Computer Research Scientist Salary for 2027
Key takeaways
- Computer and information research scientists earned a median of $140,300 a year in May 2025, the highest of the computing occupations compared in this report, and the middle half fell between $103,570 and $188,700. A tenth earned more than $230,630.
- They out-earn software developers by $4,320 at the median, but the comparison has a catch: BLS lists a master’s degree as the typical entry education here, against a bachelor’s for developers. Part of the premium is pay for those extra years of school.
- Where you work moves pay a long way. Among the industries we checked, web search portals, libraries and archives pays the highest median, $222,230, while government (federal, state and local), the largest employer, pays $124,900. Industry research labs tend to pay more than public-sector research.
- Oregon has the highest state median, $206,220, and Michigan the lowest, $82,590. BLS publishes figures for only 35 states, because the occupation is small, and the figures are not adjusted for living costs. Find your state in the state table.
- BLS projects 21.8% growth from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, tied to demand for new technology including artificial intelligence. The field is small, about 2,900 openings a year, so competition for research roles stays strong and a graduate degree is the usual ticket in.
The national picture
Computer and Information Research Scientists, all industries, BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- 10th percentile
- $82,200
- BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual pay
- $140,300
- BLS OEWS, May 2025
- 90th percentile
- $230,630
- BLS OEWS, May 2025
| Percentile | What it means | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | One in ten earn less | $39.52 | $82,200 |
| 25th | A quarter earn less | $49.79 | $103,570 |
| Median | Half earn more, half less | $67.45 | $140,300 |
| 75th | A quarter earn more | $90.72 | $188,700 |
| 90th | One in ten earn more | $110.88 | $230,630 |
The mean, $153,930, sits above the median because a smaller group at the top of the range pulls the average up. For a sense of what most people earn, the median and the middle half, $103,570 to $188,700, are the better guide.
Research scientist or applied scientist? Tech companies use both titles, and BLS counts research roles across them in this one occupation. A role that publishes and sets its own research agenda and one that turns research into product features can sit in the same pay range, though BLS publishes no separate figure for either.
Computer research scientist salary by employer type
National industry-specific medians for computer and information research scientists, BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Government (federal, state and local) employs the most computer and information research scientists among the industries here, 11,100, at a median of $124,900. That is 29.8% of all computer and information research scientists. The highest median belongs to web search portals, libraries and archives, $222,230, and the lowest of these to colleges, universities and professional schools, $85,460.
- Government (federal, state and local) 11,100 employed, 29.8% of the occupation $124,900
- Computer systems design and related services 6,480 employed, 17.4% of the occupation $162,760
- Scientific research and development services 5,660 employed, 15.2% of the occupation $142,740
- Colleges, universities and professional schools 2,780 employed, 7.5% of the occupation $85,460
- Web search portals, libraries and archives 1,330 employed, 3.6% of the occupation $222,230
- Software publishers 1,300 employed, 3.5% of the occupation $211,270
- Architectural, engineering and related services 1,130 employed, 3% of the occupation $134,310
- Management, scientific and technical consulting services 750 employed, 2% of the occupation $128,370
- Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing 690 employed, 1.9% of the occupation $204,510
- Computing infrastructure providers, data processing and web hosting 600 employed, 1.6% of the occupation $196,770
Computer research scientist salary by state
Median annual pay, employment and location quotient in every state BLS publishes, BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Oregon pays the highest state median, $206,220, 47% above the national figure, and Michigan the lowest, $82,590. California employs the most computer and information research scientists, 8,440. Search for your state, or sort by any column.
