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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 147k per year, with a range from 75k to 252k. The salary range for Data Scientists varies depending on factors such as location, industry, experience, skills, and startup stage.
146.6k
Average Salary
3 years
Average years of experience
Salary
The average Data Scientist salary is $146,625, which is 29.9% higher than the average startup salary of $112,833. 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
$218,125/yr
Range $170k - $252k
Average
$146,625/yr
Range $117k - $176k
Below Average
$114,125/yr
Range $75k - $144k
Top Locations
The highest average salary a Data Scientist can get in New York, that is $205,000. This pay is 39.8% higher than the average Data Scientist salary in startups, which is $146,625. 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), Chicago (avg $137,000 per year), Denver (avg $135,000 per year). Remote jobs often pay based on the location you reside in.
New York
$205k
Chicago
$137k
Denver
$135k
Seattle
$135k
London
$134k
Boston
$117k
Los Angeles
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View SalariesIndustries
The highest average salary a Data Scientist can get in Social Media Platforms, that is $341,000. This pay is 7.8% higher than the average Data Scientist salary, which is $316,300. The highest-paying industries in 2023 are: Social Media Platforms (avg $341,000 per year), Portals (avg $341,000 per year), Application Platforms (avg $341,000 per year).
Tech Stack
The highest average salary a Data Scientist can get with Deep Learning, that is $180,000. This pay is 22.8% higher than the average Data Scientist salary in startups, which is $146,625. 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. Deep Learning
$180k
2. Keras
$145k
3. SQL
$125k
4. GCP
$120k
5. AWS
$120k
6. PyTorch
$110k
7. R
$110k
8. Python
$105k
9. SAS
$92k
10. Amazon S3
$92k
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 0.4% lower than the average Data Scientist salary, which is $146,625. 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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