Data Scientist Salary in the USA: Entry-level to Advanced

Last updated by Nitin Grover on Sep 25, 2024 at 05:24 PM | Reading time: 5 minutes

Lucrative salaries offered to data scientists in the USA serve as a good indicator of their demand in the job market of the USA. Along with desired skill sets, experience of the professionals and the companies in which they are employed, are important parameters to gauge data scientist salaries.

Data scientists utilize advanced programming and machine learning skills as well as strong business acumen to uncover actionable insights from the available datasets. Stakeholders can utilize these insights to make important decisions for business growth.

According to Glassdoor.com, entry-level data scientists start with a salary of $1,10,319per annum. With experience, they can attain a position of Principal data scientist with an annual base salary close to $2,76,174 per annum, according to Salary.com.

In addition to the base salary, many top-tier companies also reward data scientist engineers with annual variable cash compensation in the range of $18,965 to $35,401 for entry-level positions and $77,282 - $98,259 per annum, according to Glassdoor.com.

Aspirants can enroll in a data science course that comprehensively covers all the topics needed to enhance their careers as data science.

Candidates can also pursue courses in machine learning, applied Gen AI and data engineering to name a few.

Also read: Google Data Scientist Interview Questions‍

Data Scientist Salary: Career Path‍

Any person who likes to play with data or statistics can pursue a career path in data science. It’s a challenging yet rewarding job role. The following image shows the career path that can help you maximize your data scientist salary.

Data scientist career path to maximize data scientist salary

Skills Needed for a Career in Data Science

A bachelor’s degree or higher in computer science, data science, computer engineering, or any related field.
Expertise in SQL, Python, and R, and data visualization tools like Tableau, Power BI, etc.
Conceptual understanding of statistics, probability and mathematics.
Proficiency in data wrangling and database management.
Strong understanding of learning machine algorithms like logistic stump, decision stump, etc.
Strong Interpersonal, analytical and problem solving skills.
Take up live projects and attend boot camps to gain hands on experience
Prepare for the interview process with sample questions and mock interviews
Gain real world experience by joining as an intern
Build a job targeted resume and start applying for entry-level data science positions

Data Scientists start their careers at entry-level with an experience of less than one year. Their career progresses to principal data scientist, who has an experience of more than 15 years.

Data Scientist Salary Under Various Stages of Their Career‍

Entry-Level Data Scientist Salary (Experience:0-3 Years)

Average Base Salary: $1,10,319 per annum
Average Cash Compensation: $25,286 per annum
Base Salary Range: $85,000 to $120,000 per annum
Cash Compensation range: $18,965 - $35,401
(Source: Glassdoor)

Mid-Level Data Scientist Salary (Experience: 4-6 Years)

As the career of data scientists progresses, so do their salaries.
Average Base Salary: $155,509 per annum
Average Cash Compensation: $25,286 per annum
Base Salary Range: $98,000 to $175,647
Cash Compensation Range: $25,507 - $47,613 per annum
(Source: Glassdoor, Salary.com)‍

Senior Data Scientist Salary (Experience: 7-9 Years)

Average Base Salary: $230,601 per annum
Average Cash Compensation: $63,042 per annum
Base Salary Range: $207,604 to $ 278,670 per annum
Cash Compensation Range: $47,282 - $88,259 per annum
(Source: Glassdoor)‍

Principal Data Scientist (Experience: 10-15 Years)

Average Base Salary: $2,76,174 per annum
Average Cash Compensation: $84,042 per annum
Base Salary Range: $258,765 to $298,062
Cash Compensation Range: $77,282 - $98,259 per annum
(Source: Glassdoor, Salary.com)

Also read: Principal Data Scientist Salary in the US

Data Scientist Salary: In Comparison with Other Similar Roles

‍The following image provides a comparison of the data scientist salary with other similar roles:

Data Scientist Salary Comparison with Other Similar Roles

Source (Glassdoor)

Data Scientist Salary: FAANG and Top Tier Companies

The salaries of Data Scientists are usually compensated better in FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google) as well as other top-tier companies.

Source: Glassdoor

Also read: Amazon Data Scientist Salary

Cities in the USA Paying the Highest Data Scientist Salary

Here’s a list of average base salary of a data scientist in various cities in the USA that offer a decent Compensation..

Source: Glassdoor, Indeed

Please Note: Data on salaries is provided on an as is and as available basis and may change daily. Salary per annum is the average of salaries drawn by multiple candidates working in that job role, in that company or in that city.

FAQs: Data Scientist Salary

Q1. Is data science a safe career to pursue?

Although not in the near future, data science still imposes some risks, leaving aspiring data scientists worried about whether or not to pursue it because of development of easy-to-use tools.‍

Q2. Can AI replace data science?

AI can’t replace data science but increase their productivity two-fold. If you're a data scientist, you can continue to research how data scientists can use AI in their daily tasks.

Q3. Can data scientists make $500K a year?

Earning $500K is definitely possible for a data scientist working in a top tier data driven company in Silicon Valley.
However, a significant portion of the compensation will come in the form of equity as well. So, for a data scientist to be compensated with $500K per annum salary, a lot depends on the financial health of the company as well.