Computer scientist earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level computer scientist earnings begin at:

$82.06 per hour

$170,680 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level computer scientist earnings begin at:

$74.26 per hour

$154,460 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level computer scientist earnings begin at:

$58.40 per hour

$121,470 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level computer scientist earnings begin at:

$49.42 per hour

$102,790 per year

10th percentile

Starting level computer scientist earnings begin at:

$43.86 per hour

$91,230 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Computer scientist salary by state

State Name Average Salary
Utah $94,700
Oklahoma $93,100
Georgia $92,250
Indiana $85,460
Michigan $82,590
Oregon $206,220
Washington $202,400
New York $181,990
Massachusetts $170,510
New Mexico $165,690
California $159,100
Virginia $157,390
Maryland $145,310
District of Columbia $144,190
New Jersey $140,840
Illinois $136,540
New Hampshire $136,160
Minnesota $135,850
Ohio $135,510
Hawaii $134,350
Nevada $134,310
Colorado $133,160
Connecticut $131,650
Pennsylvania $130,300
Arizona $129,760
North Carolina $128,370
Missouri $127,820
South Carolina $126,980
Rhode Island $121,470
Texas $121,210
Florida $119,810
Alabama $117,870
Louisiana $115,210
Mississippi $109,050
Tennessee $108,830

How do computer scientist salaries compare to similar careers?

Computer scientists earn about the same as related careers in Rhode Island. On average, they make less than software engineers but more than computer hardware engineers.

Career Median Salary
Software engineer salary $131K
Nanotechnology engineer salary $117K
Nanosystems engineer salary $117K
Computer and information research scientist salary $121K
Computer scientist salary $121K
Informatics nurse specialist salary $135K
Systems analyst salary $135K
Computer hardware engineer salary $120K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)