Discover Salaries

Data Scientist
Chicago
Select skill
Select industry

Data Scientist Salary and Equity in Chicago 2026

How much does a Data Scientist expect to make at Chicago-based startups? The average expected salary for Data Scientists in Chicago-based startups is 151k per year, with a range from 111k to 254k. These amounts were gathered from Wellfound self-reported data and represent the median salary range. The salary range for Data Scientists in Chicago startups varies depending on factors such as industry, experience, skills, and startup stage.

150.9k

Average Salary

3 years

Average years of experience

Hiring data hero image

Salary

By quarter
The average salary for a Data Scientist in Chicago is $150,861, which is 33.7% higher than the average Chicago startup salary of$112,875. Data Scientist salaries in Chicago are based on exclusive Wellfound data. All data is updated on a weekly basis. Factors that may influence salary include: years of experience, title, size of company, skill-set, and industry.

Top of market

$193,700/yr

Range $137k - $254k

Average

$150,861/yr

Range $123k - $206k

Below Average

$130,703/yr

Range $111k - $195k


Industries

The highest average salary a Data Scientist in Chicago can get in Local, that is $240,000. This pay is 24.9% higher than the average Data Scientist salary in Chicago, which is $192,200. The highest-paying industries in 2023 are: Local (avg $240,000 per year), Same Day Delivery (avg $240,000 per year), Content Delivery (avg $240,000 per year).

Tech Stack

We have insufficient data for your selection, please try selecting different filters.


Years of experience

Below Average

Average

Top of Market

The highest average salary a Data Scientist in Chicago can get with 10+ years of experience, that is $75,000. This pay is 33.6% lower than the average salary in Chicago startups, which is $112,875. The salary range varies with years of experience and depends on other factors such as skill set, size of company, and industry.