Average Top Research and Development Executive Salary in San Antonio, United States for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average Top Research and Development Executive salary for 2026 in San Antonio and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Top Research and Development Executive Make in San Antonio?

A Top Research and Development Executive working in San Antonio will typically earn around 187,500 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 85,700 USD to the highest average salary of 300,500 USD.

Average Annual Salary187,500 USD
Average Monthly Salary15,625 USD
Average Lowest Salary85,700 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary7,141 USD
Average Highest Salary300,500 USD
Highest Monthly Salary25,041 USD

These are average salaries for a Top Research and Development Executive in San Antonio and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Top Research and Development Executive to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Top Research and Development Executive salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Top Research and Development Executive Salaries in San Antonio

So we've looked at the average salaries a Top Research and Development Executive will earn in San Antonio. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Top Research and Development Executive can earn between 85,700 USD and 300,500 USD on average in San Antonio. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Top Research and Development Executive in San Antonio is 205,700 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 205,700 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 205,700 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Top Research and Development Executive salary in San Antonio, 25% of the population are earning less than 130,500 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 130,500 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 274,000 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 274,000 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Top Research and Development Executive Salary by Experience Level in San Antonio

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average Top Research and Development Executive salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Top Research and Development Executive in San Antonio that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 100,400 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Top Research and Development Executive salary would increase to 130,400 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Top Research and Development Executive, the average salary would be 193,200 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 238,300 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Top Research and Development Executive with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 257,500 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Top Research and Development Executive with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 281,100 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
100,400 USD
2-5 Years+34%
130,400 USD
5-10 Years+48%
193,200 USD
10-15 Years+22%
238,300 USD
15-20 Years+9%
257,500 USD
20+ Years+8%
281,100 USD

Top Research and Development Executive Salary by Education Level in San Antonio

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Top Research and Development Executive in San Antonio based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Top Research and Development Executive in San Antonio with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 114,600 USD.
  • Master's Degree. A Top Research and Development Executive in San Antonio with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 175,100 USD.
  • PhD. A Top Research and Development Executive in San Antonio with a phd education can earn an average salary of 296,400 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree-
114,600 USD
Master's Degree+57%
175,100 USD
PhD+68%
296,400 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Top Research and Development Executive Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In San Antonio, a male top research and development executive will earn an average of 183,600 USD, while a female top research and development executive will earn around 172,100 USD.

This means that a male top research and development executive earns approximately 7% more than a female top research and development executive for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in San Antonio

Male-
183,600 USD
Female-7%
172,100 USD

Top Research and Development Executive Average Pay Raise in San Antonio

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Top Research and Development Executive in San Antonio is around 14% every 16 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 14 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 11%

What this means is that a Top Research and Development Executive in San Antonio can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 11% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in San Antonio for 2026

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking-
4%
Energy-
8%
Information Technology-
3%
Healthcare-
7%
Travel-
2%
Construction-
6%
Education-
1%

Top Research and Development Executive Bonus and Incentive Rates in San Antonio

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Top Research and Development Executive is a high bonus based job, with 87% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

13% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 9%.

Received Bonus-
87%
No Bonus-
13%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector-
98,800 USD
Private Sector-6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Top Research and Development Executive

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Top Research and Development Executive in San Antonio.

