What the numbers say
Washington's median wage for Data Scientists was $158,760 in 2024, about 37% above the national median of $115,636. That gap is one of the larger state-level premiums we see for this occupation across the country.
The range from bottom to top earners is wide. At the 10th percentile, Data Scientists in Washington earned $92,680. At the 90th, they earned $226,760. Top earners made roughly 2.4 times what those starting out did. In practice, that spread reflects how much experience, specialization, and industry matter for this role. A data scientist at an early-stage company pulls a very different number than one at a mature tech firm with a decade of seniority.
Washington's cost-of-living index sits at 108.9, about 9% above the national baseline. After adjusting for that, the nominal $43,000 premium over the US median narrows to something closer to $33,500 in real purchasing terms. Still a meaningful lead, but smaller than the headline figure suggests.
BLS projects employment for Data Scientists to grow 33.5% between 2024 and 2034, which it classifies as much faster than average. We do not have a Washington-specific annual openings figure in this data, so the projection is national. If Washington's current share of total employment holds, the state should see proportional growth, though we would not take that as a guarantee.
Salary distribution
Where Washington data scientists fall on the wage curve.
Shaded band = interquartile range (where most full-time workers fall)
The middle 50% of workers earn between $108,530 and $199,620, with a median of $158,760.
Data Scientists in Washington: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 1,000 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $160,460. Every figure below is an actual offered salary an employer attested to under federal law.
By DOL wage level
DOL classifies every offer into one of four wage levels based on the role's experience and skill requirements.
| Level | Filings | Median offer |
|---|---|---|
| Level I — entry | 34 | $111,153 |
| Level II — qualified | 179 | $142,500 |
| Level III — experienced | 158 | $178,878 |
| Level IV — fully competent | 55 | $210,114 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Data Scientists in Washington. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon.com Services LLC | Data Engineer II | 293 | $144,626 |
| Microsoft Corporation | Applied Sciences | 226 | $175,374 |
| People Tech Group, Inc | IT Consultant (Data Engineer) | 69 | $129,709 |
| Amazon Web Services, Inc. | Business Intelligence Engineer II | 24 | $129,709 |
| Meta Platforms, Inc | Data Scientist | 14 | $212,256 |
| TikTok Inc. | Data Scientist | 13 | $163,322 |
| AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC | BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE ENGINEER II | 13 | $160,965 |
| WAL-MART ASSOCIATES, INC. | Staff, Product Manager | 12 | $193,422 |
| Amazon Data Services, Inc | Data Engineer II | 12 | $142,350 |
| T-Mobile USA, Inc. | Sr Analyst, Business Intelligence | 9 | $137,700 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Principal Data Engineer Machine Learning at Unity Technologies SF$290,000BellevueDecided Dec 30, 2025I-200-25356-502756
- Business Analytics at Microsoft Corporation$175,904RedmondDecided Dec 30, 2025I-200-25356-500847
- Data Scientist II at Amazon.com Services LLC$136,000SeattleDecided Dec 30, 2025I-200-25356-500940
- Senior Data Scientist at WAL-MART ASSOCIATES, INC.$199,459BellevueDecided Dec 30, 2025I-200-25356-502262
- Business Intelligence Engineer III at Amazon.com Services LLC$163,322BellevueDecided Dec 30, 2025I-200-25356-500977
- Business Intelligence Engineer I at Amazon.com Services LLC$96,117SeattleDecided Dec 30, 2025I-200-25356-501000
- Analytics Engineer at Fetch Rewards, Inc.$170,000SeattleDecided Dec 30, 2025I-200-25356-502967
- Data Engineer III at Amazon.com Services LLC$144,626BellevueDecided Dec 30, 2025I-200-25356-502385
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification. Disclosed wages reflect what employers attested to pay; actual paid wages may differ. Only certified filings are shown — denied and withdrawn cases are excluded.
