TL;DR
You just landed an interview or an offer, and now you’re Googling Entry-Level Data Scientist Salary in the US at midnight because the number on the table doesn’t feel real. Search once and you’ll find six credible sources disagreeing by nearly $90,000 for the same job title, which makes it almost impossible to know if you’re being lowballed or actually getting a strong deal.
That gap is not a typo. It comes down to base pay versus total compensation, and whether the sample leans toward tech hubs or the whole country. Not knowing which number applies to you can quietly cost tens of thousands of dollars, either from underselling yourself or walking away from a fair offer out of doubt.
I pulled every major 2026 salary source, cross-checked it against the broader IT salary data we track here on WhatIsTheSalary, and broke down exactly what you should expect and what to do next.
What Does an Entry-Level Data Scientist Actually Earn in 2026?
Six sources, six different numbers. That is the first thing to accept before you start comparing your own offer against anything you read online. Here is what each platform reported as of mid to late 2026.
| Source | Reported Average | What It Actually Measures |
| Salary.com | $74,519/year | Base salary only, broad national sample across all employer sizes |
| Indeed | $104,847/year | Pulled from job postings over the past 36 months |
| Glassdoor | $112,401/year | Self-reported base pay, weighted toward tech employers |
| PayScale | $88,797/year | Total comp for under 1 year experience, includes bonus and overtime |
| Levels.fyi | $124,000 median total comp | Verified offers, but only at stock-granting tech companies |
| ZipRecruiter | $165,018/year | Advertised salary ranges pulled from active job listings |
Notice the pattern. The lower numbers come from sources that measure base salary across every industry in the country, government agencies and insurance companies included.
The higher numbers come from sources that sample stock-granting tech companies or advertised ranges that include senior-adjacent “entry-level” listings. Neither is wrong. They are just answering different questions.
Why the Numbers Are All Over the Place
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a median annual wage of $120,230 for data scientists overall in May 2025, and that sits almost exactly in the middle of the range everyone argues about. That is not a coincidence.
The BLS number covers the whole occupation, from someone a year out of school to a director-level data scientist at a bank, averaged across every state and industry.
ZipRecruiter’s advertised range reflects what employers are posting right now, often skewed toward competitive tech-hub listings that need to attract candidates fast. Glassdoor sits in between because it blends self-reported base pay from a mostly urban, tech-heavy user base.
Before trusting any salary number online, check what population it is actually drawing from.
Entry-Level vs Mid-Level vs Senior Data Scientist Salary
Experience is still the single biggest lever on data scientist pay, and the jump between bands is steep, especially once total compensation gets factored in.
| Level | Years of Experience | Typical Base Salary | Total Comp Range |
| Entry-Level | 0 to 2 years | $85,000 to $120,000 | $90,000 to $165,000 |
| Mid-Level | 3 to 6 years | $110,000 to $130,000 | $130,000 to $220,000 |
| Senior | 7+ years | $140,000 to $180,000 | $220,000 to $420,000 |
| Staff / Principal | 10+ years | $180,000 and up | $420,000 to $750,000+ at top AI labs |
The gap between entry-level and senior is wide, but it is worth knowing that it does not happen automatically. If you want the full year-by-year breakdown from your first offer through principal level, we cover it in detail in our Data Scientist Salary by Experience guide, including what actually accelerates each jump and what stalls it.
Entry-Level Data Scientist Salary by City
Geography still moves the number more than almost anything else at the entry level, even with remote work now normal across the industry.
| City | Average Entry-Level Salary | Source |
| National Average | $165,018/year | ZipRecruiter, 2026 |
| San Francisco, CA | $157,808 to $216,075/year | Glassdoor and Levels.fyi, 2026 |
| New York, NY | $180,535/year | ZipRecruiter, 2026 |
| Durham, NC | $159,458/year | ZipRecruiter, 2026 |
| Fully Remote (all levels blended) | ~$159,290/year | KORE1 metro data, 2026 |
Cheaper metros like Durham, Raleigh, and Austin are worth a serious look if you are early in your career and not tied to a specific city. You often get 85 to 95 percent of tech-hub pay against a rent bill that is half the size. For a full metro-by-metro comparison, our Data Scientist Salary by City breakdown goes deeper than the five cities above.
Base Salary vs Total Compensation: What You Are Actually Being Offered
This is where most first-time offer comparisons go wrong. Base salary is only one piece of what you are paid. A full offer usually includes a signing bonus, an annual performance bonus, and at larger tech companies, restricted stock units that vest over three to four years.
Say you get two offers. One is $105,000 base with no equity. The other is $95,000 base plus $40,000 in RSUs vesting over four years and a $10,000 signing bonus. On paper the second looks lower, but it is worth more in year one once the signing bonus and first vesting tranche land.
