Data Scientist Degree Salary by State

Data scientists are part of a new type of analytical data professional who have technical computer science and data skills to solve challenging business problems. These workers are part mathematician, part trend-spotter, and part computer scientist. They are able straddle the IT and business worlds effectively, so they are wanted for many positions and are well compensated. (SAS.com).

Many data scientists started their careers in statistics or data analysis. But as big data grew and evolved, these roles evolved into more of a data scientist occupation. Data is not just an afterthought for the IT department to handle. It is vital information that needs careful analysis so that business-critical decisions can be made.

Common duties for data scientists include:

  • Collecting large quantities of random information and transforming it into usable data to make business decisions.
  • Solve complex business problems with data-driven techniques.
  • Work with many programming languages to manipulate and interpret data, such as R, Python and SAS.
  • Have an excellent understanding of statistical tests and distributions.
  • Stay current with analytical techniques including machine learning, text analytics and deep learning.
  • Seeking order and patterns in large datasets, as well as looking for trends that can help a company save or make money.

Data Scientist Salary Outlook

If you want to become a data scientist, you will probably need a bachelor’s and/or masters in data science, computer science or a related field. These are tough majors, so you will want to review the salary potential of data scientists before you make such an important educational decision.

SEE ALSO: Best Ranked Online Master’s in Business Analytics Degrees

Below is detailed salary information.

Bureau of Labor Statistics

The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not provide specific salary data for data scientists. But the related profession of computer and information research scientists has an annual median wage of $118,370, with a range between $69,230 and $183,200. (BLS.gov). Median wages are highest in this field in the following industries:

  • Software publishers: $140,200
  • Research and development in physical, engineering, and life sciences: $128,500
  • Computer systems design and related services: $124,200
  • Federal government: $109,800
  • Colleges, universities, and professional schools: $82,600

Payscale.com

Payscale.com reports the average salary for data scientists is $95,998, with a range between $65,000 and $134,000. The website also reports the following company salaries: (Payscale.com)

  • Booz, Allen, Hamilton: $80,000
  • Microsoft: $122,000
  • Amazon: $118,000
  • Facebook: $121,000
  • IBM: $98,000
  • Ford: $93,000
  • Apple: $126,000
  • Google: $138,000

The following skills are important for data scientists and the pay offered for them is high:

  • Machine learning: $99,100
  • Python: $97,600
  • Data analysis: $91,800
  • R: $89,m500
  • Statistical analysis: $95,600

Pay for data scientists also will vary based on experience:

  • Zero to one year of experience: $85,600
  • One to four years of experience: $94,000
  • Five to nine years of experience: $107,200
  • Ten to 19 years of experience: $120,00400
  • More than 20 years of experience: $134,100

Pay by the city will vary as well for data scientists above or below the average wage of $95,998:

  • San Francisco: +26%
  • Seattle: +12%
  • Boston: +5%
  • New York City: +4%
  • Los Angeles: +2%
  • Washington DC: -7%
  • Chicago: -9%

Ziprecruiter.com

Ziprecruiter.com reports the average national salary for data scientists is $118,042, with a range between $35,500 and $178,500. Most data scientist salaries currently range between $92,000 and $137,500. (Ziprecruiter.com)

Glassdoor.com

This website states the national average salary for data scientists is $120,495, with a range between $88,000 and $163,000. (Glassdoor.com)

University of Wisconsin

The University of Wisconsin’s Data Science Department reports the average data scientist’s salary is $113,400. The site says the major factor driving high data science salaries is that companies are realizing the great power of big data and want to use it to drive critical business decisions. As the supply of data scientists has not yet caught up with the supply, starting salaries for these positions can range from $50,000 to $95,000. (Wisconsin.edu).

This source also states that work experience will dictate in part how much you earn as a data scientist:

  • Entry-level data scientist: Median starting salaries have been reported as high as $95,000.
  • Mid-level data scientist salary: Median salary for someone with several years of experience is $128,700.
  • Experienced data scientist salary: Median salary for the most experienced is $165,000.

Also, one’s job title in the field influences your salary. According to Datajobs.com, these job titles have the following salary ranges:

  • Data scientist: $85,000-$170,000
  • Data analyst: $50,000-$110,000
  • Data analytics manager: $90,000-$140,000
  • Big data engineer: $70,000 to $115,000

Further, the industries with the highest median salaries for data scientists are in cloud services; hosting, and CDN; search and social networking; and banking and finance.

