What is the real (cost-adjusted) Data Scientist salary in Indiana?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 92.1 for Indiana), the real-wage equivalent is $91,262 — what the $84,050 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $72,532 to $120,275.

What does the top of the Data Scientist pay scale look like in Indiana?

The 90th percentile lands at $134,600. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $110,770.

Why is the BEA RPP for Indiana 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. Indiana's overall index of 92.1 reflects rents 71.3, services 84.7, and goods 95.6.

Is Indiana a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Data Scientists?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 92.1 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $84,050 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $91,262. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Data Scientists comparing offers across regions.

Data scientist vs data analyst pay in Indiana — what's the gap?

BLS reports them under different SOC codes (15-2051 for data scientists, 13-1161 for market/data analysts). In Indiana, the data scientist median typically runs 30-60% above the data analyst median, reflecting heavier ML/statistics requirements, deeper SQL/Python depth expectations, and stronger industry placement in tech and finance.

Does a PhD increase data scientist salary in Indiana?

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 Indiana, concentrated in research-heavy industries (pharma, quant finance, AI labs) and largely absent in product analytics roles.

Industry vs academia data scientist pay in Indiana?

Academia and government research positions in {state} typically pay below the BLS data scientist median — often 20-40% lower at the assistant-professor or junior-research-scientist level. Industry roles (especially tech, finance, consumer internet) pull the BLS aggregate well above academic ranges.

Data Scientist Pay in Indiana: $84K Median + Purchasing Power (2026)

TL;DR

$84,050 is the BLS median wage for Data Scientists in Indiana; $91,262 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
Quartile range $66,800 (bottom 25%) to $110,770 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $51,860 to $134,600.
After the cost-of-living adjustment, take-home rises by $7,212 versus the BLS median — purchasing-power arbitrage.
Data Scientist ranking: #46 on the BLS table, #46 once cost of living is in.

Wage breakdown — Indiana

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$51,860	$56,310
P25 (lower quartile)	$66,800	$72,532
P50 (median)	$84,050	$91,262
P75 (upper quartile)	$110,770	$120,275
P90 (top tier)	$134,600	$146,150
Mean	$92,620	$100,568
Employment	3,120 Data Scientists in Indiana

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Indiana index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	92.1
Goods	95.6
Services	84.7
Rents	71.3

Indiana sits below the national baseline (RPP 92.1), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 71.3.

After-tax take-home — Indiana (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)	$84,050	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$9,738	11.6% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,437	2.9% flat 2026 (+ ~1% county avg)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$6,430	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$65,445	77.9% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$71,061	÷ (92.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Indiana state-tax burden means for Data Scientist take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 2.9% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $65,445 (77.9% of gross). After the 92.1 RPP, real take-home is $71,061. Local-tax overlay: Every Indiana county levies a local income tax averaging 1–3% — Marion (Indianapolis) 2.02%, Lake 1.5%, Allen 1.59%.

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. Indiana sits at #46 on nominal pay and #46 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. Nominal and real ranking are the same — cost of living and pay scale together.

Frequently asked questions

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Data Scientist salary in Indiana?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 92.1 for Indiana), the real-wage equivalent is $91,262 — what the $84,050 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $72,532 to $120,275.
What does the top of the Data Scientist pay scale look like in Indiana?: The 90th percentile lands at $134,600. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $110,770.
Why is the BEA RPP for Indiana 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. Indiana's overall index of 92.1 reflects rents 71.3, services 84.7, and goods 95.6.
Is Indiana a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Data Scientists?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 92.1 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $84,050 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $91,262. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Data Scientists comparing offers across regions.
Data scientist vs data analyst pay in Indiana — what's the gap?: BLS reports them under different SOC codes (15-2051 for data scientists, 13-1161 for market/data analysts). In Indiana, the data scientist median typically runs 30-60% above the data analyst median, reflecting heavier ML/statistics requirements, deeper SQL/Python depth expectations, and stronger industry placement in tech and finance.
Does a PhD increase data scientist salary in Indiana?: 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 Indiana, concentrated in research-heavy industries (pharma, quant finance, AI labs) and largely absent in product analytics roles.
Industry vs academia data scientist pay in Indiana?: Academia and government research positions in {state} typically pay below the BLS data scientist median — often 20-40% lower at the assistant-professor or junior-research-scientist level. Industry roles (especially tech, finance, consumer internet) pull the BLS aggregate well above academic ranges.

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.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Indiana 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.