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Computer scientist salary
Average computer scientist salary
$103,238
Average Computer Scientist Salary
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Computer Scientist stands at $103,238 per year. This figure can vary based on several factors, including geographic location and years of experience. For instance, states like California and Washington tend to offer higher salaries, reflecting the high demand for tech talent in these regions.
Salary by Experience Level
Entry-level positions typically start around $70,000, while seasoned professionals with significant experience may earn over $130,000 annually. Specializations in areas like machine learning or artificial intelligence can further increase earning potential.
Job Opportunities
Many industries require Computer Scientists, including finance, healthcare, and technology. The growing reliance on data-driven decision-making continues to fuel job openings. Explore job listings on Zippia to discover roles that match your skills and salary expectations.
Conclusion
Understanding the salary landscape for Computer Scientists can help you make informed career choices. By considering factors such as geography and specialization, you can better assess your earning potential and pursue opportunities that align with your aspirations.
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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
The highest-paying states for computer scientists are California, Washington, and Oregon. The lowest average computer scientist salary states are Mississippi, Iowa, and Wyoming.
- State view
- County view
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedars-Sinai | Postdoctoral Scientist-Urbanowicz Lab-Computational Biomedicine | Sacramento, CA | 06/30/2025 | $62,400 |
| The University of Chicago | Computational Scientist, Quantum Science | Chicago, IL | 06/30/2025 | $80,750 |
| Synergy Ecp | Cryptanalytic Computer Scientist | Columbia, MD | 06/29/2025 | $100,000 |
| Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. | Computer Scientist | Washington, DC | 06/26/2025 | $99,000 |
| Intelligenesis LLC | Cryptanalytic Computer Scientist 4 | Annapolis, MD | 06/26/2025 | $85,184 |
| Clear Resolution Consulting | Computer Scientist, Mid | Washington, DC | 06/25/2025 | $82,000 |
| Quantinuum | Quantum Computing Scientist | Broomfield, CO | 06/24/2025 | $115,000 |
| Uchicago Argonne | Assistant Computational Scientist: AI for Bragg Diffraction Imaging | Lemont, IL | 06/20/2025 | $90,063 |
| Argonne National Laboratory | Assistant Computational Scientist: AI for Bragg Diffraction Imaging | Lemont, IL | 06/20/2025 | $90,063 |
| The University of Alabama In Huntsville | Computer Scientist I, S2 | Alabama | 06/18/2025 | $55,652 |
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