Contents
- 1 Clinical Trial That Provide Compensation in Los Angeles
- 2 Los Angeles as Defined by the Numbers
- 3 Exploring Los Angeles Diversity to Find Paid Trial Opportunities
- 4 Multiple Los Angeles CROs Have Opportunities for Healthy Participants
- 5 Notable Breakthroughs Local to Los Angeles
- 6 Los Angeles Paid Clinical Trial FAQs
- 7 Finding Close Clinical Research Trial Opportunities
Clinical Trial That Provide Compensation in Los Angeles

Los Angeles research is spread across the basin rather than gathered on one campus. As of July 2026, 1,849 studies are actively recruiting in the city, according to ClinicalTrials.gov, run by Cedars-Sinai, UCLA, USC, and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
If you’re seeking paid clinical trials for healthy volunteers nearby, you can find them in L.A. There are approximately 350 CROs conducting studies in the city presently. A CRO is a Clinical Research Organization. Usually, such organizations will conduct either a few very large studies or a large number of smaller studies; it will depend on the organization.
Experts say .005% of America’s 330+ million population need to be involved in such research to continue to make real medical progress. Applying that statistic to Los Angeles reveals approximately 19,595 people need to be engaged in some sort of study at any given time in the city.
If you divide that by 350 CROs, it means each organization has opportunities for approximately 55, maybe 56 participants, on average. The point is, you’ve got options. Following we’ll explore a few pieces of information that can help you inform your search locally.
Quick Facts: Paid Clinical Trials in Los Angeles
- Actively recruiting studies (July 2026): 1,849 (ClinicalTrials.gov)
- Typical compensation: $50–$100 per completed outpatient visit; residential Phase 1 studies pay more (see highest paid clinical trials)
- Cost to participate: $0 — study care and visits are covered by the sponsor
- Worth knowing: City of Hope in Duarte runs roughly 541 more recruiting studies and will not appear under a Los Angeles search
- Statewide options: paid clinical trials in California
Where Los Angeles trials actually run
We sampled recruiting Los Angeles studies on ClinicalTrials.gov in July 2026. The sites running the most trials:
| Research site | Trials sampled |
|---|---|
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center | 73 |
| USC and Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center | 36 |
| Children’s Hospital Los Angeles | 26 |
| UCLA | 25 |
Distance matters here more than in most cities: Cedars-Sinai sits in Beverly Grove, UCLA in Westwood, and USC and CHLA near downtown. City of Hope, one of the region’s largest cancer centers, lists its location as Duarte rather than Los Angeles and has around 541 recruiting studies of its own, so searching nearby cities is worth the effort.
Los Angeles as Defined by the Numbers
One place to start looking, as a means of narrowing down opportunities for paid clinical trials nearby for healthy volunteers, is in demographic data. Age, gender, and ethnicity will characterize key aspects of any study. Such information tends to direct how certain CROs conduct their research. If you’re in South Dakota, it wouldn’t make sense to research health issues faced by Australian Aborigines.
So with that in mind, the census data which provided us with population shows that Los Angeles demographics look like this: whites occupy 48.93% of the population (including Hispanics), “other” races are approximately 22.68% of the population, Asians are 11.78% of the population, and those of African descent are at 8.78%. The median age of the city is 35.1 and is occupied by 50.51% females and 49.49% males.
We have compiled the following list of paid clinical trials for healthy volunteers, click the Search All button at the bottom to find more:
Exploring Los Angeles Diversity to Find Paid Trial Opportunities
What the data seems to indicate is that, if you’re seeking paid clinical trials for healthy volunteers, the majority of available studies in the region will be for ladies of Caucasian/Hispanic background that are in their mid-thirties, closely followed by males in the same demographic. There are other opportunities that will be available as well for diverse ethnic groups; this data just indicates what will characterize the majority of studies.
Multiple Los Angeles CROs Have Opportunities for Healthy Participants
Because Los Angeles has been a leader in industry, culture, and science for decades, you have many options to choose from for healthy volunteer paid clinical trials locally. A few to get you started include:
- Advanced Cell Technology of Santa Monica
- Charles Drew University Near Compton
- Advanced ImmunoChemical of Long Beach
Notable Breakthroughs Local to Los Angeles
Involving yourself in such studies could make you party to serious breakthroughs in the region. California has some history here. Consider these medical advances rooted in Los Angeles:
- UCLA Discovered Molecular Signaling in 1998
- Ongoing Discoveries in Lung Cancer at Ceaders-Sinai
- Stanford’s Biomedical Innovation Initiative Encourages Advances
Paid clinical trials near Los Angeles: Duarte, Long Beach, Santa Monica, Torrance and Pasadena
Los Angeles County research spreads well beyond the city limits, and studies list only their own city. These nearby areas run substantial numbers of their own:
- Duarte — about 541 recruiting studies: City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research centers in the western US
- Long Beach — about 200 recruiting studies: MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center and private research sites
- Santa Monica — about 194 recruiting studies: UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center and Providence Saint John’s
- Torrance — about 167 recruiting studies: Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
- Pasadena — about 116 recruiting studies: Huntington Health and nearby research sites
Between them, these five areas list more recruiting studies than the city of Los Angeles does, so it pays to search each one separately.
Los Angeles Paid Clinical Trial FAQs
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How much do paid clinical trials pay here?
Most outpatient studies pay $50–$100 per completed visit, plus travel reimbursement. Residential Phase 1 studies pay considerably more. The exact amount appears in the consent form before you enroll.
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Where in Los Angeles are most trials located?
Cedars-Sinai in Beverly Grove, UCLA in Westwood, and USC with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles near downtown hold the largest shares. Kaiser Permanente and private research sites operate across the county, including the San Fernando Valley and South Bay.
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Should I search cities outside Los Angeles proper?
Yes. City of Hope lists Duarte, Harbor-UCLA lists Torrance, and other major sites list Pasadena, Santa Monica, or Long Beach. Because studies show only their own city, checking neighboring cities can substantially expand your options.
Finding Close Clinical Research Trial Opportunities
The bottom line is, that for clinical research trials that offer payment to healthy participants, quite a few options exist in Los Angeles. You can supplement your income and be a key part of helping medical science advance to the next level at the same time.
