Average Business Development Associate Salary in the US

Written by Coursera Staff • Updated on

As a business development associate, you’ll work in a growing field with opportunities for advancement. Discover the average business development associate salary, plus factors that affect how much you can earn.

[Featured Image] A woman working for a business development associate salary sits at her desk and laughs on the phone while looking at her desktop computer.

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. 

Most business development associates have earned their bachelor’s degree, although it is not always required. You may need one to two years of experience in a related business or sales position, although the exact requirements will depend on the company you apply to. 

Explore these factors in greater detail and understand more about a career as a business development associate below.

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How much does a business development associate make?

According to Glassdoor, the average business development associate salary is $117,282, which accounts for a base pay of $65,659 and an additional bonus pay of $50,067 [1]. 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 [2, 3, 4, 5]:

GlassdoorZippiaSalaryPayscaleZipRecruiter
$66,834$62,126$67,128$60,788$55,773

Factors that impact business development associate salary

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 base salaries, not including commission or bonuses: 

  • Legal: $63,111 

  • Insurance: $64,140 

  • Education: $68,538

  • Telecommunications: $57,269

  • Government and Public Administration: $69,395 

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 base salary ranges from $51,000 to $56,000, while a senior business development associate base salary ranges from $70,000 to $88,00007 [1, 4]. 

Glassdoor [1]Payscale [4]
Entry level$56,266$51,685
Mid-career$82,187$73,516
Senior level$87,590$70,976

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 an 8 percent growth rate for market research analysts, who play a similar role to business and development associates, between 2022 and 2032 [7]. The BLS projects an average of 88,500 job openings every year during that period. 

Skills required for the role 

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: 69 percent higher income

  • Mergers and acquisitions: 52 percent higher income

  • Financial modeling: 48 percent higher income

  • SQL: 31 percent higher income

  • Program management: 21 percent higher income

  • Business strategy: 15 percent higher income

  • Strategic planning: 16 percent higher income

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.

Business development specialist

Average salary in the US (Glassdoor): $69,891 [8]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2023 to 2033): 8 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

Average salary in the US (Glassdoor): $80,138 [9]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2023 to 2033): 8 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

Average salary in the US (Glassdoor): $100,818 [10]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2023 to 2033): 11 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. 

Next steps 

A business development associate salary varies according to your level of experience, location, industry you work in, and the title of your role. To maximize your salary, you might benefit from some continuous professional development.

Consider earning your Strategic Leadership and Management Specialization on Coursera. This seven-course series offered by the University of Illinois takes approximately two months to complete and can help you learn strategic management, negotiations, business strategy, leadership, and more skills. 

Article sources

1

Glassdoor. “Salary: Business Development Associate, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/business-development-associate-salary-SRCH_KO0,30.htm.” Accessed January 27, 2025.

Updated on
Written by:
Coursera Staff

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