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Senior computer scientist salary
Average senior computer scientist salary
$139,644
Understanding the Senior Computer Scientist Salary
The average senior computer scientist salary stands at $139,644 annually, translating to about $67 per hour. This figure reflects the demand for skilled professionals in the tech industry, where senior computer scientists play vital roles in software development, systems analysis, and project management.
Salary Insights by Location
Salaries can differ based on geographic location, with states like California and New York offering higher compensation due to the cost of living and demand for tech talent. For instance, the highest paying states for senior computer scientists include:
- California
- Washington
- New York
- Massachusetts
In addition to location, factors such as years of experience and specific technical skills can further influence salary ranges. Professionals with advanced expertise in areas like artificial intelligence, machine learning, or cybersecurity often command salaries at the higher end of the spectrum.
Career Advancement Opportunities
As organizations continue to embrace technology, the need for senior computer scientists will grow, providing numerous job opportunities. By staying updated with industry trends and enhancing their skill set, professionals can position themselves for lucrative roles across various sectors.
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Where can a Senior Computer Scientist earn more?
Senior computer scientist salary estimates from across the web
Average senior computer scientist salary by state
The average senior computer scientist salary in Washington, California, and Oregon are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior computer scientist salary states are Illinois, Alabama, and Mississippi.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior computer scientists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $171,079 | $82.25 |
| 2 | Alaska | $156,394 | $75.19 |
| 3 | California | $162,746 | $78.24 |
| 4 | Oregon | $161,349 | $77.57 |
| 5 | Idaho | $145,340 | $69.88 |
| 6 | Delaware | $130,333 | $62.66 |
| 7 | Virginia | $131,844 | $63.39 |
| 8 | Utah | $126,387 | $60.76 |
| 9 | Nevada | $129,745 | $62.38 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $124,788 | $59.99 |
| 11 | Minnesota | $127,691 | $61.39 |
| 12 | Maryland | $126,424 | $60.78 |
| 13 | Arizona | $125,762 | $60.46 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $127,994 | $61.54 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $125,136 | $60.16 |
| 16 | Tennessee | $125,962 | $60.56 |
| 17 | New Mexico | $121,233 | $58.29 |
| 18 | Texas | $123,671 | $59.46 |
| 19 | Hawaii | $131,071 | $63.01 |
| 20 | Connecticut | $123,295 | $59.28 |
| 21 | Ohio | $123,025 | $59.15 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $120,496 | $57.93 |
| 23 | Vermont | $120,714 | $58.04 |
| 24 | South Dakota | $115,623 | $55.59 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $120,181 | $57.78 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $117,577 | $56.53 |
| 27 | West Virginia | $118,573 | $57.01 |
| 28 | New York | $121,027 | $58.19 |
| 29 | Montana | $117,347 | $56.42 |
| 30 | Maine | $118,292 | $56.87 |
| 31 | Kentucky | $118,617 | $57.03 |
| 32 | Colorado | $118,922 | $57.17 |
| 33 | Wyoming | $109,429 | $52.61 |
| 34 | Georgia | $116,493 | $56.01 |
| 35 | Michigan | $114,716 | $55.15 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $111,768 | $53.73 |
| 37 | North Dakota | $107,649 | $51.75 |
| 38 | Massachusetts | $117,013 | $56.26 |
| 39 | Indiana | $114,804 | $55.19 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $112,890 | $54.27 |
| 41 | Arkansas | $109,861 | $52.82 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $109,817 | $52.80 |
| 43 | Illinois | $107,223 | $51.55 |
| 44 | Missouri | $109,263 | $52.53 |
| 45 | Alabama | $106,444 | $51.17 |
| 46 | Florida | $112,483 | $54.08 |
| 47 | Kansas | $103,954 | $49.98 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $108,577 | $52.20 |
| 49 | Iowa | $104,384 | $50.18 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $104,675 | $50.32 |
| 51 | Nebraska | $104,046 | $50.02 |
Highest paying cities for senior computer scientists
The highest-paying cities for senior computer scientists are Seattle, WA, San Francisco, CA, and Hillsboro, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle, WA | $173,760 | $83.54 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $169,933 | $81.70 |
| 3 | Hillsboro, OR | $162,827 | $78.28 |
| 4 | Arlington, VA | $133,411 | $64.14 |
| 5 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $131,367 | $63.16 |
| 6 | Washington, DC | $128,036 | $61.56 |
| 7 | Annapolis, MD | $126,499 | $60.82 |
| 8 | Lehi, UT | $125,990 | $60.57 |
| 9 | Jersey City, NJ | $125,262 | $60.22 |
| 10 | San Antonio, TX | $124,901 | $60.05 |
| 11 | Erie, PA | $123,886 | $59.56 |
| 12 | Albuquerque, NM | $121,397 | $58.36 |
| 13 | New York, NY | $121,015 | $58.18 |
