Complete 2026 breakdown by level. Data compiled from Levels.fyi, Glassdoor US Tech Salaries, LinkedIn Salary Insights, Built In San Francisco, Payscale.
Get Data Scientist roles matched to you →Base salary ranges + averages across all levels in San Francisco.
| Level | Range | Average |
|---|---|---|
Junior / Entry New grads with MS/PhD or strong ML portfolios. Bay Area base runs above most other US markets. | $120,000–$160,000 | $140,000 |
Mid-level Owns models and analyses end to end. The most-hired band across SF tech. | $155,000–$205,000 | $180,000 |
Senior Leads modeling work and mentors. Total comp with equity often $350K+. | $195,000–$260,000 | $225,000 |
Staff / Lead Drives data science strategy across teams. Total comp routinely $420K+ at big tech. | $250,000–$330,000 | $285,000 |
FAANG / AI Labs Google, Meta, OpenAI, Anthropic. ML-heavy and research-adjacent DS roles pay the top of this range. | $270,000–$420,000 | $340,000 |
SF data scientist comp is base + equity + bonus. Big tech leans on RSUs; AI labs add large equity. At senior levels total comp often runs 40-70% above base, and ML-heavy roles at AI companies push higher.
San Francisco data scientist pay is bimodal. Big tech and AI labs cluster at $200K+ base with heavy equity; smaller startups and non-tech employers cluster at $130K-$180K. ML-heavy roles pay far more than analytics-heavy ones.
Companies actively hiring Data Scientists in San Francisco + their typical salary bands.
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