Principal Investigator Salary in the United States

Principal Investigator Salary

How much does a Principal Investigator make?

As of April 01, 2025, the average annual salary for a Principal Investigator in the United States is $91,945. Salary.com reports that pay typically ranges from $83,410 to $103,435, with most professionals earning between $75,640 and $113,897.

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Principal Investigator Salaries by Percentile
Percentile Salary Location Last Updated
10th Percentile Principal Investigator Salary $75,640 US April 01, 2025
25th Percentile Principal Investigator Salary $83,410 US April 01, 2025
50th Percentile Principal Investigator Salary $91,945 US April 01, 2025
75th Percentile Principal Investigator Salary $103,435 US April 01, 2025
90th Percentile Principal Investigator Salary $113,897 US April 01, 2025
25% $83,410 10% $75,640 90% $113,897 75% $103,435 $91,945 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click
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What is a Principal Investigator ?

In Canada and the United States, the term principal investigator (PI) refers to the holder of an independent grant administered by a university and the lead researcher for the grant project, usually in the sciences, such as a laboratory study or a clinical trial. The phrase is also often used as a synonym for "head of the laboratory" or "research group leader." While the expression is common in the sciences, it is used widely for the person or persons who make final decisions and supervise funding and expenditures on a given research project. A co-investigator (Co-I) assists the principal inv...

Source: Wikipedia (as of 04/17/2019). Read more from Wikipedia

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  1. This Job:

    Principal Investigator

    4 - 7 years experience
    Bachelor's Degree

  2. Up a level:

    Compliance Investigation Manager


    Bachelor's Degree

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Understand the total compensation opportunity for a Principal Investigator, base salary plus other pay elements

Average Base Salary

Core compensation

 
 
 
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Average Total Cash Compensation

Includes base and annual incentives

 
 
 
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These charts show the average base salary (core compensation), as well as the average total cash compensation for the job of Principal Investigator in the United States. The base salary for Principal Investigator ranges from $83,410 to $103,435 with the average base salary of $91,945. The total cash compensation, which includes base, and annual incentives, can vary anywhere from $83,410 to $103,435 with the average total cash compensation of $91,945.

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83410
103435

 

Skills associated with Principal Investigator: Troubleshooting, Across

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