| vs national median | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $206,220+47% | $199,439 | 730 | 1.54 | |
| Washington | $202,400+44% | $189,159 | 2,050 | 2.41 | |
| New York | $181,990+30% | $168,665 | 1,950 | 0.84 | |
| Massachusetts | $170,510+22% | $161,163 | 1,760 | 2.03 | |
| New Mexico | $165,690+18% | $179,707 | 490 | 2.36 | |
| California | $159,100+13% | $143,722 | 8,440 | 1.94 | |
| Virginia | $157,390+12% | $155,678 | 3,590 | 3.65 | |
| Maryland | $145,310+4% | $138,390 | 2,870 | 4.33 | |
| District of Columbia | $144,190+3% | $131,201 | 330 | 1.97 | |
| New Jersey | $140,8400% | $129,449 | 1,580 | 1.54 | |
| Illinois | $136,540−3% | $136,540 | 630 | 0.43 | |
| New Hampshire | $136,160−3% | $130,672 | 90 | 0.57 | |
| Minnesota | $135,850−3% | $137,779 | 30 | 0.05 | |
| Ohio | $135,510−3% | $146,024 | 280 | 0.21 | |
| Hawaii | $134,350−4% | $122,136 | 70 | 0.46 | |
| Nevada | $134,310−4% | $134,310 | 80 | 0.22 | |
| Colorado | $133,160−5% | $129,156 | 400 | 0.59 | |
| Connecticut | $131,650−6% | $127,075 | – | – | |
| Pennsylvania | $130,300−7% | $133,504 | 330 | 0.23 | |
| Arizona | $129,760−8% | $128,858 | 360 | 0.46 | |
| North Carolina | $128,370−9% | $136,129 | 600 | 0.50 | |
| Missouri | $127,820−9% | $140,771 | 230 | 0.33 | |
| South Carolina | $126,980−9% | $135,518 | 430 | 0.78 | |
| Rhode Island | $121,470−13% | $118,739 | 500 | 4.20 | |
| Texas | $121,210−14% | $124,830 | 1,960 | 0.58 | |
| Florida | $119,810−15% | $115,870 | 1,070 | 0.45 | |
| Alabama | $117,870−16% | $132,736 | 570 | 1.13 | |
| Louisiana | $115,210−18% | $130,624 | 140 | 0.30 | |
| Mississippi | $109,050−22% | $125,345 | 300 | 1.07 | |
| Tennessee | $108,830−22% | $118,422 | – | – | |
| Utah | $94,700−33% | $95,753 | 1,250 | 3.00 | |
| Oklahoma | $93,100−34% | $106,036 | 590 | 1.44 | |
| Georgia | $92,250−34% | $95,794 | 810 | 0.69 | |
| Indiana | $85,460−39% | $91,597 | 720 | 0.94 | |
| Michigan | $82,590−41% | $85,852 | 530 | 0.50 | |
| Idaho | – | – | 70 | 0.35 |
No state matches.
Computer and Information Research Scientists, BLS OEWS, May 2025. Location quotient: the state’s share of employment in this job divided by the national share; above 1.00 means the job is more concentrated there than nationally. – means no published figure.
A higher median does not always mean more money left over, because prices differ between states. The price-adjusted column divides each state’s median by its all-items Regional Price Parity from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024, US = 100), which puts every state’s median in national-average prices. Adjusted that way, Oregon comes out highest, at $199,439.
What moves your pay
Each lever is the gap between two published medians, BLS OEWS, May 2025, ranked by size. Places run lowest to highest.
BLS does not publish pay by years of experience or by degree for computer and information research scientists, so this ranking uses the gaps it does publish: between places, between employers and between occupations. Each is a gap between two medians, not a raise anyone is promised.
- L1 +$136,770
Which industry employs you
Among the 10 largest employing industries, Colleges, universities and professional schools $85,460 to Web search portals, libraries and archives $222,230
- L2 +$123,630
Which state you work in
Among the 35 states (District of Columbia included) with a published median, Michigan $82,590 to Oregon $206,220
- L3 +$34,840
Moving into management
National medians, Computer and Information Research Scientists $140,300 to Computer and Information Systems Managers $175,140
How to raise your pay
What the figures above suggest, in order of how much they move the numbers.
- Know your market before you negotiate. Check your state above, and compare an offer with the local median rather than the national one.
- Weigh the employer type. Among the industries we checked, web search portals, libraries and archives pays the highest median, $222,230, against $140,300 nationally.Government (federal, state and local) employs the most and pays $124,900, often with stability and benefits the private side doesn’t match.
- Build a public record. Papers, open-source research code and talks are how research hiring teams judge candidates. This is our reading of how the field hires, not a BLS figure.
- Plan the degree around its cost. A master’s is the typical way in. Compare tuition and graduation rates in our master’s ranking, and ask doctoral programs how they fund students.
