Computer Science degree: salary, jobs & colleges

Bachelor's graduates in computer science earn a median $100,157 four years after finishing, across 339 U.S. colleges. At ages 25-34, people whose degree is in computer science earn $94,266, $32,217 more than all bachelor's holders. The most common job is software developers (43%).

Graduates, 4 years out
$100,157

Median across 339 colleges; middle half $88,164–$117,705.

College Scorecard field of study (graduates who received federal aid)

All workers ages 25-34 with this degree
$94,266

Middle half $57,721–$139,649. 14,115 survey respondents.

Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; field "Computer Science"; EducationGuide calculation

Compared with
  • All bachelor's, 25-34$62,049
  • High school, 25-34$35,638
  • This degree vs high school+$58,628/yr

Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school

Median federal debt at graduation
$23,375

Median across colleges reporting.

College Scorecard field of study

Jobs computer science graduates hold

What employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in computer science actually do, with U.S. wages and the outlook for each job. The first column comes from the Census survey; wages and growth from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

JobShare of graduatesU.S. median wageJobs growth 2025-35Typical entryInterests
Software Developers43%$135,980+10.2%Bachelor's degreeIC
Computer Occupations, All Other3%$116,580+5.1%Bachelor's degreeCIE
Computer Programmers3%$100,390-7.3%Bachelor's degreeCI
Computer Support Specialists3%$62,890-2.7%——
Computer Systems Analysts2%$105,850+7.9%Bachelor's degreeIC
Other Managers2%————
Other Engineers2%————
Computer And Information Systems Managers1%$175,140+15.8%Bachelor's degreeCEI

Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, bachelor's as highest degree, employed); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35; O*NET 31.0 interest codes (R realistic, I investigative, A artistic, S social, E enterprising, C conventional).

Who tends to enjoy this work

The jobs these graduates hold score highest on Investigative, Conventional, Realistic interests (O*NET), weighted by how many graduates hold each job. A rough guide to fit, not a test.

Investigative (analytical)5.9
Conventional (organizing)5.7
Realistic (hands-on)3.5
Artistic (creative)2.3
Enterprising (leading)2.1
Social (helping)1.9

O*NET 31.0 interest scores (1-7) for each job, weighted by Census share of graduates; EducationGuide calculation.

Computer Science earnings by state

Two views of pay: recent graduates of the state's colleges four years out (College Scorecard), and everyone ages 25-34 living in the state with this field of degree (Census). States show a figure only with at least 3 colleges or 100 survey respondents.

StateGraduates, 4 yrs (colleges)Ages 25-34 (respondents)
Arizona$114,868 (4)$89,342 (199)
Arkansas$92,014 (3)—
California$105,166 (39)$111,719 (2,722)
Colorado$118,025 (6)$101,525 (368)
Connecticut$108,934 (6)$89,375 (148)
District of Columbia$143,900 (3)—
Florida$86,967 (4)$71,364 (492)
Georgia$98,532 (6)$86,296 (497)
Idaho$107,825 (4)—
Illinois$92,568 (22)$91,651 (548)
Indiana$101,396 (13)$72,083 (163)
Iowa$90,578 (6)—
Louisiana$81,902 (10)—
Maine$99,413 (3)—
Maryland$105,180 (6)$94,452 (358)
Massachusetts$123,490 (18)$114,551 (570)
Michigan$89,216 (11)$87,985 (287)
Minnesota$101,188 (11)$84,720 (168)
Missouri$90,952 (10)$83,789 (234)
New Hampshire$115,259 (3)—
New Jersey—$94,418 (516)
New York$112,398 (20)$100,547 (1,235)
North Carolina$93,037 (17)$89,375 (471)
Ohio$93,282 (16)$79,431 (354)
Oklahoma$96,448 (4)—
Oregon$117,647 (6)$92,727 (175)
Pennsylvania$101,854 (19)$83,958 (391)
South Carolina—$77,561 (120)
Tennessee$90,207 (9)$83,527 (196)
Texas$102,423 (11)$91,372 (1,118)
Utah$126,435 (4)$91,651 (196)
Vermont$97,753 (3)—
Virginia$92,855 (6)$97,761 (522)
Washington$120,599 (10)$152,288 (853)
Wisconsin$84,466 (6)$100,205 (160)

College Scorecard field of study (median of each college's graduates); Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; EducationGuide calculations.

Colleges where computer science graduates earn the most

In the states we cover so far (Florida, Virginia, California): 16 in Florida, 18 in Virginia, 53 in California offer this major. Open a college to see cost to finish and payback for your income.

#CollegeEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debt
1Pomona CollegeCA$217,051—
2Stanford UniversityCA$214,907$10,399
3University of California-BerkeleyCA$204,379$13,900
4California Institute of TechnologyCA$200,511—
5Harvey Mudd CollegeCA$198,257$22,949
6University of Southern CaliforniaCA$192,897$20,178
7University of California-San DiegoCA$159,487$16,550
8California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoCA$154,784$19,298
9University of San FranciscoCA$150,341$22,792
10University of San DiegoCA$149,847$19,719
11University of California-Santa BarbaraCA$149,190$11,000
12University of the PacificCA$147,511$23,000

College Scorecard field of study. Colleges meeting our core-data standard; online campuses left out.

Computer Science degree questions

How much do Computer Science graduates make?

Computer Science graduates earn a median $100,157 four years after finishing, across 339 U.S. colleges that report it (the middle half of colleges: $88,164 to $117,705; College Scorecard, graduates who received federal aid). Among all workers ages 25-34 whose bachelor's degree is in computer science, the median is $94,266 (Census ACS 2020-2024).

Is a Computer Science degree worth it?

At ages 25-34, people with a bachelor's in computer science earn a median $94,266: $32,217 more than all bachelor's degree holders ($62,049) and $58,628 more than high school graduates ($35,638). EducationGuide calculation from Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school.

What jobs do Computer Science graduates get?

Among employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in computer science, the most common jobs are software developers (43%), computer occupations, all other (3%), computer programmers (3%). Software Developers earn a U.S. median $135,980.

How much do Computer Science graduates earn in Florida?

Across 4 Florida colleges reporting, Computer Science graduates earn a median $86,967 four years after graduating; at ages 25-34, Floridians with this field of degree earn $71,364.

Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey microdata; Bureau of Labor Statistics; O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Method
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Cite this: “Computer Science degree: salary, jobs and colleges,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/degrees/computer-science.