Computer Scientist: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.
The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.
10% of computer scientists earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $82,200
- Hourly
- $39.52
- Source
- BLS May 2025
25% of computer scientists earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $103,570
- Hourly
- $49.79
- Source
- BLS May 2025
Half of computer scientists earn more than this and half earn less.
- Annual
- $140,300
- Hourly
- $67.45
- Source
- BLS May 2025
75% of computer scientists earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $188,700
- Hourly
- $90.72
- Source
- BLS May 2025
90% of computer scientists earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $230,630
- Hourly
- $110.88
- Source
- BLS May 2025
Computer Scientists conduct research into fundamental computer and information science as theorists, designers, or inventors. The median pay is $140,300 a year ($67.45 an hour) (BLS, May 2025).
- Median pay
- $140,300
- BLS May 2025
- Employed in the U.S.
- 37,200
- BLS May 2025
- Preparation
- Job Zone 5 of 5
- extensive preparation
Data Government data groups this job as Computer and Information Research Scientists (O*NET-SOC 15-1221.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.
Computer Scientists at a glance
Computer and information research scientists in the United States earned a median annual wage of $140,300 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a master's degree as the typical entry-level education for computer and information research scientists in the United States.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS projects employment of computer and information research scientists in the United States to grow 21.8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,900 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS estimated that 37,200 people were employed as computer and information research scientists in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Every page for Computer Scientists
Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.
Open →How to becomeComputer Scientist how to becomeEducation, training and the skills to build first.
Open →Career changeComputer Scientist career changeWhere these skills transfer, with skill match and pay change.
Open →Free toolCheck your resumeParsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.
Open →What computer scientists do day to day
Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).
- Analyze problems to develop solutions involving computer hardware and software.
- Apply theoretical expertise and innovation to create or apply new technology, such as adapting principles for applying computers to new uses.
- Assign or schedule tasks to meet work priorities and goals.
- Meet with managers, vendors, and others to solicit cooperation and resolve problems.
- Design computers and the software that runs them.
- Conduct logical analyses of business, scientific, engineering, and other technical problems, formulating mathematical models of problems for solution by computers.
- Evaluate project plans and proposals to assess feasibility issues.
- Participate in multidisciplinary projects in areas such as virtual reality, human-computer interaction, or robotics.
Ranked by importance to the job
Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.
Knowledge areas: Computers and Electronics, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology, English Language, Administration and Management, Design.
Software computer scientists use
Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.
- Ansible softwareExpert system softwareIn demand
- Apache HadoopData base management system softwareIn demand
- DockerApplication server softwareIn demand
- GitFile versioning softwareIn demand
- GitHubApplication server softwareIn demand
- Grafana Labs Grafana CloudGraphical user interface development softwareIn demand
- IBM TerraformConfiguration management softwareIn demand
- Jenkins CIEnterprise application integration softwareIn demand
- KubernetesApplication server softwareIn demand
- SnowflakeData mining softwareIn demand
- TensorFlowAnalytical or scientific softwareIn demand
- Amazon Web Services AWS SageMakerCloud-based management softwareIn demand
Also called: Computer Specialist, Control System Computer Scientist, Research Scientist, Scientific Programmer Analyst.
How this page is built
Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.
- How a specific employer defines the job.
- Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
- Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.