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

The 90th percentile lands at $148,850. 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 $132,130.

Why is the BEA RPP for Kansas 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. Kansas's overall index of 89.9 reflects rents 68.6, services 90.8, and goods 96.5.

How wide is the wage spread in Kansas?

P10 to P90 spans $45,940 to $148,850. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

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

Yes — the BEA RPP of 89.9 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $110,320 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $122,703. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Data Scientists comparing offers across regions.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Kansas?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Kansas.

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

BLS reports them under different SOC codes (15-2051 for data scientists, 13-1161 for market/data analysts). In Kansas, 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 Kansas?

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

Kansas Data Scientist Salary: BLS $110K Median, Real $123K (2026)

TL;DR

BLS reports Kansas Data Scientist median pay at $110,320. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $122,703.
P25-P75 spread runs $83,120 to $132,130; P10 floor $45,940, P90 ceiling $148,850.
Low BEA RPP (89.9) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $12,383.
Nominal: #16/51 · Real: #6/51 — ranking shifts by 10 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — Kansas

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$45,940	$51,097
P25 (lower quartile)	$83,120	$92,450
P50 (median)	$110,320	$122,703
P75 (upper quartile)	$132,130	$146,961
P90 (top tier)	$148,850	$165,558
Mean	$107,300	$119,344
Employment	340 Data Scientists in Kansas

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Kansas index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	89.9
Goods	96.5
Services	90.8
Rents	68.6

Kansas sits below the national baseline (RPP 89.9), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 68.6.

After-tax take-home — Kansas (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)	$110,320	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$15,517	14.1% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$5,631	3.1–5.7% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$8,439	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$80,732	73.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$89,794	÷ (89.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.1% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $80,732 (73.2% of gross). After the 89.9 RPP, real take-home is $89,794.

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. Kansas sits at #16 on nominal pay and #6 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Kansas climbs 10 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

What does the top of the Data Scientist pay scale look like in Kansas?: The 90th percentile lands at $148,850. 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 $132,130.
Why is the BEA RPP for Kansas 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. Kansas's overall index of 89.9 reflects rents 68.6, services 90.8, and goods 96.5.
How wide is the wage spread in Kansas?: P10 to P90 spans $45,940 to $148,850. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Kansas a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Data Scientists?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 89.9 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $110,320 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $122,703. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Data Scientists comparing offers across regions.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Kansas?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Kansas.
Data scientist vs data analyst pay in Kansas — what's the gap?: BLS reports them under different SOC codes (15-2051 for data scientists, 13-1161 for market/data analysts). In Kansas, 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 Kansas?: 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 Kansas, 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.

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

Cross-comparison: see how Kansas 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.