Data Scientists pay in the U.S.
$126,800avg. a year
$60.96 an hour · 262,440 employed
Data Scientists in the U.S. earn an average of $126,800 a year and a median of $120,230. Pay is highest in Washington ($158,040) and lowest in Mississippi ($79,290).
$120,230Median pay
$60.96Average hourly
+17%Avg. pay since 2021
262,440Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for data scientists
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
19,600 jobs
Washington
$158,040
$75.98 an hour
239,310 jobs
California
$156,000
$75.00 an hour
33,340 jobs
Maryland
$144,080
$69.27 an hour
42,680 jobs
District of Columbia
$142,580
$68.55 an hour
56,430 jobs
New Jersey
$138,590
$66.63 an hour
623,970 jobs
New York
$137,690
$66.20 an hour
79,420 jobs
Massachusetts
$136,460
$65.61 an hour
88,920 jobs
Virginia
$134,590
$64.71 an hour
92,140 jobs
Oregon
$131,300
$63.13 an hour
101,760 jobs
Connecticut
$129,850
$62.43 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Data Scientists pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $101k$101k–$111k$111k–$124k$124k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $212,760 | $102.29 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $174,830 | $84.05 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $160,460 | $77.14 |
| Idaho Falls, ID | $159,110 | $76.50 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | $157,380 | $75.66 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $152,210 | $73.18 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $150,700 | $72.45 |
| Boulder, CO | $146,690 | $70.52 |
Related jobs
- Operations Research Analysts$99,730
- Statisticians$115,700
- Actuaries$141,480
- Mathematical Science Occupations, All Other$91,550
- Mathematicians$129,260
- Software Developers$148,100
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Data Scientists pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $105,180 | $103,120 | 1,740 |
| Alaska | $89,810 | $84,110 | 230 |
| Arizona | $111,950 | $107,240 | 4,560 |
| Arkansas | $116,320 | $109,390 | 530 |
| California | $156,000 | $141,590 | 39,310 |
| Colorado | $126,800 | $117,400 | 6,280 |
| Connecticut | $129,850 | $126,340 | 1,760 |
| District of Columbia | $142,580 | $126,490 | 2,680 |
| Florida | $119,150 | $115,820 | 10,240 |
| Georgia | $115,940 | $104,340 | 9,260 |
| Hawaii | $118,940 | $102,130 | 300 |
| Idaho | $110,220 | $89,380 | 1,350 |
| Illinois | $117,870 | $106,560 | 10,520 |
| Indiana | $98,340 | $91,470 | 3,580 |
| Iowa | $98,100 | $95,830 | 2,300 |
| Kansas | $105,080 | $98,130 | 490 |
| Kentucky | $100,840 | $91,760 | 1,540 |
| Louisiana | $88,480 | $78,760 | 1,300 |
| Maine | $97,500 | $90,880 | 1,210 |
| Maryland | $144,080 | $136,370 | 3,340 |
| Massachusetts | $136,460 | $131,750 | 9,420 |
| Michigan | $105,890 | $100,590 | 7,360 |
| Minnesota | $126,290 | $128,800 | 4,020 |
| Mississippi | $79,290 | $69,490 | 440 |
| Missouri | $100,880 | $97,090 | 4,730 |
| Montana | $108,170 | $100,490 | 220 |
| Nebraska | $98,980 | $98,230 | 1,980 |
| Nevada | $108,340 | $98,540 | 1,680 |
| New Hampshire | $109,880 | $100,620 | 1,100 |
| New Jersey | $138,590 | $135,280 | 6,430 |
| New Mexico | $94,160 | $95,850 | 560 |
| New York | $137,690 | $130,460 | 23,970 |
| North Carolina | $121,270 | $119,090 | 11,430 |
| North Dakota | $87,570 | $81,900 | 210 |
| Ohio | $107,160 | $102,630 | 6,100 |
| Oklahoma | $94,950 | $86,310 | 1,900 |
| Oregon | $131,300 | $125,990 | 2,140 |
| Pennsylvania | $110,810 | $106,850 | 13,810 |
| Rhode Island | $111,260 | $102,440 | 1,160 |
| South Carolina | $102,830 | $91,990 | 3,750 |
| South Dakota | $102,450 | $96,150 | 220 |
| Tennessee | $105,200 | $100,330 | 2,790 |
| Texas | $119,710 | $122,090 | 25,860 |
| Utah | $114,880 | $108,090 | 4,360 |
| Vermont | $123,640 | $127,070 | 200 |
| Virginia | $134,590 | $126,430 | 8,920 |
| Washington | $158,040 | $163,350 | 9,600 |
| West Virginia | $90,730 | $85,090 | 390 |
| Wisconsin | $116,600 | $106,680 | 4,370 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$144,700
23,160 jobsSan Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$174,830
10,460 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$123,150
10,120 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$136,700
9,850 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$143,510
9,260 jobsSeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$160,460
8,370 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$118,860
7,940 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$137,030
7,930 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do data scientists make?
The average is $126,800 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $120,230 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $60.96, and the median is $57.80 an hour.
Which state pays data scientists the most?
Washington, with an average of $158,040 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $212,760.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $67,240 a year, and the top 10% earn over $199,130.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2021–May 2025), occupation code 15-2051. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.