Data Scientist Salary
The median pay for a data scientists in Salinas, CA is $99,850/year ($48.01/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $60K at the entry level to $176K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 109.04), so that salary is closer to $91,572 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,684/month, about 42.8% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $100K get you in Salinas?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Salinas’s Regional Price Parity (109.04). 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 Salinas
Pay for data scientists in Salinas runs about 17% below the U.S. median of $120K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,684/month, which is 44% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 9% above the national average (BEA RPP 109.04), so groceries and services cost more too. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for data scientistss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for data scientists in metros near Salinas, 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, Salinas, CA
Entry-level data scientists (10th percentile) start around $60K. Mid-career wages sit at $100K. Top earners bring in $176K or more, a $116K 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 quarterly. We'll email you when Salinas numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a data scientist afford a 2BR apartment alone in Salinas?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $100K, rent takes 44% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,684/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for data scientists in Salinas?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new data scientists typically earn — is $60K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,576/month. At HUD’s $2,684/month FMR, rent would take 75% 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 Salinas?
Local pay runs 17% below the national median — $100K here vs. $120K nationally.
How does Salinas compare to the national average for data scientists?
Salinas pays $100K median vs. the U.S. average of $120K — that’s -17%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 109.04), the purchasing-power equivalent is $92K — below the national median.
How much do data scientists make in Salinas, CA?
The median is $99,850 a year, that works out to about $48 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $59,600, and experienced data scientists can clear $175,770. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $100K enough to live in Salinas?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,101/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,684/month, which eats 44% 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 Salinas?
Salinas has a Regional Price Parity of 109.04 (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 $91,572 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.