The Vermont Department of Labor identified the field of statistical modeling as being particularly promising for data scientists based on the projected rate of job growth, ranking it as the 7th fastest growing occupational field in the state for jobs that require a an advanced degree.
Aided by the Vermont Medical Society, the Vermont Legislature passed a law in 2007 that banned companies from selling prescription drug information for marketing purposes. The law also requires the consent of prescribing doctors in order for drug companies to be able to use even anonymous data related to the prescriptions they write.
However, IMS Health, Inc., which routinely sells prescription data to pharmaceutical companies for marketing purposes, brought suit against Vermont’s Attorney General over enforcement of the new law. Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America along with other companies also took part in this suit. These companies claimed that their First Amendment free speech rights were being violated. The suit went to the US Supreme Court, which ruled against it by a 6 to 3 margin. This established a new precedent with regard to how marketing firms use data, and shows Vermont as a leader in setting standards in the field of data science.
Vermont Data Scientist Starting Salary Ranges in the State’s Biggest Cities
High tech development in Vermont started more than 50 years ago when IBM established a major research facility in Essex Junction. While IBM is no longer the major employer in Vermont that it once was, its legacy remains in the generations of people drawn to the state to work in its tech industry.
Burlington’s tech scene generated a buzz in 2014 with coverage in The Atlantic and a listing as one of the ten most promising tech hubs to watch on the website Techie.com.
The acquisition of its local Internet company Dealer.com for $1 billion garnered additional press for Burlington.
The city’s mayor is building on Burlington’s tech success by helping to launch the economic development accelerator effort BTV Ignite. Mayor Weinberger also brought gig connections to local libraries, maker spaces, schools, and research universities.
Thus, data scientists in Burlington earned higher starting salaries than those in other parts of Vermont as of 2016 according to Robert Half Technology, the national tech staffing firm. Robert Half places thousands of jobseekers throughout the US each year and provides the gold standard for tech salaries such as those of data scientists. These salary values do not factor in relocation assistance or bonuses.
Full compensation for relocation costs has become common in corporate America according to the Atlas Van Lines’ 45th Corporate Relocation Survey from 2011. Nearly two-thirds of the firms surveyed offered such compensation. New hires also benefit from these policies, since more than half of the relocated employees fell into this category.
Robert Half draws from US Bureau of Labor Statistics research to factor Vermont’s geographic variation into its salary analyses and provides up-to-date and accurate salary expectations for data scientists in the state:
- Burlington: $104,000 – $147,000
- Rutland: $84,000 – $118,000
Salaries for Vermont’s Data Scientists in Two Specialized Roles
Median and 90th percentile salaries for data scientists working in operations research and statistical modeling throughout Vermont are shown below (2014, Vermont Department of Labor):
Operations Research
- $99,700
Statistical Modeling
- $82,480
An Analysis of Salaries for Vermont’s Data Scientists Working in Operations Research in the Burlington Area
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for data scientists working in operations research in the Burlington area was 8.4% higher than the statewide median for these professionals as of 2014:
- Burlington-South Burlington – $100,320
The US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics information shown here reflects salary data for broad occupational classifications that include data scientists. These estimates are expressed as the 90th percentile average to reflect the fact that data scientists are recognized as the top earners within each classification.