How Much Do Data Scientists Make?

Having a clear understanding of earnings potential is important, especially if you are researching career paths or considering changing jobs. If you're one of those people, and you're curious what kind of salary data scientists make, you've come to the right place.

Using data from Lightcast,™ the Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled rich information about salary for data scientists and related jobs, including details about average compensation, salary trends and job growth. We've also gathered advertised salaries from actual job postings to provide insight into what employers of data scientists are offering as compensation.

Keep reading to learn more about how much data scientists can expect to make in the United States.

At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Data Scientists

According to data from 2023, there were about 195,214 positions for data scientists in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for data scientists was reported to be $108,014. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 213,669 job postings related to positions for data scientists.

How Much Money Do Data Scientists Make?

Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money data scientists and related positions can expect to make in the United States, it can be helpful to look at the full range of compensation for those jobs.

Let's look more deeply at data that was reported to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for detail into the lowest and highest salary earnings for data scientists.

Annual Salary for Data Scientists

According to the BLS, the lowest earners for data scientists and related professions earned about $61,069 per year in 2023. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $184,101 annually.

As mentioned previously, the median salary for data scientists in the United States in 2023 was $108,014.

Hourly Salary for Data Scientists

The BLS also breaks down compensation for data scientists by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for data scientists in 2023 was $52. Lowest hourly earners took home $29 while the highest reported hourly salaries for data scientists was $89.

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Degree Options for Data Scientists

Advertised Compensation for Data Scientists

Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for data scientists, but another way to build a more real-time understanding of salary is to look at actual job postings and see what compensation organizations are currently providing to fill open positions for data scientists.

Keep in mind that salary data is not included in every job posting, so the information compiled here is reflective of the data available through Lightcast.™

Annual Salary from Job Postings for Data Scientists

During a review of 283,789 job postings related to data scientists, advertised salary was included in 97,889 of them, which was 34%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for data scientists was $125,312 per year.

Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Data Scientists

A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for data scientists. Based on 46% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for data scientists in the United States is about $60.

Salary Trend for Data Scientists

If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the field, you may want to understand how compensation has changed over time for data scientists. The chart below provides a snapshot of advertised salaries over the past three years.

Based on compensation data that was included in job postings for data scientists dating back to September 2020, advertised salaries for data scientists have increased 34%.

What's the Job Growth for Data Scientists?

Another data point that someone thinking about a career path should consider is whether or not jobs are expected to see growth in the future. The chart below looks at projected employment for data scientists over the next 10 years.

According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 195,161 jobs for data scientists in the United States in 2023. By 2033, it is expected that about 70,559 jobs will be added. That's a 36.2% increase over the next 10-year period.

Additional Links

Ready to dig deeper into career information about data scientists? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for data scientists.

What do data scientists do?
Data Scientists: How do you become one?

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