| 14 | Boulder, CO | $118,852 | $57.14 |
| 15 | Boston, MA | $117,096 | $56.30 |
| 16 | Charlotte, NC | $116,456 | $55.99 |
| 17 | West Lafayette, IN | $114,765 | $55.18 |
| 18 | Jacksonville, FL | $110,918 | $53.33 |
| 19 | Saint Louis, MO | $108,886 | $52.35 |
| 20 | North Chicago, IL | $107,850 | $51.85 |
Senior computer scientist salary details
A senior computer scientist's salary ranges from $102,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $190,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior computer scientist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $190,000 | $15,833 | $91 |
| 75th Percentile | $164,000 | $13,667 | $79 |
| Average | $139,644 | $11,637 | $67 |
| 25th Percentile | $118,000 | $9,833 | $57 |
| 10th Percentile | $102,000 | $8,500 | $49 |
Highest paying senior computer scientist jobs
The highest paying types of senior computer scientists are software engineer lead, senior data scientist, and senior systems software engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research And Development Internship | $38,489 | $3,207 | $18.50 | 154,854 |
| Software Systems Engineer | $107,102 | $8,925 | $51.49 | 370,518 |
| Software Engineer Lead | $125,565 | $10,464 | $60.37 | 342,462 |
| Scientist | $97,344 | $8,112 | $46.80 | 62,467 |
| Data Scientist | $106,104 | $8,842 | $51.01 | 106,973 |
| Information Scientist | $92,789 | $7,732 | $44.61 | 101,692 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for senior computer scientists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Sheldon Logan Ph.D.
Top companies hiring senior computer scientists now:
Which companies pay senior computer scientists the most?
Senior computer scientist salaries at NVIDIA and ZEFR are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior computer scientist salary at companies like Ferring Pharmaceuticals and Neon Therapeutics are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NVIDIA | $161,317 | $77.56 |
| 2 | ZEFR | $151,314 | $72.75 |
| 3 | Ferring Pharmaceuticals | $150,164 | $72.19 |
| 4 | Neon Therapeutics | $149,205 | $71.73 |
| 5 | Enel X | $149,058 | $71.66 |
| 6 | Intrepid Solutions and Services | $148,790 | $71.53 |
| 7 | Enlitic | $148,733 | $71.51 |
| 8 | Univ. Of Texas Cancer Ctr. | $148,622 | $71.45 |
| 9 | Prescient Edge | $148,536 | $71.41 |
| 10 | MAG Aerospace | $147,903 | $71.11 |
| 11 | Tesla | $147,155 | $70.75 |
| 12 | Red 5 Studios | $144,640 | $69.54 |
| 13 | Peraton | $143,610 | $69.04 |
| 14 | Amazon | $142,881 | $68.69 |
| 15 | Idaho National Lab | $142,578 | $68.55 |
| 16 | Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | $142,476 | $68.50 |
| 17 | Theranos | $142,233 | $68.38 |
| 18 | Genentech | $138,669 | $66.67 |
| 19 | Intellia Therapeutics | $135,420 | $65.11 |
| 20 | Adobe | $132,864 | $63.88 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior computer scientist salary trends
The average senior computer scientist salary has risen by $26,938 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior computer scientist earned $112,706 annually, but today, they earn $139,644 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for senior computer scientists over the last decade.
Compare senior computer scientist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior computer scientist salary over time
Compare senior computer scientist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior computer scientist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $140,000 | $67.14 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $135,000 | $64.92 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $132,000 | $63.45 | +3.3% |
| 2022 | $128,000 | $61.39 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $125,000 | $59.95 | +1.1% |
Recently added senior computer scientist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leidos | Senior Computer Scientist | Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD | 06/25/2025 | $126,100 |
| The University of Chicago | Senior Computational Research Scientist | Chicago, IL | 06/20/2025 | $100,000 |
| Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals | Scientist/Senior Scientist, Computational Drug Design | San Diego, CA | 06/16/2025 | $125,000 |
| Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals | Scientist/Senior Scientist, Computational Chemistry/Machine Learning | Madison, WI | 06/14/2025 | $120,000 |
| Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. | Computer Scientist, Senior | Washington, DC | 06/12/2025 | $99,000 |
| SES | Senior Computational Materials Scientist | Woburn, MA | 06/09/2025 | $150,000 |
| CGI | Senior Computer Scientist | Winchester, VA | 06/04/2025 | $78,400 |
| The University of Chicago | Senior Computational Research Scientist | Chicago, IL | 05/27/2025 | $100,000 |
| Bestgate Engineering | Cleared Senior Computer Scientist | Laurel, MD | 05/24/2025 | $185,000 |
| Huntington Ingalls Industries | SR. Computer Scientist | Fort Meade, MD | 05/23/2025 | $138,000 |
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