What is the salary of a computer scientist?

That question has a huge range. The U.S. median for a computer and information research scientist is about $145,000 a year. But this number can be misleading. Your actual salary depends heavily on your location, experience, and specialty. An entry-level job in a smaller city will be much different than a senior AI role in Silicon Valley. Those senior positions in major tech hubs can easily clear $200k, not including stock options, which can add much more.