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Data Scientist Salary and Equity in 2026
How much do Data Scientists expect to make at US-based startups? The average expected salary for Data Scientists in a startup is 162k per year, with a range from 87k to 255k. The salary range for Data Scientists varies depending on factors such as location, industry, experience, skills, and startup stage.
161.5k
Average Salary
4 years
Average years of experience
Salary
The average Data Scientist salary is $161,500, which is 25.2% higher than the average startup salary of $129,000. Data Scientist salaries are based on exclusive Wellfound data. All data is updated on a weekly basis. Factors that may influence salary include: location, years of experience, title, size of company, skill-set, and industry.
Top of market
$238,417/yr
Range $170k - $255k
Average
$161,500/yr
Range $120k - $176k
Below Average
$129,792/yr
Range $87k - $144k
Top Locations
The highest average salary a Data Scientist can get in New York, that is $205,000. This pay is 26.9% higher than the average Data Scientist salary in startups, which is $161,500. Salaries will vary based on your location. The top-paying markets in the US, on average, are currently: New York (avg $205,000 per year), Santa Monica (avg $175,000 per year), Chicago (avg $137,000 per year). Remote jobs often pay based on the location you reside in.
New York
$205k
Santa Monica
$175k
Chicago
$137k
Denver
$135k
Seattle
$135k
London
$134k
Boston
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View SalariesMinneapolis
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View SalariesVancouver
View SalariesIndustries
The highest average salary a Data Scientist can get in Video Editing, that is $320,000. This pay is 5.3% higher than the average Data Scientist salary, which is $304,000. The highest-paying industries in 2023 are: Video Editing (avg $320,000 per year), Photo Editing (avg $320,000 per year), Creative (avg $320,000 per year).
Tech Stack
The highest average salary a Data Scientist can get with Assembly, that is $224,500. This pay is 39.0% higher than the average Data Scientist salary in startups, which is $161,500. Salary range for specific skills will vary based on the supply and demand in the current market.
Top Tech Stacks
The top-paying Data Scientist skills of 2026 are:
1. Assembly
$224.5k
2. Gradle
$214.5k
3. Redis
$201.5k
4. Kotlin
$199k
5. Splunk
$197.5k
6. Spring
$192.5k
7. Haskell
$191.5k
8. Websockets
$187.5k
9. DynamoDB
$186k
10. Go
$181.5k
Years of experience
Below Average
Average
Top of Market
The highest average salary a Data Scientist can get with 10+ years of experience, that is $146,000. This pay is 9.6% lower than the average Data Scientist salary, which is $161,500. The salary range varies with years of experience and depends on other factors such as skill set, size of company, and industry.
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Popular skills
Tech Hubs for Data Scientist
Industries for Data Scientist
Web DesignBlockchain / CryptocurrencySocial Media MarketingFin TechBig DataRetailFashionManufacturingFood and BeveragesMarketplacesSmall and Medium BusinessesReal EstateDigital MarketingAdvertisingHealth and WellnessMobile ApplicationArtificial IntelligenceSales and MarketingFinancial ServicesDigital MediaWeb DevelopmentSoftwareEducationTechnologySocial MediaB2BSaaSE-CommerceClean TechnologyConsumer InternetHealthcareEnterprise SoftwareMobile