How much does a research assistant make?

In the United States, pay can differ with experience and education, location, and whether someone works for a university, government, or research company. People doing more complex work or bringing stronger research and data skills may also earn more.

Assist social scientists in laboratory, survey, and other social science research. May help prepare findings for publication and assist in laboratory analysis, quality control, or data management. Excludes “Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary” (25-9044).

What's a typical day like?

A research assistant might recruit study volunteers, ask interview or survey questions, and carefully record their answers. Then they check for data errors and build tables, charts, or reports to show the research results.

After high school in the United States, a bachelor's degree is the usual starting point; research-methods classes and helping a professor with a project can be useful preparation. BLS lists no related work experience or on-the-job training as typical for entry.

Usually a bachelor's degree (preparation level 4 of 5)

Good for people who like figuring things out and keeping things organized.

Some research assistants give participants standard psychological tests or interview them to collect study data—so the work isn't all reading and typing.