Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| District of Columbia | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $126,490 | $120,395 | +5% |
| Median hourly wage | $60.81 | $57.88 | +5% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $115,096.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $140,426 | $110,500 | $214,500 | 152 |
The median annual salary for a Data Scientist in District of Columbia is $126,490, or about $60.81 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Data Scientists is $120,395. District of Columbia is +5% above the national median.
Entry-level data scientists in District of Columbia typically earn from $110,500 depending on the city and employer.
With 2,680 data scientist jobs on record and a median salary of $126,490, District of Columbia offers above-average pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, data scientists rank 78 of the 465 occupations reported in District of Columbia — higher than 83% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Actuaries at $166,230, Computer Occupations, All Other at $156,590, Database Architects at $150,010 — all figures are median annual wages for District of Columbia.
No. Every figure on this page is a gross (pre-tax) wage. District of Columbia 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 152.0 (100 = national average).
By median annual wage, data scientists rank 78 of the 465 occupations reported in District of Columbia — higher than 83% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in District of Columbia | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Actuaries | $166,230 | $160 |
| Computer Occupations, All Other | $156,590 | $17,200 |
| Database Architects | $150,010 | $790 |
| Computer and Information Research Scientists | $144,190 | $330 |
| Statisticians | $140,670 | $550 |
| Computer Network Architects | $137,670 | $1,490 |
District of Columbia 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 152.0 (100 = national average).
Ranking and comparison figures come from the same BLS OEWS release as the rest of this page, which covers 465 occupations in District of Columbia.