Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| Virginia | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $126,430 | $120,395 | +5% |
| Median hourly wage | $60.78 | $57.88 | +5% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $125,054.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach | $105,860 | $83,300 | $161,700 | 100 |
The median annual salary for a Data Scientist in Virginia is $126,430, or about $60.78 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Data Scientists is $120,395. Virginia is +5% above the national median.
Entry-level data scientists in Virginia typically earn from $83,300 depending on the city and employer.
With 8,920 data scientist jobs on record and a median salary of $126,430, Virginia offers above-average pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, data scientists rank 73 of the 747 occupations reported in Virginia — higher than 90% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Database Architects at $160,360, Computer and Information Research Scientists at $157,390, Mathematicians at $148,030 — all figures are median annual wages for Virginia.
No. Every figure on this page is a gross (pre-tax) wage. Virginia 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 104.0 (100 = national average).
By median annual wage, data scientists rank 73 of the 747 occupations reported in Virginia — higher than 90% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in Virginia | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Database Architects | $160,360 | $5,260 |
| Computer and Information Research Scientists | $157,390 | $3,590 |
| Mathematicians | $148,030 | $400 |
| Computer Network Architects | $141,340 | $9,380 |
| Computer Occupations, All Other | $139,030 | $17,000 |
| Software Developers | $136,460 | $88,280 |
Virginia 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 104.0 (100 = national average).
Ranking and comparison figures come from the same BLS OEWS release as the rest of this page, which covers 747 occupations in Virginia.