Typical comp shape
Research scientists usually earn rsu + sign-on rsu grants. Common employers include Meta FAIR, Google Research, Microsoft Research, Anthropic. Research scientist sign-on RSUs often vest on accelerated one-year cliffs, concentrating a big chunk of equity in year one.
What New Hampshire changes
New Hampshire has no wage income tax, which is structurally favorable for research scientists with meaningful RSU comp. The savings vs a CA-resident colleague can be $30-60k per year at senior IC levels. That math is why Austin and Seattle are the two top relocation destinations for Bay Area tech workers.
Planning cadence
For a research scientist in New Hampshire, the three planning windows are: after each RSU vest (withholding check and sell-vs-hold), before any ISO exercise (AMT model at federal only), and in Q4 (estimated tax top-up to clear the safe harbor). A move-out question — if you're considering leaving New Hampshire for a high-tax state, time it around vesting.