How much does a Data Scientist make in North Dakota?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $96,230 for Data Scientists in North Dakota as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $74,690 and the 75th-percentile is $120,270.

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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 88.2 for North Dakota), the real-wage equivalent is $109,136 — what the $96,230 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $84,708 to $136,401.

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

The 90th percentile lands at $123,310. 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 $120,270.

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.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for North Dakota?

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 North Dakota.

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 North Dakota?

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

North Dakota Data Scientist Salary: BLS $96K Median, Real $109K (2026)

TL;DR

North Dakota pays Data Scientists a BLS median of $96,230 — the more useful number is $109,136, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $12,906 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
Wage envelope: $58,050 (P10) to $123,310 (P90), with quartiles at $74,690 and $120,270.
State ranks #36 nationally on nominal wage, #24 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.

Wage breakdown — North Dakota

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$58,050	$65,836
P25 (lower quartile)	$74,690	$84,708
P50 (median)	$96,230	$109,136
P75 (upper quartile)	$120,270	$136,401
P90 (top tier)	$123,310	$139,848
Mean	$94,130	$106,755
Employment	320 Data Scientists in North Dakota

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	North Dakota index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	88.2
Goods	97.0
Services	75.0
Rents	69.3

North Dakota sits below the national baseline (RPP 88.2), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 69.3.

After-tax take-home — North Dakota (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)	$96,230	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$12,418	12.9% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$650	0–2.5% (graduated, 2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,362	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$75,801	78.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$85,967	÷ (88.2 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

North Dakota's state tax is light at this income tier (~0.7% effective). The bigger compensation lever is the below-baseline cost of living (RPP 88.2), which lifts real take-home above nominal after-tax — net real after-tax $85,967.

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. North Dakota sits at #36 on nominal pay and #24 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, North Dakota climbs 12 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Data Scientist make in North Dakota?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $96,230 for Data Scientists in North Dakota as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $74,690 and the 75th-percentile is $120,270.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Data Scientist salary in North Dakota?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 88.2 for North Dakota), the real-wage equivalent is $109,136 — what the $96,230 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $84,708 to $136,401.
What does the top of the Data Scientist pay scale look like in North Dakota?: The 90th percentile lands at $123,310. 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 $120,270.
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.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for North Dakota?: 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 North Dakota.
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 North Dakota?: 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 North Dakota, 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 North Dakota 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.