National metro rankings
Applied Scientist salary by metro area
This is what we do all day: recruit technology and IT professionals.
BLS published a median for SOC 15-1221, Computer and Information Research Scientists, in 70 metro areas (May 2025). The highest is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, at $218,420. The national median is $140,300.
Broader occupation
BLS does not report this exact title. The figures shown are for SOC 15-1221, Computer and Information Research Scientists. BLS reports Computer and Information Research Scientists as a broader occupation. It does not separate Applied Scientist, technology stack, seniority, certifications or employer sector. These figures are not a title-specific offer range.
BLS publishes one set of figures for SOC 15-1221. Other titles in our taxonomy map to it and show the same numbers. Percentiles describe all workers in the occupation. They are not experience levels.
Our target metros
Chart shows annual pay for the first 10 entries. Band is the 25th to 75th percentile, the thick line is the median, whiskers reach the 10th and 90th percentiles. Every figure is repeated in the table.
| # | Metro area | Median | P25 to P75 | Employment | LQ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $218,420 | $171,990 to $270,170 | 2,210 | 8.14 |
| 2 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $211,270 | $153,130 to $255,550 | 1,620 | 3.24 |
| 3 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $206,220 | $169,410 to $309,340 | 660 | 2.29 |
| 4 | Rochester, NY | $204,340 | $165,330 to $213,160 | 50 | 0.46 |
| 5 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $181,990 | $166,040 to $184,620 | 200 | 1.87 |
| 6 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $171,880 | $131,810 to $198,950 | 70 | 1.44 |
| 7 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $171,440 | $108,670 to $219,630 | 1,670 | 2.94 |
| 8 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $170,890 | $129,990 to $252,670 | 2,100 | 0.93 |
| 9 | Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | $170,850 | $128,230 to $204,790 | 60 | 1.04 |
| 10 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $170,510 | $119,920 to $216,180 | 1,620 | 2.5 |
| 11 | Boulder, CO | $169,400 | $132,770 to $215,090 | 90 | 1.93 |
| 12 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $166,800 | $127,070 to $207,060 | 110 | 0.16 |
| 13 | Albuquerque, NM | $165,690 | $152,260 to $207,780 | 220 | 2.28 |
| 14 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $164,460 | $110,490 to $218,580 | 160 | 0.29 |
| 15 | Richmond, VA | $162,910 | $136,710 to $199,880 | 160 | 1 |
| 16 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $161,090 | $129,730 to $201,170 | 3,420 | 4.56 |
| 17 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $156,750 | $128,860 to $183,770 | 1,070 | 3.28 |
| 18 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $155,960 | $104,470 to $189,260 | 940 | 0.63 |
| 19 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | $155,910 | $94,620 to $157,140 | 50 | 0.18 |
| 20 | Ann Arbor, MI | $151,110 | $118,190 to $161,440 | 50 | 0.89 |
| 21 | Charlottesville, VA | $144,580 | $107,680 to $175,960 | 40 | 1.52 |
| 22 | St. Louis, MO-IL | $142,660 | $107,470 to $174,550 | 100 | 0.32 |
| 23 | Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | $140,190 | $113,110 to $174,050 | 290 | 7.15 |
| 24 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $139,210 | $115,440 to $185,340 | 140 | 0.53 |
| 25 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $137,330 | $106,270 to $159,700 | 150 | 0.36 |
| 26 | Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH | $137,300 | $109,660 to $157,710 | 160 | 1.78 |
| 27 | Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | $136,990 | $105,450 to $189,080 | 90 | 1.06 |
| 28 | Jacksonville, FL | $136,990 | $104,270 to $157,730 | 60 | 0.33 |
| 29 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $136,720 | $125,990 to $151,110 | 150 | 0.33 |
| 30 | Lexington Park, MD | $136,660 | $106,600 to $156,750 | 360 | 21.36 |
| 31 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $135,880 | $118,870 to $158,830 | 30 | 0.07 |