How computer research scientist pay compares
National medians for related BLS occupations, BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Among closely related computer occupations, computer and information research scientists have the highest median, $140,300, and web developers the lowest, $92,650. Computer and information research scientists sit at $140,300, the highest of the 9.
- Computer and Information Research Scientists 21.8% projected change, 2025-35 $140,300
- Software Developers 10.2% projected change, 2025-35 $135,980
- Information Security Analysts 21% projected change, 2025-35 $129,180
- Data Scientists 34.6% projected change, 2025-35 $120,230
- Computer Systems Analysts 7.9% projected change, 2025-35 $105,850
- Database Administrators -0.1% projected change, 2025-35 $104,620
- Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers 5.7% projected change, 2025-35 $104,300
- Computer Programmers -7.3% projected change, 2025-35 $100,390
- Web Developers 3.8% projected change, 2025-35 $92,650
Job outlook
BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35.
BLS projects computer and information research scientists employment to rise from 38,600 in 2025 to 47,000 in 2035, a gain of 8,400 jobs. Growth is only part of the story: new jobs average about 840 a year, about 29% of the 2,900 openings a year; the rest open when people retire, change occupations or leave the workforce.
Among the related occupations above, data scientists have the fastest projected growth, 34.6%. A projection is a model of the next decade, not a promise, and BLS revises it every year.
Keep reading
- Software Engineer Salary The software developer pay report, by state, metro and industry.
- Data Scientist Salary Pay for the applied side of data and machine learning work.
- Software Engineering Master’s Programs Master’s programs scored on tuition, size, research activity and ABET status.
- Computer Research Scientist Career Guide What the job involves and the graduate path in.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a computer research scientist make?
Computer and information research scientists earned a median of $140,300 a year in May 2025, or $67.45 an hour. The 10th percentile was $82,200 and the 90th was $230,630.
Do computer scientists make more than software engineers?
On BLS’s national figures, yes. Computer and information research scientists had a median of $140,300 in May 2025, $4,320 more than the $135,980 for software developers, the occupation that includes software engineers. Most research roles also ask for a graduate degree.
What is the hourly pay for a computer research scientist?
The national median was $67.45 an hour in May 2025, with a 10th percentile of $39.52 and a 90th of $110.88.
Which state pays computer research scientists the most?
Oregon, with a median of $206,220 in May 2025. 10 of the 35 states BLS publishes sit above the national $140,300.
Which state employs the most computer research scientists?
California, with 8,440 in May 2025. By location quotient, which compares a state’s share of these jobs with the national share, Maryland, Rhode Island and Virginia are the most concentrated.
Which industries pay computer research scientists the most?
Among the 24 industries we checked in BLS data, web search portals, libraries and archives has the highest median, $222,230. Government (federal, state and local) employs the most, 11,100.
Do you need a PhD to earn a research scientist salary?
BLS lists a master’s degree as the typical entry education. BLS publishes no pay by degree, so this page can’t say how much a doctorate adds; many research roles that set their own agenda do ask for one.
What do entry-level computer research scientists make?
BLS does not publish pay by experience. Its 10th and 25th percentiles, $82,200 and $103,570, show the lower part of the range; it is an inference, not a published figure, that many first research jobs fall there.
References
Every figure on this page comes from one of these, read by the site’s data scripts and computed at build time, never typed in.
- 1 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: national and state Computer and information research scientists: employment, annual median and 10th to 90th percentiles, national and by state. The national row is cross-checked against the BLS API. Read .
- 2 BLS OEWS May 2025, via api.bls.gov: hourly, location quotient and industry series Hourly percentiles, location quotient by state, and national industry-specific employment and medians for computer and information research scientists (24 industries checked).
- 3 BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35 Projected employment change and annual openings, 2025 to 2035, for computer and information research scientists and the related occupations compared here.
- 4 U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by State (SARPP), 2024 All-items Regional Price Parity by state (US = 100), used for the price-adjusted column in the state table.
- 5 BLS Employment Projections, occupation tables 1.2, 1.10 and 1.12, 2025-35 Table 1.2, typical entry education, and table 1.12, BLS’s stated factor behind the projected growth for computer and information research scientists.