A 2013 article in The Dallas Morning News described advances in data mining that have been revolutionizing health care in northern Texas. Data mining software tools have become more affordable and widely accessible, enabling them to become a part of enterprise-wide systems used in the state’s hospitals.
Baylor Health Care System now has a data mining laboratory that combines the technical expertise of data scientists with the clinical expertise of healthcare professionals. The software used can sort through nearly 47 million possible unique viewpoints and can reveal links that would not be obvious to any human observer. One of the lab’s projects led to staffing changes in Baylor hospitals.
The data confirmed that an increase in the number of nurses led to fewer patient incidents like falls. This analysis also confirmed that satisfaction scores were higher with full-time nurses than temporary or contract nurses. The value of the data scientists that manage the mining of these massive data assets is evident in the salaries they earn, and as demand grows employers are expected to continue offering higher starting salaries to attract top talent.
Data Science Starting Salary Ranges in the Biggest Cities in Texas
With more than 496,000 jobs in tech as of 2011, Texas ranked 6th for the largest amount of high-tech employment growth between 2010 and 2011 according to the Technology Works report by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute.
Both San Antonio and the Beaumont-Port Arthur area made this report’s top 25 metro areas for high-tech employment growth in 2010-11. In addition, Forbes listed the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown area as 8th on its 2013 list of America’s new tech hot spots.
Austin ranked number one on Mashable’s 2015 list of the cities most likely to become the next Silicon Valley. The article stated that “big data is a big deal” in this city. Nearly 11% of the jobs in Austin were in tech in 2011.
While Austin-based startups make headlines on a regular basis, the city appeals to established tech companies, too. Gowalla, Indeed, and HomeAway got their start in Austin. Venture capital is plentiful in Austin, and the Kaufman Foundation’s Startup Activity Index ranked the city first in 2015.
With its influential innovation-based SXSW (South by Southwest) festival, Austin draws tech talent from around the country and the world. The combination of big business incentives and the city’s unique vibe attracts tech talent, young professionals and entrepreneurs to Austin.
Data science starting salary ranges were comparable in the largest cities in Texas as of 2016 according to the tech staffing firm Robert Half Technology. This company places thousands of job seekers across the US each year and tracks their starting salaries. However, these salary figures do not include bonuses and relocation assistance which can be substantial.
Drawing from rigorous research by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Robert Half accounts for the geographic variation in Texas to provide accurate and up-to-date salary expectations:
Dallas Area
- Dallas: $118,000 – $167,000
- Fort Worth: $117,000 – $165,000
- Arlington: $117,000 – $165,000
- Sherman: $88,000 – $124,000
Austin Area
- Austin: $117,000 – $165,000
- Round Rock: $114,000 – $161,000
- San Antonio: $109,000 – $154,000
- Killeen: $86,000 – $121,000
- Temple: $86,000 – $121,000
Houston Area
- Houston: $117,000 – $165,000
- Sugar Land: $117,000 – $165,000
- Baytown: $115,000 – $162,000
- College Station: $82,000 – $115,000
Salaries for Texas’s Data Scientists According to Industry and Area of Professional Focus
The salaries for top earning data scientists in several key industries and specialty roles in Texas exceeded $100,000 a year (US Bureau of Labor Statistics 2014):
Computer and Information Research Science (BLS)
- $176,940
Statistical Modeling (BLS)
- $120,580
Job Growth Projections for Texas’s Data Scientists in Various Industries and Areas of Specialization
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), as of 2014 Texas was home to the 2nd largest number of data scientists working in the area of operations research in the country. More than 7,000 data scientists working in operations research were employed in Texas that year. More than a third of these data scientists were located in the Dallas area.
In addition, the Dallas area had the 6th highest number of data scientists working in the area of operations research and the 4th highest number working in computer and information research science.
The Texas Workforce Commission expects a significant increase in the number of jobs for data scientists in a number of roles during the ten-year period leading up to 2022:
- Operations Research – 36.8%
- Statistical Modeling – 36.5%
- Computer and Information Research Science – 24.2% (twice as fast as the national average)
Data scientists working as computer and information research scientists in the Houston area are extremely well paid, earning the 7th highest salary in the country for their job classification in 2014 according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. In Texas overall, the median salary among computer and information research scientists exceeded the national median for this profession by nearly 3%.
Salaries for Data Scientists in Texas Working in the Area of Computer and Information Research Science
Salaries for data scientists in Texas working in the area of computer and information research as published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2014:
- Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos – $182,160
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington – $178,550
- Dallas-Plano-Irving TX Metropolitan Division – $179,850
- Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown – $180,780
- Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood – $162,000
- San Antonio-New Braunfels – $136,370
Data Science Salaries for Professionals Working in the Area of Operations Research in Texas
Salaries for data scientists in Texas working in operations research as published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2014:
- Amarillo – $113,640
- Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos – $112,630
- Corpus Christi – $118,590
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington – $106,600
- Dallas-Plano-Irving TX Metropolitan Division – $105,800
- El Paso – $109,400
- Fort Worth-Arlington TX Metropolitan Division – $110,450
- Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown – $121,350
- Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood – $114,320
- Lubbock – $119,040
- McAllen-Edinburg-Mission – $111,360
- San Antonio-New Braunfels – $112,990
- Tyler – $101,710
- Victoria – $109,580
Salaries for Statistical Modeling Specialists in Texas’s Major Cities
Salaries for data scientists in Texas working as statistical modeling specialists as published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2014:
- Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos – $120,580
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington – $131,100
- Dallas-Plano-Irving TX Metropolitan Division – $137,470
- Fort Worth-Arlington TX Metropolitan Division – $119,560
- Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown – $110,250
- San Antonio-New Braunfels – $105,050
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.