Microsoft Research Developer Salaries

49 verified profiles
Last updated on March 3, 2026
Average Annual Total Compensation is $276k

Employees at Microsoft as Research Developer earn an average of $276k, mostly ranging from $238k to $392k based on 49 profiles.

Employee Count
massive
Equity Vest
3.5 yrs ; 29% , 29% , 29% , 13%
Signing Bonus
$25k - $50k
  30,761 people laid off in the last year.
👨‍💻 Male $320k Male
Average Salary : $ 320 k
👩‍💻 Female $281k Female
Average Salary : $ 281 k
For every $100 paid to men, women are paid $88
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Salary Profiles
Company
Title(Level)
Annual Salary
Experience
School
Degree
Location
Skills
Research Scientist (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $206k

Stocks: $78k

(Today) (15.2%) $67k

Bonus: $59k

TC:$343k

(Today) (3.5%) $331k

9yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Base: $204k

Stocks: $155k

(Today) (20.8%) $123k

Bonus: $33k

TC:$392k

(Today) (8.2%) $360k

9yrs
NA
Phd

Works in Redmond, WA

Research Scientist (Senior SDE)
Male

Base: $188k

Stocks: $34k

(Today) (18.4%) $28k

Bonus: $37k

TC:$259k

(Today) (2.4%) $253k

1yrs
NA
Phd

Works in Redmond, WA

Base: $190k

Stocks: $49k

(Today) (17.9%) $40k

Bonus: $34k

TC:$273k

(Today) (3.2%) $264k

0yrs
NA
Phd

Works in Redmond, WA

Research Scientist (Senior SDE)
Female

Base: $245k

Stocks: $86k

(Today) (12.2%) $96k

Bonus: -

TC:$331k

(Today) (3.2%) $341k

1yrs
NA
Phd

Works in Redmond, WA

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Research Scientist (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $215k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (0.9%) $63k

Bonus: $61k

TC:$340k

(Today) (0.2%) $339k

14yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Research Scientist (60)
Female

Base: $141k

Stocks: $78k

(Today) (21.4%) $61k

Bonus: $13k

TC:$231k

(Today) (7.2%) $214k

3yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Base: $141k

Stocks: $81k

Bonus: $19k

TC:$241k

4yrs
Masters in computer science

Works in Redmond, Washington, United States

Base: $176k

Stocks: $39k

(Today) (17.3%) $32k

Bonus: $20k

TC:$235k

(Today) (2.9%) $228k

4yrs
NA
NA

Works in Seattle, WA

Base: $156k

Stocks: $44k

(Today) (15.8%) $37k

Bonus: -

TC:$200k

(Today) (3.5%) $193k

2yrs
NA
NA

Works in Mountain View, CA

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Level
Experience
Avg
25th
50th
75th
90th
95th
5 to 6 yrs
$206k
$185k
$193k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
2 to 4 yrs
$218k
$209k
$218k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
3 to 3 yrs
$231k
$231k
$231k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
1 to 5 yrs
$242k
$210k
$225k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
1 to 8 yrs
$321k
$284k
$314k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
6 to 14 yrs
$345k
$318k
$342k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
Level
Experience
5 to 6 yrs
Base
$167k
Stocks / Yr
$39k
Bonus
$0k
Total Salary
$206k
Level
Experience
2 to 4 yrs
Base
$166k
Stocks / Yr
$41k
Bonus
$20k
Total Salary
$218k
Level
Experience
3 to 3 yrs
Base
$141k
Stocks / Yr
$78k
Bonus
$13k
Total Salary
$231k
Level
Experience
1 to 5 yrs
Base
$185k
Stocks / Yr
$39k
Bonus
$31k
Total Salary
$242k
Level
Experience
1 to 8 yrs
Base
$206k
Stocks / Yr
$70k
Bonus
$45k
Total Salary
$321k
Level
Experience
6 to 14 yrs
Base
$209k
Stocks / Yr
$96k
Bonus
$47k
Total Salary
$345k
Microsoft Research Developer salary levels ranges from 62 (Software Engineer) upto Principal SDE (Software Engineer), with Principal SDE (Software Engineer) level earning average salary of $345k along with $96k worth of stock options.

Frequently asked questions
How much do Microsoft Research Developer employees make?

Employees at Microsoft as Research Developer earn an average of $276k, mostly ranging from $238k per year to $392k per year based on 49 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $360k per year.

What is the average salary of Microsoft Research Developer?

Average salary of an employee at Microsoft as Research Developer is $276k.

What is the highest salary offered at Microsoft as Research Developer?

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Research Developer is $392k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $360k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $392k per year.

What are the most common skills required at Microsoft as Research Developer?

14% of employees have skills in engineering . 14% also know mathematics . 12% also know information systems .

What are the highest paying jobs at Microsoft as Research Developer?

The top 5 highest paying jobs at Microsoft as Research Developer with reported salaries are:

  • software engineer - $277k per year

What are the new grad salaries at Microsoft as Research Developer?
  • software engineer - $287k per year

Explore all new grad salaries

Which are the top locations?
What is the median salary offered at Microsoft as Research Developer?

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $273k per year.

How is the age distributed among employees at Microsoft as Research Developer?

29% of employees lie between 26-31 yrs . 8% of the employees fall in the age group of 31-36 yrs .

What qualifications do employees have at Microsoft as Research Developer?

24% hold a PostGraduate degree. 12% hold a Graduate degree.

Which schools do employees working at Microsoft as Research Developer went to?

4% of employees studied at Cairo University . 4% studied at Nanjing University .

Frequently asked questions
How much do Microsoft Research Developer employees make?

Employees at Microsoft as Research Developer earn an average of $276k, mostly ranging from $238k per year to $392k per year based on 49 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $360k per year.

What is the average salary of Microsoft Research Developer?

Average salary of an employee at Microsoft as Research Developer is $276k.

What is the highest salary offered at Microsoft as Research Developer?

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Research Developer is $392k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $360k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $392k per year.

What are the most common skills required at Microsoft as Research Developer?

14% of employees have skills in engineering . 14% also know mathematics . 12% also know information systems .

What are the highest paying jobs at Microsoft as Research Developer?

The top 5 highest paying jobs at Microsoft as Research Developer with reported salaries are:

  • software engineer - $277k per year

What are the new grad salaries at Microsoft as Research Developer?
  • software engineer - $287k per year

Explore all new grad salaries

Which are the top locations?
What is the median salary offered at Microsoft as Research Developer?

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $273k per year.

How is the age distributed among employees at Microsoft as Research Developer?

29% of employees lie between 26-31 yrs . 8% of the employees fall in the age group of 31-36 yrs .

What qualifications do employees have at Microsoft as Research Developer?

24% hold a PostGraduate degree. 12% hold a Graduate degree.

Which schools do employees working at Microsoft as Research Developer went to?

4% of employees studied at Cairo University . 4% studied at Nanjing University .

Salary Brackets
Percentage
100-200 k 100-200 k
Percentage : 10
200-300 k 200-300 k
Percentage : 22
300-400 k 300-400 k
Percentage : 18
Age Brackets
Percentage
26-31 yrs 26-31 yrs
Percentage : 29
31-36 yrs 31-36 yrs
Percentage : 8
Skills
Trending
engineering
14 %
mathematics
14 %
information systems
12 %
c++
10 %
c#
6 %
machine learning
6 %
c
4 %
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