How much does a Data Scientist make in Nebraska?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $96,470 for Data Scientists in Nebraska as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $81,400 and the 75th-percentile is $108,940.

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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 90.3 for Nebraska), the real-wage equivalent is $106,847 — what the $96,470 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $90,156 to $120,658.

How are Nebraska 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.

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

The 90th percentile lands at $130,670. 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 $108,940.

What are the limits of these Data Scientist salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

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

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

Industry vs academia data scientist pay in Nebraska?

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.

Nebraska Data Scientist Salary: BLS $96K Median, Real $107K (2026)

TL;DR

$96,470 is the BLS median wage for Data Scientists in Nebraska; $106,847 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $67,270 · P25 $81,400 · P75 $108,940 · P90 $130,670.
Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $10,377.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #27 of 51; nominal rank is #35.

Wage breakdown — Nebraska

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$67,270	$74,506
P25 (lower quartile)	$81,400	$90,156
P50 (median)	$96,470	$106,847
P75 (upper quartile)	$108,940	$120,658
P90 (top tier)	$130,670	$144,726
Mean	$97,720	$108,231
Employment	1,850 Data Scientists in Nebraska

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Nebraska index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	90.3
Goods	96.5
Services	79.4
Rents	74.3

Nebraska sits below the national baseline (RPP 90.3), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 74.3.

After-tax take-home — Nebraska (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)	$96,470	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$12,470	12.9% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$4,505	2.46–5.84% (graduated, 3.99% top by 2027)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,380	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$72,115	74.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$79,872	÷ (90.3 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.7% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $72,115 (74.8% of gross). After the 90.3 RPP, real take-home is $79,872.

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. Nebraska sits at #35 on nominal pay and #27 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Nebraska climbs 8 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Data Scientist make in Nebraska?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $96,470 for Data Scientists in Nebraska as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $81,400 and the 75th-percentile is $108,940.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Data Scientist salary in Nebraska?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 90.3 for Nebraska), the real-wage equivalent is $106,847 — what the $96,470 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $90,156 to $120,658.
How are Nebraska 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.
What does the top of the Data Scientist pay scale look like in Nebraska?: The 90th percentile lands at $130,670. 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 $108,940.
What are the limits of these Data Scientist salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
Data scientist vs data analyst pay in Nebraska — what's the gap?: BLS reports them under different SOC codes (15-2051 for data scientists, 13-1161 for market/data analysts). In Nebraska, 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.
Industry vs academia data scientist pay in Nebraska?: 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 Nebraska 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.