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Computational linguist salary

Average computational linguist salary

$79,804

$38.37 hourly rate

Entry-level computational linguist salary
$52,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding the Role of a Computational Linguist

A computational linguist specializes in the intersection of linguistics and computer science, working on projects that involve language processing technologies. The average salary for computational linguists is approximately $79,804 per year, reflecting the demand for their skills in diverse sectors, including technology, academia, and government.

Salary Insights by Geography

Geographical location significantly influences salary. For instance, computational linguists in states like California and Washington often earn higher wages than those in other regions. This variance underscores the importance of considering location when evaluating job opportunities.

Career Growth and Opportunities

With experience, salaries can increase, and specialized roles may offer even higher compensation. Positions such as senior computational linguist or roles in machine learning frequently command salaries exceeding the average. Additionally, the demand for skills in natural language processing continues to grow, presenting new avenues for career advancement.

Conclusion

As technology advances, the role of the computational linguist becomes increasingly vital. Staying informed about industry trends and salary expectations can significantly enhance your career trajectory.

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Where can a Computational Linguist earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
126k
106k
86k
66k
46k
Columbus, OH$106,464
Bismarck, ND$75,662
Compare salary by company
Vs
174k
154k
134k
114k
94k
74k
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Apple$144,441
JTG$84,376

Computational linguist salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, SalaryExpert, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a computational linguist typically falls between $74,727 and $137,608.
zippia
$79,804yearly
glassdoor[1]
$137,608yearly
comparably[2]
$98,659yearly
Salary.com[3]
$110,477yearly
payscale[4]
$90,000yearly
SalaryExpert[5]
$74,727yearly

Average computational linguist salary by state

The average computational linguist salary in California, Alaska, and Oregon are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average computational linguist salary states are Wyoming, Idaho, and Mississippi.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for computational linguists

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1California$102,514$49.29
2Massachusetts$90,579$43.55
3Pennsylvania$88,398$42.50
4Oregon$93,527$44.96
5Maine$83,256$40.03
6Maryland$91,053$43.78
7Alaska$93,668$45.03
8Rhode Island$89,853$43.20
9Virginia$85,304$41.01
10Connecticut$90,389$43.46
11Vermont$85,251$40.99
12Arizona$83,949$40.36
13Michigan$77,484$37.25
14New York$85,163$40.94
15North Carolina$80,133$38.53
16Washington$81,513$39.19
17District of Columbia$82,920$39.87
18Texas$78,792$37.88
19Delaware$82,889$39.85
20Alabama$77,670$37.34
21Iowa$74,151$35.65
22Oklahoma$75,238$36.17
23Colorado$80,216$38.57
24Tennessee$73,989$35.57
25New Jersey$82,705$39.76
26Utah$73,615$35.39
27New Hampshire$77,185$37.11
28North Dakota$76,355$36.71
29Ohio$74,492$35.81
30Kansas$75,226$36.17
31Georgia$75,082$36.10
32South Carolina$75,843$36.46
33Nevada$76,289$36.68
34Minnesota$74,783$35.95
35South Dakota$73,518$35.35
36Louisiana$72,115$34.67
37Wisconsin$73,188$35.19
38Indiana$72,554$34.88
39West Virginia$70,505$33.90
40Nebraska$72,261$34.74
41Illinois$71,780$34.51
42Kentucky$68,350$32.86
43Missouri$72,305$34.76
44Florida$70,390$33.84
45Idaho$65,946$31.70
46Mississippi$65,886$31.68
47Hawaii$57,826$27.80
48Arkansas$64,505$31.01
49New Mexico$68,474$32.92
50Wyoming$66,572$32.01
51Montana$63,020$30.30

Highest paying cities for computational linguists

The highest-paying cities for computational linguists are Mountain View, CA, Salem, OR, and Annapolis, MD.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Mountain View, CA$106,464$51.18
2Salem, OR$93,763$45.08
3Annapolis, MD$91,104$43.80
4Boston, MA$90,585$43.55
5Hartford, CT$90,511$43.51
6Providence, RI$89,835$43.19
7Pittsburgh, PA$86,417$41.55
8New York, NY$85,190$40.96
9Richmond, VA$85,103$40.91
10Phoenix, AZ$84,103$40.43
11Dover, DE$82,696$39.76
12Olympia, WA$82,591$39.71
13Raleigh, NC$81,225$39.05
14Denver, CO$80,209$38.56
15Austin, TX$79,643$38.29
16Montgomery, AL$77,409$37.22
17Concord, NH$77,039$37.04
18Lansing, MI$77,026$37.03
19Columbia, SC$76,053$36.56
20Bismarck, ND$75,662$36.38

Computational linguist salary details

A computational linguist's salary ranges from $52,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $122,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average computational linguist salary graph
Average computational linguist salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a computational linguist's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$122,000$10,167$59
75th Percentile$99,000$8,250$48
Average$79,804$6,650$38
25th Percentile$63,000$5,250$30
10th Percentile$52,000$4,333$25

Highest paying computational linguist jobs

The highest paying types of computational linguists are lead programmer, abap-developer, and senior programmer.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Software Programmer$71,612$5,968$34.43253,235
Systems Programmer$96,017$8,001$46.16257,681
Sap/Abap Developer$104,432$8,703$50.2192,478
SAS Programmer$79,182$6,599$38.0724,733
Programmer$73,007$6,084$35.10234,565
Mainframe Developer$90,902$7,575$43.70255,034

Top companies hiring computational linguists now:

  1. Google jobs (9)
  2. Microsoft jobs (4)
  3. Oracle jobs (2)
  4. Intel jobs (10)
  5. IBM jobs (1)

Which companies pay computational linguists the most?

Computational linguist salaries at Apple and Google are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average computational linguist salary at companies like Intel and 3M Company are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Apple$144,441$69.44
2Google$139,353$67.00
3Intel$99,340$47.76
43M Company$86,610$41.64
5SoundHound$85,870$41.28
6English Helpers$85,222$40.97
7NetBase Quid$85,046$40.89
8Voicebox Technologies$84,992$40.86
9JTG$84,376$40.57

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$80,000$78,200$76,400$74,600$72,800$71,000
MaleFemale

Computational linguist salary trends

The average computational linguist salary has risen by $14,803 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average computational linguist earned $65,001 annually, but today, they earn $79,804 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for computational linguists over the last decade.

Compare computational linguist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average computational linguist salary over time

Compare computational linguist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Computational linguist salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$79,800$38.37+3.3%
2024$77,200$37.10+2.3%
2023$75,400$36.26+2.4%
2022$73,600$35.39+2.9%
2021$71,500$34.35+0.4%

Recently added computational linguist salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Jpmorgan Chase & CoComputational Linguist-AssociateWilmington, DE04/23/2025$80,750
Intento, Inc.Computational LinguistCody, WY10/01/2024$111,655
Apple Inc.Aiml-SR Computational Linguist, Siri Conversational IntelligenceCupertino, CA07/18/2024$143,100
Roku, Inc.Senior Computational LinguistBellevue, WA04/10/2024$201,450
Google LLCComputational LinguistMountain View, CA02/06/2024$196,000
Google LLCComputational LinguistMountain View, CA02/06/2024$196,000
Google LLCComputational LinguistMountain View, CA11/29/2023$196,000
Google LLCComputational LinguistMountain View, CA11/29/2023$196,000
Google LLCComputational LinguistMountain View, CA11/29/2023$196,000
ADPComputational LinguistAlbany, NY11/08/2023$75,600

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