In Silicone Valley and beyond, salaries and employment levels are extremely high for data scientists in a number of industries and areas of specialization. In fact, the California Employment Department identified data scientist jobs in the area of logistical operations research as the 18th fastest growing occupational classification in the state in its review of more than 800 different jobs.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), California’s statistical modeling specialists earned the 3rd highest average salary in the country as of 2014. Data scientists in California working in the field of computer and information research earned the 4th highest average salary in the nation for their professional classification, while data scientists in logistical operations research came in at number five.
Overall, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ analyses of salaries in metropolitan areas throughout the country indicated that data scientists in San Jose earned the highest average salary of any metro area in the nation in 2014.
Data Science Starting Salary Ranges for California’s Biggest Cities
As befits its iconic status, the heart of Silicon Valley ranked number one on Nerdwallet’s list of the best places for tech jobs in 2015. Home to such big names as Adobe, Apple, and eBay, 126 out of every 1,000 jobs in the San Jose area were in the tech industry.
Just north of the center of Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Redwood City, and San Mateo boast such big tech names as Google, LinkedIn, Twitter, Oracle, Yahoo, Dropbox and many more. Nerdwallet ranked this area as the 6th best for tech jobs in 2015.
In addition, as one of California’s up and coming areas for tech jobs, the Riverside area ranked 2nd on the Forbes 2013 list of new tech hot spots in the country.
Although data scientists earn high starting salaries in a number of California’s largest cities, those in San Francisco earned the highest starting salary range as of 2016 according to Robert Half Technology. This tech staffing firm places thousands of jobseekers throughout the US each year enabling it to provide precise data on the starting salaries of data scientists. These salary figures do not include bonuses or relocation compensation.
According to the Atlas Van Lines 45th Annual Corporate Relocation Survey, 87% of firms had a formal relocation policy in 2011. More than two-thirds of the firms surveyed offered full reimbursement.
Robert Half draws from US Bureau of Labor Statistics research to account for geographic variation in California and provides accurate up-to-date salary expectations for data scientists starting new jobs in the state:
San Francisco Area
- San Francisco: $150,000 – $212,000
- Oakland: $138,000 – $195,000
- Fremont: $132,000 – $186,000
- Vallejo: $111,000 – $156,000
San Jose Area
- San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale: $147,000 – $208,000
- Fremont: $132,000 – $186,000
Los Angeles Area
- Los Angeles: $140,000 – $197,000
- Ontario: $128,000 – $180,000
- Santa Ana: $121,000 – $171,000
San Diego Area
- Irvine: $140,000 – $197,000
- San Diego: $134,000 – $189,000
- Riverside: $89,000 – $125,000
Sacramento Area
- Sacramento, Fairfield: $111,000 – $157,000
- Yuba City: $84,000 – $119,000
Metropolitan Areas in California where Data Scientists Earn Exceptionally High Salaries
Other cities in which California’s data scientists earned some of the highest salaries in the nation are shown below for specific industries and areas of focus (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014):
- Logistical Operations Research
- San Diego – 3rd highest paying
- San Francisco – 9th highest paying
- Bakersfield – 10th highest paying
- Computer and Information Research Science
- San Francisco – 5th highest paying
- Los Angeles – 6th highest paying
- Santa Ana – 9th highest paying
- Statistical Modeling
- San Francisco – 3rd highest paying
- Oakland – 7th highest paying
- San Diego – 9th highest paying
Salaries and Employment Levels for Data Scientists Throughout California in a Number of Key Industries
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, California was home to more than 10,700 data scientists working in the field of logistical operations research in 2014, more than any other state that year.
California was also home to the highest number of data scientists working in the field of computer and information research science in the nation, with nearly 6,000 employed in the state as of 2014. In addition, California was home to the 2nd highest number of statistical modeling specialists in the nation that year.
Metropolitan areas in California with an exceptionally high number of data scientists as compared to the rest of the country included:
San Jose
- Highest number of data scientists in computer and information research science
- 4th highest number of data scientists in logistical operations research
- 7th highest number of statistical modeling specialists
San Francisco
- 5th highest number of data scientists in computer and information research science
- 8th highest number of statistical modeling specialists
Los Angeles
- 7th highest number of statistical modeling specialists
- 9th highest number of data scientists in logistical operations research
San Diego
- 6th highest number of data scientists in computer and information research science
Salaries for Statistical Modeling Specialists in the Major Metropolitan Areas of California
The average starting salaries for data scientists that specialize in statistical modeling in the major metropolitan areas of California differed by more than 60%, according to a 2014 report published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS):
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale CA Metropolitan – $127,500
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana – $126,020
- Oakland-Fremont-Hayward – $150,290
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura – $122,270
- Redding – $120,530
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario – $116,310
- Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville – $115,270
- San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos – $175,120
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont – $165,590
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City CA Metropolitan Division – $168,920
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara – $187,199*
- Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine – $123,630′
*These salaries are equal to or greater than $90 an hour or $187,199 a year. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics does not report salary data beyond this level.
Salaries for Data Scientists Working in Operations Research in Metropolitan California
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides starting salaries for data scientists working in operations research in California as of 2014. Those working in the San Jose area earned the highest mean salary statewide, followed closely by those in the San Diego area:
- Bakersfield-Delano – $149,330
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale – $121,450
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana – $120,710
- Oakland-Fremont-Hayward – $146,680
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura – $97,040
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario – $119,680
- Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville – $94,040
- Salinas – $166,050
- San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos – $181,720
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont – $151,810
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City CA Metropolitan Division – $153,860
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara – $165,510
- Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine CA Metropolitan Division – $119,350
- Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta – $127,490
- Santa Cruz-Watsonville – $135,750
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma – $122,590
Salaries for Data Scientists in California Working in the Field of Computer and Information Research Science
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, data scientists working in computer and information research science in the San Jose and Santa Ana areas earned an average starting salary at least 12% higher than in any other part of the state in 2014:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale CA Metropolitan Division – $180,230
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana – $182,050
- Oakland-Fremont-Hayward CA Metropolitan Division – $162,630
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura – $139,330
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario – $171,350
- Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville – $184,780
- San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos – $141,930
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont – $164,920
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City CA Metropolitan Division – $166,050
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara – $187,199*
- Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine CA Metropolitan Division – $187,199*
- Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta – $147,840
*These salaries are equal to or greater than $90 an hour or $187,199 a year. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics does not report salaries beyond this level.
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.