How the world’s biggest pharma and biotech companies paid their typical worker in 2023

Top-Paying Companies

According to the analysis, some of the highest median employee salaries at major drugmakers in 2023 were:

- Gilead Sciences:
$205,866

- Amgen:
$166,322

- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals:
$165,843

- Eli Lilly:
$157,937

Salary Trends

The typical biopharma worker made $199,048 in 20236.
Employees in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector reported the fewest number of pay complaints compared to other industries9.
Overall average salaries across all industry settings were $134,790 in 2023, a 4.2% increase from 20222.

Factors Influencing Compensation

- Location:
Companies in biotech hubs like San Francisco, San Diego, and Boston tended to offer higher median wages6.

- Company size:
Smaller biotech companies often provided higher salaries compared to large pharmaceutical corporations6.

- Role:
Director and associate director positions had the highest average salaries, with a mean maximum of $230,03820.

Additional Insights

Novartis, GSK, AstraZeneca and Genentech were among the top 10 companies overall where employees reported highest compensation satisfaction9.
While average salaries grew in 2023, they did not always keep pace with inflation, particularly for retail pharmacists2.
The pharmaceutical sector continues to offer salaries well above the national average15.

In summary, while compensation varied across companies, the biopharma industry generally provided competitive salaries in 2023, with some of the highest median pay coming from biotech firms like Gilead and Amgen. Director-level positions commanded the highest salaries on average.