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The national median salary for Data Scientists is $120,224 per year ($57.80/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $85,654 and $158,891 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $199,139 per year. There are approximately 262,440 data scientists employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
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.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+33.5%
Much faster than average
Annual openings
23K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
246K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
35% from new growth65% from people leaving the role
Mixed: openings come from both new growth and people exiting the role.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Management of Companies and Enterprises
NAICS 551100
29K
$128,050
Computer Systems Design and Related Services
NAICS 541500
28K
$132,380
Insurance Carriers
NAICS 524100
15K
$107,680
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services
NAICS 541600
15K
$112,520
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (5221 and 5223 only)
NAICS 5220A1
12K
$130,300
Wage range across top 5 industries: $107,680 to $132,380 (23% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$32.33
$67,246
P25
$41.18
$85,654
P50MEDIAN
$57.80
$120,224
P75
$76.39
$158,891
P90
$95.74
$199,139
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · tech sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
2.8%
Quits Rate
1.1%
Information sector openings held flat at 81K in March, but layoffs jumped to 66K (+13K, rate 2.4%) -- the highest layoff rate among major sectors. Quit rates dropped to 1.1%. Tech employers retain maximum leverage; cuts continue in pockets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average data scientists salary?
The national median salary for Data Scientists is $120,224 per year ($57.80/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $85,654 and $158,891 annually.
How much do top-earning data scientists make?
The 90th percentile salary for Data Scientists is $199,139 per year ($95.74/hr). The 75th percentile is $158,891 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for data scientists?
Entry-level Data Scientists (10th percentile) earn approximately $67,246 per year ($32.33/hr). The 25th percentile is $85,654 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.