$ PaycheckDecoded

Data Scientist Salary

Data Scientists earn a median $120,230 a year nationally. Computer and Mathematical Occupations

U.S. median
$120,230
$57.80 per hour
Range
$67,240 – $199,130
10th to 90th percentile
Employed
262,440
across the U.S.

Data Scientist take-home pay calculator

Starts at the national median. Pick your state to see your real paycheck.

Data Scientist
Deductions, kids & local tax

2026 tax year. Federal brackets from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32.

Your take-home pay
$93,412
per year · effective tax rate 22.3%
$7,784Monthly
$3,892Twice a month
$3,593Every 2 weeks
$44.91Hourly
  • Federal income tax$17,621
  • Social Security (6.2%)$7,454
  • Medicare (1.45%)$1,743
  • Texas income tax$0
  • Take-home pay$93,412

Marginal rate: 22% federal + 0.00% state

Pay by experience

PercentileSalaryHourlyTake-home (no state tax)
10th percentile (entry level)$67,240$32.33$56,133
25th percentile$85,660$41.18$69,092
Median (50th)$120,230$57.80$93,412
75th percentile$158,880$76.38$119,860
90th percentile (top earners)$199,130$95.74$148,278

Best cities for data scientists (after tax & cost of living)

#Metro areaMedianTake-homeReal value*Jobs
1Seattle, WA$164,740$123,866$111,4578,370
2San Jose, CA$185,080$122,415$110,8606,060
3Austin, TX$127,360$98,317$100,2563,730
4Charlotte, NC$132,460$97,026$99,6694,420
5San Francisco, CA$170,110$113,734$98,37510,460
6Dallas, TX$127,750$98,583$95,62810,120
7Jacksonville, FL$122,680$95,118$95,611880
8Bridgeport, CT$141,760$101,803$95,264570
9Bloomington, IL$120,760$87,952$94,029590
10Colorado Springs, CO$127,600$93,575$92,918580
11Boulder, CO$134,040$97,693$92,862540
12Baltimore, MD$134,320$96,981$92,8161,090
13Raleigh, NC$120,710$89,442$91,1211,990
14Richmond, VA$122,510$88,771$90,7141,050
15Hartford, CT$126,340$92,189$89,725560
16Minneapolis, MN$129,780$92,616$88,3553,250
17Huntsville, AL$111,810$82,163$88,279620
18Boston, MA$132,040$95,133$87,8707,930
19Worcester, MA$123,640$89,812$87,602490
20Columbus, OH$107,950$82,587$86,5061,480
21New York, NY$135,980$97,226$86,37523,160
22Miami, FL$127,450$98,378$86,1793,040
23San Antonio, TX$103,290$81,495$86,0411,730
24Washington, DC$132,200$93,356$85,7399,260
25Tampa, FL$109,990$86,208$85,4471,730

*Take-home pay in U.S.-average dollars (BEA Regional Price Parities).

Highest-paying cities

Data Scientist salary by state

StateMedianTake-homeRangeJobs
Washington $163,350$122,916 $79,930 – $220,0409,600
California $141,590$97,264 $77,480 – $224,92039,310
Maryland $136,370$98,274 $77,930 – $213,2703,340
New Jersey $135,280$97,302 $80,720 – $203,9506,430
Massachusetts $131,750$94,950 $81,030 – $206,2209,420
New York $130,460$93,779 $73,330 – $214,08023,970
Minnesota $128,800$92,023 $65,730 – $179,6404,020
Vermont $127,070$92,192 $76,570 – $160,430200
District of Columbia $126,490$89,939 $89,750 – $209,7302,680
Virginia $126,430$91,225 $76,420 – $207,8908,920
Connecticut $126,340$92,189 $75,700 – $204,6801,760
Oregon $125,990$87,186 $78,110 – $206,5502,140
Texas $122,090$94,715 $64,540 – $170,78025,860
North Carolina $119,090$88,367 $65,970 – $172,83011,430
Colorado $117,400$86,964 $74,470 – $189,6306,280
Florida $115,820$90,309 $63,080 – $174,14010,240
Arkansas $109,390$81,732 $67,090 – $169,110530
Utah $108,090$80,973 $60,680 – $167,8904,360
Arizona $107,240$81,801 $65,200 – $161,7304,560
Pennsylvania $106,850$80,719 $63,340 – $162,29013,810
Wisconsin $106,680$79,606 $76,300 – $168,8104,370
Illinois $106,560$78,665 $68,810 – $168,88010,520
Georgia $104,340$77,441 $67,750 – $170,0109,260
Alabama $103,120$76,484 $59,130 – $161,5901,740
Ohio $102,630$78,990 $61,710 – $160,6506,100
Rhode Island $102,440$77,633 $75,310 – $158,8201,160
Hawaii $102,130$74,447 $77,270 – $172,870300
New Hampshire $100,620$79,616 $73,480 – $155,0201,100
Michigan $100,590$75,571 $60,830 – $162,6707,360
Montana $100,490$75,208 $67,120 – $167,150220
Tennessee $100,330$79,412 $60,200 – $156,1602,790
Nevada $98,540$78,153 $57,150 – $164,1101,680
Nebraska $98,230$74,345 $66,230 – $133,1401,980
Kansas $98,130$73,188 $60,520 – $154,990490
Missouri $97,090$73,507 $58,960 – $151,3804,730
South Dakota $96,150$76,472 $67,510 – $145,510220
New Mexico $95,850$72,895 $49,990 – $133,660560
Iowa $95,830$73,257 $56,070 – $146,7002,300
South Carolina $91,990$69,183 $61,600 – $156,0003,750
Kentucky $91,760$70,289 $61,990 – $156,4801,540
Indiana $91,470$70,510 $58,750 – $141,2503,580
Maine $90,880$67,762 $60,280 – $138,5301,210
Idaho $89,380$68,080 $63,980 – $169,0101,350
Oklahoma $86,310$66,211 $58,690 – $145,5801,900
West Virginia $85,090$65,524 $57,500 – $125,100390
Alaska $84,110$68,001 $51,550 – $138,400230
North Dakota $81,900$66,109 $59,030 – $126,710210
Louisiana $78,760$62,261 $53,050 – $128,2101,300
Mississippi $69,490$55,669 $43,940 – $125,990440

Frequently asked questions

How much does a data scientist make?

The national median salary for data scientists is $120,230 a year ($57.80 an hour). The lowest-paid 10% earn under $67,240 and the top 10% earn over $199,130. Source: BLS, May 2025.

Which state pays data scientists the most?

Washington has the highest median pay at $163,350. After taxes and local prices, Seattle, WA offers the best real take-home pay of any metro area.

How many data scientists are there in the U.S.?

About 262,440 people work as data scientists nationwide.

All 72 cities