One of the leading data-driven companies in the world, Amazon is a data generating and data gathering giant that is majorly dependent on data scientists. Knowing this, it’s hardly surprising that an Amazon data scientist's salary is pretty great.
The average Amazon data scientist salary is $164,114 per year (not to forget the perks and benefits that come with the job). Plus, you get to work on products and services that reach hundreds of millions of people globally. A lot of factors come into play when determining an Amazon data scientist’s salary. We’ll cover all that and more in this article.
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To help you understand how salaries at different levels for Amazon data scientists are structured, in this article, we’ll be covering:
- Factors on which Amazon data scientist salary depends
- Average Amazon data scientist salary at different levels
- Benefits of working as a data scientist at Amazon
- FAQs on Amazon data scientist salary
Factors on Which Amazon Data Scientist Salary Depends
All Amazon data scientists have some commonalities, such as a background in computer science, mathematics, or some other related field. They’re also proficient in programming and scripting languages like Python, SQL, and Java, along with statistical and data analysis expertise.
An employee’s salary is usually determined by how valuable they are to the company and what they bring to the table. So, apart from the academic background, there are three major factors on which an Amazon data scientist salary depends:
1. Experience
Experience matters a lot and is one of the critical factors in determining the salary of a data scientist. For each year that gets added to your experience, a significant amount gets added to your salary. On average, you stand to make around $2,500 more for every year that gets added to your total experience.
2. Job Title
The demand for data scientists has significantly increased in the past few years, so you can make more than an average data scientist. If you get involved in a managerial role and identify business problems that can be resolved using analytics or lead team projects, your pay scale will increase further.
This is true for every job out there. The more tasks you take up and increase your contribution to the company, the higher your salary will be.
3. Location
Location is another important factor since it directly correlates with the demand for data scientists in the area. The highest salaries are offered to data scientists in California.
Average Amazon Data Scientist Salary at Different Levels
Similar to many other tech companies, Amazon also has a self-designed leveling system to figure out the compensation as well as promotions. But even though the company doesn’t disclose the specifics of this system, one thing is obvious — the “L” along with a number signifies a data scientist’s level in the company.
Average Amazon Data Scientist Salary for Interns
Amazon interns are perhaps the most well-paid in the tech industry and can make as much as $7,725 per month during a summer internship. Apart from this, they also get additional benefits such as housing stipend and subsidized public transportation.
Average Amazon Data Scientist Salary for L4
These are usually entry-level data scientists with less than 4 years of experience and pursuing advanced degrees. They need to be skilled in at least one scripting language and familiar with SQL.
The average Amazon data scientist salary for L4 is $164,000 per year, including the bonus.
Average Amazon Data Scientist Salary for L5
Mid-level data scientists have four to seven years of experience and might also have the title of Data Scientist II. The data scientists at this level usually have a Master’s degree with a good knowledge of coding as well.
The average Amazon data scientist salary for L5 is $225,000 per year, including the bonus.
Average Amazon Data Scientist Salary for L6
The role of a senior data scientist at Amazon is held by data scientists who have advanced degrees like Ph.D.s in machine learning, natural language processing, and so on based on their area of specialization. The level includes several managerial positions as well.
The average Amazon data scientist salary for L6 is $336,000 per year, including the bonus.
Average Amazon Data Scientist Salary for L7
At this level, data scientists are considered principal data scientists and have experience spanning at least a decade or more. These employees have several management responsibilities and essentially run the teams.
The average Amazon data scientist salary for L7 is $567,000 per year, including the bonus.
A Quick Look at Amazon Data Scientist Salary at Different Levels
To help you understand the salary breakdown at the different levels better, here is a summary:
Source: Levels.fyi
Benefits of Working as a Data Scientist at Amazon
Apart from some great base salaries and rewarding bonuses, Amazon also provides an array of benefits to its employees. Some of these benefits are:
- A complete health insurance coverage
- 401K plan along with matching contributions
- Parental leave of six weeks; birth mothers get an extra four weeks prepartum and also ten weeks postpartum
- Adoption assistance that comes with a $5,000 reimbursement of child adoption costs
- Employee discounts for Amazon
- Free counseling services and referrals
- Subsidized rates on home, renters, auto, and pet insurance
- Infertility benefits
So as you can see, in addition to the generous Amazon data scientist salary, there are several other perks to being an Amazon employee. To understand the work culture at Amazon better, read Amazon Software Engineer Work-Life Balance.
FAQs on Amazon Data Scientist Salary
Some commonly asked questions on Amazon data scientist salary are:
Q1. What is the salary of a data scientist at Amazon?
On average, a typical Amazon data scientist’s salary is $164,114 per year. But based on various factors such as experience and location, the salary varies.
Q2. What does an Amazon data scientist do?
The role of a data scientist at Amazon varies, depending upon the project as well as the team. However, data scientists are basically expected to research, design, and work on models keeping the business in mind.
Q3. How much does an Amazon data scientist intern make?
Amazon probably provides the best compensation to interns. An Amazon data scientist intern can make as much as $7,725 per month during a summer internship.
Q4. How to become a data scientist at Amazon?
To become a data scientist at Amazon, you must have a Master’s or Ph.D. in Machine Learning, Data Analysis, Statistics, etc. Your mathematical skills matter as much as your programming skills.
Q5. Is data science a good career choice?
The answer is a big yes! According to Glassdoor, it is the third most desired career choice in the US and is a pretty sought-after job profile.
Want to Become a Data Scientist at Amazon?
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