How Much Do Data Scientists Make in 2026? (Salary by Level)
By Wealthvieu · Updated
Data scientists in the US earn $125,900 on average — with Big Tech and AI roles paying $200,000-$500,000+ total compensation.
Average Data Scientist Salary in 2026
Metric
Amount
Average salary
$125,900
Median salary
$120,000
Entry level
$95,000-$130,000
Mid-level
$130,000-$175,000
Senior
$160,000-$220,000
Principal/Staff
$200,000-$300,000+
Data Scientist Salary by Level
Level
Years
Base Salary
Total Comp (Big Tech)
Junior/Entry
0-2
$95,000-$130,000
$140,000-$200,000
Mid-Level
2-5
$130,000-$170,000
$200,000-$300,000
Senior
5-8
$160,000-$220,000
$280,000-$400,000
Staff/Principal
8-12
$200,000-$280,000
$380,000-$550,000
Director/Head
10+
$250,000-$350,000
$450,000-$700,000
Data Scientist vs. Related Roles
Role
Average Salary
Growth Rate
ML Engineer
$145,000
Fastest
AI/Research Scientist
$160,000
Fast
Data Scientist
$125,900
Moderate
Data Engineer
$130,000
Fast
Data Analyst
$80,000
Moderate
Business Intelligence
$85,000
Slow
ML Engineers and AI specialists now command the highest premiums in the data field.
Data Scientist Salary by Company
Company
Entry TC
Senior TC
OpenAI
$200,000+
$500,000+
Meta
$195,000
$400,000+
Google
$190,000
$380,000+
Netflix
$300,000+
$500,000+
Apple
$180,000
$350,000+
Amazon
$175,000
$340,000+
Microsoft
$165,000
$320,000+
Airbnb
$180,000
$380,000+
Two Sigma
$200,000+
$500,000+
Citadel
$200,000+
$600,000+
High-frequency trading firms and AI companies pay the most.
Data Scientist Salary by Industry
Industry
Average Salary
Notes
Hedge Funds/Quant Finance
$180,000-$300,000
+50% bonus
Big Tech
$150,000-$200,000
+ significant RSUs
AI/ML Startups
$140,000-$180,000
+ equity upside
Healthcare/Biotech
$130,000-$160,000
Growing field
E-commerce
$125,000-$160,000
Standard
Finance/Banking
$120,000-$160,000
Stable
Consulting
$115,000-$150,000
Variable
Retail
$100,000-$130,000
Below average
Government
$80,000-$120,000
Good benefits
Data Scientist Salary by Location
Location
Average Salary
vs. National
San Francisco
$165,000
+30%
New York
$155,000
+23%
Seattle
$150,000
+19%
Boston
$140,000
+11%
Los Angeles
$135,000
+7%
Austin
$125,000
-1%
Denver
$120,000
-5%
Chicago
$118,000
-6%
Atlanta
$110,000
-13%
Remote (US)
$120,000-$160,000
Varies
Data Science Specializations
Specialization
Salary Premium
Demand
Generative AI/LLMs
+30-50%
Very High
Computer Vision
+20-35%
High
NLP/Conversational AI
+20-35%
High
Recommendation Systems
+15-25%
High
Time Series/Forecasting
+10-20%
Moderate
A/B Testing/Experimentation
+5-15%
Moderate
Traditional ML
Baseline
Moderate
Education Requirements
Education
Salary Impact
% of Data Scientists
PhD
+15-25%
25%
Master’s
Baseline
55%
Bachelor’s
-5-10%
18%
Bootcamp/Self-taught
-15-25%
2%
A master’s degree is the most common credential; PhDs are valued for research roles.
Data Scientist Salary After Taxes
Total Comp
Federal Tax
FICA
State Tax (CA)
Net
$150,000
$24,500
$11,475
$10,500
$103,525
$250,000
$52,000
$11,773
$20,000
$166,227
$400,000
$100,000
$11,773
$36,000
$252,227
$500,000
$135,000
$11,773
$47,500
$305,727
How to Become a Data Scientist
Path
Duration
Cost
Bachelor’s + Master’s in CS/Stats
6 years
$80,000-$200,000
Bachelor’s + Data Science MS
5-6 years
$80,000-$180,000
PhD (research roles)
9-11 years
Often funded
Bootcamp (career switch)
3-6 months
$10,000-$20,000
Most competitive for those with strong math/stats + CS background.
Data Scientist vs. ML Engineer
Factor
Data Scientist
ML Engineer
Focus
Analysis, modeling
Production systems
Coding
Python, R, SQL
Python, C++, systems
Math emphasis
Higher
Lower
Salary
$125,900
$145,000
Career trajectory
Analytics leadership
Tech leadership
Many data scientists are transitioning toward ML engineering roles.
Career Progression
Path
Role
Salary
IC Track
DS → Senior DS → Staff DS → Principal DS
$95K → $300K+
Management
DS → Manager → Director → VP
$95K → $400K+
Research
DS → Research Scientist → Principal Scientist
$95K → $350K+
Pivot
DS → ML Engineer → Staff MLE
$95K → $350K+
Is Data Science Worth It?
Pros:
High compensation ($125,000+ average)
Intellectually stimulating
High demand (with right skills)
Remote-friendly
Impact across industries
Cons:
PhD often preferred for top roles
Field is maturing (less “gold rush”)
ML engineering increasingly preferred
Requires continuous learning
Some roles are becoming commoditized
Bottom Line
Data scientists earn $125,900 average, with Big Tech and finance paying $200,000-$500,000+ for senior talent. The field has evolved — pure analysis roles face more competition, while ML engineering and AI specialization command premiums. Generative AI expertise is currently the highest-demand skill set.