How much does a Data Scientist make in Wisconsin?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $100,020 for Data Scientists in Wisconsin as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $82,230 and the 75th-percentile is $124,960.

How are Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin?

The 90th percentile lands at $148,180. 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 $124,960.

How many Data Scientists does Wisconsin employ?

BLS OES counts 3,640 Data Scientists employed in Wisconsin in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Why is the BEA RPP for Wisconsin 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. Wisconsin's overall index of 93.2 reflects rents 78.3, services 89.5, and goods 94.3.

Where does Wisconsin rank for Data Scientist pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Wisconsin 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.

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.

How Much Do Data Scientists Make in Wisconsin? $100K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

Wisconsin pays Data Scientists a BLS median of $100,020 — the more useful number is $107,295, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Data Scientist ranking: #30 on the BLS table, #26 once cost of living is in.
Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $7,275 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $73,900 · P25 $82,230 · P75 $124,960 · P90 $148,180.

Wage breakdown — Wisconsin

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$73,900	$79,275
P25 (lower quartile)	$82,230	$88,211
P50 (median)	$100,020	$107,295
P75 (upper quartile)	$124,960	$134,048
P90 (top tier)	$148,180	$158,957
Mean	$105,540	$113,216
Employment	3,640 Data Scientists in Wisconsin

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Wisconsin index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	93.2
Goods	94.3
Services	89.5
Rents	78.3

Wisconsin sits below the national baseline (RPP 93.2), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 78.3.

After-tax take-home — Wisconsin (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)	$100,020	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$13,251	13.2% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$4,213	3.5–7.65% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,652	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$74,904	74.9% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$80,352	÷ (93.2 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.2% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $74,904 (74.9% of gross). After the 93.2 RPP, real take-home is $80,352.

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. Wisconsin sits at #30 on nominal pay and #26 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Wisconsin climbs 4 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Data Scientist make in Wisconsin?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $100,020 for Data Scientists in Wisconsin as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $82,230 and the 75th-percentile is $124,960.
How are Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin?: The 90th percentile lands at $148,180. 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 $124,960.
How many Data Scientists does Wisconsin employ?: BLS OES counts 3,640 Data Scientists employed in Wisconsin in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Why is the BEA RPP for Wisconsin 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. Wisconsin's overall index of 93.2 reflects rents 78.3, services 89.5, and goods 94.3.
Where does Wisconsin rank for Data Scientist pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Wisconsin 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.
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.

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 Wisconsin 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.