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The average salary for a Scientific Programmer is approximately $83,969 annually. This figure can vary based on factors such as experience, location, and the specific industry. For instance, those working in biotechnology tend to earn higher than those in academia.
States like California and Massachusetts offer some of the highest salaries for Scientific Programmers, reflecting the demand for skilled professionals in tech-driven environments. Additionally, advanced experience can significantly boost earning potential, with senior roles commanding salaries well over $100,000.
Scientific Programmers are crucial in various sectors, including healthcare, environmental science, and engineering. Understanding the salary landscape can help job seekers target their applications effectively and negotiate better compensation packages.
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The average scientific programmer salary in California, Washington, and Connecticut are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average scientific programmer salary states are Georgia, Iowa, and Arkansas.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $109,147 | $52.47 |
| 2 | California | $109,934 | $52.85 |
| 3 | Oregon | $97,227 | $46.74 |
| 4 | Virginia | $96,747 | $46.51 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $90,104 | $43.32 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $97,258 | $46.76 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | $93,603 | $45.00 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $99,503 | $47.84 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $97,649 | $46.95 |
| 10 | Utah | $86,349 | $41.51 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $89,288 | $42.93 |
| 12 | Michigan | $92,132 | $44.29 |
| 13 | Vermont | $83,736 | $40.26 |
| 14 | Arizona | $86,546 | $41.61 |
| 15 | Alaska | $93,883 | $45.14 |
| 16 | Delaware | $82,707 | $39.76 |
| 17 | Nevada | $84,502 | $40.63 |
| 18 | Colorado | $84,087 | $40.43 |
| 19 | Idaho | $78,607 | $37.79 |
| 20 | Maine | $82,126 | $39.48 |
| 21 | North Carolina | $77,745 | $37.38 |
| 22 | Maryland | $80,540 | $38.72 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $80,147 | $38.53 |
| 24 | North Dakota | $78,281 | $37.64 |
| 25 | Texas | $76,888 | $36.97 |
| 26 | New Jersey | $78,331 | $37.66 |
| 27 | South Carolina | $80,662 | $38.78 |
| 28 | New York | $79,677 | $38.31 |
| 29 | Alabama | $76,078 | $36.58 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $76,014 | $36.55 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $74,937 | $36.03 |
| 32 | Kansas | $73,876 | $35.52 |
| 33 | Illinois | $73,715 | $35.44 |
| 34 | Ohio | $73,365 | $35.27 |
| 35 | Nebraska | $72,855 | $35.03 |
| 36 | Montana | $72,177 | $34.70 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $71,415 | $34.33 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $75,620 | $36.36 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $71,253 | $34.26 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $73,125 | $35.16 |
| 41 | West Virginia | $70,718 | $34.00 |
| 42 | Florida | $70,256 | $33.78 |
| 43 | Georgia | $69,885 | $33.60 |
| 44 | Missouri | $71,750 | $34.50 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $70,516 | $33.90 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $70,561 | $33.92 |
| 47 | Indiana | $65,834 | $31.65 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $68,819 | $33.09 |
| 49 | Iowa | $69,434 | $33.38 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $58,173 | $27.97 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $64,906 | $31.20 |
The highest-paying cities for scientific programmers are Newark, CA, Providence, RI, and Wellesley, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newark, CA | $122,819 | $59.05 |
| 2 | Providence, RI | $90,123 | $43.33 |
| 3 | Wellesley, MA | $89,333 | $42.95 |
| 4 | Silver Spring, MD | $80,477 | $38.69 |
| 5 | Minneapolis, MN | $80,207 | $38.56 |
| 6 | New York, NY | $79,946 | $38.44 |
| 7 | Raleigh, NC | $79,139 | $38.05 |
| 8 | Rahway, NJ | $78,347 | $37.67 |
| 9 | Lawton, OK | $78,059 | $37.53 |
| 10 | Dallas, TX | $77,199 | $37.11 |
| 11 | Huntsville, AL | $77,165 | $37.10 |
| 12 | Chicago, IL | $73,894 | $35.53 |
| 13 | Lincoln, NE | $72,744 | $34.97 |
