Data Scientist Contractor

Data Scientist Contractor Salary

$46K

$165K

$243.5K

$165,018

/year

$79.34

/hour

Data Scientist Contractor Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$165,018

Columbus

Ohio

$159,391

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    How much does a Data Scientist Contractor make?

    As of Aug 30, 2026, the average annual pay for a Data Scientist Contractor in the United States is $165,018 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $79.34 an hour. This is the equivalent of $3,173/week or $13,751/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $243,500 and as low as $46,000, the majority of Data Scientist Contractor salaries currently range between $133,500 (25th percentile) to $170,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $243,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Data Scientist Contractor varies little (about 36500), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.

    A Data Scientist Contractor in your area makes on average $159,391 per year, or $5,627 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $165,018. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Data Scientist Contractor salaries.

    To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Data Scientist Contractor jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

    Find your next high paying job as a Data Scientist Contractor on ZipRecruiter today.

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Data Scientist Contractor Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Data Scientist Contractor job is above the national average. Topping the list is Cupertino, CA, , with Berkeley, CA, and Sitka, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Sitka, AK, beats the national average by $33,776 (20.5%), and Cupertino, CA, furthers that trend with another $38,572 (23.4%) above the $165,018 average.

    With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Data Scientist Contractor appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

    Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 5% between Cupertino, CA, and San Jose, CA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Data Scientist Contractor role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Cupertino, CA

    $203,590

    $97.88

    Berkeley, CA

    $202,055

    $97.14

    Sitka, AK

    $198,794

    $95.57

    Wyoming, WY

    $196,805

    $94.62

    Mountain View, CA

    $194,668

    $93.59

    San Francisco, CA

    $194,420

    $93.47

    Palo Alto, CA

    $193,982

    $93.26

    Santa Clara, CA

    $193,803

    $93.17

    Livermore, CA

    $193,564

    $93.06

    San Jose, CA

    $193,356

    $92.96

    What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Data Scientist Contractor Jobs in the U.S.

    Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Data Scientist Contractor job category, we found that Autocad Manager jobs have average salaries similar than Data Scientist Contractor jobs.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Autocad Manager

    $104,575

    $50.28

    Sales Director Fintech Software

    $103,985

    $49.99

    Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Manager

    $99,198

    $47.69

    Commercial Roofing Sales

    $79,311

    $38.13

    Stake

    $46,679

    $22.44

    About Our Data

    ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

    Infographic detailing Data Scientist Contractor salary across the United States as of August 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $165,018 per year or $79.34 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.