Paid Clinical Trials in Los Angeles

Candace Kastanis

Written by Candace Kastanis

Chemistry B.S. | UC Davis | Clinical Lab Technician

Updated & Fact Checked 7/30/26

Clinical Trial That Provide Compensation in Los Angeles

Paid Clinical Trials 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 siteTrials sampled
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center73
USC and Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center36
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles26
UCLA25

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:

Follow-up Visit of High Risk Infants
Recruiting
The NICHD Neonatal Research Network's Follow-Up study is a multi-center cohort in which surviving extremely low birth-weight infants born in participating network centers receive neurodevelopmental, neurosensory and functional assessments at 22-26 months corrected age (Infants born prior to July 1, 2012 were seen at 18-22 months corrected age). Data regarding pregnancy and neonatal outcome are collected prospectively. The goal is to identify potential maternal and neonatal risk factors that may... Read More
Gender:
ALL
Ages:
Between 18 months and 26 months
Trial Updated:
02/11/2025
Locations: University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
Conditions: Infant, Newborn, Infant, Low Birth Weight, Infant, Small for Gestational Age, Infant, Premature
Consent for Use of Stored Patient Specimens for Future Testing
Recruiting
The purpose of this study is to obtain informed consent to use stored human biological materials (HBM) (e.g., blood and other tissues) for future studies that may include genetic testing.
Gender:
ALL
Ages:
All
Trial Updated:
09/20/2024
Locations: Univ of Southern California / LA County USC Med Ctr, Los Angeles, California +2 locations
Conditions: HIV Infections
Generic Database of Very Low Birth Weight Infants
Recruiting
The Generic Database (GDB) is a registry of very low birth weight infants born alive in NICHD Neonatal Research Network (NRN) centers. The GDB collects observational baseline data on both mothers and infants, and the therapies used and outcomes of the infants. The information collected is not specific to a disease or treatment (i.e., it is "generic"). Data are analyzed to find associations and trends between baseline information, treatments, and infant outcome, and to develop future NRN trials.
Gender:
ALL
Ages:
14 days and below
Trial Updated:
02/11/2025
Locations: University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
Conditions: Infant, Newborn, Infant, Low Birth Weight, Infant, Small for Gestational Age, Infant, Premature
Mucopolysaccharidosis I (MPS I) Registry
Recruiting
The Mucopolysaccharidosis I (MPS I) Registry is an ongoing, observational database that tracks the outcomes of patients with MPS I. The data collected by the MPS I Registry will provide information to better characterize the natural history and progression of MPS I as well as the clinical responses of patients receiving enzyme replacement therapy, such as Aldurazyme (Recombinant Human Alpha-L-Iduronidase), or other treatment modalities. The objectives of the Registry are: * To evaluate the lon... Read More
Gender:
ALL
Ages:
All
Trial Updated:
11/19/2024
Locations: Phoenix Children's Hospital- Site Number : 840003, Phoenix, Arizona +2 locations
Conditions: Mucopolysaccharidosis I (MPS I)
An Active and Placebo-Controlled Study of Brazikumab in Participants With Moderately to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis
Recruiting
The present study D5272C00001 (Legacy # 3151-201-008) seeks to evaluate the efficacy and safety of brazikumab versus placebo in patients with moderately to severely active UC and will include assessments of clinical responses as demonstrated by improvement of symptoms and of colonic mucosal appearance as observed on endoscopy.
Gender:
All
Ages:
Between 18 years and 80 years
Trial Updated:
01/19/2021
Locations: Research Site, Tucson, Arizona
Conditions: Ulcerative Colitis
Prospective Evaluation of Chronic Pancreatitis for Epidemiologic and Translational Studies, the PROCEED Study
Recruiting
This study gathers information on patients at different stages of chronic pancreatitis to better understand the natural course and risk factors associated with pancreatitis. Chronic pancreatitis is a disease that occurs when the pancreas is inflamed (swollen and irritated) all of the time. It is important for doctors to diagnose chronic pancreatitis in the beginning stages of the disease. Over time, as chronic pancreatitis gets worse, the pancreas may stop working correctly. Since treatment opti... Read More
Gender:
All
Ages:
Between 18 years and 75 years
Trial Updated:
04/22/2021
Locations: Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
Conditions: Acute Pancreatitis, Chronic Pancreatitis
Study of Acalabrutinib (ACP-196) in Combination With Venetoclax (ABT-199), With and Without Obinutuzumab (GA101) Versus Chemoimmunotherapy for Previously Untreated CLL
Recruiting
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acalabrutinib in combination with venetoclax and acalabrutinib in combination with venetoclax with and without obinutuzumab compared to chemoimmunotherapy in subjects with previously untreated CLL.
Gender:
All
Ages:
Between 18 years and 130 years
Trial Updated:
01/14/2022
Locations: Research Site, Fountain Valley, California
Conditions: Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Study to Evaluate The Safety and Efficacy of Balovaptan in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke at High Risk of Developing Malignant Brain Edema
Recruiting
This study is designed to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of balovaptan compared with placebo in participants with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) at risk of developing malignant cerebral edema (MCE)
Gender:
All
Ages:
Between 18 years and 80 years
Trial Updated:
04/04/2022
Locations: University of Alabama At Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
Conditions: Acute Ischemic Stroke
A Study of TSR-022 in Participants With Advanced Solid Tumors (AMBER)
Recruiting
This is a first-in-human study evaluating the anti-T cell immunoglobulin and mucin containing protein-3 (TIM-3) antibody TSR-022. The study will be conducted in 2 parts with Part 1 consisting of dose escalation and Part 2 dose expansion. Part 1 will determine the recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) of TSR-022 and Part 2 will evaluate the antitumor activity of TSR-022 in combination with TSR-042 or docetaxel and as monotherapy.
Gender:
All
Ages:
18 years and above
Trial Updated:
03/14/2024
Locations: GSK Investigational Site, Goodyear, Arizona +1 locations
Conditions: Neoplasms
A Study to Compare the Efficacy and Safety of Idecabtagene Vicleucel With Lenalidomide Maintenance Therapy Versus Lenalidomide Maintenance Therapy Alone in Adult Participants With Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma Who Have Suboptimal Response After Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation
Recruiting
The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of ide-cel with lenalidomide (LEN) maintenance to that of LEN maintenance alone in adult participants with Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma (NDMM) who have achieved a suboptimal response post autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT).
Gender:
All
Ages:
18 years and above
Trial Updated:
05/01/2024
Locations: Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, Gilbert, Arizona
Conditions: Multiple Myeloma

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:


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:


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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.