Data Scientist Manager Salary

Data Scientist Manager Salary

The data scientist career path isn’t quite a universal experience. It can vary widely depending on what company you’re in. Although many industries may spout years of experience as a prerequisite of promotion, don’t get too hung up on this notion.

A common path adopted in the data science market starts with a more junior position, which evolves as experience is gained, followed by more senior roles, such as team leader or manager.

Typical data science career path

In general, though, to become a data science manager, most companies require around 5+ years of experience. At that point, most data scientists have had the time to gain some good work experience, and have generally been widely exposed to different teams and problems.

So, how much would you earn as a data science manager after reaching that level? Let’s dive into it.

$142,211

Average Base Salary

$173,317

Average Total Compensation

Min: $77K
Max: $220K
Base Salary
Median: $138K
Mean (Average): $142K
Data points: 822
Min: $10K
Max: $422K
Total Compensation
Median: $147K
Mean (Average): $173K
Data points: 173

Data Scientist Manager Compared to other Seniority Levels

$115K
$304K
Executive
Median: $190K
Mean (Average): $191K
Data points: 13
$77K
$220K
Manager
Median: $138K
Mean (Average): $142K
Data points: 822
$84K
$213K
Senior
Median: $140K
Mean (Average): $145K
Data points: 4,438
$77K
$180K
Mid-Level
Median: $138K
Mean (Average): $134K
Data points: 4,168
$60K
$155K
Entry Level
Median: $90K
Mean (Average): $100K
Data points: 837

Naturally, a data scientist’s salary, you’ll start making more money as you progress up the ladder in seniority.

As a data science manager, you’d generally be looking at about a 30-45% salary increase compared to an entry-level data scientist.

Data Scientist Manager Salary Compared to other Positions

Product Analyst*
$242K
Product Analyst
Median: $242K
Mean (Average): $242K
Data points: 1
$88K
$242K
Research Scientist
Median: $228K
Mean (Average): $199K
Data points: 20
$86K
$265K
Software Engineer
Median: $175K
Mean (Average): $178K
Data points: 5,115
$78K
$251K
Machine Learning Engineer
Median: $175K
Mean (Average): $175K
Data points: 152
$90K
$240K
Product Manager
Median: $155K
Mean (Average): $160K
Data points: 2,728
$77K
$220K
Data Scientist
Median: $138K
Mean (Average): $142K
Data points: 822
$89K
$212K
Data Engineer
Median: $132K
Mean (Average): $137K
Data points: 509
$72K
$195K
Data Analyst
Median: $125K
Mean (Average): $128K
Data points: 326
$74K
$190K
Growth Marketing Analyst
Median: $127K
Mean (Average): $126K
Data points: 130
$65K
$192K
Business Intelligence
Median: $124K
Mean (Average): $125K
Data points: 238
$65K
$165K
Business Analyst
Median: $103K
Mean (Average): $106K
Data points: 582

Most data science positions fall under different position titles depending on the actual role.

From the graph we can see that on average the Product Analyst role pays the most with a $242,000 base salary while the Business Analyst role on average pays the least with a $106,384 base salary.

In terms of managerial positions in other data science related fields, data science managers command a greater salary compared to a number of other roles, such as data engineering or data analytics.

Top Cities for Data Science Manager Salaries

Data science salaries in the U.S. differ widely by state and city.

For example, in a city like San Francisco, you’re likely to get a higher paying job than anywhere else in the US. However, the trade-off is a much higher cost of living in San Francisco. Rental rates on average are more than twice that the national average. Grocery and transportation costs also rank higher than the national average. You’d have to decide whether that trade-off is worth it.

