Average Business Development Associate Salary in the US

Key takeaways

Business development associates help companies grow by conducting research, building client relationships, and strategizing for new opportunities.

• According to Glassdoor, the total median pay for a business development associate is $109,000 [1]. 

• The majority of business development associates hold bachelor’s degrees, and higher education can positively impact the role’s salary.

• Important skills you can develop to become a business development specialist are program management, SQL, business strategy, and investment management.

Explore more about what it looks like to become a business development associate and the kind of salary you can earn. To gain the necessary skills in project management, you can check out the Google Project Management Professional Certificate, where you can learn and practice project management foundations and build valuable resume skills. 

What do business development associates do?

As a business development associate, you can help your company grow by finding and nurturing potential clients, negotiating terms, coordinating with sales and project teams, and looking for new opportunities. In this role, you may conduct market research to discover potential clients. You may help develop strategies for sales, client engagement, and business plans. You may also report to the head of business development or other senior leadership. 

How much does a business development associate make?

According to Glassdoor, the median total pay for a business development associate is $109,000 [1]. This figure includes base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation. The exact amount you can expect to earn will vary depending on several factors, including the industry you’re working in, your experience and education, and where you live.

Along with the data from Glassdoor, several popular job search websites report that the average salary of a business development associate in the United States ranges from $55,773 to $67,128. You can see this data broken down in more detail in the chart below [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]:

Factors that impact salary of business development associate

To better estimate how much money you can earn as a business development associate, you will need to consider some of the variables that will impact your salary. For example, the location of your work, the industry you specialize in, and your experience in the field will all change how much money you can expect to earn. 

Let’s look closely at some factors that impact business development associate salary.

Industry

You can find further information about the average business development associate salary by examining how salaries vary for this position by industry. Zippia lists six industries where business development associates can be found, along with their average salaries [2]: 

• Automotive: $80,697

• Media: $75,474

• Finance: $75,076

• Retail: $71,231

• Professional: $64,043

• Technology: $61,408

More business development associate salaries are sorted by industry on Glassdoor [1]. Note that these are total salaries, including commission and bonuses: 

• Legal: $96,000

• Insurance: $113,000

• Education: $121,000

• Telecommunications: $85,000

• Government and Public Administration: $117,000 

Education

According to Zippia, 78 percent of business development associates have earned their bachelor’s degree, 12 percent have earned a master’s, 6 percent have an associate degree, and 4 percent have a high school diploma or other degree [6]. The average annual salary for business development associates sorted by education is as follows, according to Zippia [2]:

• Associate: $57,106

• Bachelor’s: $71,551

• Master’s: $83,540

Experience

The number of years you have worked in this role or a similar one can also impact how much money you can earn. The average entry-level business development associate salary ranges from $55,291 to $99,000, while a senior business development associate base salary ranges from $76,582 to $181,000 [1, 4]. 

*All salary information represents the median total pay from Glassdoor as of March 2026. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

Location

Business development associate salaries tend to vary depending on the geographic location of the job. Below, research from Zippia breaks down the highest-paid states and cities for this role, as well as the lowest-paid states [2]. 

Highest-paid states

• Connecticut: $83,586

• Oregon: $83,180

• Washington: $79,863

• Massachusetts: $74,210

• New Hampshire: $73,999

• New York: $73,518

• California: $72,406

• New Jersey: $71,761

• Delaware: $69,851

• Utah: $67,522

Highest-paid cities

• Greenwich, Connecticut: $83,207

• Portland, Oregon: $82,570

• Seattle, Washington: $80,575

• San Francisco, California: $80,334

• Boston, Massachusetts: $74,306

• Hempstead, New York: $73,735

• Trenton, New Jersey: $71,307

• Salt Lake City, Utah: $67,526

• Baltimore, Maryland: $67,083

• Arlington, Virginia: $64,652

Lowest-paid states

• Florida: $49,978

• Georgia: $51,071

• New Mexico: $51,782

• Wyoming: $52,377

• Texas: $52,933

• Alaska: $53,031

• Minnesota: $53,390

• Oklahoma: $53,452

• Montana: $54,034

• Alabama: $54,285

Job growth for business development associates

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects a 7 percent growth rate for market research analysts, who play a similar role to business and development associates, between 2024 and 2034 [7]. The BLS projects an average of 87,200 job openings every year during that period. 

Business development associate salary skills 

Developing certain skills can help improve your salary as a business development associate. According to Payscale, learning these skills may help you earn a higher income [4]: 

• Investment management: 64 percent higher income

• Mergers and acquisitions: 47 percent higher income

• Financial modeling: 20 percent higher income

• SQL: 27 percent higher income

• Program management: 17 percent higher income

• Technical writing: 18 percent higher income

• Strategy: 32 percent higher income

Read more: Business Development Professionals: What Skills Do You Need?

What are the top five skills for business development?

Though many business skills are helpful for a role in business development, the most popular five skills for business developer associates, according to Payscale, are business development, sales, Microsoft Office, customer relationship management (CRM), and new business development [4]. Other important skills are communication, negotiation skills, and strategic thinking.

Similar career titles

If you’re interested in working as a business development associate, you may also want to consider a few jobs with similar roles and slightly different titles. For example, you could begin a career as a business development associate before moving on as a business development specialist, business development analyst, or business development manager.

All salary information represents the median total pay from Glassdoor as of March 2026. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

Business development specialist

Median total pay (Glassdoor): $112,000 [8]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2024 to 2034): 7 percent [7]

As a business development specialist, your role will be similar to that of a business development associate. You will identify potential opportunities for your organization, such as new markets, products, or services. You may also help form sales and other strategic plans. In this role, you will also collect and analyze market data and conduct market research while building customer relationships. 

Business development analyst

Median total pay (Glassdoor): $106,000 [9]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2024 to 2034): 7 percent [7]

As a business development analyst, you might analyze business practices, consumer behavior, sales strategy, and competitors to improve business processes. You might also look for new opportunities to increase revenue and grow the business. In this role, you will need to stay on top of industry trends.

Business development manager

Median total pay (Glassdoor): $154,000 [10]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2024 to 2034): 9 percent [11]

Business development managers help companies maximize profit by directing strategy, looking for new opportunities, negotiating contracts, and nurturing client relationships. Business development managers may work on a team overseeing a staff of development specialists or associates. 

Explore free resources to start your career in business

Subscribe to our Career Chat newsletter on LinkedIn to receive career insights, resume-building skills, and job search tips right to your inbox. Or if you want to learn more about business development, check out these free resources:

• Take the quiz: Career Test: What Career Is Right for Me Quiz?

• Watch on YouTube: Career Spotlight: Business Analyst

• Develop your strategy: Future-Proofing Your Business Strategy with GenAI

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