Data Salary Guide 2026: Compensation by Experience

If you're eyeing data scientist jobs or data science jobs in 2026, understanding the salary landscape is key to landing the right role. Our job board currently lists 652 open positions for data professionals, spanning everything from entry-level data jobs to senior data engineer roles. Salaries vary widely by experience level, with students starting at a median of $53,250, based on just 2 jobs. Junior data analysts or engineers see a median of $90,892 across 12 positions, while mid-level pros command $125,222 median from 36 jobs. As you climb, senior data scientists and engineers hit $157,965 median pay over 117 openings, leads average $171,413 from 15 jobs, managers $182,000 from 14, directors $198,125 from 8, and executives top out at $217,118 median across 17 high-level postings. These figures reflect real, live data from active listings, giving you a clear benchmark for data scientist salary or data engineer salary expectations.

Remote work remains a big draw in data roles, especially for remote data analyst or remote data engineer jobs. Among the open positions, remote data jobs make up a solid chunk, with 97 listings boasting a median salary of $156,219. Hybrid setups follow closely at $153,857 median for 76 jobs, and on-site roles edge ahead slightly at $161,167 for 48 positions. This shows flexibility doesn't drastically cut pay, making data analyst remote options appealing without sacrificing earnings. Top hiring companies like Carbonhealth, Morgan & Morgan, P.A., Aviyatech, Paradigm, M33, Glsllc, Thefreeosk, Cribl, Invisible Technologies, and Axon are actively posting these roles, signaling strong demand across healthcare, legal tech, fintech, and more.

Whether you're debating data analyst vs data scientist paths or data analyst vs business analyst distinctions, compensation data helps clarify choices. Entry level data analyst salary aligns with junior medians around $90K, while entry level data science salary follows suit. Data analyst requirements often emphasize SQL, Python, and visualization tools, but salaries scale quickly with experience. For data engineer jobs, expect focus on ETL pipelines and cloud platforms, pushing senior data engineer salary to $157K+. This guide equips data developers and professionals with precise, data-driven insights to navigate the market confidently.