Computer and information research scientists
Salary, job outlook, AI risk & career information
Computer and information research scientists in the United States earn a median salary of $140,300 per year — about $67 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Roughly 40K people work in this occupation nationwide, with projected employment growth of +20%.
AI & Automation Risk
This occupation is fundamentally digital, involving high-level coding, algorithm design, and data analysis—all areas where AI is rapidly advancing. While these scientists are the ones building AI, the tools they create are increasingly capable of automating their own core tasks, such as writing code, simplifying algorithms, and analyzing experimental results, leading to extreme productivity gains and role restructuring.
Salary by City — What You Actually Take Home
Real purchasing power = salary adjusted for cost of living. Higher = more money in your pocket.
| City | Local Salary | Cost of Living | Real Purchasing Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester, NYBEST VALUE | $204,340 | Average (97.0) | $210,584 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $218,420 | Above avg (110.4) | $197,803 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $206,220 | Above avg (105.4) | $195,616 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $211,270 | Above avg (111.1) | $190,106 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $181,990 | Average (99.6) | $182,783 |
| Albuquerque, NM | $165,690 | Below avg (95.5) | $173,414 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | $170,850 | Average (100.0) | $170,841 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $166,800 | Average (100.1) | $166,703 |
| Richmond, VA | $162,910 | Average (97.9) | $166,476 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | $155,910 | Below avg (95.4) | $163,479 |
| Boulder, CO | $169,400 | Above avg (105.2) | $161,024 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $164,460 | Above avg (103.3) | $159,182 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $171,880 | Above avg (108.8) | $157,981 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $170,510 | Above avg (108.3) | $157,492 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $170,890 | Above avg (112.6) | $151,817 |
Education & Requirements
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