Metro area
Lead Data Scientist Salary in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
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The median pay for Lead Data Scientist in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ is $135,980 a year, and the middle half of workers earned between $101,320 and $173,160 (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 15-2051).
Broader occupation
BLS does not report this exact title. The figures shown are for SOC 15-2051, Data Scientists. BLS reports Data Scientists. It does not report Lead Data Scientist separately or distinguish its level, stack, work arrangement or employer sector. These occupation-wide figures are not a title-specific offer range.
Shared metro estimate, not a Northern New Jersey-only wage. The BLS area "New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ" also serves new york city, so those pages share these figures.
BLS publishes one set of figures for SOC 15-2051. Other titles in our taxonomy map to it and show the same numbers. Percentiles describe all workers in the occupation. They are not experience levels.
The New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median is $15,750 above the national median of $120,230 (13.1%).
| Measure | Per year |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $79,870 |
| 25th percentile | $101,320 |
| Median | $135,980 |
| 75th percentile | $173,160 |
| 90th percentile | $216,030 |
| Mean | $144,700 |
| Measure | Per year |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $73,330 |
| 25th percentile | $94,880 |
| Median | $130,460 |
| 75th percentile | $171,580 |
| 90th percentile | $214,080 |
| Mean | $137,690 |
| Measure | Per year |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $67,240 |
| 25th percentile | $85,660 |
| Median | $120,230 |
| 75th percentile | $158,880 |
| 90th percentile | $199,130 |
| Mean | $126,800 |
A figure shown as "or more" is top-coded. BLS does not publish exact wages at or above $239,200 a year or $115.00 an hour.
Relative pay is the role's annual median divided by the BLS all-occupations (SOC 00-0000) annual median for New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ. Location quotient compares this occupation's share of local jobs with its national share. It measures concentration, not pay.
What these figures leave out for technology hires
BLS OEWS wages are straight-time gross pay. They include base rate, guaranteed pay, incentive pay including commissions and production bonuses, and cost-of-living allowances. They exclude overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, severance and employer-paid benefits.
Our interpretation, not a BLS statement: the BLS definition does not name stock or equity grants, so we treat them as outside these figures and add nothing for them. If a technology offer leans on discretionary bonus or equity, we read the published figure as describing only the cash pay inside the BLS definition.
BLS definition: Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
May 2024 and May 2025 medians
| Period | Median |
|---|---|
| May 2024 | $130,710 |
| May 2025 | $135,980 |
The median moved up $5,270 (+4.0%), from $130,710 in May 2024 to $135,980 in May 2025. Survey estimates carry sampling error, so small moves may not be meaningful.
More for this role and area
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 15-2051 Data Scientists, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ. Released 2026-05-15. Methodology and mapping notes.
These are BLS survey-based wage estimates, not observed individual offers or a modeled technology-title range. A broader occupation or proxy is not separate pay data for your job title.