How much does a data scientist make?

The median pay is $57.80 per hour — roughly $120,000 a year, with the real range running from about $32.33/hr (10th percentile) to $95.74/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Do you need a degree to be a data scientist?

The typical entry-level education is: Bachelor's degree. Overall preparation level: considerable preparation (Job Zone 4 of 5).

What does a data scientist actually do all day?

Generate standard or custom reports summarizing business, financial, or economic data for review by executives, managers, clients, and other stakeholders. Maintain or update business intelligence tools, databases, dashboards, systems, or methods. Manage timely flow of business intelligence information to users.

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Data Scientists

Develop and implement a set of techniques or analytics applications to transform raw data into meaningful information using data-oriented programming languages and visualization software. Apply data mining, data modeling, natural language processing, and machine learning to extract and analyze information from large structured and unstructured datasets. Visualize, interpret, and report data findings. May create dynamic data reports.

What it pays
Data Scientists earn a median of $57.80/hr — about $120,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $32.33/hr; the top 10% earn $95.74/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)

What you'd actually do

Generate standard or custom reports summarizing business, financial, or economic data for review by executives, managers, clients, and other stakeholders.
Maintain or update business intelligence tools, databases, dashboards, systems, or methods.
Manage timely flow of business intelligence information to users.
Provide technical support for existing reports, dashboards, or other tools.
Identify and analyze industry or geographic trends with business strategy implications.
Document specifications for business intelligence or information technology reports, dashboards, or other outputs.

How you get there

Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree. Overall preparation: considerable preparation (Job Zone 4 of 5).

The feel of the work

The work is mostly indoors; much of the day is spent working solo. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)

Working for yourself

About 1.8% of data scientists are self-employed.

Who it tends to fit

This work tends to fit people who are analytical, organized and detail-focused and take-charge.

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Quick questions

How much does a data scientist make?: The median pay is $57.80 per hour — roughly $120,000 a year, with the real range running from about $32.33/hr (10th percentile) to $95.74/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Do you need a degree to be a data scientist?: The typical entry-level education is: Bachelor's degree. Overall preparation level: considerable preparation (Job Zone 4 of 5).
What does a data scientist actually do all day?: Generate standard or custom reports summarizing business, financial, or economic data for review by executives, managers, clients, and other stakeholders. Maintain or update business intelligence tools, databases, dashboards, systems, or methods. Manage timely flow of business intelligence information to users.

Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.

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