How much do computer and information research scientists make?

What the national Computer and Information Research Scientists median says

The May 2025 BLS OEWS estimate puts the U.S. median for Computer and Information Research Scientists at $140,300 per year. Median means the middle. Half of the wage values used for this estimate fall below that point. Half fall above it. The median is not one worker's pay. It is not a job offer. It is one clear mark for the middle of a broad national pay range.

BLS also lists 37,200 wage and salary jobs for Computer and Information Research Scientists. That count covers jobs in the survey's scope. It does not count open job ads. It also leaves out people who work for themselves. The wage and job counts share the same May 2025 reference point, so they can be read together without mixing time periods.

The Computer and Information Research Scientists mean of $153,930 per year is 9.7% above the $140,300 median on the same published median. Mean means BLS adds the wage values and divides the total by the number of jobs behind the estimate. A gap between mean and median shows that the shape is not even. It does not explain the cause of the gap.

The fields that make SOC 15-1221 its own page

BLS names this record Computer and Information Research Scientists and gives it SOC 15-1221. The two-part code is the stable key for this page. A role with a close name keeps a different code, wage row, job count, and area pattern. WageScope never joins two SOC records because their words sound alike.

For SOC 15-1221, the U.S. row reports 37,200 wage and salary jobs. Its annual median is $140,300 per year. Its matching mean is $153,930 per year. These facts come from one national row and one May 2025 release.

SOC 15-1221 appears in 36 state or territory rows. It also has 74 metro rows and 2 nonmetro rows. A missing local row stays missing. We do not fill it with U.S. data or data for a similar job code.

• SOC 15-1221 10th percentile: $82,200 per year.
• SOC 15-1221 25th percentile: $103,570 per year.
• SOC 15-1221 median: $140,300 per year.
• SOC 15-1221 75th percentile: $188,700 per year.
• SOC 15-1221 90th percentile: $230,630 per year.
• SOC 15-1221 employment RSE: 2.6%. Mean-wage RSE: 1%.
• SOC 15-1221 has no national suppression mark in the fields shown on this page.

Read the Computer and Information Research Scientists wage ladder from low to high

The 10th percentile is $82,200 per year. The 25th percentile is $103,570 per year. The median is $140,300 per year. The 75th percentile is $188,700 per year. The 90th percentile is $230,630 per year. Each point marks a place in the same national wage spread.

A percentile is a rank point. It is not a career step. For example, the 10th percentile means 10% of wage values are at or below that mark. It does not mean a new worker starts there. The 90th percentile means 90% are at or below that mark. It does not mean a worker can reach it after a set number of years.

The middle half runs from $103,570 to $188,700 per year. That span is $85,130. The full 10th-to-90th span is $148,430. These spans show why one median cannot stand in for every Computer and Information Research Scientists job.

What the gaps around the Computer and Information Research Scientists median show

The median is 70.7% above the 10th percentile. The 90th percentile is 64.4% above the median. The two sides do not have to match. A wider upper side can pull the mean up. A wider lower side can pull it down. The data shows the shape, but not the reason for that shape.

The 25th-to-median step is $36,730 per year. The median-to-75th step is $48,400 per year. These two steps give a closer look at the middle half. They are often more useful than a single top-to-bottom gap because they keep the center in view.

Use this ladder as a fact check when you read a job post. A posted range can sit below, near, or above these BLS marks. That does not make the post wrong. A job may differ by place, hours, level, field, employer, or work rules. Keep the posted range tied to that listing. Keep the BLS range tied to the whole occupation.

Metro areas with the highest published Computer and Information Research Scientists medians

WageScope found 70 metro rows with the same published annual median for Computer and Information Research Scientists. It sorts only those rows. It does not fill a blank row. It does not turn a blank into zero. The first six rows below have the highest published medians in this release. The list is a wage rank, not a rank of places to live or work.

The first row is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, at $218,420 per year. The middle metro row by published pay is Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC, at $132,870 per year. That middle metro mark gives one more check on how far the top rows sit from a common place in the set.

These are nominal wages. Nominal means the dollar amount shown in the source. This list does not adjust for local price levels. It also does not tell us how many openings an area has now. Use a local page to see price-level context when an exact BEA row exists. Use the separate job block to inspect current employer-title matches.

• 1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA has a Computer and Information Research Scientists median of $218,420 per year, or $78,120 above the U.S. Computer and Information Research Scientists median. BLS lists 2,210 jobs there, against 37,200 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 8.14.
• 2. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA has a Computer and Information Research Scientists median of $211,270 per year, or $70,970 above the U.S. Computer and Information Research Scientists median. BLS lists 1,620 jobs there, against 37,200 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 3.24.
• 3. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA has a Computer and Information Research Scientists median of $206,220 per year, or $65,920 above the U.S. Computer and Information Research Scientists median. BLS lists 660 jobs there, against 37,200 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 2.29.
• 4. Rochester, NY has a Computer and Information Research Scientists median of $204,340 per year, or $64,040 above the U.S. Computer and Information Research Scientists median. BLS lists 50 jobs there, against 37,200 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 0.46.
• 5. Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY has a Computer and Information Research Scientists median of $181,990 per year, or $41,690 above the U.S. Computer and Information Research Scientists median. BLS lists 200 jobs there, against 37,200 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 1.87.
• 6. Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA has a Computer and Information Research Scientists median of $171,880 per year, or $31,580 above the U.S. Computer and Information Research Scientists median. BLS lists 70 jobs there, against 37,200 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 1.44.