$106K
$240K
San Francisco, CA
Median: $170K
Mean (Average): $171K
Data points: 265
$111K
$219K
Seattle, WA
Median: $160K
Mean (Average): $164K
Data points: 45
$104K
$255K
Los Angeles, CA
Median: $150K
Mean (Average): $163K
Data points: 23
$130K
$196K
Austin, TX
Median: $161K
Mean (Average): $161K
Data points: 9
$92K
$210K
London, United Kingdom
Median: $129K
Mean (Average): $146K
Data points: 6
$95K
$185K
Ann Arbor, MI
Median: $142K
Mean (Average): $138K
Data points: 6
$78K
$225K
New York, NY
Median: $125K
Mean (Average): $137K
Data points: 114
$71K
$200K
Boston, MA
Median: $137K
Mean (Average): $129K
Data points: 66
$64K
$190K
Philadelphia, PA
Median: $117K
Mean (Average): $127K
Data points: 15
$106K
$148K
Hartford, CT
Median: $129K
Mean (Average): $125K
Data points: 7
$72K
$180K
Atlanta, GA
Median: $120K
Mean (Average): $125K
Data points: 13
$85K
$194K
Washington, DC
Median: $115K
Mean (Average): $124K
Data points: 42
$96K
$139K
Tampa, FL
Median: $125K
Mean (Average): $120K
Data points: 7
$84K
$168K
Singapore, Singapore
Median: $111K
Mean (Average): $118K
Data points: 5
$60K
$158K
Chicago, IL
Median: $114K
Mean (Average): $112K
Data points: 52

The Data Scientist salary in San Diego, CA is the highest paying salary with a $210,000 average base salary. The Data Scientist salary in Moscow, Russia is the lowest paying salary with $49,000 average base salary.

In general, jobs in metropolitan areas, such as New York, San Francisco or Los Angeles, are likely to offer you around 5-15% more than the national average.

On the other hand, cities in states with lower population density, like Raleigh, Austin, or Atlanta, present average salary estimates 8%-12% lower than the national average for data science managers.

Top Companies for Data Scientist Manager Salaries

When we think about high-paying jobs, it’s hard not to flash to FAANG automatically: Facebook (now Meta), Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google. Naturally, those employers will offer higher salaries, but there are plenty of other places to look for a higher pay.

$206K
$250K
Apple
Median: $216K
Mean (Average): $224K
Data points: 6
$195K
$246K
Airbnb
Median: $211K
Mean (Average): $215K
Data points: 9
$111K
$317K
Microsoft
Median: $182K
Mean (Average): $194K
Data points: 13
$162K
$252K
Meta
Median: $184K
Mean (Average): $193K
Data points: 78
$158K
$207K
The Boston Consulting Group
Median: $195K
Mean (Average): $189K
Data points: 7
$165K
$183K
Grubhub
Median: $180K
Mean (Average): $175K
Data points: 5
$156K
$188K
Chegg Inc.
Median: $180K
Mean (Average): $175K
Data points: 6
$107K
$203K
Zs Associates
Median: $180K
Mean (Average): $171K
Data points: 8
$135K
$205K
Uber
Median: $177K
Mean (Average): $171K
Data points: 10
$115K
$210K
Shopify
Median: $176K
Mean (Average): $169K
Data points: 6
$141K
$216K
Linkedin
Median: $149K
Mean (Average): $167K
Data points: 6
$147K
$205K
S&P Global
Median: $150K
Mean (Average): $165K
Data points: 7
$132K
$180K
Deloitte
Median: $155K
Mean (Average): $158K
Data points: 6
$130K
$180K
Jpmorgan Chase & Co.
Median: $161K
Mean (Average): $158K
Data points: 7
$116K
$196K
Amazon
Median: $158K
Mean (Average): $154K
Data points: 7

The Data Scientist at Verizon salary is the highest paying salary with a $278,000 average base salary. The Data Scientist at Sberbank salary is the lowest paying salary with $47,000 average base salary.

Top companies have estimated salaries of over $200,000 per year, while the second tier of companies have salaries ranging between $160k-$190k dollars per year.

There is often a trade-off, though. Bigger companies may offer higher salaries, but they tend to have larger teams and more people working for them. This means higher competition for a promotion, and it may be more difficult to take the next forward step in your career.

On the other hand, smaller companies might not be able as high a salary, but they can offer you a fast track to the top. That said, the upward mobility can limited. After a certain point, there’s just no more positions available.

Summary

Data science is a growing field, with a lot of opportunities available.

You’d typically need about 5+ years of experience to become a data scientist manager, but when you do you can expect to be making between $100k to $200k.

Remember to take into consideration where you want to live, as well as the company you want to work for - getting the right job as a data scientist manager is about finding the right balance between all those factors.

To compare industry earnings, see our latest Data Scientist Salary report.