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Key takeaways

Factors such as industry, experience, training, and location can influence a computer scientist's salary.

• The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports the median annual salary of computer scientists as $140,910, with a range of $80,670 for the lowest 10 percent of wage earners in the field and more than $232,120 for the highest 10 percent [].

• Computer science roles and salaries vary across industries, with job titles including software architect, mobile application developer, information security analyst, web developer, DevOps engineer, software engineer, cybersecurity analyst, and security operations center (SOC) analyst.

• You can earn additional certifications in computer science, which can help you enter specialist positions that often come with a higher earning potential.

Explore computer scientists' salaries and the various factors that can influence them, such as education level, location, and certifications. If you鈥檙e interested in pursuing a career in computer science, consider enrolling in the IBM Full Stack Software Developer Professional Certificate program to build job-ready skills in areas including cloud computing, software architecture, and application deployment. Upon completion, you will earn a shareable career certificate.

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What does a computer scientist do?

Computer scientists are experts in working with computers and technology. They study how data is processed, stored, and communicated in order to apply it to software and programs. Computer and information technology is a fast-growing field, with 317,700 anticipated annual job openings between 2024 and 2034 [].

What jobs are available as a computer scientist?

Computer scientists work as computer hardware engineers in computer programming, research, analytics, and information security, to name a few. Jobs in the computer science field cover a vast spectrum, as technology accounts for such a large part of our lives.

Computer scientists automate systems, create the processes in our smartphones, and fly us to the moon鈥攇iven these accomplishments, the possibilities are nearly endless. Since computers are used in almost every business, typical employers are information technology (IT) service providers. There are opportunities available in IT departments in all major organizations in sectors such as financial services, aerospace and defense, and manufacturing.听

Average computer science salary

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports the median annual salary of computer scientists as $140,910, with a range of $80,670 for the lowest 10 percent of wage earners in the field and more than $232,120 for the highest 10 percent []. According to Glassdoor, the median total pay, which includes base salary and additional pay, such as profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation, for a computer scientist in the US is $187,000, with a range of $146,000 to $242,000 as of October 2025 [].

Here are some other roles and median salaries that computer scientists may work in []:

• Computer programmers: $98,670

• Database architects: $123,100

• Computer systems analysts: $103,790

• Information security analysts: $124,910

• Computer network architects: $130,390

• Computer and information systems managers: $171,200

Read more: Top 5 Entry-Level Computer Science Jobs + How to Get One

Factors affecting salary: What is the salary range for computer science?

Several factors, such as industry experience, training, and location, will influence a computer scientist's salary. Consider looking into the following to maximize your earnings:

Education

Having a degree in computer science or a related field tends to be a prerequisite for the majority of positions and may optimize your chances of getting hired. Most computer scientists have a degree: 66 percent have a bachelor's degree, 19 percent have a master's degree, and 6 percent have a doctorate []. Zippia reports the influence of education on the average salaries of computer scientists as follows []:

• Some college or associate degree: $102,190

• Bachelor's degree: $98,740

• Master's degree: $106,479

• Doctorate degree: $114,744

However, a computer science degree is not always required to become a computer scientist. In a very fast-paced, evolving discipline, experience is valued highly, along with keeping up with trends and engaging in self-directed learning. A degree will generally put you in a better place to gain a more technical or specialist role.

Certifications

Additional certifications in computer science can help you enter specialist positions, which often come with a higher earning potential. You can pursue several certifications, including ones that are vendor-specific, such as Microsoft and Cisco, which companies that use these products might ask for. Another option is vendor-neutral certificates, such as those offered by CompTIA and ISC. Vendor-neutral certifications can usually help you progress your career across companies rather than staying limited to a particular vendor.

Level of experience

Your experience level may have an impact on your salary potential. Salaries in this field tend to increase with the number of years you鈥檝e been a computer scientist and as you rise to more senior positions. The following is an average breakdown according to Payscale []:

• 0鈥�1 year: $71,000

• 1鈥�4 years: $82,131

• 5鈥�9 years: $108,552

• 10鈥�19 years: $128,471

• 20+ years: $136,464

Type of position

A host of industries are looking to recruit computer scientists and other computer science professionals. Any company with a tech department will likely need a computer scientist or similar, so where you work is very flexible. However, not all industries are equal when it comes to salary.

The following are examples of the highest-paid computer science roles in a range of industries.

• Sr. Computer Scientist 鈥� Adobe: $265,000鈥�$418,000 []

• Computer Scientist 鈥� SRI International: $141,000鈥�$198,000 []

• Computer Scientist 鈥� Adobe: $223,000鈥�$342,000 []

• Computer Scientist 鈥� National Institutes of Health (NIH): $137,000鈥�$213,000 []

• Computer Scientist 鈥� Yahoo: $192,000鈥�$287,000 []

• Computer Scientist 鈥� Air Force Research Labs: $124,000鈥�$185,000 []

• Computer Scientist 鈥� US Department of Defense: $116,000鈥�$174,000 []

Other common industries include financial services, telecommunications, retail, manufacturing, and aerospace.

Company

Computer science salaries vary from employer to employer. This can be due to the industry and size of the company, but also its area of expertise. Large tech companies, such as Adobe, are among the highest-paying employers, with a median base pay of $188,000, while Apple pays $169,326 on average [, 闭.听

Smaller firms with lower budgets tend to have wages that reflect it. A small company with a smaller budget will most likely prioritize positions that are most important to its organization. Rather than a whole IT department, a smaller company may have a CTO who has multiple roles until it has the budget to recruit more people.听

Location

In many industries, where you live and work can impact your earnings. Computer science salaries in the US are highest in San Francisco, where they鈥檙e 12 percent above the national average []. The lowest salaries are in Oklahoma City, OK (28.7 percent below the national average), Atlanta, GA (19.6 percent below), and Los Angeles, CA (19 percent below) [].

For average salaries, it鈥檚 important to consider the cost of living, as higher salaries often compensate for higher living costs.

Since 2019, remote computer science roles have been increasing. As of 2025, 45 percent of developers work with a highly flexible schedule or work entirely remotely []. Not only does this mean you have more opportunities available, but some of the highest-paid jobs in computer science are remote. This is because more senior roles come with the autonomy to work outside of the office. The median total pay, which includes base salary and additional pay, such as profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation, for a remote-working computer scientist is $187,000 [闭.听

Job title variations: What is the average salary for computer science?聽

Computer science roles and salaries are varied since they are prevalent across several industries and specialties. Here is a breakdown of average base salaries in the US for different types of computer science-related roles:

• Software architect: $227,000

• DevOps engineer: $141,000

• Software engineer: $148,000

• Mobile application developer: $125,000

• Cybersecurity analyst: $127,000

• Security operations center (SOC) analyst: $100,000

• Information security analyst: $136,000

• Web developer: $99,000

*All salary information represents the median total pay from Glassdoor as of October 2025. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation..

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