Data Scientist Salary in San Francisco

Entry-level data scientists in San Francisco make an average of $119,907 per year, which is double the national average. Senior data scientist’s salaries are even higher; they average $164,848 per year. Top earners in the field can make over $200,000 per year. 

San Francisco, CA is the northernmost metropolis in Silicon Valley. The city serves as a hotbed for innovation in the 21st century, so it’s one of the premier destinations for data scientists from all over the world. Whether they’re juniors and seniors, local workers in the field of data science earn impressive salaries. In this article, we’ll go over what data scientists make in San Francisco, along with the fastest way to break into the tech industry in this field.

What Is Data Science?

Companies and other organizations collect trillions of pieces of data every day from millions of people, and they store it for a variety of reasons. A data scientist employee’s job is to manage all of that information and transform it from raw data into something useful. They accomplish this task using their coding skills and various mathematical and scientific processes. A data scientist’s work is absolutely vital to the industry, and they command impressive salaries for their contributions.

Junior Data Scientist Salary in San Francisco

Junior data scientists occupy entry-level positions in the field because they don’t have enough experience to qualify for senior positions. Most tech companies define a junior data scientist as someone who has less than five years of experience but enough training to do the job. These individuals are usually fresh coding bootcamp graduates or recent transfers from other related programming fields. 

Nevertheless, they still earn an impressive starting salary. According to Glassdoor, the salary for data scientists new to the field is $119,907 per year. You read that right. Entry-level data scientist employees in San Francisco earn almost $120,000, which is more than double the national average salary for all other fields in the United States.

Senior Data Scientist Salary in San Francisco

Unlike junior positions, senior data science jobs require at least five years of experience or an advanced degree in a related science, technology, engineering, or math field. Senior data scientists perform the same functions as juniors, but they’re generally in higher demand due to their experience in the field. They bring to the table a long history of large and complicated projects, along with excellent coding and database management skills.

In San Francisco, a senior data scientist can expect to earn around $164,848 annually, which is over $40,000 more than a junior position in the field. Also, the top earners in this career path bring in over $200,000 for their work.

How to Become a Data Scientist

Data science is an extremely lucrative career path in the Bay Area, especially in San Francisco. Both entry-level and senior positions earn a six-figure average salary, with experienced professionals earning close to $200,000 per year. In the past, people had to learn coding alone or go to college to get into a data science position. Luckily, that’s not the case anymore. You can actually qualify for an entry-level data science job with less than a year of training. 

Coding bootcamps are fast and intense programs that teach individuals everything they need to know for a tech job, but the programs don’t feature all the extra classes you find in a typical four-year college. These fast-paced programming schools are all over the Bay Area, and you can even take courses online. If you’re interested in becoming a data scientist in San Francisco but don’t want to enroll in a traditional university, be sure to check out the link below.