| 32 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $135,630 | $104,260 to $170,140 | 490 | 0.45 |
| 33 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $134,050 | $96,790 to $159,270 | 380 | 0.48 |
| 34 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $133,970 | $108,420 to $166,410 | 160 | 0.4 |
| 35 | Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | $132,870 | $103,570 to $158,210 | 460 | 2.54 |
| 36 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $132,680 | $93,320 to $188,030 | 110 | 0.16 |
| 37 | Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $131,650 | $131,650 to $131,650 | Not published by BLS | Not published by BLS |
| 38 | Pittsburgh, PA | $130,300 | $113,010 to $160,780 | 50 | 0.18 |
| 39 | Binghamton, NY | $129,420 | $66,600 to $174,390 | 30 | 1.5 |
| 40 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | $128,370 | $128,370 to $162,910 | 280 | 1.55 |
| 41 | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $127,360 | $82,400 to $171,660 | 300 | 0.96 |
| 42 | Charleston-North Charleston, SC | $126,860 | $101,880 to $136,990 | 400 | 4.22 |
| 43 | Cleveland, OH | $126,860 | $95,620 to $164,690 | 40 | 0.14 |
| 44 | Utica-Rome, NY | $125,720 | $100,710 to $155,580 | 160 | 5.81 |
| 45 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $125,320 | $101,040 to $142,130 | 350 | 0.5 |
| 46 | Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | $123,390 | $103,290 to $154,860 | 510 | 3.01 |
| 47 | Huntsville, AL | $122,200 | $80,600 to $150,200 | Not published by BLS | Not published by BLS |
| 48 | Manchester-Nashua, NH | $121,780 | $91,750 to $184,730 | 30 | 0.68 |
| 49 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $121,530 | $96,180 to $156,480 | 1,680 | 4.56 |
| 50 | Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $116,650 | $95,800 to $147,180 | 490 | 6.04 |
| 51 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $116,470 | $94,270 to $181,430 | 250 | 0.73 |
| 52 | Las Cruces, NM | $115,610 | $91,540 to $135,300 | 80 | 4.13 |
| 53 | Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $112,050 | $94,310 to $134,870 | 350 | 4.49 |
| 54 | Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | $111,090 | $107,990 to $111,090 | Not published by BLS | Not published by BLS |
| 55 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $109,660 | $91,240 to $145,950 | 120 | 0.34 |
| 56 | Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $109,550 | $89,270 to $134,220 | 110 | 5.12 |
| 57 | New Orleans-Metairie, LA | $108,990 | $93,040 to $136,200 | 80 | 0.72 |
| 58 | Colorado Springs, CO | $107,090 | $95,200 to $133,390 | 130 | 1.7 |
| 59 | Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL | $105,660 | $85,800 to $129,520 | 140 | 6.28 |
| 60 | Kansas City, MO-KS | $104,670 | $92,560 to $141,520 | 120 | 0.45 |
| 61 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $102,630 | $90,580 to $137,790 | 110 | 0.35 |
| 62 | Ogden, UT | $96,740 | $84,450 to $120,330 | 810 | 12.55 |
| 63 | Gulfport-Biloxi, MS | $96,450 | $77,000 to $126,440 | 150 | 3.93 |
| 64 | Champaign-Urbana, IL | $94,700 | $69,470 to $144,840 | 50 | 2.07 |
| 65 | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $94,220 | $82,500 to $135,800 | Not published by BLS | Not published by BLS |
| 66 | Oklahoma City, OK | $93,100 | $79,370 to $113,980 | 560 | 3.44 |
| 67 | Warner Robins, GA | $89,500 | $79,160 to $102,590 | 650 | 35.72 |
| 68 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | $86,800 | $68,840 to $108,080 | 120 | 0.47 |
| 69 | Tucson, AZ | $79,580 | $59,680 to $104,510 | 60 | 0.61 |
| 70 | Lansing-East Lansing, MI | $66,700 | $66,700 to $66,700 | 110 | 2.16 |
Ranked by median in the unit BLS published. Annual and hourly figures are never converted for ranking: occupations BLS released hourly only are ranked in a separate hourly table. "Or more" medians rank at the top-code threshold. Entries without a published median are not listed.
Pay relative to local wages
Each metro's Applied Scientist annual median divided by that metro's all-occupations annual median. A larger ratio means the occupation's published median is higher relative to the local median for all jobs. Location quotient is shown separately as employment concentration and is never used to adjust pay.
