The US Cities Where Data Scientists Save the Most (2026)

Data science is one of the best-paid careers in America, and San Francisco pays it more than anywhere. But highest salary and highest savings are not the same thing — and once you subtract state income tax and cost of living, San Francisco loses its crown.

We took the median data-scientist salary in each major US city (from BLS government payroll data), subtracted federal and state/local income tax, then subtracted a single professional's baseline cost of living. What's left is monthly savings potential.

The result: Seattle out-saves San Francisco — despite a data scientist there earning about $32,000 less — because Washington has no state income tax and California takes roughly 8.5%.

The ranking: monthly savings potential for a data scientist

Median data-scientist salary (BLS OEWS), after federal + state/local tax, minus a single professional's baseline monthly costs.

Rank	City	Median salary	Take-home	Living costs	Savings potential	Rate
1	Seattle, WA	$175,827	$123,666	$3,980/mo	$6,326/mo	61%
2	San Francisco, CA	$207,524	$125,179	$4,400/mo	$6,032/mo	58%
3	Washington, DC	$174,361	$114,121	$3,980/mo	$5,530/mo	58%
4	San Jose, CA	$194,382	$118,347	$4,340/mo	$5,522/mo	56%
5	Miami, FL	$145,970	$106,153	$3,360/mo	$5,486/mo	62%
6	Boston, MA	$170,251	$111,991	$3,920/mo	$5,413/mo	58%

The $32,000 pay cut that leaves you richer

A San Francisco data scientist earns ~$207,500 to Seattle's ~$175,800 — a $32k gap in gross pay. Yet the Seattle professional saves ~$294 more every month. The entire swing comes from one line item: California's state income tax pushes SF's effective rate to ~40%, while Washington's is ~30% on the same federal base.

And notice Miami: the highest savings rate on the board at 62%. Florida's zero income tax means a data scientist there keeps a larger share of a smaller paycheck than almost anyone — a genuinely competitive option now that remote and hybrid roles have loosened the Bay Area's grip on the field.

The takeaway for a job offer

When a data scientist weighs two offers, the sticker salary is the wrong number to compare. The right one is take-home minus local costs. On that measure a $175k Seattle or $146k Miami offer beats a $207k San Francisco one — because state tax and rent quietly claw back the difference and then some.

How we calculated this (and what it doesn't say)

These are planning estimates for a single professional, not a promise of what anyone banks:

• Salary: median data-scientist pay per city, from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey — government payroll records, not self-reports.
• Tax: federal + FICA and an estimated state/local effective rate for a single filer. Brackets are simplified; deductions and filing status shift the exact number.
• Living costs: a single professional's baseline monthly budget. Real spending rises with family and lifestyle — treat these figures as a ceiling.

Run it for your own city with the salary vs. cost-of-living tool, or compare two cities side by side.

Data sources: BLS OEWS (salaries), Official Salary tax + cost-of-living models. Figures are estimates, not financial advice.