In 2010, Kiplinger ranked Topeka, Kansas among its exclusive list of “10 Best Cities for the Next Decade” due to the metropolitan area’s innovative spirit, prosperity, and job abundance, particularly in the tech sector.
An article published in Forbes in 2014 suggests that data scientists in Kansas are receiving evermore generous salaries as employers compete for talent in an environment where the number of highly skilled professionals that can handle advanced analytics is rising at a much slower rate than the demand for skilled professionals capable of working with enormous data assets. This has been the case in both the private and public sectors.
That year, the United States Department of Labor reported that data scientists in Kansas likewise experienced high salaries. In fact data scientists working in the field of computer and information research science were counted among Kansas’s top 45 highest paid professionals in 2014.
Starting Salary Ranges for Data Scientist in Kansas’s Major Cities
Kansas’ technology industry continues to gain momentum in largely due to its Innovation Growth Program. The statewide initiative represents a network of organizations led by the Kansas Department of Commerce with the goal of expediting the research and development processes necessary to transform innovative concepts into commercial products. Although the program undoubtedly helps clear the pathway to success for many local businesses and entrepreneurial ambitions, its main goal is to produce evermore tech jobs to Kansas. This objective is particularly exciting for data scientists working here, as they are likely to discover a greater profusion of high paying jobs as a result.
Along with the Kansas Department of Commerce, the Innovation Growth Program is supported with several affiliated partners equally devoted to helping data scientists reach greater financial success in Kansas, including:
- Pittsburg State University
- Wichita Technology Corporation
- Kansas City University
- Bioscience & Technology Business Center
- Advanced Manufacturing Institute
- University of Kansas
- Mid America manufacturing Technology Corporation
- Wichita State University
Kansas’s determination to expand its tech prowess is evident in the growing presence of tech companies like Lawrence-based AvaTekh, Inc. In the summer of 2015, AvaTekh began collaborating with Kansas State University’s Electronic Design Laboratory and Ultra Electronics ICE to convert algorithms into tech devices and services for military and commercial purposes. With any luck, AvaTekh will realize its vision of shaping Manhattan, Kansas into the Silicon Valley of the Midwest, which could equate to even greater salaries for citywide data scientists.
Data scientists may start experiencing more competitive salaries in Wichita as well. The city is already home to tech-focused companies like High Touch Technologies, LendingTools, Cybertron PC, Integra Technologies, and InfoSync, many of which continuing hiring additional tech workers. For example, in 2015 The Wichita Eagle reported that the computer storage and data company NetApp to grow its research facility in Wichita by hiring at least 400 employees by 2017.
In 2016, the IT staffing company Robert Half Technology examined its recent job placements to uncover the starting salary ranges for data scientists working in major cities throughout Kansas. The following salary information does not take into account other forms of monetary compensations such as bonuses:
Wichita Area
- Wichita: $94,000-$133,000
- Topeka: $87,000-$123,000
- Lawrence: $77,000-$108,000
Kansas City Area
- Kansas City: $108,000-$153,000
- Overland Park $108,000-$153,000
Other Major Cities
- Manhattan: $87,000-$123,000
- Salina: $94,000-$133,000
- Dodge City: $94,000-$133,000
- Hays: $94,000-$133,000
Local Data Science Employers in Kansas
According to the Kansas Department of Labor, the following employers posted the largest number of online job advertisements for data scientists in January 2016:
- Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company
- ClearMarket Advisors
- LockPath, Inc.
- Security Benefit Corporation
- Koch Industries, Inc.
- VF Corporation
- Great Plains Technical Services
- Lexmark International, Inc.
- University of Kansas Hospital
A Brief Glimpse at Data Science Salaries in Kansas by Industry and Area of Focus
Both the Kansas Department of Labor and the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics offer salary information for data scientists according to industry and area of professional focus (2014):
- Statistical Modeling – $118,700
- Computer and Information Research Science – $138,300
- Operations Research -$138,300
- Financial Services – $115,000
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 90th percentile averages to reflect the fact that data scientists are recognized as the top earners within each classification.