Source: https://deftridge.com/rates/ux-researcher/united-states/ Title: UX Researcher hourly rate in the United States | Deftridge Summary: UX Researcher pay in the United States: median wage $44 an hour, typical part-time contractor rate $65. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025. United States · **Updated November 4, 2026** # UX Researcher hourly rate in United States The market median wage for a UX Researcher in the United States is **$43.86 an hour**. A senior part-time contractor typically receives **$65 an hour** on Deftridge. **$65/hr** typical contractor rate, senior **$43.86/hr** median wage **$32-60** middle half of wages **$1,410** a month at 5 hours a week ## UX Researcher wage percentiles in United States Employee wages for the role. The yellow row is the median. | Percentile | Per hour | 5 h a week, per month | Full time, per year | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 10th | $24.16 | $520 | $50,300 | | 25th | $32.49 | $700 | $67,600 | | Median | $43.86 | $950 | $91,200 | | 75th | $60.31 | $1,310 | $125,400 | | 90th | $86.57 | $1,880 | $180,100 | Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025; aged to October 2026; about 861,140 people employed in the role. [How rates are built](https://deftridge.com/rates/methodology/). ## United States in numbers What sets the United States apart for a UX Researcher, from the same sources as the table above. - **$61.35** highest median wage, California - **$29.49** lowest median wage, West Virginia - **861,140** people employed in the role - **$92.01** median wage in the San Jose metro area, the highest in the country - **$35** country floor: no United States rate is published below it - Self-employment tax is 15.3%: 12.4% Social Security plus 2.9% Medicare; the employer-equivalent half is deductible in working out adjusted gross income. [Source](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employment-tax-social-security-and-medicare-taxes) - For 2026 the first $184,500 of combined wages, tips and net self-employment earnings is subject to the Social Security part. [Source](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employment-tax-social-security-and-medicare-taxes) ## What contractors receive The Deftridge rate for a UX Researcher in the United States by level and by format. The company adds 15% on top; you keep all of the rate shown. | Level | Per hour | Per month at 5 h/week | | --- | --- | --- | | Specialist | $55 | $1,190 | | Senior | $65 | $1,410 | | Manager | $75 | $1,630 | - Regular role **$65** - One-off task **$70** - Task bundle **$65** ## UX Researcher pay by region in United States Typical contractor rate for a senior UX Researcher, highest first; 9 of 51 places shown. | Place | Median wage | Contractor rate | | --- | --- | --- | | California | $61.35 | $90 | | Delaware | $57.83 | $85 | | New York | $54.22 | $80 | | Washington | $52.97 | $75 | | Massachusetts | $52.04 | $75 | | Colorado | $51.81 | $75 | | District of Columbia | $48.86 | $70 | | Rhode Island | $45.51 | $65 | | New Jersey | $45.45 | $65 | ## Highest-paying metro areas Median employee wage for the role in the metro area (BLS OEWS). - [San Jose $92.01/hr median wage · range $55-134](https://deftridge.com/rates/ux-researcher/california/) - [San Francisco $82.56/hr median wage · range $53-113](https://deftridge.com/rates/ux-researcher/california/) - [Seattle $57.51/hr median wage · range $44-77](https://deftridge.com/rates/ux-researcher/washington/) - [New York City $57.48/hr median wage · range $43-76](https://deftridge.com/rates/ux-researcher/new-york/) - [Denver $55.14/hr median wage · range $39-72](https://deftridge.com/rates/ux-researcher/colorado/) - [Durham $53.58/hr median wage · range $37-78](https://deftridge.com/rates/ux-researcher/north-carolina/) - [Boston $53.43/hr median wage · range $40-73](https://deftridge.com/rates/ux-researcher/massachusetts/) - [Los Angeles $52.66/hr median wage · range $41-77](https://deftridge.com/rates/ux-researcher/california/) - [San Diego $52.54/hr median wage · range $40-74](https://deftridge.com/rates/ux-researcher/california/) - [Sacramento $52.53/hr median wage · range $40-70](https://deftridge.com/rates/ux-researcher/california/) ## Questions about pay, fees and privacy The same rules apply to every task, so they live on two pages: [Pricing](https://deftridge.com/pricing/) explains the 15% fee, prepayment and when you are paid; [How it works](https://deftridge.com/how-it-works/) covers matching, what a company sees and side work next to a job. [UX Researcher rates in every country](https://deftridge.com/rates/ux-researcher/) · [UX Researcher jobs in United States](https://deftridge.com/jobs/ux-researcher/united-states/) · [Methodology](https://deftridge.com/rates/methodology/)