Data Scientists Salary — Waco, Texas

The average Data Scientists in Waco, Texas earns $102,950 a year.

$102,950 / year, mean
↓ 20.0% below national average 33th percentile in Texas

Waco pays below most of Texas for this role, though still within a normal range for the state. That's noticeably below the national average for data scientists, worth factoring into any relocation math. Cost of living here is close to the national average — not a major factor either way. This is a reasonably reliable estimate, though the underlying sample is moderate in size.

Percentile within Texas

0th 50th 100th
Employment (this metro)
100
Estimate confidence
RSE 6.4%
Cost of living 93 #136 most expensive of 188 cities in this dataset 100 = U.S. average · Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
Crime index 2109 #114 safest of 188 cities in this dataset Per 100k residents · Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer
Median home value $256,772 #131 priciest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: zillow_real
Median household income $63,880 #144 highest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: Census Bureau ACS 5-year

Combining these four figures gives a fuller picture than salary alone: Waco ranks #136 for cost of living and #131 for home prices among the 188 cities in this pilot dataset, which matters as much as the headline salary number when comparing where to live.

San Jose $212,760 San Francisco $174,830 Seattle $160,460 Kennewick $157,380 Baltimore $152,210 New York $144,700 Corvallis $141,900 Oxnard $138,630 Charlottesville $138,320 Bremerton $137,580 Trenton $136,890 Los Angeles $136,700 Portland $134,940 San Diego $134,470 Richmond $133,460 Santa Cruz $132,800 Sarasota $132,380 Naples $132,100 Hagerstown $130,630 Lexington Park $128,660 Bellingham $128,390 San Luis Obispo $128,340 Bloomington $127,590 Austin $126,830 Santa Maria $125,770 Riverside $125,060 Midland $124,610 Napa $124,390 Miami $123,250 Dallas $123,150 Salem $122,910 Santa Rosa $122,240 Spokane $122,030 Philadelphia $121,630 Winchester $121,250 Jacksonville $119,750 Gainesville $119,290 Chicago $118,860 Olympia $118,800 Peoria $117,620 Vallejo $117,210 Tampa $116,600 Houston $116,010 Eugene $115,250 Kiryas Joel $115,160 Orlando $114,870 Syracuse $114,200 Palm Bay $114,020 Modesto $113,750 Ocala $113,420 Bend $113,210 Sacramento $112,740 Stockton $112,340 Glens Falls $112,300 Lakeland $111,530 Detroit $111,040 Jackson $110,940 Allentown $110,430 San Antonio $109,640 Salinas $109,540 Longview $109,220 Roanoke $109,120 Corpus Christi $108,990 College Station $108,790 Pensacola $108,700 Deltona $108,410 Buffalo $108,330 Kingston $108,090 Ann Arbor $107,870 Tallahassee $107,860 Tyler $107,570 Fresno $107,370 Albany $107,210 Beaumont $107,210 Virginia Beach $106,710 Reading $106,240 Louisville $106,140 Binghamton $106,050 Bakersfield $106,010 Monroe $105,740 Amarillo $105,690 York $104,140 Columbus $103,900 Killeen $103,680 Atlantic City $103,380 Visalia $103,110 Waco $102,950 Indianapolis $102,860 Port St. Lucie $102,380 Pittsburgh $102,360 Redding $102,120 Blacksburg $101,830 El Paso $101,780 Panama City $101,460 Grand Rapids $101,330 Harrisburg $101,030 Champaign $99,830 Crestview $99,800 Huntington $98,510 Rockford $98,230 Lancaster $97,870 Midland $97,690 Springfield $97,280 Rochester $96,970 Lubbock $96,610 McAllen $96,350 Fort Wayne $96,300 Lexington $96,060 Niles $95,870 Evansville $95,020 Lansing $94,390 Utica $93,490 Scranton $92,590 Chambersburg $92,350 Lafayette $92,000 Kalamazoo $91,290 Abilene $91,210 Altoona $91,150 Elkhart $90,770 State College $90,590 Muncie $90,000 Ithaca $89,370 Erie $89,340 Saginaw $88,840 Flint $87,820 Muskegon $87,660 Harrisonburg $87,650 Morgantown $87,600 Laredo $87,290 Charleston $86,270 Bloomington $85,780 South Bend $85,300 Traverse City $81,380 Williamsport $81,270 Terre Haute $79,630 Bowling Green $79,280
CityMean salaryvs. Waco
Abilene, Texas$91,210-11.4%
Albany, New York$107,210+4.1%
Allentown, Pennsylvania$110,430+7.3%
Altoona, Pennsylvania$91,150-11.5%
Amarillo, Texas$105,690+2.7%
Ann Arbor, Michigan$107,870+4.8%
Atlantic City, New Jersey$103,380+0.4%
Austin, Texas$126,830+23.2%
Bakersfield, California$106,010+3.0%
Baltimore, Maryland$152,210+47.8%
Beaumont, Texas$107,210+4.1%
