UX Researcher Salary: What You’ll Make and Why

Key takeaways

As a UX researcher, your salary is influenced by several factors, including your experience, job location, benefits, and education.

• According to Glassdoor, the median total pay for a UX researcher is $119,000 [1]. 

• Associate UX researcher, junior UX researcher, senior UX researcher, and lead UX researcher are several job titles within this field.

• You can increase your earning potential by gaining new skills, going back to school, and knowing your worth at your company. 

Explore how each factor affects your salary as a UX researcher and learn how you can increase yours. Whether you're looking to make a career change or brush up on your skills in UX design, explore the Google UX Design Professional Certificate to build in-demand UX skills in just six months with no previous experience required. 

UX researcher average salary

A user experience (UX) researcher salary in the US can vary, according to different salary aggregate websites. Average total pay (base salaries + additional compensation) for UX researchers in the US, as of November 2025, is as follows [2,3,4,5,1]

*Glassdoor salary information represents the median total pay as of November 2025. This figure includes base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

Keep in mind: Salary aggregate websites often rely on data submitted by individuals using the site. Some websites may have received larger amounts of higher- or lower-than-average salaries that can affect the site’s calculated average.

What does a UX researcher do?

A UX researcher studies a user’s behaviors, needs, and motivations so that products, services, and websites work well for them. With this insight, you’ll build websites, applications, dashboards, and interfaces with users’ needs in mind. You’ll also monitor websites and apps to ensure they remain compatible with various devices and optimized for maximum performance.

What influences a UX researcher salary?

Salaries of UX researchers can fluctuate widely depending on experience, location, and additional compensation on top of your base salary.

Experience and titles

Salary increases are generally tied to your experience level and, subsequently, your title. For example, an associate UX researcher—“associate” being an indicator for an early-career position—typically earns less than a mid- or senior-level UX researcher. The more experience you gain, the more likely you’ll be trusted with responsibilities, opening a path to promotions and salary increases.

See experience-based median total salaries below (base salary + additional compensation on Glassdoor, November 2025) [6,7,1,8,9]:

Location

It’s no secret that some cities are more expensive to live in than others. To compensate for the increased cost of living and attract top talent, companies located in expensive areas can offer a salary that reflects the discrepancy. 

Here’s a sampling of what you might make across various big and medium-sized cities in the US [10].

Benefits, perks, and bonuses

In the US, your salary is generally accompanied by a benefits package and some perks. These can include health insurance, paid vacation days, stock options, parental leave, or even gym reimbursements, transportation subsidies, and the chance to work from home. It’s a good idea to keep this in mind when offered a job. Sometimes a less-than-desirable salary can be offset by a benefits package that can save you money on your commute or perks that allow you to live the lifestyle you want to live. If you’re trying to negotiate a higher salary but haven’t been successful, you might be able to negotiate an expanded benefits package.

Some companies can also offer bonuses at various points in the year. These can be based on individual, team, or company-wide performance. Though it’s hard to predict ahead of time, you can ask a hiring manager if giving out bonuses is typical of a company.

How does this compare to similar UX researcher jobs? 

UX research is one among many types of UX jobs. Here’s how it stacks up, salary-wise, against some others (according to Glassdoor, November 2025).

• Human factors researcher: $121,000 [11]

• Product researcher: $115,000 [12]

• UX writer: $85,000 [13]

• UX designer: $109,000 [14]

• UI designer: $115,000 [15]

• UX engineer: $142,000 [16]

All Glassdoor salary information represents the median total pay. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

Read more: How Much Can I Make as a UX Designer?

How to increase your salary

Looking for a way to boost your UX researcher salary? Here are a few factors to consider.

• Expand your skills: UX researchers have several ways to test a product’s viability. Expanding the tools you know how to use can improve your company’s insight into its customers and its products. A/B testing, card sorting, tree sorting, constructing user personas, conducting user interviews, and analytics research are a few of the different tools a UX researcher can use. If you see any gaps in your company’s current research methods, you might approach your manager to see if you’d be able to spearhead an effort to fill them. 

• Ask for a raise: Though it can be intimidating, sometimes the simplest way to increase your salary is to ask your manager. When approaching your boss, talk about past performance reviews, and bring some data on how exactly your company has benefited from your work. You should also have a target salary in mind, and be prepared to negotiate. 

• Go back to school: Hiring managers for UX researchers often look for candidates with at least a bachelor’s degree, but frequently call for those with master’s degrees, or even PhDs. Getting an advanced degree in human-computer interaction, psychology, or behavioral science, or a related social science degree, can boost your earning potential. After all, higher levels of education are correlated with higher incomes [17].

Explore free resources for UX researchers

Subscribe to our Career Chat newsletter on LinkedIn to read industry insights, find networking opportunities, and boost your UX career. Then, explore our other free resources for UX professionals:

• Take the quiz: UX Career Quiz: Is It Right for You? Find Your Role

• Watch on YouTube: UX Design Career Path: 5 Routes to Success 

• Study UX terms: Glossary of UX Terms and Definitions

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