SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Develop and implement a set of techniques or analytics applications to transform raw data into meaningful information using data-oriented programming languages and visualization software. Apply data mining, data modeling, natural language processing, and machine learning to extract and analyze information from large structured and unstructured datasets. Visualize, interpret, and report data findings. May create dynamic data reports. Excludes “Statisticians” (15-2041), “Cartographers and Photogrammetrists” (17-1021), and “Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars” (29-9021).
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 15-2051.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $67,240 | $5,603 | $1,293 | $32.33 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $85,660 | $7,138 | $1,647 | $41.18 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $120,230 | $10,019 | $2,312 | $57.80 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $158,880 | $13,240 | $3,055 | $76.39 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $199,130 | $16,594 | $3,829 | $95.74 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Data Scientists is $120,230, which is 136% higher. Among the 21 occupations of the field Computer and Mathematical, it ranks number 8 by median pay. With 262,440 jobs, it makes up about 17 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Data Scientists pay by state
The highest median pay was in Washington ($163,350), California ($141,590) and Maryland ($136,370). The lowest was in Mississippi ($69,490), Louisiana ($78,760) and Puerto Rico ($80,350). The most jobs were in California (39,310), Texas (25,860) and New York (23,970). The occupation is most concentrated in District of Columbia, where its share of all jobs is 2.3 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 9,600 | $163,350 | $158,040 | $78.54 |
| California | 39,310 | $141,590 | $156,000 | $68.07 |
| Maryland | 3,340 | $136,370 | $144,080 | $65.56 |
| New Jersey | 6,430 | $135,280 | $138,590 | $65.04 |
| Massachusetts | 9,420 | $131,750 | $136,460 | $63.34 |
| New York | 23,970 | $130,460 | $137,690 | $62.72 |
| Minnesota | 4,020 | $128,800 | $126,290 | $61.92 |
| Vermont | 200 | $127,070 | $123,640 | $61.09 |
| District of Columbia | 2,680 | $126,490 | $142,580 | $60.81 |
| Virginia | 8,920 | $126,430 | $134,590 | $60.79 |
| Connecticut | 1,760 | $126,340 | $129,850 | $60.74 |
| Oregon | 2,140 | $125,990 | $131,300 | $60.57 |
| Texas | 25,860 | $122,090 | $119,710 | $58.70 |
| North Carolina | 11,430 | $119,090 | $121,270 | $57.25 |
| Colorado | 6,280 | $117,400 | $126,800 | $56.44 |
| Florida | 10,240 | $115,820 | $119,150 | $55.69 |
| Arkansas | 530 | $109,390 | $116,320 | $52.59 |
| Utah | 4,360 | $108,090 | $114,880 | $51.97 |
| Arizona | 4,560 | $107,240 | $111,950 | $51.56 |
| Pennsylvania | 13,810 | $106,850 | $110,810 | $51.37 |
| Wisconsin | 4,370 | $106,680 | $116,600 | $51.29 |
| Illinois | 10,520 | $106,560 | $117,870 | $51.23 |
| Georgia | 9,260 | $104,340 | $115,940 | $50.16 |
| Alabama | 1,740 | $103,120 | $105,180 | $49.58 |
| Ohio | 6,100 | $102,630 | $107,160 | $49.34 |
| Rhode Island | 1,160 | $102,440 | $111,260 | $49.25 |
| Hawaii | 300 | $102,130 | $118,940 | $49.10 |
| New Hampshire | 1,100 | $100,620 | $109,880 | $48.37 |
| Michigan | 7,360 | $100,590 | $105,890 | $48.36 |
| Montana | 220 | $100,490 | $108,170 | $48.31 |
| Tennessee | 2,790 | $100,330 | $105,200 | $48.24 |
| Nevada | 1,680 | $98,540 | $108,340 | $47.37 |
| Nebraska | 1,980 | $98,230 | $98,980 | $47.23 |
| Kansas | 490 | $98,130 | $105,080 | $47.18 |
| Missouri | 4,730 | $97,090 | $100,880 | $46.68 |
| South Dakota | 220 | $96,150 | $102,450 | $46.22 |
| New Mexico | 560 | $95,850 | $94,160 | $46.08 |
| Iowa | 2,300 | $95,830 | $98,100 | $46.07 |
| South Carolina | 3,750 | $91,990 | $102,830 | $44.23 |
| Kentucky | 1,540 | $91,760 | $100,840 | $44.12 |
| Indiana | 3,580 | $91,470 | $98,340 | $43.98 |
| Maine | 1,210 | $90,880 | $97,500 | $43.69 |
| Idaho | 1,350 | $89,380 | $110,220 | $42.97 |
| Oklahoma | 1,900 | $86,310 | $94,950 | $41.49 |
| West Virginia | 390 | $85,090 | $90,730 | $40.91 |
| Alaska | 230 | $84,110 | $89,810 | $40.44 |
| North Dakota | 210 | $81,900 | $87,570 | $39.37 |
| Puerto Rico | 100 | $80,350 | $84,570 | $38.63 |
| Louisiana | 1,300 | $78,760 | $88,480 | $37.86 |
| Mississippi | 440 | $69,490 | $79,290 | $33.41 |
| Delaware | 770 | not published | not published | not published |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Actuaries$130,000 a year
- Information Security Analysts$129,180 a year
- Mathematicians$126,710 a year
- Computer Occupations, All Other$116,580 a year
- Computer Systems Analysts$105,850 a year
- Statisticians$105,650 a year
Common questions
How much do Data Scientists earn in the United States?
The median pay was $120,230 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $67,240 and the highest-paid 10% more than $199,130.
How many people work as Data Scientists?
About 262,440 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.