How much does a Data Scientist make in Ohio?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $98,620 for Data Scientists in Ohio as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $71,660 and the 75th-percentile is $126,470.

How are Ohio 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.

Why is the BEA RPP for Ohio 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. Ohio's overall index of 91.9 reflects rents 72.1, services 89.2, and goods 94.2.

Where does Ohio rank for Data Scientist pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Ohio ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

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

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

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

Industry vs academia data scientist pay in Ohio?

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 Salary in Ohio (2026): $99K Median, BEA RPP-Adjusted

TL;DR

Data Scientists in Ohio earn a BLS median of $98,620, with real take-home of $107,309 after BEA RPP adjustment.
Wage envelope: $53,510 (P10) to $152,070 (P90), with quartiles at $71,660 and $126,470.
Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $8,689.
Data Scientist ranking: #33 on the BLS table, #25 once cost of living is in.

Wage breakdown — Ohio

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$53,510	$58,224
P25 (lower quartile)	$71,660	$77,974
P50 (median)	$98,620	$107,309
P75 (upper quartile)	$126,470	$137,612
P90 (top tier)	$152,070	$165,468
Mean	$100,260	$109,093
Employment	5,510 Data Scientists in Ohio

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Ohio index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	91.9
Goods	94.2
Services	89.2
Rents	72.1

Ohio sits below the national baseline (RPP 91.9), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 72.1.

After-tax take-home — Ohio (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)	$98,620	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$12,943	13.1% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,007	0–3.5% (graduated, +local 0.5–3% RITA cities)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,544	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$76,126	77.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$82,833	÷ (91.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Ohio's state tax is light at this income tier (~2.0% effective). The bigger compensation lever is the below-baseline cost of living (RPP 91.9), which lifts real take-home above nominal after-tax — net real after-tax $82,833. Local-tax overlay: Most Ohio cities levy 0.5–3% local income tax (RITA / CCA jurisdictions). Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Akron all assess ≥2.5%.

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. Ohio sits at #33 on nominal pay and #25 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Ohio climbs 8 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Data Scientist make in Ohio?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $98,620 for Data Scientists in Ohio as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $71,660 and the 75th-percentile is $126,470.
How are Ohio 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.
Why is the BEA RPP for Ohio 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. Ohio's overall index of 91.9 reflects rents 72.1, services 89.2, and goods 94.2.
Where does Ohio rank for Data Scientist pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Ohio ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
Data scientist vs data analyst pay in Ohio — what's the gap?: BLS reports them under different SOC codes (15-2051 for data scientists, 13-1161 for market/data analysts). In Ohio, 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 Ohio?: 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 Ohio, concentrated in research-heavy industries (pharma, quant finance, AI labs) and largely absent in product analytics roles.
Industry vs academia data scientist pay in Ohio?: 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 Ohio 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.