The Best Paying US Cities For Data Scientists In 2022
From Boston and New York City to Seattle and San Francisco, here are the top 20 highest paying cities where data scientists can earn between $185,000 to $455,000 in total compensation.
The 20 Highest Paying Cities For Data Scientist
Data scientists looking to make more than $180,000 in total compensation per year need to know about the top paying cities in the United States where they can earn the most money.
From cities in California to Boston and Seattle, professional social network Blind has analyzed the highest paying base salaries and total compensation of data scientists depending on which U.S. city they work in.
The average annual salary of a data scientist in the U.S. is around $111,000, according to Blind, an anonymous professional network that leveraged data from its more than 5 million verified professionals.
As the explosion of new and more data is erupting everywhere in the IT world, businesses need professionals who can collect, analyze and interpret this data to solve their most pressing business challenges—from operating optimization to improving marketing and sales.
Data scientists are in high demand across businesses verticals and industries due to their ability to analyze large amounts of structured and unstructured data from sources such as smart devices and social media. Top data scientists can combine their computer science and statistics skills together to solve business outcomes for organizations in every industry. Data scientists use contextual understanding as well as both IT and non-IT industry knowledge to uncover new ideas and solutions.
Blind found that many of the top 20 highest paying cities for data science professionals are in the San Francisco Bay Area in California and Silicon Valley, although many cities in New Jersey, Florida, Oregon and Texas aren’t too far behind.
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CRN breaks down Blind’s top 20 U.S. cities where data scientists can earn north of $180,000 in average total compensation which includes base salary, stock-based compensation, and other additional cash bonuses. The top paying cities in the U.S. for data scientists provide total compensation of between $184,752 to $455,166.
No. 20: Boston
Average total compensation: $184,752
Boston is the home to some of the most renowned scientific, educational and healthcare institutions in the nation, which is why it comes as no surprise that the city cracked into Blind’s top 20 highest paying cities for data scientists.
The average total compensation for a data scientist working on Boston is $184,752.
In terms of average salary, data scientists in Boston made $137,567, with the median total compensation reaching $155,800.
No. 19: New York City
Average total compensation: $186,170
The financial mecca of the world, New York City, is home to some of the top financial institutions in the globe as well as hosting large companies such as IBM Watson, Bloomberg and Deloitte.
The average total compensation for a data scientist working in New York City is $186,170.
Data scientists’ average salary in the city is $143,926, while the median total compensation is approximately $165,000.
No. 18: Santa Clara, Calif.
Average total compensation: $192,377
Hosting some of the tech world’s biggest companies—from Intel and Nvidia to ServiceNow—Santa Clara, Calif. is a hotbed for top data scientist talent.
The average total compensation for a data scientist working in Santa Clara is $192,377.
In terms of the average salary, data scientists in the city generate $150,943 per year. The median total compensation is $180,196 for the average data scientist in Santa Clara.
No. 17: Charlotte, N.C.
Average total compensation: $201,685
The city of Charlotte is home to Bank of America, Wells Fargo and various healthcare organizations that employ ten –of thousands of residents.
The average total compensation for a data scientist working in Charlotte is $201,685.
The median total compensation for data scientists working in the city is $154,750, with an average salary of $145,885 per year.
No. 16: San Mateo, Calif.
Average total compensation: $202,140
One of the longest-standing technology hubs of any city in the United States, San Mateo is home to the likes of Sony Interactive Entertainment, Imperva and NetSuite.
The average total compensation for a data scientist working in San Mateo is $202,140.
In terms of salary, the average salary for data scientists in the city is $149,046, with a median total compensation of $155,000, according to Blind.
No. 15: Santa Monica, Calif.
Average total compensation: $205,181
The legendary beachfront California city of Santa Monica hosts many highly pristine universities and is the home of social media company Snap Inc.
The average total compensation for a data scientist working in Santa Monica is $205,181.
In terms of salary, the average data scientist generates an annual salary in the city of $164,272. The median total compensation is $160,000 for a data scientist in Santa Monica.
No. 14: Bellevue, Wash.
Average total compensation: $207,834
The home of T-Mobile US and Apptio, the city of Bellevue serves up the highest compensation for data scientists outside of California.
The average total compensation for a data scientist working in Bellevue is $207,834.
In terms of the median total compensation for data scientists in the city, the figure stands at approximately $200,000. The average salary for a data scientist in Bellevue is $143,097.
No. 13: Seattle
Average total compensation: $208,158
The home of Amazon and its market leading cloud business Amazon Web Service (AWS), Seattle is the largest city in the Pacific Northwest with a massive number of opportunities for data scientists.
The average total compensation for a data scientist working in Seattle is $208,158.
The median total compensation for a data scientist in the city is $191,200. The average salary for data scientists in Seattle is $141,741.
No. 12: Redmond, Wash.