This is exactly why Levels.fyi’s total comp numbers run higher than Salary.com’s base-only figures. Neither platform is wrong. They measure different parts of the same offer letter.
Always ask for the full breakdown: base, bonus target, signing bonus, and equity value with the vesting schedule spelled out. A four-year cliff vests you a lot less in year one than an offer that vests evenly.
Do You Need a Degree to Land an Entry-Level Data Scientist Job?
Less than you might think. Bachelor’s degree holders typically start in the $95,000 to $110,000 range. Master’s degree holders tend to start higher and move into mid-level roles faster, which is part of why many data scientists pick up a master’s mid-career rather than before their first job.
PhD holders entering specialized research roles, particularly in biotech or AI research, can start at $140,000 or more.
That said, a growing share of postings, over three quarters by some estimates, now accept non-degree paths, and roughly a quarter list no formal education requirement at all. A strong portfolio and demonstrated SQL, Python, and machine learning skills can outweigh a missing degree, especially at startups that cannot compete with FAANG pay.
The demand backdrop helps too: the BLS projects 35 percent job growth for data scientists from 2025 to 2035, with about 24,800 openings a year, well above the average for all occupations.
Data Scientist vs Data Analyst: Which Entry-Level Role Pays More?
A lot of people bouncing between these two paths assume data scientist automatically means more money, and early on that gap is smaller than the titles suggest. Many data scientists actually start as data analysts and move into the more technical role after a year or two of building modeling skills on the job.
If you are still deciding which path fits you better, our Data Analyst Salary in the US 2026: Complete Guide lays out the full 2026 pay picture for that role, and our Data Analyst vs Data Scientist Salary comparison walks through exactly where the pay gap opens up and why.
For anyone just starting out, it is also worth checking our Entry-Level Data Analyst Salary numbers and our Data Analyst Salary by Experience Level guide, since a lot of readers use the analyst role as the on-ramp into data science rather than applying for data scientist jobs straight out of school.
How Data Science Pay Compares to Other Tech Careers
Data science is not the only high-paying technical path that does not require years of tenure to break into. Cybersecurity follows a similar pattern, where entry-level pay is solid and climbs sharply with specialization and certifications rather than tenure alone.
If you are weighing data science against a security career, our Cybersecurity Career Path guide maps out how that progression compares stage by stage, and our Cybersecurity Analyst Without a Degree article covers a route into tech that, like data science, increasingly rewards portfolio and certification over a diploma.
On the far end of that career ladder sits the Chief Information Security Officer role, and our CISO Salary Guide shows just how much ceiling exists in security leadership, useful context if you are trying to decide which technical field has the better long-term payoff for you.
What Actually Moves Your Entry-Level Offer Higher
A few concrete levers make a real difference at the entry level.
Common Mistakes That Cost Entry-Level Data Scientists Money
I see the same handful of avoidable mistakes from first-time data science hires.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is the average entry-level data scientist salary in 2026?
It depends on the source, ranging from about $74,500 on Salary.com to $165,018 on ZipRecruiter, with most base-salary estimates landing between $95,000 and $120,000.
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Is data science still worth it in 2026?
Yes. The BLS projects 35 percent job growth for data scientists through 2035, with roughly 24,800 openings a year, well above the average for all occupations.
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Do you need a master’s degree to become a data scientist?
No. A bachelor’s degree covers most entry-level roles, and many 2026 postings accept non-degree candidates with strong portfolios. A master’s helps more with faster progression than with landing the first job.
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Which city pays entry-level data scientists the most?
New York leads at roughly $180,535 per ZipRecruiter, with San Francisco close behind between $157,808 and $216,075 depending on source and company.
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Should I take a lower base salary if it comes with more equity?
It depends on the vesting schedule and how much you trust the stock’s trajectory. A lower base with strong RSUs can beat a higher base-only offer over four years, but only if the equity vests reliably.
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Is data analyst a good stepping stone into data science?
Often, yes. Many working data scientists started as analysts and transitioned after building modeling skills on the job, which is why the early-career pay gap is smaller than the job titles suggest.
Share Your Experience
If you have recently gotten an entry-level data scientist offer, I would genuinely like to hear how it went. Drop a comment with your city and offer breakdown if you are comfortable sharing, and what worked when you pushed back.
About This Data
Every figure here comes from published 2026 data on Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, Salary.com, PayScale, and Levels.fyi, alongside the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. No numbers were estimated or invented.
Shahzada Muhammad Ali Qureshi (Leeo)
I’m Shahzada — a software engineer by education and an SEO professional by trade. I built WhatIsTheSalary.com to go beyond just showing salary numbers — every page is manually researched across sources like BLS, Glassdoor, LinkedIn Salary, and PayScale to give you the full picture in one place. If you found what you were looking for here, that’s exactly the point.
