Computer and Information Research Scientists

Median salary

$140,300

Average salary

$153,930

Employment

37,200

Projected growth

19.7% growth

Annual openings

3,200

Typical entry education

Master's degree

What Computer and Information Research Scientists Do

Conduct research into fundamental computer and information science as theorists, designers, or inventors. Develop solutions to problems in the field of computer hardware and software.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: 0.9%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 5 of 5

Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed

Experience: Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.
Education: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Job training: Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Computers and Electronicsimportance 4.6/5
Mathematicsimportance 4.1/5
Engineering and Technologyimportance 4.0/5
English Languageimportance 3.9/5
Administration and Managementimportance 3.3/5
Designimportance 3.3/5
Telecommunicationsimportance 3.1/5
Physicsimportance 2.8/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

E-Mail5.0/5
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.8/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.7/5
Spend Time Sitting4.5/5
Contact With Others4.4/5
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.4/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Physicists93% skill match
Database Administrators92% skill match
Database Architects92% skill match
Computer Systems Analysts90% skill match
Architectural and Civil Drafters90% skill match
Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers89% skill match
Computer Network Architects89% skill match
Chemical Engineers89% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Complex Problem Solvingimportance 4.0/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 4.0/5
Systems Analysisimportance 3.8/5
Programmingimportance 3.6/5
Systems Evaluationimportance 3.6/5
Time Managementimportance 3.4/5
Operations Analysisimportance 3.1/5
Technology Designimportance 3.1/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

In-Demand Technologies

Amazon Web Services AWS SageMaker
Hugging Face
LangChain
Scikit-learn
Vector database software
pandas

Other Software Used

3D graphics software
Ada
Advanced numerical software
Algorithmic software
Apache Flume
Apache HTTP Server
Apache Pig
Apache Solr

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Intellectual Curiosity
Innovation
Attention to Detail
Adaptability
Achievement Orientation
Dependability
Perseverance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

InvestigativeHigh
ConventionalMedium
RealisticMedium
ArtisticLow
EnterprisingLow
SocialLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where computer and information research scientists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1Warner Robins, GA35.72× national avg
2Lexington Park, MD21.36× national avg
3Ogden, UT12.55× national avg
4San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA8.14× national avg
5Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ7.15× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

See the full career path from Computer and Information Research Scientists →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.