| 14 | Orlando, FL | $72,252 | $34.74 |
| 15 | Albuquerque, NM | $71,416 | $34.33 |
| 16 | Hilo, HI | $56,637 | $27.23 |
A scientific programmer's salary ranges from $57,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $122,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $122,000 | $10,167 | $59 |
| 75th Percentile | $102,000 | $8,500 | $49 |
| Average | $83,969 | $6,997 | $40 |
| 25th Percentile | $68,000 | $5,667 | $33 |
| 10th Percentile | $57,000 | $4,750 | $27 |
The highest paying types of scientific programmers are lead programmer, software development engineer, and senior programmer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Engineer | $96,805 | $8,067 | $46.54 | 126,709 |
| Web Design/Development | $69,901 | $5,825 | $33.61 | 184,573 |
| PHP Developer | $91,010 | $7,584 | $43.75 | 166,706 |
| Software Engineer | $100,260 | $8,355 | $48.20 | 339,938 |
| Software Development Engineer | $109,147 | $9,096 | $52.47 | 356,971 |
| Web Developer | $78,975 | $6,581 | $37.97 | 227,881 |
Top companies hiring scientific programmers now:
Scientific programmer salaries at Tech Data and Booz Allen Hamilton are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average scientific programmer salary at companies like Merck and North Star Imaging are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tech Data | $109,199 | $52.50 |
| 2 | Booz Allen Hamilton | $97,037 | $46.65 |
| 3 | Merck | $96,402 | $46.35 |
| 4 | North Star Imaging | $91,108 | $43.80 |
| 5 | Cyberdata Technologies | $90,194 | $43.36 |
| 6 | Clario | $89,489 | $43.02 |
| 7 | Ukpeagvik IOoOupiat Corporation | $88,144 | $42.38 |
| 8 | SAIC | $88,017 | $42.32 |
| 9 | Jacobs Engineering Group | $87,280 | $41.96 |
| 10 | LTC Solutions | $86,750 | $41.71 |
| 11 | Jacobs Enterprises | $86,528 | $41.60 |
| 12 | Wyle | $86,522 | $41.60 |
| 13 | Science | $86,522 | $41.60 |
| 14 | Integrated Statistics | $86,296 | $41.49 |
| 15 | Amarex Clinical Research | $85,793 | $41.25 |
| 16 | Peraton | $85,754 | $41.23 |
| 17 | Mission Critical Partners | $84,940 | $40.84 |
| 18 | GC Services Limited Partnership | $84,087 | $40.43 |
| 19 | The Research Corporation of the University of Hawai'i | $83,542 | $40.16 |
| 20 | California Institute of Technology | $82,919 | $39.86 |
The average scientific programmer salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Retail | $105,665 | $50.80 |
| 2 | Technology | $85,469 | $41.09 |
| 3 | Professional | $84,510 | $40.63 |
| 4 | Education | $71,487 | $34.37 |
The average scientific programmer salary has risen by $15,576 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average scientific programmer earned $68,393 annually, but today, they earn $83,969 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for scientific programmers over the last decade.
Compare scientific programmer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare scientific programmer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $84,000 | $40.37 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $81,200 | $39.04 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $79,400 | $38.16 | +2.4% |
| 2022 | $77,400 | $37.23 | +2.9% |
| 2021 | $75,200 | $36.15 | +0.4% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERT | Scientific Programmer | Berwyn Heights, MD | 06/27/2025 | $68,000 |
| Bayside Solutions | Scientific Programmer, Computational Chemistry | Fremont, CA | 04/24/2025 | $118,600 |
| Insight Global | Scientific Programmer (AWS Migrations) | Silver Spring, MD | 02/25/2025 | $83,480 |
| Gama1Tech | Scientific Programmer III | Maryland | 02/17/2025 | $111,447 |
| University of Minnesota | Junior Scientific Programmer/Data Scientist | Minneapolis, MN | 02/12/2025 | $60,000 |
| University of Minnesota | Scientific Programmer/Data Scientist | Minneapolis, MN | 01/20/2025 | $80,000 |
| Gama-1 Technologies | Scientific Programmer II | Silver Spring, MD | 01/13/2025 | $99,888 |
| H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Inc. | Cdsc Scientific Programmer | Tampa, FL | 01/03/2025 | $100,485 |
| The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston | Scientific Programmer II | Houston, TX | 12/17/2024 | $103,210 |
| UNM Group | Student Scientific Programmer | Albuquerque, NM | 12/12/2024 | $29,218 |
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