Data Scientists pay range in San Francisco
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $99,170 a year or less, while the top 10% make $272,430 or more. The middle half of data scientists in San Francisco earn between $130,430 and $212,970.
- $99K10th
- $130K25th
- $170KMedian
- $213K75th
- $272K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $174,830 | $14,569 | $84.05 |
| Median | $170,110 | $14,176 | $81.78 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $130,430 | $10,869 | $62.71 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $212,970 | $17,748 | $102.39 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Data Scientists salary after taxes in San Francisco
On the average salary of $174,830, a single filer in San Francisco takes home about $118,595 a year, or $9,883 a month and $4,561 every two weeks. Taxes take 32% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Is San Francisco a good place for data scientists? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the San Francisco area are 16% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 115.6), so the average $174,830 buys what about $151,220 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 2.3 times the median wage of all jobs in San Francisco ($74,260). A typical home costs $1,149,215, or 6.6 years of this average salary before tax.
Data Scientists salary in other California cities
San Francisco ranks 2nd of 20 California metro areas for this job; San Jose pays the most ($212,760).
- San Jose$212,760
- San Francisco$174,830
- Oxnard$138,630
- Los Angeles$136,700
- San Diego$134,470
- Santa Cruz$132,800
- San Luis Obispo$128,340
- Santa Maria$125,770
- Riverside$125,060
- Napa$124,390
Highest-paying cities for data scientists
San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($212,760).
- San Jose, CA$212,760
- San Francisco, CA$174,830
- Seattle, WA$160,460
- Idaho Falls, ID$159,110
- Kennewick, WA$157,380
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Data Scientists salary in San Francisco: questions
How much do data scientists make an hour in San Francisco?
$84.05 an hour on average, and $81.79 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level data scientists salary in San Francisco?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $99,170 a year and the 25th percentile is $130,430, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the data scientists take-home pay in San Francisco?
About $118,595 a year ($9,883 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $174,830. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do data scientists earn more in San Francisco than elsewhere?
The average here is 36% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($128,761).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 15-2051; area San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA (41860). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.5%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 2.61, this job is 2.6 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.
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