What the BLS numbers say
BLS publishes a data scientists occupation series. Our anchor takes the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics figures and moves them to 2026 with the Employment Cost Index. The result is a median of about $124,000. A quarter of data scientists earn below $88,300 and a quarter earn above $163,900. The series counts every data scientist in the country. That includes analysts at insurers, banks and government agencies, so it does not measure AI specialists alone.
The raw May 2025 BLS median was $120,230. The lowest 10 percent earned under $67,240 and the top 10 percent earned over $199,130. Industry matters. In May 2025 the median was $142,240 in publishing, broadcasting and content providers and $132,380 in computer systems design. It was $108,650 at insurance carriers.
Why job ads show higher pay
On 5 November 2026 we counted 63 live AutomationRoles.ai ads for data scientists, from 27 employers. Each ad listed a US dollar pay range. The midpoints had a median of $202,500, with a middle half from $168,000 to $248,400. That is well above BLS. The ads come mostly from large AI and technology companies hiring for model work, and that group pays more than the occupation overall. The ads also show base pay only. Stock and bonus are often a big part of pay at these employers and are left out. Treat the ads as a picture of one end of the market.
Which states pay the most
Using the BLS series moved to 2026, Washington has the highest median at $168,500. California follows at $146,000, then Maryland at $140,700, New Jersey at $139,500, Massachusetts at $135,900 and New York at $134,600. Minnesota is close behind at $132,800. Mississippi has the lowest at $71,700. Living costs and the mix of employers explain much of the gap. A state full of large tech firms will pull its median up.
What moves your pay
Four things matter most: the employer, the industry, your location and how close your work sits to production AI. A data scientist who trains models that ship inside a product at a big tech company usually earns more than one who builds reports at a regional insurer. Seniority counts too. So do skills that cross into machine learning engineering, such as deploying models and writing production code. At large employers, ask about stock and bonus as well as base pay.
Pay
USD a year, before tax. US figures. The BLS rows use the OEWS May 2025 data scientists series, moved to 2026 with the Employment Cost Index. The series covers all data scientists, not AI specialists alone. The job ad rows are midpoints of US dollar pay ranges in 63 live AutomationRoles.ai data scientist ads from 27 employers on 5 November 2026. These ads lean toward large AI and technology employers and show base pay, without stock or bonus. Refer to the AI Data Scientists salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- EducationBLS says data scientists typically need at least a bachelor's degree in mathematics, statistics, computer science or a related field. Some employers require or prefer a master's or doctoral degree.
- No licenseNo license and no regulator govern data science work. Certifications are optional, and employers judge you mainly on skills and past work.
- Skills that raise payStatistics, Python and SQL are the base. Experience with machine learning and putting models into production moves you toward the better-paid AI roles.
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Questions people ask
What is the median data scientist salary in the US?
The BLS data scientists series puts the median at about $124,000 a year once May 2025 data is moved to 2026. The raw May 2025 median was $120,230. The figure covers all US data scientists, not AI specialists alone.
Why do job ads show higher pay than BLS?
The AutomationRoles.ai ads lean toward large AI and technology employers, which pay more than the occupation as a whole. Their base pay median was $202,500 across 63 ads on 5 November 2026. The ads also leave out stock and bonus, so total pay at those firms can be higher still.
Which state pays data scientists the most?
Washington has the highest median in the BLS series moved to 2026, at $168,500. California ($146,000), Maryland ($140,700) and New Jersey ($139,500) come next. Mississippi has the lowest median, at $71,700.
Which industries pay data scientists the most?
In May 2025, BLS reported the highest median among top employing industries in publishing, broadcasting and content providers, at $142,240. Computer systems design came next at $132,380, and credit intermediation followed at $129,490. Insurance carriers had a lower median, at $108,650.
Is demand for data scientists growing?
BLS projects data scientist employment to grow 35 percent from 2025 to 2035. That is much faster than the average for all occupations. It expects about 24,800 openings a year over the decade.
