Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| California | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $141,590 | $120,395 | +18% |
| Median hourly wage | $68.07 | $57.88 | +18% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $127,904.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $167,431 | $131,750 | $255,750 | 244 |
| Oakland | $151,228 | $119,000 | $231,000 | 196 |
| Los Angeles | $138,266 | $108,800 | $211,200 | 173 |
| Long Beach | $129,624 | $102,000 | $198,000 | 153 |
| San Diego | $127,464 | $100,300 | $194,700 | 161 |
| Sacramento | $116,662 | $91,800 | $178,200 | 130 |
| Fresno | $102,619 | $80,750 | $156,750 | 105 |
The median annual salary for a Data Scientist in California is $141,590, or about $68.07 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Data Scientists is $120,395. California is +18% above the national median.
Entry-level data scientists in California typically earn from $131,750 depending on the city and employer.
With 39,310 data scientist jobs on record and a median salary of $141,590, California offers above-average pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, data scientists rank 60 of the 793 occupations reported in California — higher than 92% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Mathematical Science Occupations, All Other at $180,500, Software Developers at $174,410, Database Architects at $170,160 — all figures are median annual wages for California.
No. Every figure on this page is a gross (pre-tax) wage. California levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 145.0 (100 = national average).
By median annual wage, data scientists rank 60 of the 793 occupations reported in California — higher than 92% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in California | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematical Science Occupations, All Other | $180,500 | $120 |
| Software Developers | $174,410 | $284,390 |
| Database Architects | $170,160 | $6,210 |
| Computer and Information Research Scientists | $159,100 | $8,440 |
| Computer Network Architects | $158,870 | $14,870 |
| Information Security Analysts | $138,570 | $15,570 |
California levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 145.0 (100 = national average).
Ranking and comparison figures come from the same BLS OEWS release as the rest of this page, which covers 793 occupations in California.