Bellingham, Washington$128,390+24.7%
Bend, Oregon$113,210+10.0%
Binghamton, New York$106,050+3.0%
Blacksburg, Virginia$101,830-1.1%
Bloomington, Illinois$127,590+23.9%
Bloomington, Indiana$85,780-16.7%
Bowling Green, Kentucky$79,280-23.0%
Bremerton, Washington$137,580+33.6%
Buffalo, New York$108,330+5.2%
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania$92,350-10.3%
Champaign, Illinois$99,830-3.0%
Charleston, West Virginia$86,270-16.2%
Charlottesville, Virginia$138,320+34.4%
Chicago, Illinois$118,860+15.5%
College Station, Texas$108,790+5.7%
Columbus, Indiana$103,900+0.9%
Corpus Christi, Texas$108,990+5.9%
Corvallis, Oregon$141,900+37.8%
Crestview, Florida$99,800-3.1%
Dallas, Texas$123,150+19.6%
Deltona, Florida$108,410+5.3%
Detroit, Michigan$111,040+7.9%
Elkhart, Indiana$90,770-11.8%
El Paso, Texas$101,780-1.1%
Erie, Pennsylvania$89,340-13.2%
Eugene, Oregon$115,250+11.9%
Evansville, Indiana$95,020-7.7%
Flint, Michigan$87,820-14.7%
Fort Wayne, Indiana$96,300-6.5%
Fresno, California$107,370+4.3%
Gainesville, Florida$119,290+15.9%
Glens Falls, New York$112,300+9.1%
Grand Rapids, Michigan$101,330-1.6%
Hagerstown, Maryland$130,630+26.9%
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania$101,030-1.9%
Harrisonburg, Virginia$87,650-14.9%
Houston, Texas$116,010+12.7%
Huntington, West Virginia$98,510-4.3%
Indianapolis, Indiana$102,860-0.1%
Ithaca, New York$89,370-13.2%
Jackson, Michigan$110,940+7.8%
Jacksonville, Florida$119,750+16.3%
Kalamazoo, Michigan$91,290-11.3%
Kennewick, Washington$157,380+52.9%
Killeen, Texas$103,680+0.7%
Kingston, New York$108,090+5.0%
Kiryas Joel, New York$115,160+11.9%
Lafayette, Indiana$92,000-10.6%
Lakeland, Florida$111,530+8.3%
Lancaster, Pennsylvania$97,870-4.9%
Lansing, Michigan$94,390-8.3%
Laredo, Texas$87,290-15.2%
Lexington, Kentucky$96,060-6.7%
Lexington Park, Maryland$128,660+25.0%
Longview, Texas$109,220+6.1%
Los Angeles, California$136,700+32.8%
Louisville, Kentucky$106,140+3.1%
Lubbock, Texas$96,610-6.2%
McAllen, Texas$96,350-6.4%
Miami, Florida$123,250+19.7%
Midland, Michigan$97,690-5.1%
Midland, Texas$124,610+21.0%
Modesto, California$113,750+10.5%
Monroe, Michigan$105,740+2.7%
Morgantown, West Virginia$87,600-14.9%
Muncie, Indiana$90,000-12.6%
Muskegon, Michigan$87,660-14.9%
Napa, California$124,390+20.8%
Naples, Florida$132,100+28.3%
New York, New York$144,700+40.6%
Niles, Michigan$95,870-6.9%
Sarasota, Florida$132,380+28.6%
Ocala, Florida$113,420+10.2%
Olympia, Washington$118,800+15.4%
Orlando, Florida$114,870+11.6%
Oxnard, California$138,630+34.7%
Palm Bay, Florida$114,020+10.8%
Panama City, Florida$101,460-1.4%
Pensacola, Florida$108,700+5.6%
Peoria, Illinois$117,620+14.2%
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania$121,630+18.1%
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania$102,360-0.6%
Portland, Oregon$134,940+31.1%
Port St. Lucie, Florida$102,380-0.6%
Reading, Pennsylvania$106,240+3.2%
Redding, California$102,120-0.8%
Richmond, Virginia$133,460+29.6%
Riverside, California$125,060+21.5%
Roanoke, Virginia$109,120+6.0%
Rochester, New York$96,970-5.8%
Rockford, Illinois$98,230-4.6%
Sacramento, California$112,740+9.5%
Saginaw, Michigan$88,840-13.7%
Salem, Oregon$122,910+19.4%
Salinas, California$109,540+6.4%
San Antonio, Texas$109,640+6.5%
San Diego, California$134,470+30.6%
San Francisco, California$174,830+69.8%
San Jose, California$212,760+106.7%
San Luis Obispo, California$128,340+24.7%
Santa Cruz, California$132,800+29.0%
Santa Maria, California$125,770+22.2%
Santa Rosa, California$122,240+18.7%
Scranton, Pennsylvania$92,590-10.1%
Seattle, Washington$160,460+55.9%
South Bend, Indiana$85,300-17.1%
Spokane, Washington$122,030+18.5%
Springfield, Illinois$97,280-5.5%
State College, Pennsylvania$90,590-12.0%
Stockton, California$112,340+9.1%
Syracuse, New York$114,200+10.9%
Tallahassee, Florida$107,860+4.8%
Tampa, Florida$116,600+13.3%
Terre Haute, Indiana$79,630-22.7%
Traverse City, Michigan$81,380-21.0%
Trenton, New Jersey$136,890+33.0%
Tyler, Texas$107,570+4.5%
Utica, New York$93,490-9.2%
Vallejo, California$117,210+13.9%
Virginia Beach, Virginia$106,710+3.7%
Visalia, California$103,110+0.2%
Williamsport, Pennsylvania$81,270-21.1%
Winchester, Virginia$121,250+17.8%
York, Pennsylvania$104,140+1.2%
Gross salary
102,950/yr
Estimated take-home
81,255/yr
Est. total withheld
21.1%

