Research Scientist salary in California
Typical advertised pay for Research Scientist roles in California, from real job postings on FindRole.
Median advertised base salary
$216,250
Most postings fall between $201,250 and $248,375.
Based on 35 postings across 10 companies. Updated November 4, 2026.
As of November 2026, the median advertised base salary for Research Scientist roles in California is $216,250, based on 35 live job postings from 10 employers tracked by FindRole.
Published by FindRole · free to quote and reuse with attribution and a link to this page · how this is computed
Salary by seniority
| Level | 25th %ile | Median | 75th %ile | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not specified | $181,875 | $216,125 | $216,250 | 14 |
Skills employers ask for in Research Scientist roles are on the national page →
Top companies hiring Research Scientists
- Nvidia 17 postings · median $248,375
- Bosch 7 postings · median $175,000
- Apple Inc 2 postings · median $268,125
- General Motors (GM) 2 postings · median $277,050
- MongoDB 2 postings · median $205,500
- Qualcomm 1 postings · median $202,500
- Snap Inc. 1 postings · median $216,000
- Electronic Arts 1 postings · median $172,900
Open Research Scientist roles right now
The postings these numbers come from — see all Research Scientist jobs.
- Research Scientist, Autonomous Systems and Physical AI Research Nvidia · Santa Clara, CA View →
- Senior Research Scientist, Autonomous Vehicles Nvidia · Santa Clara, CA View →
- Research Scientist, Electronic Design Automation Nvidia · Santa Clara, CA View →
- Senior Research Scientist, EDA and AI Nvidia · Santa Clara, CA View →
- Senior Research Scientist, AI Security Nvidia · Remote (Seattle, WA) View →
- Principal Research Scientist, Synthetic Data Generation Nvidia · Remote (Santa Clara, CA) View →
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Create a free accountThese figures are the midpoint of the advertised salary range on real Research Scientist job postings indexed by FindRole — employer-stated base pay, not total compensation (they exclude equity and bonuses), and they reflect the roles we index rather than the whole market. A guide, not a guarantee.