Data Scientist · Idaho · SOC 15-2051
Data Scientist Salary in Idaho (2026)
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2024 reference period · BEA Regional Price Parity 2023 vintage · Last synced 2026-05-05.
TL;DR
- Median Data Scientist salary in Idaho: $109,340 nominal, $118,544 real (BEA RPP basis).
- After the cost-of-living adjustment, take-home rises by $9,204 versus the BLS median — purchasing-power arbitrage.
- BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $67,550 · P25 $78,960 · P75 $145,670 · P90 $197,050.
- Data Scientist ranking: #18 on the BLS table, #14 once cost of living is in.
Wage breakdown — Idaho
| Percentile | Nominal (BLS) | Real (BEA RPP-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| P10 (entry tier) | $67,550 | $73,236 |
| P25 (lower quartile) | $78,960 | $85,606 |
| P50 (median) | $109,340 | $118,544 |
| P75 (upper quartile) | $145,670 | $157,932 |
| P90 (top tier) | $197,050 | $213,637 |
| Mean | $120,410 | $130,546 |
| Employment | 980 Data Scientists in Idaho | |
Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity
| Component | Idaho index (US = 100) |
|---|---|
| All-items RPP | 92.2 |
| Goods | 95.9 |
| Services | 68.1 |
| Rents | 86.9 |
Idaho sits below the national baseline (RPP 92.2), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 86.9.
After-tax take-home — Idaho (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)
Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median
| Layer | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gross BLS P50 (Data Scientist) | $109,340 | nominal median |
| Federal income tax | −$15,302 | 14.0% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied |
| State income tax | −$5,428 | 5.8% flat (2026) |
| FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%) | −$8,365 | SS capped at $183,600 wage base |
| Take-home (after-tax) | $80,245 | 73.4% of gross |
| Real take-home (RPP-adjusted) | $87,000 | ÷ (92.2 / 100) BEA cost-of-living |
What the Idaho state-tax burden means for Data Scientist take-home
Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.0% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $80,245 (73.4% of gross). After the 92.2 RPP, real take-home is $87,000.
Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).
National context
Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $112,590 for Data Scientists with mean pay of $124,590 and total employment of 233,440. Idaho sits at #18 on nominal pay and #14 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Idaho climbs 4 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the real (cost-adjusted) Data Scientist salary in Idaho?
- After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 92.2 for Idaho), the real-wage equivalent is $118,544 — what the $109,340 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $85,606 to $157,932.
- How are Idaho Data Scientist salaries calculated on this page?
- Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
- How many Data Scientists does Idaho employ?
- BLS OES counts 980 Data Scientists employed in Idaho in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
- Why is the BEA RPP for Idaho different from a single CPI number?
- BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Idaho's overall index of 92.2 reflects rents 86.9, services 68.1, and goods 95.9.
- How wide is the wage spread in Idaho?
- P10 to P90 spans $67,550 to $197,050. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
- When does this data update?
- BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
- Does a PhD increase data scientist salary in Idaho?
- BLS does not segment by degree. Industry surveys (Burtch Works, Glassdoor) show a PhD premium of roughly 10-25% versus a master's-only data scientist in Idaho, concentrated in research-heavy industries (pharma, quant finance, AI labs) and largely absent in product analytics roles.
Sources & methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 15-2051, 2024 reference period.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
- Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
- See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.
Cross-comparison: see how Idaho Data Scientist pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.