Data Scientist Salary Guide

Over the past decade, our global focus has shifted more and more towards data and the field of data science has seen growth. The demand and salary attached to the coveted data scientist career remains high. Though it is important to note that salaries for data scientists depend on their experience, where they work, and what industry they work in.

O*Net Online claims that the job outlook for data scientists is bright and that data scientists will experience 8% growth through 2029 and a data scientist’s average salary is $94,280 per year in 2019. However, a data scientist’s starting salary may be lower than the average.

According to Tableau, data skills are important for every career and data jobs are on the rise. Companies are often searching for individuals who understand machine learning, artificial intelligence, and big data and that professionals with more work experience on their resumes are in higher demand than their entry level counterparts. Finally, folks in some states such as New York, North Carolina, Maryland, New Hampshire, and Washington enjoy base salaries above $115,000 on average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

This data scientist salary guide will help you understand how experience, location, and industry impact a data scientist’s salary and some recommendations to maximize your earning potential.

Top Paying Locations/States for Data Scientists

Salaries for data scientists vary by region and state. According to the BLS, the bottom 10 percent earned less than $52,720, and the highest 10 percent earned over $158,060 on average per year. Depending on the employer, some data scientists may even work remotely, getting the best of both worlds: living where they want and maximizing their earning potential through working for a company that pays a salary higher than the average.

Overall, data scientists working in California, New York, and Washington are among the highest salaries among all of the states the BLS has data on. These regions are considered major tech hubs, the homes of Silicon Valley (California) and Silicon Alley (New York), as well as tech giants, including Amazon, one of the largest players in the Seattle tech scene in Washington state. But you don’t have to live on the coast or a major city to earn a high salary working in data science. In fact, Arizona boasts an average annual salary of over $110,000 per year.

It’s important to note that the BLS did not have median wage data for 10 states, including Alaska, Delaware, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, West Virginia, and Montana. Here’s a breakdown of the five top paying states for data scientists, including data scientists, in the BLS database:

• New York: $125,170
• North Carolina: $119,580
• Maryland: $116,700
• New Hampshire: $115,790
• Washington: $115,720

Data Scientist Salary by Working Experience

Salary is dependent on work experience and in the field of data science, but generally speaking, the more experience you have, the higher your paycheck. Here are some potential outcomes as you move through the ranks from entry level to junior level and senior, to managerial positions. It’s important to note that these averages might be more or less depending on where you live and the industry you work in.

According to a report from Burtch Works on the salaries of Data Scientists in 2018, entry level data scientists with zero to three years of experience can expect to earn on average, $94,987 per year. An employee who has between four to eight years of experience may be considered a junior data scientist and can earn on average, $128,750 per year. A senior data scientist, with over eight years of experience can earn on average, $165,000 per year.

At the managerial level, a data scientist manager’s salary climbs even higher and there’s a positive correlation between the size of the team that a manager supervises and their salary. A manager with a small team may earn an average salary of $146,133 per year, a manager with a medium sized team earns on average $185,000 per year, and a manager with a large team earns an average salary of $250,000 per year.

¹QS World University Rankings (2020)

Data Scientist Salary by Industry

Data scientists can be useful in almost any industry. According to the Burtch Works study, the largest employers of data scientists are in the tech industry, which includes cloud services, hosting, and social networks. The tech industry employs about 44% of all talent. 14% of working data scientists are employed by banking and finance companies, making financial services the second largest sector hiring for data scientists.

According to the study, on average, data scientists working in the tech industry earn higher base salaries than those employed in other industries, which may make it a great place for burgeoning data scientists to look to during their job search. Entry level salaries in tech start at around $94,345. Managers can earn an average salary of $152,194 and senior managers can make $254,636 a year. The average salary for other sectors, including banking and finance are a bit lower at managerial levels, but entry level jobs in other sectors typically start at around $95,261.

It’s important to note that differences in salary may have to do with the skills professionals in these industries can perform. It’s possible to earn a higher average salary in most industries with the right skillset. In fact, possessing in demand skills may give candidates an edge over their competition.

Higher paying skills for data scientists in other sectors include pattern recognition, database schemas, quantitative analysis, and database administration, and many of these skills are related to big data. Individuals with these skills on their resumes can potentially earn higher salaries on average than those who have skills that are in less demand.

Last updated: November 2020