What does it cost to hire a computer and information research scientist in Virginia Beach?

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 $132,870 median wage in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $26,574 to $39,861 on the first year salary alone.

Is the talent for this role already in Virginia Beach?

This is a job zone 5 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 40.4% of Virginia Beach adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a workable pool, though the search will reach beyond the city line.

Hiring a computer and information research scientist in Virginia Beach, VA

Employers in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area pay computer and information research scientists a median of $132,870 a year, with the middle half of the market between $103,570 and $158,210 (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 Virginia Beach residents in computer and mathematical work earn more than employers in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area pay?

Virginia Beach residents working in computer and mathematical occupations earn a median of $92,708 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $103,440 as the median of the 19 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 10%, with the employers figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole computer and mathematical group, not this one role. In the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area the group covers 19 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from computer user support specialists at $59,650 to database architects at $135,130 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with computer and information research scientists at $132,870 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.

Published wages across this group in the metro run above what Virginia Beach residents in it earn, which usually means employers here draw this talent from beyond the city line rather than from inside it.

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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area. BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 15-1221.
25th percentile	$103,570
Median	$132,870
75th percentile	$158,210

Half of computer and information research scientists in this area earn between $103,570 and $158,210 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $103,570 competes for the bottom quarter of the market. Occupation detail for SOC 15-1221 at O*NET OnLine.

Place of residence

What Virginia Beach residents earn

$92,708

Median annual earnings of Virginia Beach residents working in computer and mathematical occupations, 10,852 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 Virginia Beach?

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 40.4% of Virginia Beach adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a workable pool, but the search will reach beyond the city line. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of Virginia Beach aged 25 and over.

The average Virginia Beach commute runs 23.2 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 12.7% of Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Virginia Beach city, computer systems design and related services employs 3,274 and turns over 9.0% a quarter, with 405 hires against 359 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $8,231 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 normal churn rate, where a well-run search closes on schedule.

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 $132,870 median in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $26,574 to $39,861 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 Virginia Beach

What does it cost to hire a computer and information research scientist in Virginia Beach?: 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 $132,870 median wage in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $26,574 to $39,861 on the first year salary alone.
What should an offer for a computer and information research scientist in Virginia Beach look like?: Employers in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area pay computer and information research scientists a median of $132,870, with the middle half of the market between $103,570 and $158,210 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $103,570 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.
Do Virginia Beach residents in computer and mathematical work earn more than employers in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area pay?: Virginia Beach residents working in computer and mathematical occupations earn a median of $92,708 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $103,440 as the median of the 19 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 10%. 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 Virginia Beach?: This is a job zone 5 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 40.4% of Virginia Beach adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a workable pool, though the search will reach beyond the city line.

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 Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach is the largest of 4 Virginia cities in this dataset.