Computer Science

Stem Major

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Median In-State
Public Tuition

$6,991

growing 0.873%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$35,174

growing 2.92%

Average Wage

$102,521

growing 2.52%

People in Workforce

2.17M

growing 5.54%

Average Employee Age

40.7

declining 0.00551%

About

The locations with the highest concentration of Computer Science degree recipients are New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, and San Diego, CA. The locations with a relatively high number of Computer Science degree recipients are Fairfield, IA, Lacey, WA, and State College, PA. The most common degree awarded to students studying Computer Science is a bachelors degree.

Photo by Andrew Hart

Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services Computer Science

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Computer Science and the types of students that study this field. University of Southern California awards the most degrees in Computer Science in the US, but Northwestern Polytechnic University and Maharishi University of Management have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Computer Science.

Tuition costs for Computer Science majors are, on average, $6,991 for in-state public colleges, and $35,174 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Computer Science programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (445 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (31,967 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Computer Science

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Computer Science, is Public, 4-year or above (31,967 completions).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Computer Science programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$6,991

Median In-State Public

$35,174

Median Out of State Private

University of Southern California has the most Computer Science degree recipients, with 1,273 degrees awarded in 2020.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Computer Science.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Northwestern Polytechnic University
72%
Maharishi University of Management
65.4%
Stevens-Henager College (230630)
44.4%

Out of all institutions that offer Computer Science programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Northwestern Polytechnic University has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Computer Science, with 72%.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Computer Science

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Computer Science by year.

Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Computer Science.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors is $102,521 and the most common occupations are Software developers, Computer & information systems managers, and Computer occupations, all other.

The industry that employs the most Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors is Computer Systems Design, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Other consumer goods rental.

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

$102,521

Average Wage in Workforce

± $1,452

2.52%

1 Year Growth

± 1.96%

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors.

Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

Highest Paying Pumas

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

Occupations

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

The most common occupations Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors, by number of employees, are Software developers, Computer & information systems managers, and Computer occupations, all other.

Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors working as Computer and information research scientists, Software developers, and Computer programmers.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors are Physicians, Architectural & engineering managers, and Physician assistants.

Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

2.17M

2019 Workforce

± 35,944

5.54%

1 Year Growth

± 2.25%

The number of Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 5.54%, from 2.06M in 2018 to 2.17M in 2019.

The largest single share of Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services graduates go on to work as Software developers (23.7%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services by share of the total number of graduates.

Industries

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

The most common industries that employ Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors, by number of employees, are Computer Systems Design, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, and Management, scientific & technical consulting services.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

The highest paying industries of Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors, by average wage, are Other consumer goods rental, Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals, and Cut and sew, and apparel accessories and other apparel manufacturing.

Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

2.17M

2019 Workforce

± 35,944

5.54%

1 Year Growth

± 2.25%

The number of Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 5.54%, from 2.06M in 2018 to 2.17M in 2019.

The industry which employs the most Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services graduates by share is Computer Systems Design, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services majors.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services in the United States.

The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services is 40.7.

The most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Male employees are more likely to hold Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (19,021 students).

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

40.7

Average Age in 2019

± 0.189 Years

0.00551%

1 Year Change

± 0.657%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services. The most common ages of employees with this major are 37 and 35 years old, which represent 3.5% and 3.46% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Computer Science are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.

Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

The most common degree types held by the working population in Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Doctorate degree.

Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Male (77.7%)

Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by sex at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Computer Science.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
19,021 degrees awarded
Non-resident Alien
14,592 degrees awarded
Asian
9,857 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Computer Science for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Sex

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination

White Male
13,109 degrees awarded
Asian Male
5,807 degrees awarded
Non-resident Alien Male
3,436 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Computer Science. White Male students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and sex.

Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Computer Science is from the 2 Digit Course Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

Most Common Countries of Origin

India
257,429 degree recipients
China
62,013 degree recipients
Vietnam
27,219 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

India
5.21 times more than expected
Latvia
3.69 times more than expected
Saudi Arabia
3.4 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in India that hold Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services degrees (5.21 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is India (257,429 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Computer Science field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Computer Science majors need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Computer Science majors need more than the average amount of Programming, Technology Design, and Mathematics.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Computer Science majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Programming is very distinctive for majors, but the Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, and Active Listening are the three most important skills for people in the field.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

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