Clinical Research Coordinator.
Los Angeles.
$71,000
median salary, 22% above the national average
$56,000 to $90,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
The median Clinical Research Coordinator salary in Los Angeles is $71,000, 22% above the national average. Entry level starts near $56,000. Experienced professionals push past $90,000. Los Angeles blends a thriving entertainment industry with a growing tech and startup ecosystem, often called Silicon Beach. That spread is your negotiation window. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Clinical Research Coordinator in Los Angeles, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $59,240 for Social Science Research Assistants (SOC 19-4061) in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metropolitan area, based on 2,290 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$38,060
25th percentile
$38,070
Median
$59,240
75th percentile
$77,760
90th percentile
$97,730
Workers surveyed
2,290
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Social Science Research Assistants (SOC 19-4061) rather than Clinical Research Coordinator specifically. The Los Angeles range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 19-4061Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $64,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$46,000
to $57,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$60,000
to $75,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$78,000
to $92,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$89,000
to $110,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $14,000 to the total package.
Base
$71,000
Equity
$8,000
Bonus
$5,000
Signing
$1,000
Estimated total: $85,000
How Los Angeles compares.
Los Angeles, CA
$71,000
Cost of living: 18% above average
National Average
$58,000
Los Angeles is $13,000 above
Clinical Research Coordinator salary by city.
Salary by role in Los Angeles.
What you should know.
Before you negotiate a Clinical Research Coordinator offer in Los Angeles, understand the terrain. Los Angeles blends a thriving entertainment industry with a growing tech and startup ecosystem, often called Silicon Beach. The city's diverse economy spans aerospace, healthcare, fashion, and gaming. LA offers strong salaries that, while below San Francisco levels, pair with a broader lifestyle appeal and lower housing costs relative to the Bay Area. Therapeutic area and trial phase drive the biggest pay differences. Oncology, gene therapy, and Phase I trials pay the most due to protocol complexity. ACRP or SoCRA certification adds 8 to 12% above non-certified coordinators. Academic medical centers and large CROs in biotech hubs offer the highest salaries.
Entry-level CRCs start at $48,000 to $55,000 with a science degree. Certified CRCs with three to five years of experience earn $65,000 to $80,000. Senior CRCs or clinical research managers can reach $85,000 to $110,000 overseeing multi-site trials and regulatory submissions. In Los Angeles, those numbers run higher. The cost of living here is 18% above average, and employers adjust to compete.
Base salary is not the full picture. CRCs receive benefits including tuition reimbursement, certification exam fees, and conference attendance stipends. CRO-employed coordinators may receive project completion bonuses of $2,000 to $5,000. Some pharmaceutical sponsors offer annual merit increases of 3 to 6%. And on the tax side: california's 13.3% top state income tax rate applies to LA earners as well. There is no city income tax, but the high state rate makes take home pay lower than cities in no income tax states. When someone quotes you $71,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Highlight cross industry skills. LA employers value candidates who bridge entertainment and tech, so framing your experience across verticals can unlock higher offers. The range for Clinical Research Coordinators in Los Angeles runs from $56,000 to $90,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Common questions.
Clinical Research Coordinator salary in other cities.
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Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Clinical Research Coordinator Salary in Los Angeles, CA." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/clinical-research-coordinator/los-angeles
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