Job TitleCategorySalary
Assistant Business Development ManagerBusiness Planning132,000 USD
Assistant Merchandise PlannerBusiness Planning70,500 USD
Business AdvisorBusiness Planning124,500 USD
Business AnalystBusiness Planning123,800 USD
Business ConsultantBusiness Planning114,900 USD
Business Continuity AssociateBusiness Planning71,400 USD
Business DeveloperBusiness Planning73,100 USD
Business Development AnalystBusiness Planning83,100 USD
Business Development AssociateBusiness Planning64,300 USD
Business Development CoordinatorBusiness Planning63,500 USD
Business Development DirectorBusiness Planning168,700 USD
Business Development EngineerBusiness Planning98,800 USD
Business Development ExecutiveBusiness Planning117,100 USD
Business Development ManagerBusiness Planning148,300 USD
Business Development SpecialistBusiness Planning114,900 USD
Business ManagerBusiness Planning137,100 USD
Business Operations SpecialistBusiness Planning114,900 USD
Business Process WriterBusiness Planning69,400 USD
Business Systems AnalystBusiness Planning116,400 USD
Capacity PlannerBusiness Planning86,600 USD
Capacity Planning SupervisorBusiness Planning109,000 USD
Change Communications AnalystBusiness Planning105,200 USD
Change Control AnalystBusiness Planning109,700 USD
Change Impact AnalystBusiness Planning114,900 USD
Contracts ExecutiveBusiness Planning114,300 USD
Corporate Strategy AnalystBusiness Planning114,300 USD
Cost Control EngineerBusiness Planning75,000 USD
Cost ControllerBusiness Planning87,700 USD
Cost EstimatorBusiness Planning75,000 USD
Data ExecutiveBusiness Planning58,800 USD
Data ManagerBusiness Planning87,800 USD
Data Processing ManagerBusiness Planning105,800 USD
Development ResearcherBusiness Planning88,300 USD
Director of Business DevelopmentBusiness Planning160,600 USD
Director of Production PlanningBusiness Planning139,100 USD
Due Diligence AnalystBusiness Planning127,600 USD
Estimating ManagerBusiness Planning127,600 USD
General ManagerBusiness Planning140,700 USD
Incident HandlerBusiness Planning79,800 USD
Incident SpecialistBusiness Planning103,600 USD
Lean ConsultantBusiness Planning91,600 USD
ManagerBusiness Planning156,200 USD
Marketing and Business Development ManagerBusiness Planning142,100 USD
Materials PlannerBusiness Planning54,300 USD
Merchandise AssistantBusiness Planning49,200 USD
Merchandise ControllerBusiness Planning49,300 USD
Merchandise PlannerBusiness Planning50,500 USD
Operations AnalystBusiness Planning112,700 USD
Operations ManagerBusiness Planning124,500 USD
Operations Research AnalystBusiness Planning70,000 USD
Planning DirectorBusiness Planning153,800 USD
Planning and Reporting ManagerBusiness Planning127,700 USD
Project AdministratorBusiness Planning71,900 USD
Project ManagerBusiness Planning125,400 USD
Project PlannerBusiness Planning76,800 USD
Research AssistantBusiness Planning63,900 USD
Research EngineerBusiness Planning75,800 USD
Research OfficerBusiness Planning58,700 USD
Risk Management SpecialistBusiness Planning108,200 USD
Scholarship CoordinatorBusiness Planning58,200 USD
Store PlannerBusiness Planning54,100 USD
Strategy DirectorBusiness Planning161,300 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

CityAverage Salary
Atlanta166,600 USD
Austin199,700 USD
Baltimore172,300 USD
Boston176,300 USD
Bristol140,200 USD
Chicago204,900 USD
Cincinnati151,800 USD
Cleveland150,100 USD
Dallas193,400 USD
Denver176,300 USD
Detroit182,400 USD
Honolulu142,300 USD
Houston206,100 USD
Indianapolis192,600 USD
Iowa City146,900 USD
Jacksonville183,600 USD
Kansas City163,800 USD
Kent142,300 USD
Las Vegas172,100 USD
Long Beach169,700 USD
Los Angeles201,000 USD
Memphis177,100 USD
Miami163,500 USD
Minneapolis153,800 USD
New Orleans152,900 USD
New York216,300 USD
Oakland156,200 USD
Oklahoma City166,600 USD
Orlando153,700 USD
Philadelphia206,300 USD
Phoenix197,600 USD
Sacramento167,100 USD
San Diego200,600 USD
San Francisco187,500 USD
San Jose187,500 USD
Seattle184,700 USD
Tampa148,300 USD
Vancouver151,800 USD
Washington D.C.187,500 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

StateAverage Salary
Alabama177,200 USD
Alaska164,100 USD
Arizona183,600 USD
Arkansas175,100 USD
California192,600 USD
Colorado182,400 USD
Connecticut165,900 USD
Delaware160,600 USD
District of Columbia150,100 USD
Florida193,400 USD
Georgia199,700 USD
Hawaii160,600 USD
Idaho167,100 USD
Illinois185,900 USD
Indiana185,900 USD
Iowa164,100 USD
Kansas171,300 USD
Kentucky183,600 USD
Louisiana172,200 USD
Maine166,600 USD
Maryland177,200 USD
Massachusetts185,900 USD
Michigan184,700 USD
Minnesota182,400 USD
Mississippi160,600 USD
Missouri182,400 USD
Montana166,600 USD
Nebraska164,100 USD
Nevada172,200 USD
New Hampshire158,900 USD
New Jersey190,400 USD
New Mexico160,600 USD
New York195,200 USD
North Carolina180,500 USD
North Dakota152,700 USD
Ohio199,700 USD
Oklahoma171,300 USD
Oregon177,200 USD
Pennsylvania185,900 USD
Rhode Island160,600 USD
South Carolina169,700 USD
South Dakota158,700 USD
Tennessee191,100 USD
Texas193,200 USD
Utah172,100 USD
Vermont151,800 USD
Virginia192,600 USD
Washington180,500 USD
West Virginia166,600 USD
Wisconsin172,100 USD
Wyoming152,900 USD

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