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Computer Scientist salary
Average computer scientist salary
$103,238
How much does a computer scientist make?
The average computer scientist salary in the United States is $103,238. Computer scientist salaries typically range between $74,000 and $144,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for computer scientists is $49.63 per hour.
Computer scientist salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Computer scientists earn the highest average salary in California.
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Where can a Computer Scientist earn more?
Computer Scientist salary estimates from across the web
Average computer scientist salary by state
Highest paying states for computer scientists
Rank  | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $117,530 | $56.50 |
| 2 | California | $126,688 | $60.91 |
| 3 | Oregon | $115,892 | $55.72 |
| 4 | Idaho | $100,313 | $48.23 |
| 5 | Delaware | $95,894 | $46.10 |
| 6 | Alaska | $97,171 | $46.72 |
| 7 | Nevada | $97,892 | $47.06 |
| 8 | New Mexico | $90,672 | $43.59 |
| 9 | New York | $97,041 | $46.65 |
| 10 | Texas | $94,864 | $45.61 |
| 11 | Tennessee | $95,341 | $45.84 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $91,683 | $44.08 |
| 13 | Virginia | $92,168 | $44.31 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $93,019 | $44.72 |
| 15 | Maryland | $92,733 | $44.58 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $93,782 | $45.09 |
| 17 | Arizona | $92,097 | $44.28 |
| 18 | Illinois | $91,262 | $43.88 |
| 19 | Utah | $89,733 | $43.14 |
| 20 | Ohio | $91,018 | $43.76 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $91,906 | $44.19 |
| 22 | Massachusetts | $91,708 | $44.09 |
| 23 | South Dakota | $84,116 | $40.44 |
| 24 | Connecticut | $90,003 | $43.27 |
| 25 | North Carolina | $87,156 | $41.90 |
| 26 | Rhode Island | $87,045 | $41.85 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $89,222 | $42.90 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $87,742 | $42.18 |
| 29 | Georgia | $88,225 | $42.42 |
| 30 | New Hampshire | $84,793 | $40.77 |
| 31 | Indiana | $86,102 | $41.40 |
| 32 | Hawaii | $84,988 | $40.86 |
| 33 | Michigan | $83,952 | $40.36 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $82,327 | $39.58 |
| 35 | Vermont | $82,372 | $39.60 |
| 36 | Colorado | $85,500 | $41.11 |
| 37 | Louisiana | $84,650 | $40.70 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $83,306 | $40.05 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $82,287 | $39.56 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $77,327 | $37.18 |
| 41 | Florida | $83,850 | $40.31 |
| 42 | Montana | $79,780 | $38.36 |
| 43 | Alabama | $80,841 | $38.87 |
| 44 | North Dakota | $77,084 | $37.06 |
| 45 | Missouri | $81,787 | $39.32 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $81,965 | $39.41 |
| 47 | Maine | $80,039 | $38.48 |
| 48 | Kansas | $76,888 | $36.97 |
| 49 | Iowa | $77,410 | $37.22 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $79,115 | $38.04 |
| 51 | Nebraska | $76,344 | $36.70 |
Highest paying cities for computer scientists
The highest-paying cities for computer scientists are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $139,569 | $67.10 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $118,932 | $57.18 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $97,193 | $46.73 |
| 4 | Oak Ridge, TN | $95,647 | $45.98 |
| 5 | San Antonio, TX | $95,224 | $45.78 |
| 6 | Washington, DC | $93,848 | $45.12 |
| 7 | Arlington, VA | $92,933 | $44.68 |
| 8 | Annapolis, MD | $92,784 | $44.61 |
| 9 | Phoenix, AZ | $92,314 | $44.38 |
| 10 | Holyoke, MA | $92,191 | $44.32 |
| 11 | Jersey City, NJ | $92,021 | $44.24 |
| 12 | Chicago, IL | $91,569 | $44.02 |
| 13 | Pittsburgh, PA | $90,071 | $43.30 |
| 14 | Farmington, CT | $89,894 | $43.22 |
| 15 | Lehi, UT | $89,529 | $43.04 |
| 16 | Atlanta, GA | $88,166 | $42.39 |
| 17 | Tampa, FL | $84,444 | $40.60 |
| 18 | Oklahoma City, OK | $82,224 | $39.53 |
| 19 | Saint Louis, MO | $82,073 | $39.46 |
| 20 | Bellevue, NE | $76,438 | $36.75 |
Computer Scientist salary details
A computer scientist's salary ranges from $74,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $144,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a computer scientist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $144,000 | $12,000 | $69 |
| 75th Percentile | $123,000 | $10,250 | $59 |
| Average | $103,238 | $8,603 | $50 |
| 25th Percentile | $86,000 | $7,167 | $41 |
| 10th Percentile | $74,000 | $6,167 | $36 |
Highest paying computer scientist jobs
The highest paying types of computer scientists are senior computer scientist, senior data scientist, and geospatial scientist.
