Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Best states for a data scientist
Quoted expert
Edwin Chong Ph.D.
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to data scientist jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. Our research found that Washington is the best state for data scientists, while California and Washington are ranked highest in terms of median salary. Washington has a median salary of $111,669 and California has the highest median salary among all 50 states for data scientists.
The median salary for data scientists in Washington is $111,669. Compare that to the median salary in Oklahoma of $73,188, which ranked worst for data scientists, and you can see how your location is important for your career.We found that Washington is the best state for data scientist jobs, whereas Oklahoma is the worst.
10 best states for data scientists in 2025
1. Washington
Total data scientist jobs: 1,222 Average annual salary: $111,669 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $155,000 Location Quotient: 1.14
2. New York
Total data scientist jobs: 2,735 Average annual salary: $98,821 Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 1.45
3. Delaware
Total data scientist jobs: 241 Average annual salary: $92,901 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 1.31
4. California
Total data scientist jobs: 3,874 Average annual salary: $120,196 Lowest 10 percent earn: $84,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $170,000 Location Quotient: 0.9
5. Massachusetts
Total data scientist jobs: 1,684 Average annual salary: $94,091 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 1.25
6. Nevada
Total data scientist jobs: 278 Average annual salary: $96,695 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000 Location Quotient: 0.9
7. Idaho
Total data scientist jobs: 249 Average annual salary: $89,669 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000 Location Quotient: 1.03
8. Alaska
Total data scientist jobs: 148 Average annual salary: $90,445 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
9. New Jersey
Total data scientist jobs: 1,845 Average annual salary: $90,358 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000 Location Quotient: 1.58
10. New Hampshire
Total data scientist jobs: 292 Average annual salary: $87,302 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000 Location Quotient: 1.14
Data scientist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a data scientist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a data scientist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $111,669 | $80,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,222 |
| 2 | New York | $98,821 | $72,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,735 |
| 3 | Delaware | $92,901 | $67,000 | 961,939 | 241 |
| 4 | California | $120,196 | $84,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,874 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $94,091 | $68,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,684 |
| 6 | Nevada | $96,695 | $68,000 | 2,998,039 | 278 |
| 7 | Idaho | $89,669 | $64,000 | 1,716,943 | 249 |
| 8 | Alaska | $90,445 | $69,000 | 739,795 | 148 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $90,358 | $65,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,845 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $87,302 | $64,000 | 1,342,795 | 292 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $89,010 | $64,000 | 3,588,184 | 678 |
| 12 | Arizona | $89,489 | $63,000 | 7,016,270 | 831 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | $88,388 | $64,000 | 1,059,639 | 180 |
| 14 | Utah | $86,604 | $61,000 | 3,101,833 | 510 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $85,459 | $62,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,804 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $89,648 | $65,000 | 693,972 | 504 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $86,375 | $63,000 | 1,815,857 | 176 |
| 18 | Oregon | $88,457 | $63,000 | 4,142,776 | 596 |
| 19 | Maryland | $87,406 | $63,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,516 |
| 20 | Vermont | $85,676 | $63,000 | 623,657 | 123 |
| 21 | North Carolina | $81,851 | $60,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,788 |
| 22 | South Dakota | $80,898 | $60,000 | 869,666 | 184 |
| 23 | Virginia | $85,719 | $62,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,789 |
| 24 | Maine | $83,805 | $62,000 | 1,335,907 | 196 |
| 25 | Ohio | $82,610 | $60,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,164 |
| 26 | Illinois | $82,774 | $61,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,023 |
| 27 | Texas | $84,311 | $60,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,563 |
| 28 | Montana | $80,145 | $58,000 | 1,050,493 | 197 |
| 29 | New Mexico | $80,314 | $57,000 | 2,088,070 | 311 |
| 30 | Minnesota | $82,819 | $61,000 | 5,576,606 | 947 |
| 31 | Michigan | $81,586 | $60,000 | 9,962,311 | 872 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $77,667 | $58,000 | 755,393 | 155 |
| 33 | Tennessee | $80,287 | $59,000 | 6,715,984 | 551 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $80,315 | $59,000 | 5,795,483 | 679 |
| 35 | Missouri | $78,098 | $58,000 | 6,113,532 | 868 |
| 36 | Colorado | $80,168 | $58,000 | 5,607,154 | 877 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $76,099 | $55,000 | 579,315 | 92 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $78,131 | $57,000 | 3,004,279 | 266 |
| 39 | Georgia | $78,393 | $57,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,275 |
| 40 | Indiana | $76,528 | $56,000 | 6,666,818 | 712 |
| 41 | Iowa | $75,776 | $56,000 | 3,145,711 | 427 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $75,741 | $56,000 | 4,454,189 | 396 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $66,573 | $52,000 | 1,427,538 | 160 |
| 44 | Kansas | $74,872 | $55,000 | 2,913,123 | 388 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $76,879 | $56,000 | 5,024,369 | 423 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $76,434 | $55,000 | 4,684,333 | 315 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $74,466 | $55,000 | 1,920,076 | 284 |
| 48 | Florida | $75,549 | $53,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,801 |
| 49 | Alabama | $73,671 | $54,000 | 4,874,747 | 390 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $73,859 | $54,000 | 2,984,100 | 160 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $73,188 | $54,000 | 3,930,864 | 236 |
Highest paying states for data scientists
| Rank | State | Avg. Data Scientist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $111,669 |
| 2 | New York | $98,821 |
| 3 | Delaware | $92,901 |
| 4 | California | $120,196 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $94,091 |
| 6 | Nevada | $96,695 |
| 7 | Idaho | $89,669 |
| 8 | Alaska | $90,445 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $90,358 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $87,302 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $89,010 |
| 12 | Arizona | $89,489 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | $88,388 |
| 14 | Utah | $86,604 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $85,459 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $89,648 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $86,375 |
| 18 | Oregon | $88,457 |
| 19 | Maryland | $87,406 |
| 20 | Vermont | $85,676 |
| 21 | North Carolina | $81,851 |
| 22 | South Dakota | $80,898 |
| 23 | Virginia | $85,719 |
| 24 | Maine | $83,805 |
| 25 | Ohio | $82,610 |
| 26 | Illinois | $82,774 |
| 27 | Texas | $84,311 |
| 28 | Montana | $80,145 |
| 29 | New Mexico | $80,314 |
| 30 | Minnesota | $82,819 |
| 31 | Michigan | $81,586 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $77,667 |
| 33 | Tennessee | $80,287 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $80,315 |
| 35 | Missouri | $78,098 |
| 36 | Colorado | $80,168 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $76,099 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $78,131 |
| 39 | Georgia | $78,393 |
| 40 | Indiana | $76,528 |
| 41 | Iowa | $75,776 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $75,741 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $66,573 |
| 44 | Kansas | $74,872 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $76,879 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $76,434 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $74,466 |
| 48 | Florida | $75,549 |
| 49 | Alabama | $73,671 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $73,859 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $73,188 |
Expert opinions on the best states for data scientists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for data scientists to find work opportunities?
Edwin Chong Ph.D.
Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor of Mathematics, Colorado State University
Interestingly, I think that the changes brought about by the pandemic have made being in specific locations a less critical factor in finding work opportunities, especially in fields such as mathematics and computer science. Moreover, the dominance of urban centers as a source of job opportunities will likely diminish. This is good news in many ways.
Data scientist best states FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common computer and mathematical questions.
Search for data scientist jobs
Updated January 8, 2025