SOC 15-1221, wage year 2025-26
Computer and Information Research Scientists prevailing wage in California
Short answer
In California, the median prevailing wage for computer and information research scientists across its 28 areas is $43.03 an hour at Level 1 ($89,513 a year) and $100.39 an hour at Level 4 ($208,811 a year). The Level 2 median of $61.95 is 15% above the national median across areas ($53.89). San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is the highest-paying area at $79.04 at Level 2, and Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA the lowest at $48.81.
Every California area for computer and information research scientists
| Area | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $61.40 | $79.04 | $96.68 | $114.32 |
| Merced, CA | $61.10 | $78.81 | $96.52 | $114.23 |
| Fresno, CA | $60.79 | $78.52 | $96.26 | $113.99 |
| Salinas, CA | $60.57 | $78.32 | $96.08 | $113.83 |
| Modesto, CA | $54.00 | $72.06 | $90.13 | $108.19 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $53.90 | $71.97 | $90.05 | $108.12 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $53.47 | $71.70 | $89.94 | $108.17 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $46.48 | $64.49 | $82.51 | $100.52 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $46.37 | $64.33 | $82.30 | $100.26 |
| Vallejo, CA | $46.12 | $64.31 | $82.49 | $100.68 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $43.18 | $63.99 | $84.79 | $105.60 |
| North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $42.90 | $62.74 | $82.59 | $102.43 |
| Napa, CA | $43.09 | $62.63 | $82.16 | $101.70 |
| Yuba City, CA | $41.94 | $62.59 | $83.23 | $103.88 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $40.85 | $61.30 | $81.75 | $102.20 |
| Chico, CA | $43.92 | $61.27 | $78.62 | $95.97 |
| Redding, CA | $43.92 | $61.27 | $78.62 | $95.97 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $42.70 | $59.02 | $75.34 | $91.66 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $42.21 | $57.63 | $73.05 | $88.47 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $41.93 | $55.15 | $68.36 | $81.58 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $41.41 | $52.59 | $63.78 | $74.96 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $42.98 | $52.56 | $62.13 | $71.71 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $41.87 | $50.82 | $59.78 | $68.73 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $41.92 | $49.98 | $58.03 | $66.09 |
| Visalia, CA | $41.72 | $49.95 | $58.19 | $66.42 |
| El Centro, CA | $37.06 | $49.39 | $61.72 | $74.05 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $36.53 | $49.11 | $61.68 | $74.26 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $40.97 | $48.81 | $56.64 | $64.48 |
Hourly dollars. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC), prevailing wage data, wage year 2025-26. An LCA is not an H-1B approval or a job opening.
Other occupations in California
- Computer Systems Analysts
- Information Security Analysts
- Computer Network Support Specialists
- Computer User Support Specialists
- Computer Network Architects
- Database Administrators
- Database Architects
- Network and Computer Systems Administrators
- Computer Programmers
- Software Developers
- Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
- Web Developers
- Web and Digital Interface Designers
- Computer Occupations, All Other
- Data Scientists