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

The 90th percentile lands at $165,660. 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 $118,820.

Why is the BEA RPP for West Virginia 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. West Virginia's overall index of 89.6 reflects rents 56.2, services 87.8, and goods 95.7.

How wide is the wage spread in West Virginia?

P10 to P90 spans $49,000 to $165,660. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

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

Yes — the BEA RPP of 89.6 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $95,760 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $106,836. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Data Scientists comparing offers across regions.

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 West Virginia — what's the gap?

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

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

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

TL;DR

$95,760 is the BLS median wage for Data Scientists in West Virginia; $106,836 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $11,076 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
P25-P75 spread runs $72,250 to $118,820; P10 floor $49,000, P90 ceiling $165,660.
State ranks #38 nationally on nominal wage, #28 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.

Wage breakdown — West Virginia

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$49,000	$54,667
P25 (lower quartile)	$72,250	$80,606
P50 (median)	$95,760	$106,836
P75 (upper quartile)	$118,820	$132,563
P90 (top tier)	$165,660	$184,820
Mean	$102,770	$114,656
Employment	220 Data Scientists in West Virginia

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	West Virginia index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	89.6
Goods	95.7
Services	87.8
Rents	56.2

West Virginia sits below the national baseline (RPP 89.6), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 56.2.

After-tax take-home — West Virginia (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)	$95,760	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$12,314	12.9% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$3,763	2.27–4.82% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,326	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$72,357	75.6% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$80,726	÷ (89.6 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.9% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $72,357 (75.6% of gross). After the 89.6 RPP, real take-home is $80,726.

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. West Virginia sits at #38 on nominal pay and #28 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, West Virginia 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 West Virginia?: The 90th percentile lands at $165,660. 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 $118,820.
Why is the BEA RPP for West Virginia 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. West Virginia's overall index of 89.6 reflects rents 56.2, services 87.8, and goods 95.7.
How wide is the wage spread in West Virginia?: P10 to P90 spans $49,000 to $165,660. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is West Virginia a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Data Scientists?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 89.6 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $95,760 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $106,836. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Data Scientists comparing offers across regions.
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 West Virginia — what's the gap?: BLS reports them under different SOC codes (15-2051 for data scientists, 13-1161 for market/data analysts). In West Virginia, 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 West Virginia?: 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 West Virginia, 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 West Virginia 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.