| # | Metro area | Ratio | Role median | All-occupation median | LQ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rochester, NY | 3.99x | $204,340 | $51,210 | 0.46 |
| 2 | Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | 3.48x | $170,850 | $49,030 | 1.04 |
| 3 | Albuquerque, NM | 3.45x | $165,690 | $48,060 | 2.28 |
| 4 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 3.40x | $206,220 | $60,690 | 2.29 |
| 5 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 3.33x | $171,880 | $51,690 | 1.44 |
| 6 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 3.26x | $166,800 | $51,170 | 0.16 |
| 7 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 3.20x | $164,460 | $51,380 | 0.29 |
| 8 | Richmond, VA | 3.17x | $162,910 | $51,460 | 1 |
| 9 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 3.11x | $181,990 | $58,460 | 1.87 |
| 10 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 3.11x | $155,910 | $50,170 | 0.18 |
| 11 | Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | 2.95x | $140,190 | $47,520 | 7.15 |
| 12 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 2.91x | $211,270 | $72,610 | 3.24 |
| 13 | St. Louis, MO-IL | 2.85x | $142,660 | $49,990 | 0.32 |
| 14 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 2.84x | $137,330 | $48,400 | 0.36 |
| 15 | Jacksonville, FL | 2.81x | $136,990 | $48,830 | 0.33 |
| 16 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 2.79x | $155,960 | $55,850 | 0.63 |
| 17 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 2.78x | $170,890 | $61,430 | 0.93 |
| 18 | Las Cruces, NM | 2.75x | $115,610 | $42,070 | 4.13 |
| 19 | Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH | 2.75x | $137,300 | $49,980 | 1.78 |
| 20 | Ann Arbor, MI | 2.73x | $151,110 | $55,380 | 0.89 |
| 21 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 2.73x | $132,680 | $48,640 | 0.16 |
| 22 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 2.71x | $134,050 | $49,410 | 0.48 |
| 23 | Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 2.69x | $132,870 | $49,430 | 2.54 |
| 24 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 2.65x | $156,750 | $59,070 | 3.28 |
| 25 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 2.63x | $136,720 | $52,080 | 0.33 |
| 26 | Pittsburgh, PA | 2.62x | $130,300 | $49,650 | 0.18 |
| 27 | Charlottesville, VA | 2.62x | $144,580 | $55,180 | 1.52 |
| 28 | Binghamton, NY | 2.62x | $129,420 | $49,460 | 1.5 |
| 29 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 2.60x | $218,420 | $84,050 | 8.14 |
| 30 | Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 2.58x | $126,860 | $49,150 | 4.22 |
| 31 | Utica-Rome, NY | 2.57x | $125,720 | $48,970 | 5.81 |
| 32 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 2.56x | $170,510 | $66,620 | 2.5 |
| 33 | Cleveland, OH | 2.53x | $126,860 | $50,140 | 0.14 |
| 34 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 2.50x | $116,470 | $46,630 | 0.73 |
| 35 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 2.48x | $135,630 | $54,720 | 0.45 |
| 36 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | 2.47x | $128,370 | $51,990 | 1.55 |
| 37 | Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 2.46x | $116,650 | $47,470 | 6.04 |
| 38 | Boulder, CO | 2.43x | $169,400 | $69,580 | 1.93 |
| 39 | Huntsville, AL | 2.36x | $122,200 | $51,740 | Not published by BLS |
| 40 | Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL | 2.35x | $105,660 | $45,030 | 6.28 |
| 41 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 2.33x | $139,210 | $59,750 | 0.53 |
| 42 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 2.31x | $171,440 | $74,260 | 2.94 |
| 43 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 2.31x | $125,320 | $54,310 | 0.5 |
| 44 | New Orleans-Metairie, LA | 2.30x | $108,990 | $47,290 | 0.72 |
| 45 | Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 2.30x | $123,390 | $53,680 | 3.01 |
| 46 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 2.29x | $135,880 | $59,320 | 0.07 |
| 47 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 2.27x | $161,090 | $71,060 | 4.56 |
| 48 | Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 2.26x | $136,990 | $60,720 | 1.06 |
| 49 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 2.24x | $109,660 | $48,940 | 0.34 |
| 50 | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 2.24x | $127,360 | $56,950 | 0.96 |
| 51 | Gulfport-Biloxi, MS | 2.22x | $96,450 | $43,470 | 3.93 |
| 52 | Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | 2.20x | $111,090 | $50,390 | Not published by BLS |
| 53 | Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 2.20x | $131,650 | $59,940 | Not published by BLS |
| 54 | Manchester-Nashua, NH | 2.15x | $121,780 | $56,530 | 0.68 |
| 55 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 2.15x | $133,970 | $62,320 | 0.4 |
| 56 | Lexington Park, MD | 2.14x | $136,660 | $63,990 | 21.36 |
| 57 | Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 2.13x | $112,050 | $52,510 | 4.49 |
| 58 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 2.07x | $121,530 | $58,690 | 4.56 |
| 59 | Kansas City, MO-KS | 2.06x | $104,670 | $50,820 | 0.45 |
| 60 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 2.05x | $102,630 | $49,990 | 0.35 |
| 61 | Colorado Springs, CO | 2.03x | $107,090 | $52,710 | 1.7 |
| 62 | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 2.00x | $94,220 | $47,010 | Not published by BLS |
| 63 | Ogden, UT | 1.98x | $96,740 | $48,900 | 12.55 |
| 64 | Oklahoma City, OK | 1.97x | $93,100 | $47,230 | 3.44 |
| 65 | Champaign-Urbana, IL | 1.87x | $94,700 | $50,700 | 2.07 |
| 66 | Warner Robins, GA | 1.84x | $89,500 | $48,600 | 35.72 |
| 67 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | 1.76x | $86,800 | $49,340 | 0.47 |
| 68 | Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | 1.73x | $109,550 | $63,200 | 5.12 |
| 69 | Tucson, AZ | 1.67x | $79,580 | $47,760 | 0.61 |
| 70 | Lansing-East Lansing, MI | 1.26x | $66,700 | $52,800 | 2.16 |
Only metros where both medians are published annual numbers are listed. Top-coded medians are excluded from ratios.
