinical Research Associate I and their salaries, click below for more details.
| Core Compensation | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Base Salary | $61,317 | 69.6% | ||
| Bonus | $0 | 0.0% | ||
| Value of Benefits | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Social Security | $4,691 | 5.3% | ||
| 401K/403B | $2,453 | 2.8% | ||
| Disability | $1,226 | 1.4% | ||
| Healthcare | $6,374 | 7.2% | ||
| Pension | $3,372 | 3.8% | ||
| Time Off | $8,726 | 9.9% | ||
| Total Compensation | $88,159 | 100% | ||
| Degree Level | % of user with this level of education |
|---|---|
| No Diploma | 0.3% |
| High School | 2.7% |
| Associates | 1.9% |
| Bachelors | 61.9% |
| Masters | 26.5% |
| Doctorate | 6.6% |
What Am I Worth?
Participates in the design, administration, and execution of clinical research trials. Conducts standard tests in accordance with established policies and procedures. Analyzes and evaluates clinical data gathered during research. Ensures compliance with protocol and overall clinical objectives. Possesses knowledge of FDA regulatory requirements, Good Clinical Practice (GCP) research standards, and JCAHO and International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. Requires a bachelor's degree. May require ACRP or SOCRA certification. Typically reports to a manager. Work is closely managed. Works on projects/matters of limited complexity in a support role. Typically requires 0-2 years of related experience.
Specify the abilities and skills that a person needs in order to carry out the specified job duties. Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.
Integrity: Is about having strong principles and values, which you demonstrate through your conduct in the work environment. A common integrity definition states that people with integrity do the right thing even when nobody is watching.
Clinical Trial Management System: A clinical trial management system (CTMS) is a software system used to manage clinical trials in clinical research. This CTMS will serve as a single, centralized, web-based enterprise resource to support clinical research studies conducted within or across the three institutions.
Clinical Operations: Clinical Operations refer to the activities that support the clinical trial process from start-up to close out. Ensures there is proper planning, appropriate conduct through the process, safety of patients and use of quality data.