Data Scientist Job Outlook

Employment for computer and information research scientists will grow by 16% from 2018 to 2028, which is much faster than the average for other occupations.

The research and development of data scientists and computer and information research scientists are what transforms ideas into technology that leads to industries. As the demand for better technology grows, there will be more demand for good data and computer scientists.

Strong growth in the collection of data by companies will cause a greater need for data-mining services, and computer scientists will be required to devise algorithms that help companies use massive amounts of data. With this important information, businesses will have a better grasp of their customers. Also, a greater need for robust cybersecurity should bring new data scientist and computer scientist jobs to prevent cyberattacks that put personal and proprietary information at risk. (BLS.gov).

Data Scientist Salary by State

StateHourly WageAnnual Salary
New York - Data Scientist Salary$62.51$130,011
Massachusetts - Data Scientist Salary$61.99$128,949
New Hampshire - Data Scientist Salary$60.84$126,540
Maryland - Data Scientist Salary$57.76$120,143
Hawaii - Data Scientist Salary$57.13$118,824
Alaska - Data Scientist Salary$57.12$118,811
Nevada - Data Scientist Salary$57.12$118,811
Montana - Data Scientist Salary$57.12$118,811
North Dakota - Data Scientist Salary$57.12$118,811
Wyoming - Data Scientist Salary$57.12$118,811
Idaho - Data Scientist Salary$57.12$118,811
Vermont - Data Scientist Salary$57.03$118,615
Nebraska - Data Scientist Salary$56.95$118,459
Connecticut - Data Scientist Salary$56.88$118,310
Washington - Data Scientist Salary$56.79$118,133
Rhode Island - Data Scientist Salary$56.22$116,946
California - Data Scientist Salary$56.16$116,819
Virginia - Data Scientist Salary$55.89$116,245
New Jersey - Data Scientist Salary$54.75$113,881
Arizona - Data Scientist Salary$54.48$113,322
West Virginia - Data Scientist Salary$54.38$113,102
Colorado - Data Scientist Salary$54.24$112,824
Pennsylvania - Data Scientist Salary$54.06$112,435
South Dakota - Data Scientist Salary$53.98$112,281
Minnesota - Data Scientist Salary$53.97$112,256
South Carolina - Data Scientist Salary$53.88$112,075
Oregon - Data Scientist Salary$53.84$111,977
Tennessee - Data Scientist Salary$53.78$111,865
Delaware - Data Scientist Salary$53.64$111,567
Utah - Data Scientist Salary$53.48$111,247
Kentucky - Data Scientist Salary$53.40$111,062
Kansas - Data Scientist Salary$53.16$110,579
Ohio - Data Scientist Salary$53.07$110,384
Indiana - Data Scientist Salary$52.81$109,837
Oklahoma - Data Scientist Salary$52.68$109,568
Wisconsin - Data Scientist Salary$52.48$109,168
Iowa - Data Scientist Salary$52.41$109,019
Louisiana - Data Scientist Salary$52.24$108,652
Maine - Data Scientist Salary$51.99$108,148
Texas - Data Scientist Salary$51.46$107,044
Alabama - Data Scientist Salary$51.06$106,209
Georgia - Data Scientist Salary$51.06$106,197
Arkansas - Data Scientist Salary$51.02$106,120
New Mexico - Data Scientist Salary$50.59$105,234
Mississippi - Data Scientist Salary$50.32$104,660
Michigan - Data Scientist Salary$50.11$104,229
Illinois - Data Scientist Salary$49.99$103,984
Missouri - Data Scientist Salary$49.01$101,944
Florida - Data Scientist Salary$48.07$99,982
North Carolina - Data Scientist Salary$43.76$91,023

Source: Ziprecruiter.com, January 2020.

Summary

Data scientists are highly sought after in all industries to help companies make use of massive quantities of data, so they can make better business decisions, from which products and services to market, where, at which price, and much more. Professionals with a strong background in computer science, statistics, and/or data should be able to have a long, profitable career as a data scientist with a starting salary of $70,000 per year or more.

SEE ALSO Best Masters Degree’s for a Data Scientist