Metro areas with the largest Computer and Information Research Scientists job estimates

A large wage can appear in a small job market. A large job market can have a lower wage. That is why WageScope keeps pay and job count in separate views. The six rows below have the largest published employment estimates for Computer and Information Research Scientists among metro rows in this release. Employment means the number of wage and salary jobs in scope. It does not mean open roles.

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV has the largest listed metro estimate in this set, at 3,420 jobs. Its median is $161,090 per year. Compare that with San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, which leads the published median list. The leaders may match, or they may not. Each list answers a different question.

Job count can help you see the scale of a local labor market. It cannot show churn, new hiring, job quality, remote work, or the chance that one person will get hired. Current listings add a second view, but they are a dated sample of posts. WageScope never turns the listing count into a demand score.

• 1. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV has 3,420 estimated Computer and Information Research Scientists jobs. That is 9.2% of the U.S. estimate of 37,200 jobs. Its median is $161,090 per year, or $20,790 above the U.S. Computer and Information Research Scientists median. Its location quotient is 4.56.
• 2. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA has 2,210 estimated Computer and Information Research Scientists jobs. That is 5.9% of the U.S. estimate of 37,200 jobs. Its median is $218,420 per year, or $78,120 above the U.S. Computer and Information Research Scientists median. Its location quotient is 8.14.
• 3. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ has 2,100 estimated Computer and Information Research Scientists jobs. That is 5.6% of the U.S. estimate of 37,200 jobs. Its median is $170,890 per year, or $30,590 above the U.S. Computer and Information Research Scientists median. Its location quotient is 0.93.
• 4. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA has 1,680 estimated Computer and Information Research Scientists jobs. That is 4.5% of the U.S. estimate of 37,200 jobs. Its median is $121,530 per year, or $18,770 below the U.S. Computer and Information Research Scientists median. Its location quotient is 4.56.
• 5. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA has 1,670 estimated Computer and Information Research Scientists jobs. That is 4.5% of the U.S. estimate of 37,200 jobs. Its median is $171,440 per year, or $31,140 above the U.S. Computer and Information Research Scientists median. Its location quotient is 2.94.
• 6. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH has 1,620 estimated Computer and Information Research Scientists jobs. That is 4.4% of the U.S. estimate of 37,200 jobs. Its median is $170,510 per year, or $30,210 above the U.S. Computer and Information Research Scientists median. Its location quotient is 2.5.

Where Computer and Information Research Scientists has a larger share of local jobs

Location quotient is a share check. A value of 1 means the role has the same share of local jobs as it has across the nation. A value above 1 means the local share is larger. A value below 1 means the local share is smaller. It is not a count. It is not a wage. It does not say that a place is growing.

Warner Robins, GA has the highest published location quotient in this bounded metro set, at 35.72. The same row lists 650 jobs and a median of $89,500 per year. Reading all three values keeps a high share from being mistaken for a large market or high pay.

A small area can have a high location quotient because the role makes up a large part of a small local job base. A large area can have many workers and a lower quotient. Use the quotient to ask where the role is common in the mix. Use employment to ask how many jobs BLS estimated. Use the wage fields to ask what the published pay range looks like.

• 1. Warner Robins, GA has a Computer and Information Research Scientists location quotient of 35.72. BLS lists 650 jobs and a median of $89,500 per year, or $50,800 below the U.S. Computer and Information Research Scientists median. The U.S. job estimate is 37,200.
• 2. Lexington Park, MD has a Computer and Information Research Scientists location quotient of 21.36. BLS lists 360 jobs and a median of $136,660 per year, or $3,640 below the U.S. Computer and Information Research Scientists median. The U.S. job estimate is 37,200.
• 3. Ogden, UT has a Computer and Information Research Scientists location quotient of 12.55. BLS lists 810 jobs and a median of $96,740 per year, or $43,560 below the U.S. Computer and Information Research Scientists median. The U.S. job estimate is 37,200.
• 4. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA has a Computer and Information Research Scientists location quotient of 8.14. BLS lists 2,210 jobs and a median of $218,420 per year, or $78,120 above the U.S. Computer and Information Research Scientists median. The U.S. job estimate is 37,200.
• 5. Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ has a Computer and Information Research Scientists location quotient of 7.15. BLS lists 290 jobs and a median of $140,190 per year, or $110 below the U.S. Computer and Information Research Scientists median. The U.S. job estimate is 37,200.
• 6. Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL has a Computer and Information Research Scientists location quotient of 6.28. BLS lists 140 jobs and a median of $105,660 per year, or $34,640 below the U.S. Computer and Information Research Scientists median. The U.S. job estimate is 37,200.

