Computer and Information Research Scientists Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $133K, rent takes 21.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,713/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new computer and information research scientists typically earn — is $87K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $5,240/month. At HUD’s $1,713/month FMR, rent would take 33% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $133K locally vs. $140K nationally, a 5% difference.

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk pays $133K median vs. the U.S. average of $140K — that’s -5%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.94), the purchasing-power equivalent is $136K — below the national median.

The median is $132,870 a year, that works out to about $64 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $87,340, and experienced computer and information research scientists can clear $181,400. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $7,870/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,713/month, which eats 21.8% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk has a Regional Price Parity of 97.94 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median computer and information research scientists salary is worth about $135,665 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.