Average total compensation: $215,178
The world’s largest software company, Microsoft, calls Redmond its home. Other large technology employers including Nintendo of America also claim Redmond as their home base.
The average total compensation for a data scientist working in Redmond is $215,178.
The average salary for data scientists in the city is $142,438, with a median total compensation of around $195,000.
No. 11: Boulder, Colo.
Average total compensation: $224,673
Boulder hosts many offices for many of technology world’s largest employers including Cisco, Google Boulder, Lexmark, Oracle, IBM and Twitter.
The average total compensation for a data scientist working in Boulder is $224,673.
Data scientists who work in the city are paid an average salary of $148,989. The median total compensation of a data scientist in Boulder is $240,000.
No. 10: Palo Alto, Calif.
Average total compensation: $232,543
One of the country’s most attractive tech hubs, Palo Alto has a huge technology presence with the likes of Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Tesla.
The average total compensation for a data scientist working in Palo Alto is $232,543.
The median total compensation for a data scientist in the city is approximately $197,000, with an average salary of $137,327.
No. 9: Los Angeles
Average total compensation: $235,642
The City of Angels is home to massive employers like streaming giant Hulu along with a large Google campus.
The average total compensation for a data scientist working in Los Angeles is $235,642.
A data scientist working in the city generates an average salary of $196,892. The median total compensation for data scientists in Los Angeles is approximately $205,000.
No. 8: San Jose, Calif.
Average total compensation: $239,675
San Jose plays host to some of the largest technology companies on the planet including networking giant Cisco, hyperconverged software star Nutanix as well as CA Technologies.
The average total compensation for a data scientist working in San Jose is $239,675.
Data scientists working in the city receive an average salary of $161,090, with the city’s median total compensation at approximately $205,000.
No. 7: San Francisco
Average total compensation: $242,505
A longtime world-renowned technology hub, San Francisco is home to many workers working in and around Silicon Valley. The city is home to tech titans like Salesforce, Twitter, Uber and Dropbox.
The average total compensation for a data scientist working in San Francisco is $242,505.
The average data scientist working the city makes a salary of $163,670. The median total compensation for a San Francisco-based data scientist is approximately $212,000.
No. 6: Mountain View, Calif
Average total compensation: $258,548
Hosting the world’s most popular search engine, Google, the No. 3 cloud market leader in Google Cloud, as well as parent company Alphabet—Mountain View is one of the highest paying cities in Silicon Valley.
The average total compensation for a data scientist working in Mountain View is $258,548.
Data scientists who work in the city are paid an average salary of $157,767. The median total compensation for a data scientist in Mountain View is around $228,000.
No. 5: Sunnyvale, Calif.
Average total compensation: $259,108
Sunnyvale is the home to many all-star technology companies including Fortinet, NetApp and Juniper Networks, while also being one of the most populous cities in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The average total compensation for a data scientist working in Sunnyvale is $259,108.
Data scientists’ median total compensation in the city is approximately $231,000, with an annual average salary of $173,178.
No. 4: Menlo Park, Calif.
Average total compensation: $263,731
Meta—formerly known as Facebook—calls Menlo Park home as the social media giant employs over 15,000 workers in the city.
The average total compensation for a data scientist working in Menlo Park is $263,731.
The average data scientist in the city has a salary of $165,761. The median total compensation for data scientists in Menlo Park is $242,500.
No. 3: Cambridge, Mass.
Average total compensation: $264,646
Ranking in at No. 3 on Blind’s list of highest paying cities for data scientist is Cambridge, right on the other side of the Charles River from neighboring city Boston. A data scientist in Cambridge can make more than any other city outside of California. The city is a hotbed for innovative science and biotech institutions as well as tech companies like InterSystems and Akamai.
The average total compensation for a data scientist working in Cambridge is $264,646.
Data scientists who work in the city are paid an average salary of $151,500. The median total compensation for data scientists in Cambridge is approximately $316,500, one of highest across the country.
No. 2: Cupertino, Calif.
Average total compensation: $293,781
It is key to note that No. 2 and No. 1 on Blind’s list of best cities for data scientists pay significantly more on average than the rest of the 18 cities on this list in terms of total compensation.
Apple’s headquarters, Apple Park, is located in Cupertino, hosting more than 14,000 employees in the city alone.
The average total compensation for a data scientist working in Cupertino is $293,781.
With an average salary of $166,712 per year, most data scientists appear to receive either large stock options or other financial awards that boost the median total compensation to $275,500 in Cupertino.
No. 1: Los Gatos, Calif.
Average total compensation: $455,166
No other city in the United States can be compared to Los Gatos, California, in terms of making the most money as a data scientist.
Home to video streaming giant Netflix, data scientists in Los Gatos can score an average of $455,166in total compensation.
Data scientists who work in the city are paid an average salary of $447,916. The median total compensation for a data scientist in Los Gatos’ is $472,500.