Single filer, federal income tax + FICA only, 2025 rates — Texas has no state income tax on wages. Does not include state-specific payroll withholdings beyond income tax (see Data transparency). Not tax advice — verify with a professional for your specific situation.

View cost of living in this state All Data Scientists salaries in Texas → All Data Scientists salaries →
Data transparency

Sources used for this page

Official occupation and area metadata behind the visible salary, cost, housing and safety signals.

Occupation 15-2051 SOC code
Official area Waco, TX BLS metro/geographic area
Area code 47380 Stable geographic key
Reference year 2025 BLS OEWS
Cost: bea_realHousing: zillow_realCrime: latest availableNet-pay source: tx_constitucion_verificado 2025
No additional caveats are attached to this row.
Methodology

How this page is built

The salary figure is the mean annual wage reported by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program for this occupation and metro area. Percentile and national-average comparisons are calculated directly from the 188 cities currently in this dataset, not from a fixed external benchmark. Cost of living, crime and housing figures come from BEA, FBI and Zillow respectively — see "Data transparency" above for the exact sources and reference years used on this specific page.

Confidence: the RSE (relative standard error) shown under Overview indicates how reliable the salary estimate is for this metro — a lower RSE means a larger underlying sample.

On this page

Where this is

AK HI

Highlighted: Texas

Population (metro area)
299,217