Data Scientist · Rhode Island · SOC 15-2051
Data Scientist Salary in Rhode Island (2026)
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2024 reference period · BEA Regional Price Parity 2023 vintage · Last synced 2026-05-05.
TL;DR
- Data Scientists in Rhode Island earn a BLS median of $114,390, with real take-home of $112,076 after BEA RPP adjustment.
- State ranks #14 nationally on nominal wage, #21 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.
- BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
- BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $69,990 · P25 $88,100 · P75 $142,710 · P90 $181,460.
Wage breakdown — Rhode Island
| Percentile | Nominal (BLS) | Real (BEA RPP-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| P10 (entry tier) | $69,990 | $68,574 |
| P25 (lower quartile) | $88,100 | $86,318 |
| P50 (median) | $114,390 | $112,076 |
| P75 (upper quartile) | $142,710 | $139,823 |
| P90 (top tier) | $181,460 | $177,789 |
| Mean | $119,400 | $116,984 |
| Employment | 1,190 Data Scientists in Rhode Island | |
Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity
| Component | Rhode Island index (US = 100) |
|---|---|
| All-items RPP | 102.1 |
| Goods | 98.3 |
| Services | 145.1 |
| Rents | 102.7 |
Rhode Island's overall RPP (102.1) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.
After-tax take-home — Rhode Island (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) | $114,390 | nominal median |
| Federal income tax | −$16,413 | 14.3% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied |
| State income tax | −$4,158 | 3.75–5.99% (graduated) |
| FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%) | −$8,751 | SS capped at $183,600 wage base |
| Take-home (after-tax) | $85,068 | 74.4% of gross |
| Real take-home (RPP-adjusted) | $83,347 | ÷ (102.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living |
What the Rhode Island state-tax burden means for Data Scientist take-home
Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.6% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $85,068 (74.4% of gross). After the 102.1 RPP, real take-home is $83,347.
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. Rhode Island sits at #14 on nominal pay and #21 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Rhode Island falls 7 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.
Frequently asked questions
- How many Data Scientists does Rhode Island employ?
- BLS OES counts 1,190 Data Scientists employed in Rhode Island in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
- How wide is the wage spread in Rhode Island?
- P10 to P90 spans $69,990 to $181,460. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
- Is Rhode Island a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Data Scientists?
- No — Rhode Island's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
- 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.
- Data scientist vs data analyst pay in Rhode Island — what's the gap?
- BLS reports them under different SOC codes (15-2051 for data scientists, 13-1161 for market/data analysts). In Rhode Island, 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 Rhode Island?
- 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 Rhode Island, concentrated in research-heavy industries (pharma, quant finance, AI labs) and largely absent in product analytics roles.
- Industry vs academia data scientist pay in Rhode Island?
- 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.
Cross-comparison: see how Rhode Island 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.