USA · Technology · Salary

Computer and information research scientists: pay by state and city

What computer and information research scientists — the main job for this pathway — earn across the U.S., from the latest BLS wage survey (May 2025).

U.S. median$140,300
BLS OEWS · May 2025
Occupational Employment and Wage StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Period
May 2025
SOC
15-1221 Computer and information research scientists
File
oe.data.0.Current (download.bls.gov)
View official data
U.S. average (mean)$153,930
Jobs in the survey37,200
Most jobsCalifornia8,440 jobs · median $159,100

Pay where you want to work

Pick a state or search a metro area. The bar shows the spread from the lowest-paid 10% to the top 10% in that place.

United States

Computer and information research scientists · annual wages, May 2025
BLS OEWS · May 2025
Occupational Employment and Wage StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Period
May 2025
SOC
15-1221 Computer and information research scientists
File
oe.data.0.Current (download.bls.gov)
View official data
Lowest 10% below
$82,200
25th percentile
$103,570
Median
$140,300
75th percentile
$188,700
Top 10% above
$230,630
Middle half of workersMedianMean $153,930Jobs 37,200

BLS publishes this occupation for 36 state-level areas (50 states, DC and territories where available) and 76 metro and nonmetro areas. Places it does not publish are not estimated here.

Where the jobs are, and where pay is highest

Median annual pay, May 2025. Highest-pay lists only include places with at least 500 jobs. BLS wages are not adjusted for living costs, which are usually higher where pay is higher.

States with the most jobs

  1. California8,440 jobs$159,100
  2. Virginia3,590 jobs$157,390
  3. Maryland2,870 jobs$145,310
  4. Washington2,050 jobs$202,400
  5. Texas1,960 jobs$121,210

Highest-paying states

  1. Oregon730 jobs$206,220
  2. Washington2,050 jobs$202,400
  3. New York1,950 jobs$181,990
  4. Massachusetts1,760 jobs$170,510
  5. California8,440 jobs$159,100

Metro areas with the most jobs

  1. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV3,420 jobs$161,090
  2. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA2,210 jobs$218,420
  3. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ2,100 jobs$170,890
  4. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA1,680 jobs$121,530
  5. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA1,670 jobs$171,440

Highest-paying metro areas

  1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA2,210 jobs$218,420
  2. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA1,620 jobs$211,270
  3. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA660 jobs$206,220
  4. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA1,670 jobs$171,440
  5. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ2,100 jobs$170,890
All 36 state-level areas (sortable)
Pay by state; select a column heading to sort
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Every job in this pathway

National figures. A field of study leads to several occupations, each with its own pay.

OccupationLowest 10%MedianTop 10%Jobs
Computer and information research scientists —$140,300——
Data scientists —$120,230——
Software developers —$135,980——

"Jobs" counts wage-and-salary jobs in the OEWS survey; it differs from the employment totals in BLS projections. "—": BLS publishes this group as separate occupations; the median shown is the group figure from the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Median pay by industry · computer and information research scientists

  • Federal government$124,870
  • Computer systems design and related services$162,760
  • Research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences$141,830
  • Colleges, universities, and professional schools (state)$85,460
  • Software publishers$211,270
Data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (national, state, metro and nonmetro estimates). How Margdarshan sources its data → · Back to Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning