Principal data scientist salary

The median posted base pay for principal data science jobs is $192K a year, from 53 open jobs at 34 companies. The middle half of the jobs is from $173K to $233K. One job in ten has posted pay above $278K.

Data of Nov 9, 2026. This is posted base pay, not total pay. It does not include stock or a bonus.

Median posted base pay: $192K
Middle half of the jobs: $173K to $233K
10th to 90th percentile: $158K to $278K
Open jobs with posted pay: 53
Companies: 34

Data scientist pay by level

Posted base pay for data science jobs, by the level in the job title. This page is about the principal level. A level needs 20 or more jobs with posted pay.

Level not stated351 jobs$165K$135K to $200K
Senior309 jobs$185K$161K to $212K
Staff89 jobs$216K$188K to $240K
Principal53 jobs$192K$173K to $233K
Director+43 jobs$275K$220K to $314K

Each band goes from the 10th to the 90th percentile. The darker part is the middle half of the jobs. The line is the median. This is posted base pay, not total pay.

Pay bands by level, data science. Posted base pay in US dollars for each year.
Level	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th	Jobs with pay
Level not stated	$118K	$135K	$165K	$200K	$235K	351
Senior	$142K	$161K	$185K	$212K	$239K	309
Staff	$176K	$188K	$216K	$240K	$270K	89
Principal	$158K	$173K	$192K	$233K	$278K	53
Director+	$175K	$220K	$275K	$314K	$337K	43

Top-paying companies for principal data science jobs

The companies with the highest median posted base pay for principal data science jobs. A company name opens its levels in the pay explorer.

1Capital One$173K11 jobs

The median posted base pay of each company for principal data science jobs. We use the middle point of each posted range. A company needs 5 or more jobs with posted pay. This is posted base pay, not total pay.

Company salaries:
Capital One

Principal data scientist pay by US region

The median posted base pay for principal data science jobs in each US region, compared with the median of all US jobs.

Other US cities32 jobs−10%$173K

The median posted base pay for principal data science in each US region, compared with the median of all US jobs ($192K). A job that lists two regions counts in each region. A region needs 20 or more jobs. This is posted base pay, not total pay.

Pay by region, principal data science. Posted base pay in US dollars for each year.
Region	Median posted base pay	Against the US median	Jobs with pay
Other US cities	$173K	−10%	32
All US jobs	$192K	0%	51

Open jobs

Other levels

Other job types

How we compute these numbers

We read each job from the job board of the company and check it every day. We use only open jobs that state a yearly pay range in US dollars. One job counts with the middle point of its posted range. The median is the middle value of these amounts: half of the jobs are above it and half are below it.

We do not use a range with a bottom below $15,000, a top above $1,000,000, or a top that is more than four times the bottom. A role page needs 20 or more open jobs with posted pay. In the bar chart, a company needs 5 or more jobs with posted pay.

The numbers are base pay as the company posted it. They are not the pay of a person, and they do not include stock, a bonus or benefits. For the stock and the bonus that people reported, see Reported pay.