What does it cost to hire a computer and information research scientist in San Francisco?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $171,440 median wage in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $34,288 to $51,432 on the first year salary alone.

Is the talent for this role already in San Francisco?

This is a job zone 5 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 60.1% of San Francisco adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a deep local pool for a degree-requiring role.

Hiring a computer and information research scientist in San Francisco, CA

Employers in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area pay computer and information research scientists a median of $171,440 a year, with the middle half of the market between $108,670 and $219,630 (BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 15-1221). Filling it through recruitlocalpros runs Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role rather than by salary or location, and our vetted recruiting partner handles sourcing, screening and placement end to end.

Do San Francisco residents in computer and mathematical work earn more than employers in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area pay?

San Francisco residents working in computer and mathematical occupations earn a median of $168,819 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $161,700 as the median of the 19 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 4%, with the residents figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole computer and mathematical group, not this one role. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area the group covers 19 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from computer user support specialists at $89,440 to software developers at $186,640 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with computer and information research scientists at $171,440 inside it.

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 19 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

The two sit within 10% of each other, so residents of San Francisco and employers across the metro are priced about the same in this field, and pay alone is unlikely to be what wins or loses this hire.

What does a computer and information research scientist earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid to computer and information research scientists by employers in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area. BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 15-1221.
25th percentile	$108,670
Median	$171,440
75th percentile	$219,630

Half of computer and information research scientists in this area earn between $108,670 and $219,630 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $108,670 competes for the bottom quarter of the market. Occupation detail for SOC 15-1221 at O*NET OnLine.

Place of residence

What San Francisco residents earn

$168,819

Median annual earnings of San Francisco residents working in computer and mathematical occupations, 50,513 people (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011). An occupation group rather than this one role, and where people live rather than where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Analyze problems to develop solutions involving computer hardware and software.
Apply theoretical expertise and innovation to create or apply new technology, such as adapting principles for applying computers to new uses.
Assign or schedule tasks to meet work priorities and goals.
Meet with managers, vendors, and others to solicit cooperation and resolve problems.
Design computers and the software that runs them.

Task statements for SOC 15-1221, O*NET OnLine 29.1.

Tools and technologies in demand

Amazon Web Services AWS software, C, C++, Chatbot software, Docker, Git, Linux, Microsoft Azure software.

Flagged in demand or hot for SOC 15-1221 by O*NET OnLine 29.1. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in San Francisco?

This is a job zone five: extensive preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree). O*NET OnLine, SOC 15-1221.

That matters here, because 60.1% of San Francisco adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a deep local pool for a degree-requiring role. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of San Francisco aged 25 and over.

The average San Francisco commute runs 31.2 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 27.5% of San Francisco workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for San Francisco.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In San Francisco County, computer systems design and related services employs 64,330 and turns over 6.6% a quarter, with 4,915 hires against 5,135 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $24,892 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5415.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about computer and information research scientists. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a low-churn market, where people do not move often and passive candidates are the whole game.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $171,440 median in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $34,288 to $51,432 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring a computer and information research scientist in San Francisco

What does it cost to hire a computer and information research scientist in San Francisco?: Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $171,440 median wage in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $34,288 to $51,432 on the first year salary alone.
What should an offer for a computer and information research scientist in San Francisco look like?: Employers in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area pay computer and information research scientists a median of $171,440, with the middle half of the market between $108,670 and $219,630 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $108,670 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.
Do San Francisco residents in computer and mathematical work earn more than employers in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area pay?: San Francisco residents working in computer and mathematical occupations earn a median of $168,819 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $161,700 as the median of the 19 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 4%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.
Is the talent for this role already in San Francisco?: This is a job zone 5 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 60.1% of San Francisco adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a deep local pool for a degree-requiring role.

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.

Hiring a computer and information research scientist somewhere else?

Same role, different market. The wage band moves with the metro.

Other computer and mathematical roles in San Francisco

San Francisco is the 4th largest of 21 California cities in this dataset.