SOC 15-2051 · Computer and mathematical
Data Scientists prevailing wage by area
At Level II this ranges from $168,917 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA down to $76,586 in Rochester, NY, a spread of $92,331 on the same job.
What this occupation covers
Develop and implement a set of techniques or analytics applications to transform raw data into meaningful information using data-oriented programming languages and visualization software. Apply data mining, data modeling, natural language processing, and machine learning to extract and analyze information from large structured and unstructured datasets. Visualize, interpret, and report data findings. May create dynamic data reports.
Occupation definition from oes_soc_occs.csv, OFLC_Wages_2026-27.zip.
Every area with a surveyed figure
| Area | Level I | Level II | Level III | Level IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $125,486 | $168,917 | $212,326 | $255,757 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $110,386 | $142,438 | $174,512 | $206,565 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $93,912 | $127,026 | $160,118 | $193,232 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $86,861 | $119,371 | $151,902 | $184,413 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $92,830 | $118,040 | $143,250 | $168,459 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $87,256 | $115,835 | $144,414 | $172,994 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $83,970 | $110,302 | $136,635 | $162,968 |
| Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR | $93,434 | $110,302 | $127,171 | $144,040 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $84,510 | $109,595 | $134,701 | $159,786 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $80,600 | $107,390 | $134,202 | $160,992 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $77,584 | $106,995 | $136,406 | $165,818 |
| Richmond, VA | $78,853 | $106,018 | $133,182 | $160,347 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $79,893 | $104,478 | $129,085 | $153,670 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $79,997 | $104,312 | $128,648 | $152,963 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $82,888 | $103,854 | $124,821 | $145,787 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $77,334 | $101,962 | $126,589 | $151,216 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $75,712 | $99,923 | $124,155 | $148,366 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $75,691 | $99,299 | $122,907 | $146,515 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $77,875 | $98,946 | $120,037 | $141,107 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $74,859 | $98,134 | $121,410 | $144,685 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $72,363 | $97,677 | $122,990 | $148,304 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $76,336 | $97,490 | $118,664 | $139,818 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | $81,058 | $96,970 | $112,882 | $128,794 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $79,165 | $95,867 | $112,570 | $129,272 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $75,130 | $95,514 | $115,898 | $136,282 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $74,464 | $95,430 | $116,397 | $137,363 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | $70,512 | $93,704 | $116,917 | $140,109 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $70,658 | $93,226 | $115,794 | $138,362 |
| Columbus, OH | $71,448 | $93,018 | $114,608 | $136,178 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | $66,061 | $92,726 | $119,413 | $146,078 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $70,533 | $92,602 | $114,650 | $136,718 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | $70,803 | $90,355 | $109,928 | $129,480 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $69,472 | $90,147 | $110,843 | $131,518 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | $69,826 | $89,606 | $109,408 | $129,189 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | $70,013 | $89,232 | $108,430 | $127,650 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $66,310 | $87,859 | $109,429 | $130,978 |
| Cleveland, OH | $67,683 | $84,968 | $102,232 | $119,517 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | $67,101 | $84,885 | $102,690 | $120,474 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $64,043 | $83,117 | $102,170 | $121,243 |
| Rochester, NY | $56,389 | $76,586 | $96,762 | $116,958 |
40 areas, all surveyed for that metropolitan area rather than imputed from a broader geography. 7 of them carry a full breakdown page, selected by filing volume; the rest show their figures here. ALC_Export.csv, wage year 2026-27.
How employers filed for this occupation
Across 4,985 certified H-1B filings in FY2025 Q1 to Q4 that recorded a level, the plurality landed on Level II. The median wage actually offered was $133,183 a year, from 5,551 filings.
| Level | Filings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Level I | 647 | 13.0% |
| Level II | 2,027 | 40.7% |
| Level III | 1,270 | 25.5% |
| Level IV | 1,041 | 20.9% |
LCA disclosure data, FY2025 Q1 to Q4. Certified H-1B filings only.
Work out a specific determination
The level depends on the requirements in the job description rather than the title. Run the worksheet for Data Scientists with a specific area, experience requirement and education level.