Data Scientists pay by experience level in Washington
Each band reflects DOL Wage Levels I-IV mapped onto a four-step ladder. Click a level to see the disclosed-wage range for that segment.
Data Scientists specialties in Washington
Real specialty titles employers file for, clustered from 752 certified offers. The most common variant is Data Engineer at a median of $158,000.
| Specialty | Top employer | Filings | Median offer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Engineer | Amazon.com Services LLC | 137 | $158,000 |
| Data Scientist | Amazon.com Services LLC | 124 | $163,322 |
| Business Intelligence Engineer | Amazon.com Services LLC | 110 | $129,709 |
| IT Consultant (Data Engineer) | People Tech Group, Inc | 69 | $129,709 |
| Applied Sciences | Microsoft Corporation | 57 | $175,748 |
| Data Engineering | Microsoft Corporation | 52 | $176,247 |
| Data Science | Microsoft Corporation | 47 | $178,045 |
| Business Intel Engineer | Amazon.com Services LLC | 43 | $147,700 |
| Manager III, Business Intelligence | Amazon.com Services LLC | 33 | $175,100 |
| Machine Learning Engineer | DoorDash, Inc. | 28 | $201,200 |
| Business Analyst | Amazon.com Services LLC | 27 | $96,117 |
| Data Analyst | KFORCE INC. | 25 | $113,880 |
Specialties with 10 or more filings link to a dedicated breakdown.
Data Scientists in Washington, by industry
Median offered wage across 995 certified filings, grouped by NAICS industry sector. Technology and software leads with a median of $164,403.
| Industry | Largest employer | Filings | Median offer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technology and software | Microsoft Corporation | 525 | $164,403 |
| Retail and wholesale | Amazon.com Services LLC | 347 | $146,166 |
| Professional services | Deloitte Consulting LLP | 60 | $144,549 |
| Finance and insurance | Stripe, Inc. | 26 | $153,559 |
| Manufacturing | Apple Inc. | 22 | $150,525 |
| Education | University of Washington | 5 | $107,381 |
| Healthcare | Parkview Health System, Inc. | 3 | $126,805 |
| Energy and utilities | BAP POWER CORPORATION | 3 | $108,000 |
| Real estate | Zillow, Inc. | 2 | $140,913 |
| Transportation and logistics | Lineage Logistics Services, LLC | 1 | $96,117 |
| Nonprofit and civic | Gates Foundation | 1 | $203,100 |
Sectors with at least 25 filings link to a dedicated page with full distribution and sample employer breakdown.
Wage trend
Median annual wage in Washington over the past 2 BLS OES releases. Real values are CPI-adjusted to 2024 dollars.
Typical entry
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Top skills (O*NET)
Common tasks (O*NET)
10-year outlook
Growth 2024 → 2034
+33.5%
Projected annual openings
—
BLS outlook
Growing much faster than average
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034 cycle.
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Metro-level salary data for data scientists in major Washington metropolitan areas.
- Seattle$157,290
Compare Data Scientists pay across nearby states
Frequently asked questions
- What is the median salary for Data Scientists in Washington?
- According to BLS Occupational Employment Statistics, the median annual wage for Data Scientists in Washington is $158,760.
- How does Washington compare to the national median for Data Scientists?
- The Washington median is +37.3% versus the BLS national figure of $115,636.
- What is the salary range for Data Scientists in Washington?
- BLS reports the 10th-percentile annual wage at $92,680 and the 90th-percentile at $226,760, which captures most full-time workers in the role.
- Is Data Scientists a growing field?
- BLS Employment Projections show employment growing by 33.5% over the projection cycle. See the 10-year outlook section above for details.
- What education is required for Data Scientists?
- BLS lists the typical entry-level education as Bachelor's degree. Many employers also weigh prior experience and credentials.
Information on this page is for general educational purposes only. It is not career, financial, or tax advice. Wage data reflects BLS estimates for the reference year shown and may not match individual offers, employer-specific ranges, or current market conditions. Confirm with a licensed professional before making career or compensation decisions.