Highest-paying computer and mathematical jobs
Explore pay and entry requirements for computer and mathematical occupations.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment ProjectionsPeriod: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wagesRetrieved 2026-10-05T08:25:31+00:00
SOC major group 15. This is an occupational classification, not a ranking of computer science degrees. National BLS detailed occupations only. Wages are median annual employee wages, not starting salaries or self-employed earnings. Missing wages are excluded from pay rankings. A “+” means a lower bound, not an exact wage; equal reported bounds share a rank. Education describes the typical entry requirement, not a guarantee of eligibility. Training, licensing, and experience may still be needed.
| Rank | Name | Typical education | Median annual wage | Projected growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Computer and information research scientists DetailsEducation: Master's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Master's degree | $140,300 | 21.8% |
| 2 | Database architects DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: Less than 5 years. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $139,500 | 9.4% |
| 3 | Software developers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $135,980 | 10.2% |
| 4 | Computer network architects DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: 5 years or more. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $134,050 | 7.7% |
| 5 | Actuaries DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: Long-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $130,000 | 9.2% |
| 6 | Information security analysts DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: Less than 5 years. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $129,180 | 21.0% |
| 7 | Mathematicians DetailsEducation: Master's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Master's degree | $126,710 | 0.6% |
| 8 | Data scientists DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $120,230 | 34.6% |
| 9 | Computer occupations, all other DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $116,580 | 5.1% |
| 10 | Computer systems analysts DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $105,850 | 7.9% |
| 11 | Statisticians DetailsEducation: Master's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Master's degree | $105,650 | 11.0% |
| 12 | Database administrators DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $104,620 | -0.1% |
| 13 | Software quality assurance analysts and testers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $104,300 | 5.7% |
| 14 | Web and digital interface designers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $104,000 | 6.0% |
| 15 | Computer programmers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $100,390 | -7.3% |
| 16 | Network and computer systems administrators DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $99,130 | -4.1% |
| 17 | Web developers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $92,650 | 3.8% |
| 18 | Operations research analysts DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $88,940 | 11.9% |
| 19 | Mathematical science occupations, all other DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $81,490 | 7.1% |
| 20 | Computer network support specialists DetailsEducation: Associate's degree. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Associate's degree | $76,220 | 1.2% |
| 21 | Computer user support specialists DetailsEducation: Some college, no degree. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Some college, no degree | $61,860 | -3.5% |
Wages marked + are top-coded: the published figure is the lower bound of the capped wage.
21 ranked entries.