Data Scientist
Data Scientists
SOC 15-2051
How Much Does a Data Scientist Make?
The national median salary for a Data Scientist is $112,590 per year ($54.13/hour), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2024 data).
That's 72% above the national median salary of $65,470 for all occupations.
How to Become a Data Scientist
Bachelor's in stats/math/CS. Master's increasingly common.
No license; cloud certs and ML specializations valued
Data Scientist Job Outlook
Much faster than avg — the BLS projects 34% growth from 2024 to 2034.
That's significantly faster than the average across all occupations (4%).
About 20,800 positions are expected to open annually, from both new roles and replacement needs.
AI adoption; data-driven decision making across industries
What It's Like to Work as a Data Scientist
This is primarily desk-based or low-physical-effort work.
Many positions can be performed remotely, making this a strong option for location-independent work.
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Career data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024-34 projections (released August 2025). Salary data: BLS OEWS May 2024.
View on BLS.gov