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Systems Engineer | $107,102 | $8,925 | $51.49 | 370,518 |
| Research And Development Internship | $38,489 | $3,207 | $18.50 | 154,854 |
| Computer Systems Analyst | $82,655 | $6,888 | $39.74 | 118,439 |
| Computer Engineer | $96,805 | $8,067 | $46.54 | 126,709 |
| Scientist | $97,344 | $8,112 | $46.80 | 62,467 |
| Information Scientist | $92,789 | $7,732 | $44.61 | 101,692 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for Computer Scientists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Sheldon Logan Ph.D.
Top companies hiring computer scientists now:
Which companies pay computer scientists the most?
Computer scientist salaries at Meta and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average computer scientist salary at companies like PayPal and PARC are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $146,798 | $70.58 |
| 2 | Apple | $146,553 | $70.46 |
| 3 | PayPal | $144,879 | $69.65 |
| 4 | PARC | $138,085 | $66.39 |
| 5 | ICE Mortgage Technology | $138,011 | $66.35 |
| 6 | Bloomberg | $137,813 | $66.26 |
| 7 | $135,961 | $65.37 | |
| 8 | eBay | $131,463 | $63.20 |
| 9 | Intuitive Surgical | $131,306 | $63.13 |
| 10 | LendingClub | $128,959 | $62.00 |
| 11 | BP America Inc | $126,558 | $60.85 |
| 12 | Brocade Services Corporation | $125,672 | $60.42 |
| 13 | Applied Materials | $124,881 | $60.04 |
| 14 | Walmart | $123,763 | $59.50 |
| 15 | Citi | $123,488 | $59.37 |
| 16 | Dolby Laboratories | $123,176 | $59.22 |
| 17 | Lifesize | $123,155 | $59.21 |
| 18 | Boston Consulting Group | $122,164 | $58.73 |
| 19 | Tesla | $122,122 | $58.71 |
| 20 | Populus Group | $122,067 | $58.69 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Computer Scientist salary trends
The average computer scientist salary has risen by $19,914 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average computer scientist earned $83,324 annually, but today, they earn $103,238 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for computer scientists over the last decade.
Compare computer scientist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average computer scientist salary over time
Compare computer scientist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
- National Average
- Columbus, OH
Computer Scientist salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $103,000 | $49.63 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $99,800 | $48.00 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $97,600 | $46.91 | +3.3% |
| 2022 | $94,400 | $45.39 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $92,200 | $44.32 | +1.1% |
Recently added computer scientist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neomorph Inc. | Scientist II, Biomolecular Simulations-Comp Chemistry | San Diego, CA | 12/15/2024 | $134,000 |
| Wyetech, LLC | Cryptanalytic Computer Scientist 2 (Ccas Accepted) | Maryland | 12/15/2024 | $110,256 |
| Southwest Research Institute | Computer Scientist-Engineer-Research Engineer-Mission Operations | Boulder, CO | 12/14/2024 | $64,459 |
| The University of Alabama In Huntsville | Computer Scientist II Step 4_New Impact | Huntsville, AL | 12/14/2024 | $83,996 |
| Bestgate Engineering | Cleared Computer Scientist-Network Protocols | Laurel, MD | 12/14/2024 | $170,000 |
| Department of Commerce | Computer Scientist | Gaithersburg, MD | 12/12/2024 | $82,764 |
| Us Government Other Agencies and Independent Organizations | Computer Scientist | Washington, DC | 12/12/2024 | $139,395 |
| Jt4, LLC | Computer Scientist I | Palmdale, CA | 12/11/2024 | $115,606 |
| BEPC Inc.-Business Excellence Professional Consulting | Machine Learning and Computational Chemistry Scientist | South San Francisco, CA | 12/11/2024 | $165,624 |
| Department of The Air Force | Computer Scientist-Direct Authority | Boone, CO | 12/11/2024 | $86,962 |
Computer Scientist salary FAQs
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