Occupation overview

Computer and Information Research Scientists Salary in the United States

The median annual wage for computer and information research scientists is $140,300, or $67.45 per hour. About 37,200 people work in this occupation nationwide. Wages vary substantially by state — from $206,220 in Oregon to $82,590 in Michigan.

Median annual

$140,300

Median hourly

$67.45

Entry level (P10)

$82,200

Top 10% (P90)

$230,630

Employment

37,200

States covered

Wage distribution nationwide

Earnings spread across all U.S. workers in this occupation.

10th percentile90th percentile

$82,200

$103,570

$140,300

$188,700

$82,200$140,300$230,630

Annual wage distribution. Highlighted segment contains the median of $140,300.

Salary by state

All 35 states with published data, ranked by median annual wage.

#	State	Median annual	Median hourly	Employment	Location quotient
1	Oregon	$206,220	$99.15	730	1.54
2	Washington	$202,400	$97.31	2,050	2.41
3	New York	$181,990	$87.50	1,950	0.84
4	Massachusetts	$170,510	$81.97	1,760	2.03
5	New Mexico	$165,690	$79.66	490	2.36
6	California	$159,100	$76.49	8,440	1.94
7	Virginia	$157,390	$75.67	3,590	3.65
8	Maryland	$145,310	$69.86	2,870	4.33
9	District of Columbia	$144,190	$69.32	330	1.97
10	New Jersey	$140,840	$67.71	1,580	1.54
11	Illinois	$136,540	$65.64	630	0.43
12	New Hampshire	$136,160	$65.46	90	0.57
13	Minnesota	$135,850	$65.31	30	0.05
14	Ohio	$135,510	$65.15	280	0.21
15	Hawaii	$134,350	$64.59	70	0.46
16	Nevada	$134,310	$64.57	80	0.22
17	Colorado	$133,160	$64.02	400	0.59
18	Connecticut	$131,650	$63.29	—	—
19	Pennsylvania	$130,300	$62.65	330	0.23
20	Arizona	$129,760	$62.39	360	0.46
21	North Carolina	$128,370	$61.72	600	0.50
22	Missouri	$127,820	$61.45	230	0.33
23	South Carolina	$126,980	$61.05	430	0.78
24	Rhode Island	$121,470	$58.40	500	4.20
25	Texas	$121,210	$58.27	1,960	0.58
26	Florida	$119,810	$57.60	1,070	0.45
27	Alabama	$117,870	$56.67	570	1.13
28	Louisiana	$115,210	$55.39	140	0.30
29	Mississippi	$109,050	$52.43	300	1.07
30	Tennessee	$108,830	$52.32	—	—
31	Utah	$94,700	$45.53	1,250	3.00
32	Oklahoma	$93,100	$44.76	590	1.44
33	Georgia	$92,250	$44.35	810	0.69
34	Indiana	$85,460	$41.09	720	0.94
35	Michigan	$82,590	$39.71	530	0.50

Related occupations

Same job family, ranked by national employment.

Software Developers$135,980 Computer User Support Specialists$61,860 Computer Systems Analysts$105,850 Computer Occupations, All Other$116,580 Network and Computer Systems Administrators$99,130 Data Scientists$120,230

Frequently asked questions

How much do computer and information research scientists make?

The median annual wage for computer and information research scientists in the United States is $140,300, or $67.45 per hour. Entry-level workers (10th percentile) earn $82,200, and the top 10% earn $230,630.

How many computer and information research scientists are employed in the U.S.?

About 37,200 people work as computer and information research scientists nationwide.

Which state pays computer and information research scientists the most?

Oregon pays the most at a median of $206,220, followed by Washington ($202,400) and New York ($181,990).

Which state pays computer and information research scientists the least?

Michigan has the lowest median at $82,590.

Where are computer and information research scientists jobs most concentrated?

The location quotient measures employment concentration relative to the national average. The highest is Maryland at 4.33×.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025. Retrieved 2026-10-26. bls.gov/oes