Role versus role
Compare quant roles
KnowQuant research deskUpdated 1 September 202618 disciplines benchmarkedMethod 2026.1
Research, trading or development?
Portfolio management carries the widest outcomes and the most risk, research and trading sit close on modelled pay with very different day shapes, and development is modelled lower but with a far more transferable skill set. Each comparison below prices both roles at every seniority and in every hub market, then sets the skills and backgrounds beside them. Method 2026.1.
Head to head
Quant Researcher vs Quant Trader
Quant Researcher: signal discovery and alpha research. Quant Trader: running risk on systematic strategies. On New York modelled reference estimates Quant Researcher is ahead by about 6%, $475k against $450k. The bigger difference is the shape of the work and the risk attached to the bonus, not the headline number.
See the full comparisonQuant Researcher vs Quant Developer
Quant Researcher: signal discovery and alpha research. Quant Developer: the engineering layer beneath the strategy. On New York modelled reference estimates Quant Researcher is ahead by about 40%, $475k against $340k. The bigger difference is the shape of the work and the risk attached to the bonus, not the headline number.
See the full comparisonQuant Developer vs Quant Analyst
Quant Developer: the engineering layer beneath the strategy. Quant Analyst: pricing, risk and model validation. On New York modelled reference estimates Quant Developer is ahead by about 48%, $340k against $230k. The bigger difference is the shape of the work and the risk attached to the bonus, not the headline number.
See the full comparisonQuant Trader vs Systematic Portfolio Manager
Quant Trader: running risk on systematic strategies. Systematic Portfolio Manager: owning a book and a payout formula. On New York modelled reference estimates Systematic Portfolio Manager is ahead by about 64%, $450k against $1.3m. The bigger difference is the shape of the work and the risk attached to the bonus, not the headline number.
See the full comparisonQuant Researcher vs Systematic Portfolio Manager
Quant Researcher: signal discovery and alpha research. Systematic Portfolio Manager: owning a book and a payout formula. On New York modelled reference estimates Systematic Portfolio Manager is ahead by about 62%, $475k against $1.3m. The bigger difference is the shape of the work and the risk attached to the bonus, not the headline number.
See the full comparisonQuant Analyst vs Quant Researcher
Quant Analyst: pricing, risk and model validation. Quant Researcher: signal discovery and alpha research. On New York modelled reference estimates Quant Researcher is ahead by about 52%, $230k against $475k. The bigger difference is the shape of the work and the risk attached to the bonus, not the headline number.
See the full comparisonQuant Developer vs HFT / Low-Latency Engineer
Quant Developer: the engineering layer beneath the strategy. HFT / Low-Latency Engineer: nanoseconds as a competitive edge. On New York modelled reference estimates HFT / Low-Latency Engineer is ahead by about 12%, $340k against $385k. The bigger difference is the shape of the work and the risk attached to the bonus, not the headline number.
See the full comparisonMethodology
Figures are expressed as annual total compensation (base salary plus expected performance bonus) in the reference market's local currency, converted from a US dollar base. They describe typical market ranges rather than any individual offer, and exclude sign-on payments, deferred equity and carried interest. Portfolio-manager figures reflect formulaic profit-share arrangements and are therefore far more dispersed than any other role.
KnowQuantIndex 2026.1 · Updated September 2026
Modelled bands describe the market, not an individual offer. Where an employer states pay, the stated figure is used and labelled as such.