Computer and Mathematical Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Above-baseline growth SOC 15-2051

Data Scientists

Projected +34% employment change leads this card; pay sits next to Information Security Analysts, Web Developers, Web and Digital Interface Designers, Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Data Scientists: Information Security Analysts ($129K) , Web Developers ($93K) , Web and Digital Interface Designers ($104K) , Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers ($104K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Data Scientists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 15-2051 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Analyze, manipulate, or process large sets of data using statistical software
  2. 2. Apply feature selection algorithms to models predicting outcomes of interest, such as sales, attrition, and healthcare use
  3. 3. Apply sampling techniques to determine groups to be surveyed or use complete enumeration methods
  4. 4. Clean and manipulate raw data using statistical software
  5. 5. Compare models using statistical performance metrics, such as loss functions or proportion of explained variance
  6. 6. Create graphs, charts, or other visualizations to convey the results of data analysis using specialized software
  7. 7. Deliver oral or written presentations of the results of mathematical modeling and data analysis to management or other end users
  8. 8. Design surveys, opinion polls, or other instruments to collect data
  9. 9. Identify business problems or management objectives that can be addressed through data analysis
  10. 10. Identify relationships and trends or any factors that could affect the results of research
  11. 11. Identify solutions to business problems, such as budgeting, staffing, and marketing decisions, using the results of data analysis
  12. 12. Propose solutions in engineering, the sciences, and other fields using mathematical theories and techniques
Projected employment change 2024-2034
↑ +34%
much faster than average (3.1%)
National median $120,230/yr
$120K
National median
23,400
Annual openings
262,440
Estimated US jobs
Information Security Analysts
Highest-pay peer · $129K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Data Scientists

1. New York $130,460
2. Minnesota $128,800
3. District of Columbia $126,490
4. Virginia $126,430
5. California $141,590
6. Washington $163,350
7. Maryland $136,370
8. Massachusetts $131,750
9. Vermont $127,070
10. New Jersey $135,280

Other Computer and Mathematical Occupations titles

  1. 1. Web and Digital Interface Designers $104,000
  2. 2. Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers $104,300
  3. 3. Statisticians $105,650
  4. 4. Information Security Analysts $129,180
  5. 5. Computer Programmers $100,390
  6. 6. Web Developers $92,650

BLS projects +34% employment change for Data Scientists (2024-2034), much faster than average vs the all-occupations baseline of 3.1%. Published median pay is $120,230.

BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical entry education. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal employer rules. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: New York at $130,460. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Information Security Analysts at $129,180. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Data Scientists pay-rank #8 in Computer and Mathematical Occupations

Data Scientists sits at pay-rank #8 of 21 detailed Computer and Mathematical Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 15-2051 · national median $120,230 · middle third of Computer and Mathematical Occupations (#8/21). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Data Scientists salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 15-2051

New York · top state for Data Scientists

$130K published median

Minnesota · #2 state pay

$129K · behind New York

Information Security Analysts

Highest-pay peer vs Data Scientists · $129K

Web Developers

Lower-pay peer beside Data Scientists · $93K

Compare Data Scientists

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Data Scientists with another occupation →

Growth and outlook next reads

Fastest-Growing Rankings

National projection leaders

Highest-Paying Careers

Where growth meets pay

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Data Scientists mid-table among Computer and Mathematical Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #8 of 21 detailed Computer and Mathematical Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Computer Occupations, All Other ($117K), Computer Systems Analysts ($106K), Statisticians ($106K), Database Administrators ($105K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do data scientists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Data Scientists. Leading ones include: Analyze, manipulate, or process large sets of data using statistical software; Apply feature selection algorithms to models predicting outcomes of interest, such as sales, attrition, and healthcare use; Apply sampling techniques to determine groups to be surveyed or use complete enumeration methods; Clean and manipulate raw data using statistical software. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
What is the OEWS national median for Data Scientists? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $120,230 as the national median for Data Scientists. The published 10th-90th range is $67,240 to $199,130. Beside Information Security Analysts ($129,180), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
How fast is Data Scientists projected to grow? ▼
BLS Employment Projections put Data Scientists at +34% change for 2024-2034, with about 23,400 annual openings. Versus the all-occupations baseline (3.1%): much faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Data Scientists? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Data Scientists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Data Scientists? ▼
New York ($130,460), Minnesota ($128,800), District of Columbia ($126,490) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Data Scientists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 15-2051. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Data Scientists. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics