Cognitive Science Degree in St. Louis, MO — Salary & ROI 2026
Cognitive Science degree analysis for St. Louis, MO. COL-adjusted salary data, local tuition costs, ROI calculator, and job market outlook.
Starting Salary
$49K
COL-adjusted
Mid-Career
$92K
COL-adjusted
ROI Payback
5.8 yrs
in St. Louis
Cost of Living
97
index (100 = avg)
Cognitive Science in St. Louis, MO Overview
St. Louis is one of Missouri's top college towns, with 23 institutions and a student population of 23,342. Public tuition averages $12,343/year here — near the national average for public universities. Cognitive Science has seen growing enrollment nationally, reflecting rising employer demand for UX Research and Experimental Design skills. The adjusted starting salary in St. Louis is approximately $48,500, growing to $92,150 by mid-career.
Category
STEM
Local Colleges
23
Public Tuition
$12,343/yr
Private Tuition
$55,255/yr
Room & Board
$8,721/yr
Avg Fin. Aid
$9,996/yr
Unemployment
4.5%
Graduation Rate
48%
Cognitive Science Salary in St. Louis (COL-Adjusted)
Salaries adjusted for St. Louis's cost of living index of 97 (national average = 100).
Note: National average Cognitive Science salary: $50,000 starting, $95,000 mid-career, $120,000 senior level.St. Louis adjustment factor: 0.97x based on the local cost of living index.
Cognitive Science ROI Calculator for St. Louis
Estimate your return on investment for a Cognitive Science degree using local St. Louis tuition and cost of living data.
Public avg: $12,343 | Private avg: $55,255
St. Louis avg aid: $9,996/yr
Federal avg: 6.5% | Private: 4-14%
Total Education Cost
$84,256
tuition + room & board - aid
Annual Earnings Premium
$14,550
vs HS diploma in St. Louis
ROI Payback Period
5.8 years
to break even
Lifetime Return in St. Louis
$546,244
Lifetime earnings premium ($630,500) minus total education cost ($84,256)
Student Loan Payoff for Cognitive Science in St. Louis
Standard Plan (10 years)
Aggressive Plan (5 years)
Colleges in St. Louis for Cognitive Science
Washington University in St. Louis
private
$60,590/yr
$242,360 total
Saint Louis University
private
$49,920/yr
$199,680 total
Community Colleges (2-Year Transfer)
St. Louis Community College
$3,600/yr
Top Employers for Cognitive Science in St. Louis
St. Louis offers opportunities in Tech companies, Research labs, Government agencies for Cognitive Science graduates. National top employers in this field include:
Key St. Louis Hiring Sectors for STEM
Tech companies
Research labs
Government agencies
Startups
Consulting firms
Common Cognitive Science Job Titles
Cognitive Science in Nearby Missouri Cities
Kansas City, MO
$47K starting · COL 94
44 colleges
Springfield, MO
$40K starting · COL 80
5 colleges
Columbia, MO
$42K starting · COL 84
10 colleges
Independence, MO
$43K starting · COL 85.8
5 colleges
Lee's Summit, MO
$48K starting · COL 95.5
4 colleges
OFallon, MO
$44K starting · COL 87.3
4 colleges
St. Joseph, MO
$45K starting · COL 90.4
3 colleges
St. Charles, MO
$42K starting · COL 83.4
3 colleges
Other STEM Majors in St. Louis
Prompt Engineering
$49K starting · 1.5 yr ROI
Computational Linguistics
$92K starting · 2 yr ROI
Computer Science
$82K starting · 2.8 yr ROI
Software Engineering
$85K starting · 2.7 yr ROI
Data Science
$80K starting · 3 yr ROI
Actuarial Science
$49K starting · 3 yr ROI
Cybersecurity
$78K starting · 3 yr ROI
Robotics Engineering
$49K starting · 3 yr ROI
Cognitive Science Degree in St. Louis — FAQ
Data Sources: Salary data from BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. Cost of living from BLS Regional Data. College data from NCES/IPEDS. Updated March 2026.
Explore More
Compare Cognitive Science ROI in other cities, or explore other majors in St. Louis.