Among four U.S. occupations commonly connected to AI, computer and information research scientists have the highest median pay, while data scientists have the strongest projected job growth. But there is no single “AI career” salary: these figures cover entire occupations, not AI-branded jobs. The right path depends on whether you want to conduct research, analyze data, build software, or improve business systems—and how much education you plan to pursue.
What the pay and growth figures actually measure
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) classifies workers by occupation, not by whether a job title includes “AI.” The figures below are occupation-wide U.S. medians for May 2025 and employment projections for 2025–35. They are useful benchmarks for AI-adjacent work, not salary promises for AI specialists. Pay varies with experience, location, industry, and responsibilities.
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| Career proxy | Median annual pay, May 2025 | Projected employment change, 2025–35 | Typical education and work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and information research scientist | $140,300 (BLS, U.S.) | 22% (BLS projection) | Typically a master’s degree or higher; research, algorithms, experiments, and new computing technology. |
| Software developer | $135,980 (BLS, U.S.) | 10% for the combined software developer, QA analyst, and tester group—not developers alone | Typically a bachelor’s degree in computer or information technology, or a related field; designs applications and programs. |
| Data scientist | $120,230 (BLS, U.S.) | 35% (BLS projection) | Typically at least a bachelor’s degree; analyzes data to extract insights. |
| Computer systems analyst | $105,850 (BLS, U.S.) | 8% (BLS projection) | Typically a bachelor’s degree; studies systems and designs efficiency improvements. |
Sources: BLS profiles for computer and information research scientists, software developers, data scientists, and computer systems analysts. BLS projections and wage releases can change; these figures reflect the pages and period cited here.
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Highest median pay: research scientist
At $140,300, computer and information research scientists lead these four May 2025 U.S. occupation-wide pay benchmarks. The role centers on advancing computing knowledge and technology, including work on algorithms and AI. The higher median comes with a more research-intensive route: a master’s degree is typically expected, and some positions may call for further study.
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Strongest projected growth: data scientist
BLS projects 35% employment growth for data scientists from 2025 to 2035, the highest rate among these four comparisons. The profile reports about 24,800 openings per year on average over the decade. BLS connects demand to increasing volumes and uses of data and to firms continuing to integrate AI-based systems into workflows. Openings include replacement needs, not just newly created jobs.
Software development: high pay, with a broader growth measure
Software developers have a $135,980 median, second-highest in this comparison. The 10% projected growth figure is for the combined software developer, quality assurance analyst, and tester group; it is not a developer-only projection. BLS reports about 106,100 openings a year on average for that combined group, including replacement needs.
Systems analysis: connect technology to organizational needs
Computer systems analysts have a $105,850 median and a projected 8% employment increase. BLS notes that organizations expanding IT, including AI, may hire analysts to design and install systems. The role is less about inventing a model or writing an application from scratch and more about understanding how technology can make an organization’s systems work better.
How to choose based on the work you want to do
The following fit guidance is based on broad occupational duties, not a validated personality or aptitude test. Consider the work you would want to do repeatedly—not just the job title or median wage.
- Choose research science as a possibility if you enjoy advanced mathematics, algorithms, experiments, and open-ended research problems, and are willing to pursue graduate education.
- Explore data science if statistics, programming, finding patterns in messy information, and explaining results to support decisions appeal to you.
- Explore software development if you like designing and building applications, writing and maintaining code, and shipping working systems.
- Explore systems analysis if you prefer understanding business needs, improving workflows, and translating between users and technical teams.
Try a small project, relevant coursework, or an informational interview with someone doing the work. For instance, compare whether you most enjoy investigating a question in data, building a usable tool, or mapping how a team’s process could improve. These experiments can reveal which tasks hold your interest; no single credential or course is established here as the best route for everyone.
Education and the U.S.–UK distinction
For the U.S. roles in this comparison, data science, software development, and systems analysis typically have bachelor’s-level education as the usual route; computer and information research science typically calls for at least a master’s degree. These are typical requirements, not guarantees that every employer sets the same bar.
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Separate UK evidence points to a more degree-intensive AI-expert vacancy market, but it measures postings rather than U.S. occupational wages. The UK Department for Education’s 2026 summary of vacancy analysis says 99% of UK AI expert vacancies required at least a bachelor’s degree, 37% requested a PhD, and 29% requested a master’s degree. Those categories may overlap. The report also found a 42% median advertised salary premium for UK AI expert roles over wider IT roles; that is an advertised-vacancy comparison, not realized U.S. pay or lifetime earnings. AI-related vacancies made up about 1.7% of UK job postings during 2021–23, and 60% of AI expert vacancies in 2023 were advertised in London and the South East. The report describes demand across IT and technology, education, finance, and consulting. See the UK Department for Education summary.
Make the comparison useful for your decision
- If pay is your main filter: research science leads these four U.S. medians, but weigh that against its typical graduate-education requirement.
- If projected growth matters most: data science leads this comparison; growth is a forecast, not a guarantee of a particular job or salary.
- If you want a bachelor’s-level typical route: compare data science, software development, and systems analysis by their daily work and the skills you want to use.
- If you want to work on AI without doing AI research: software developers can build systems and applications, data scientists can analyze data, and systems analysts can help organizations integrate technology.
These benchmarks do not establish a single official U.S. salary series for an exact “AI engineer” or “AI specialist” occupation. Treat them as informed comparisons of related occupations, not a complete ranking of every AI job title.
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