How Computer and Information Research Scientists sits in Computer and Mathematical

Computer and Information Research Scientists is SOC 15-1221. BLS places it in the Computer and Mathematical major group. Among 21 detailed roles in that group with a published annual median, Computer and Information Research Scientists ranks 1 of 21 by median. This is a pay rank inside one source family. It is not a rank of skill, value, status, or career fit.

The closest same-family medians help set a fair peer frame. They do not claim that the work is the same. Official SOC titles can cover different tasks and settings. WageScope uses the family only because BLS publishes that link. It does not infer a career move, a skill match, or a hiring path from the wage gap.

Use these peer rows to spot whether the $140,300 median sits near many family roles or far from them. Then open a role's own page before using its number. Each role has a different code, job count, wage spread, and place pattern. One family label does not erase those facts.

• 1. Database Architects, SOC 15-1243, has a U.S. median of $139,500 per year. Its gap from Computer and Information Research Scientists is $800 per year.
• 2. Software Developers, SOC 15-1252, has a U.S. median of $135,980 per year. Its gap from Computer and Information Research Scientists is $4,320 per year.
• 3. Computer Network Architects, SOC 15-1241, has a U.S. median of $134,050 per year. Its gap from Computer and Information Research Scientists is $6,250 per year.
• 4. Actuaries, SOC 15-2011, has a U.S. median of $130,000 per year. Its gap from Computer and Information Research Scientists is $10,300 per year.
• 5. Information Security Analysts, SOC 15-1212, has a U.S. median of $129,180 per year. Its gap from Computer and Information Research Scientists is $11,120 per year.
• 6. Mathematicians, SOC 15-2021, has a U.S. median of $126,710 per year. Its gap from Computer and Information Research Scientists is $13,590 per year.

How much care to use with the Computer and Information Research Scientists estimate

The relative standard error for the job count is 2.6%. For the mean wage it is 1%. This measure, called RSE, shows survey precision. A smaller RSE often means less uncertainty from the sample. It does not tell you whether one person's pay is right or wrong.

The employment RSE applies to the 37,200 job estimate. The mean-wage RSE applies to the published mean of $153,930 per year. These fields do not give a matching RSE for the median or each percentile. WageScope shows the fields BLS published and does not move one RSE to another measure.

Survey values can change when BLS changes its methods, sample, models, or source year. That is why we show May 2025 on this page. Before we use a new release, we check its files, rows, and pages. A changed number is only a correction if the source calls it one.

A simple way to compare Computer and Information Research Scientists across places

First, compare the same wage metric. Use annual with annual or hourly with hourly. Next, check the source date. Keep May 2025 BLS rows together. Then read employment and location quotient beside pay. This stops a high median from standing in for market size or local share. Last, add BEA price-level context only when the exact place has an approved row.

A state, metro, and nonmetro area are not the same kind of map. Do not rank them in one list without saying so. WageScope groups like with like. It also keeps a national row as a broad bench mark. A local page can show the local row, its state row when that link is exact, and the U.S. row without blending them.

If a value is blank, keep it blank. If BLS marks a top code, read it as a lower bound. Do not fill a blank from a nearby place. Do not turn a wage gap into a claim about taxes, hours, benefits, work rules, or a household budget. Those facts are not in the OEWS row.

Move from Computer and Information Research Scientists wage data to one real listing

The job block on this page uses a strict employer-title match for Computer and Information Research Scientists. It may show fewer rows than the full MeritLog job search. That is on purpose. A false negative is safer here than a job card for a different role. Each card keeps its employer, place, source, and seen date. The cards do not change the BLS wage data.

Open one listing and read its own pay, work place, level, and needs. Compare its posted range with the BLS spread only as context. A posted range is set by an employer for one role. The BLS range is a survey view across many jobs. Neither source proves that a person is fit for the work.

When you tailor a résumé, use work facts you can back up. Do not turn $140,300 into a skill or result. Do not copy a BLS job count into your work history. MeritLog can help shape confirmed experience for a chosen listing. The wage page stays public and read only. It does not save a job or create a résumé on page load.

What this Computer and Information Research Scientists page does not claim

This page does not say what one Computer and Information Research Scientists worker earns. It does not promise that a job pays the median. It does not state a starting wage. It does not explain why the mean and median differ. It does not add benefits, tips, stock, bonus pay, taxes, or work hours unless BLS includes them in the published wage measure.

The page does not count people who work for themselves. It does not turn 37,200 into current openings. It does not read private MeritLog jobs or Career Memory. MeritLog does not use the page to build a private career profile. While public analytics are on, GA4, Ahrefs, and Meta may get this page's URL. Use Your Privacy Choices or Global Privacy Control to turn that off. The page does not send its text to a model.

The best use is narrow and clear. Read the May 2025 BLS wage range. Check how the role changes by place. Add the separate 2024 BEA price level when an exact row exists. Inspect a dated employer-title match. Then make a résumé choice from facts you have confirmed. Keep each source tied to the question it can answer.