In Fall 2015, New York City staked its claim as a world leader in data science innovation and influence by hosting the Strata + Hadoop World event. Yet, even before this megawatt global conference, the United States Department of Labor had already identified New York as a national leader in terms of employment opportunities and salary offers for data scientists in a number of industries. Not surprisingly, New York was the highest paying state for data scientists in the financial services industry.
Starting Salary Ranges for Data Scientist in New York’s Major Cities
New York offers the most generous early-stage funding for startup businesses, second only to Silicon Valley. As a result, data scientists consistently witness thousands upon thousands of tech startups appear and diminish each year.
To help data scientists find high-paying jobs with tech companies that show great promise for long-lasting success, Forbes released the following list of “New York Tech Companies to Watch in 2016.”
- Apester
- AppNexus
- Arkadium
- DigitalOcean
- DWNLD
- ExecOnline
- Foursquare
- Fundera
- Hinge
- Kaltura
- MediaMath
- StartApp
- Story2
- Yext
Data scientists working in New York City earn top dollar in the state, if not the country. In 2016, Business Insider ranked New York City as the #2 highest paying city for tech professionals, with an average salary of $106,263 in 2015. Yet, more recent findings by Robert Half Technology suggest that data scientists employed in New York City receive salaries that start between $153,000 and $215,000.
In 2014, Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled the NYC Tech Talent Pipeline. This $10 million tech initiative is led by an advisory board of 28 top executives from global corporations like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Goldman Sachs to help advise on graduate-school curriculum development that best supports the skills employers look for when hiring data scientists.
In 2016, IT staffing firm Robert Half Technology used past job placement information to estimate the average starting salary ranges for data scientists working in New York’s major cities and surrounding areas. Bonuses and other incentives were not included in these base salary estimates:
New York City Area
- New York City: $153,000-$215,000
- White Plains: $147,000-$208,000
- Yonkers: $142,000-$200,000
Buffalo Area
- Buffalo: $104,000-$146,000
- Niagara Falls: $93,000-$131,000
- Rochester: $100,000-$141,000
Syracuse Area
- Syracuse: $98,000-$139,000
- Ithaca: $100,000-$141,000
- Rome: $85,000-$119,000
- Utica: $85,000-$119,000
- Binghamton: $87,000-$122,000
Albany Area
- Albany: $106,000-$149,000
- Troy: $107,000-$151,000
- Schenectady: $107,000-$151,000
- Glen Falls: $84,000-$118,000
- Plattsburg: $104,000-$147,000
A Closer Look at Salaries for Data Scientists in New York According to Industry
In New York, professionals with backgrounds in computer science and mathematics work symbiotically to drive data science initiatives. In 2014, the United States Department of Labor published the following statistics to provide a basis for salary comparisons among some of New York’s major data science-dependent industries:
Operations Research
- $187,00+
Financial Services
- $187,200+
Statistical Modeling
- $113,900
Public Health/Epidemiology
- 90th Percentile: $117,000
A Full Analysis of Salaries for Statistical Modeling Specialists in New York
Salary surveys conducted by the United States Department of Labor in 2014 indicated that New York was among the top five metro areas in the nation in terms of employment opportunities and salary potential for data scientists that specialize in statistical modeling. A full analysis of the salaries these professionals earned that year in various locations throughout New York can be seen here:
- Albany-Schenectady-Troy – $111,740
- Nassau-Suffolk NY Metropolitan Division – $110,780
- New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island – $136,200
- New York-White Plains-Wayne NY-NJ Metropolitan Division – $116,380
A Look at Salaries for Data Scientists in Computer and Information Research in New York
Although in 2014 the United States Department of Labor found the Utica-Rome area held one of the highest concentrations of jobs for data scientists working in the area of computer and information research science statewide, it was not the highest paying region in New York for these professionals. Those in the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island area earned some of the best salaries for this industry classification nationwide. A full salary analysis by location can be seen here:
- Albany-Schenectady-Troy – $149,430
- Buffalo-Niagara Falls – $126,940
- Nassau-Suffolk NY Metropolitan Division – $171,310
- New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island – $187,199*
- Utica-Rome – $129,250
*These salaries are equal to or greater than $90 an hour or $187,199 a year. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics does not report salary data beyond this level.
The US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics information shown here reflects salary data for broad occupational classifications that include data scientists. These estimates are expressed as the 90th percentile average to reflect the fact that data scientists are recognized as the top earners within each classification.