What the data says about data scientist pay in Boston
Monthly take-home on that median is roughly US$9,300; local prices sit at COL 100, so its buying power is about US$132,000.
Boston vs the national and MA picture
San Jose leads at US$185,080, 40% above Boston, while San Antonio sits at US$103,290. The neighbours in the ranking are Washington and San Diego.
No other MA metro has observed data scientist percentiles here, so Boston is judged against the 21-metro national list instead.
What the Boston median is worth after tax and rent
Living costs are close to the baseline (COL index 100), so the median's buying power, about US$132,000, is near its face value.
Adjusting for prices does not move Boston in the ranking: it is 6th of 21 on both cash and buying power.
Take-home on the median comes to roughly US$9,300 monthly (15% effective tax in our simplified model). Rent for a modeled 1-bedroom is 18% of it, and the single-adult budget ends about US$5,800 in the black.
Boston vs similar-cost metros
In New York — similar cost level, COL 100 — the median is US$135,980 (+3% vs Boston), and the modeled budget leaves US$250 more each month.
Los Angeles (similar cost level, COL 100) pays US$129,740, 2% less than Boston; modeled monthly leftover is US$140 lower.
A data scientist moving from Boston to Chicago (similar cost level, COL 100) would see the median fall 18% to US$107,640, with US$1,570 less left over monthly in our model.
Data Scientist vs other occupations in Boston
Data Scientist ranks 3rd of 9 occupations with observed Boston data. Lawyer leads the city at US$183,350.
Closest neighbours in the Boston list: Software Engineer at US$166,090 (+26%) and Mechanical Engineer at US$119,300 (-10%).
How Boston ranks at the low and high end
Starting pay holds up better than senior pay here. The 10th percentile places 4th nationally among observed metros; the 90th places 8th.
For the top 10% of earners, San Jose leads with US$282,840 at the 90th percentile, +37% against Boston.
The data scientist pay range in Boston
Expect wide variation between offers: the 10th percentile is US$82,030 and the 90th US$206,220, a 2.5× ratio.