National pay by industry
BLS four-digit industry rows for private establishments only, using industry titles exactly as published. These do not include government establishments. Totals and broader sector groupings are left out so no row double counts another.
| # | Industry (BLS NAICS_TITLE) | Median | P25 to P75 | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services | $222,230 | $212,710 to $298,720 | 1,330 |
| 2 | Communications Equipment Manufacturing | $213,160 | $172,740 to $216,370 | 70 |
| 3 | Software Publishers | $211,270 | $170,180 to $267,060 | 1,300 |
| 4 | Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (4232, 4233, 4235, 4236, 4237, and 4239 only) | $207,870 | $165,170 to $270,540 | 30 |
| 5 | Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers | $206,220 | $141,980 to $309,340 | 220 |
| 6 | Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing | $204,510 | $168,190 to $345,000 | 690 |
| 7 | Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services | $196,770 | $154,990 to $257,830 | 600 |
| 8 | Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing | $182,000 | $158,970 to $212,510 | 520 |
| 9 | Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers | $178,450 | $153,850 to $213,770 | 490 |
| 10 | Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | $165,550 | $131,620 to $190,750 | Not published by BLS |
| 11 | Insurance Carriers | $164,980 | $119,020 to $232,750 | 70 |
| 12 | Management of Companies and Enterprises | $163,290 | $134,000 to $202,540 | 530 |
| 13 | Computer Systems Design and Related Services | $162,760 | $129,990 to $211,750 | 6,480 |
| 14 | Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing | $158,930 | $133,190 to $189,350 | 280 |
| 15 | Employment Services | $144,920 | $99,050 to $207,040 | 500 |
| 16 | Scientific Research and Development Services | $142,740 | $102,630 to $198,260 | 5,660 |
| 17 | Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | $134,310 | $100,190 to $192,190 | 1,130 |
| 18 | Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | $128,370 | $104,670 to $166,650 | 750 |
| 19 | Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services | $104,500 | $82,500 to $134,930 | 1,190 |
| 20 | Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services | $73,360 | $62,890 to $75,610 | 30 |
What these figures leave out for technology hires
BLS OEWS wages are straight-time gross pay. They include base rate, guaranteed pay, incentive pay including commissions and production bonuses, and cost-of-living allowances. They exclude overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, severance and employer-paid benefits.
Our interpretation, not a BLS statement: the BLS definition does not name stock or equity grants, so we treat them as outside these figures and add nothing for them. If a technology offer leans on discretionary bonus or equity, we read the published figure as describing only the cash pay inside the BLS definition.
BLS definition: Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
May 2024 and May 2025 medians
| Period | Median |
|---|---|
| May 2024 | $140,910 |
| May 2025 | $140,300 |
The median moved down $610 (-0.4%), from $140,910 in May 2024 to $140,300 in May 2025. Survey estimates carry sampling error, so small moves may not be meaningful.
A figure shown as "or more" is top-coded. BLS does not publish exact wages at or above $239,200 a year or $115.00 an hour.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 15-1221 Computer and Information Research Scientists, the United States. Released 2026-05-15. Methodology and mapping notes.
These are BLS survey-based wage estimates, not observed individual offers or a modeled technology-title range. A broader occupation or proxy is not separate pay data for your job title.