Data Scientist Salary
The median pay for a data scientists in Sacramento, CA is $103,700/year ($49.86/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $77K at the entry level to $161K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 106.67), so that salary is closer to $97,216 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,255/month, about 35.3% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $104K actually covers in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom’s Regional Price Parity (106.67). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About data scientists
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What this looks like in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom
Pay for data scientists in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom runs about 14% below the U.S. median of $120K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,255/month, which is 35.8% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 7% above the national average (BEA RPP 106.67), so groceries and services cost more too. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for data scientists.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for data scientists in metros near Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $170K | $147K |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $130K | $114K |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | $185K | $168K |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $131K | $117K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
Entry-level data scientists (10th percentile) start around $77K. Mid-career wages sit at $104K. Top earners bring in $161K or more, a $83K spread from bottom to top.
Data Scientists pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Data Scientists salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $163K | +36% | 9,600 |
| California | $142K | +18% | 39,310 |
| Maryland | $136K | +13% | 3,340 |
| New Jersey | $135K | +13% | 6,430 |
| Massachusetts | $132K | +10% | 9,420 |
| New York | $130K | +9% | 23,970 |
| Minnesota | $129K | +7% | 4,020 |
| Vermont | $127K | +6% | 200 |
| District of Columbia | $126K | +5% | 2,680 |
| Virginia | $126K | +5% | 8,920 |
| Connecticut | $126K | +5% | 1,760 |
| Oregon | $126K | +5% | 2,140 |
| Texas | $122K | +2% | 25,860 |
| North Carolina | $119K | -1% | 11,430 |
| Colorado | $117K | -2% | 6,280 |
| Florida | $116K | -4% | 10,240 |
| Arkansas | $109K | -9% | 530 |
| Utah | $108K | -10% | 4,360 |
| Arizona | $107K | -11% | 4,560 |
| Pennsylvania | $107K | -11% | 13,810 |
| Wisconsin | $107K | -11% | 4,370 |
| Illinois | $107K | -11% | 10,520 |
| Georgia | $104K | -13% | 9,260 |
| Alabama | $103K | -14% | 1,740 |
| Ohio | $103K | -15% | 6,100 |
| Rhode Island | $102K | -15% | 1,160 |
| Hawaii | $102K | -15% | 300 |
| New Hampshire | $101K | -16% | 1,100 |
| Michigan | $101K | -16% | 7,360 |
| Montana | $100K | -16% | 220 |
| Tennessee | $100K | -17% | 2,790 |
| Nevada | $99K | -18% | 1,680 |
| Nebraska | $98K | -18% | 1,980 |
| Kansas | $98K | -18% | 490 |
| Missouri | $97K | -19% | 4,730 |
| South Dakota | $96K | -20% | 220 |
| New Mexico | $96K | -20% | 560 |
| Iowa | $96K | -20% | 2,300 |
| South Carolina | $92K | -23% | 3,750 |
| Kentucky | $92K | -24% | 1,540 |
| Indiana | $91K | -24% | 3,580 |
| Maine | $91K | -24% | 1,210 |
| Idaho | $89K | -26% | 1,350 |
| Oklahoma | $86K | -28% | 1,900 |
| West Virginia | $85K | -29% | 390 |
| Alaska | $84K | -30% | 230 |
| North Dakota | $82K | -32% | 210 |
| Louisiana | $79K | -34% | 1,300 |
| Mississippi | $69K | -42% | 440 |
Showing 1–10 of 49 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track data scientists salary changes
BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a data scientist afford a 2BR apartment alone in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $104K, rent takes 35.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,255/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for data scientists in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new data scientists typically earn — is $77K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,960/month. At HUD’s $2,255/month FMR, rent would take 45% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is data scientist a high-paying job in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom?
Local pay runs 14% below the national median — $104K here vs. $120K nationally.
How does Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom compare to the national average for data scientists?
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom pays $104K median vs. the U.S. average of $120K — that’s -14%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 106.67), the purchasing-power equivalent is $97K — below the national median.
How much do data scientists make in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA?
The median is $103,700 a year, that works out to about $50 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $77,430, and experienced data scientists can clear $160,740. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $104K enough to live in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,296/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,255/month, which eats 35.8% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a data scientists salary go in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom?
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom has a Regional Price Parity of 106.67 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median data scientists salary is worth about $97,216 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do data scientists get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.