Data Scientists pay range in Santa Cruz
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $75,070 a year or less, while the top 10% make $211,050 or more. The middle half of data scientists in Santa Cruz earn between $92,010 and $161,850.
- $75K10th
- $92K25th
- $131KMedian
- $162K75th
- $211K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $132,800 | $11,067 | $63.85 |
| Median | $130,980 | $10,915 | $62.97 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $92,010 | $7,668 | $44.24 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $161,850 | $13,488 | $77.81 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Data Scientists salary after taxes in Santa Cruz
On the average salary of $132,800, a single filer in Santa Cruz takes home about $93,776 a year, or $7,815 a month and $3,607 every two weeks. Taxes take 29% 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 Santa Cruz a good place for data scientists? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Santa Cruz area are 10% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 109.9), so the average $132,800 buys what about $120,842 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 2.4 times the median wage of all jobs in Santa Cruz ($54,730). A typical home costs $1,157,157, or 8.7 years of this average salary before tax.
Data Scientists salary in other California cities
Santa Cruz ranks 6th 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 Santa Cruz: questions
How much do data scientists make an hour in Santa Cruz?
$63.85 an hour on average, and $62.97 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level data scientists salary in Santa Cruz?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $75,070 a year and the 25th percentile is $92,010, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the data scientists take-home pay in Santa Cruz?
About $93,776 a year ($7,815 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $132,800. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do data scientists earn more in Santa Cruz than elsewhere?
The average here is 3% 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA (42100). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 3.5%.
- 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 0.51, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.51).
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