Data Scientist Salary in District Of Columbia (2026)
Average Data Scientist pay in District Of Columbia
$145,000/year
≈ $70/hour before tax
After tax (single filer)
$101,017/year
$8,418/month · effective tax rate 30.33%
- Federal $23,534
- State $9,357
- FICA $11,093
- Take-home
Pay by role in District Of Columbia
- Staff / Principal Data Scientist$185,000–$315,000+ TC
- Senior DS (Census / BLS / BEA / Federal Civilian)$125,000–$192,000+ GS-13/14
- Senior DS (Cleared / IC / Booz Allen / Leidos / SAIC)$140,000–$222,000+ TC
- Senior DS (Capital One / Hilton / Marriott)$135,000–$210,000+ TC
- Senior DS (RAND / Brookings / AEI / Urban Institute)$118,000–$182,000+ TC
- Senior DS (Health / MedStar / Children's National)$108,000–$162,000+ bonus
See the full tax breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $101,017 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $8,418 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $3,885 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $49/hr |
Federal Tax | $23,534 |
State Tax | $9,357 |
FICA Taxes | $11,093 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 30.33% |
Not all Data Scientists earn the same — not even close
DC's data science market is anchored by federal civilian + cleared analytics (US Census Bureau + Bureau of Labor Statistics BLS + Bureau of Economic Analysis BEA + Federal Reserve Board + Treasury + USDS + 18F + GSA TTS + DOD + Intelligence Community IC + the substantial federal civilian DS as one of country's substantial US public sector DS concentrations + the substantial post-2024 federal GenAI + AI executive orders), DC-Northern Virginia cleared contractor analytics (Booz Allen Hamilton + Leidos + SAIC + CACI + ManTech + IBM Federal + Deloitte Federal + the substantial cleared IC + DOD + DHS analytics), DC think tank + research (RAND Corporation Arlington cross-border + Brookings Institution + American Enterprise Institute AEI + Center for American Progress + Urban Institute + the substantial DC think tank policy research analytics + Federal Reserve Board research staff economists), Capital One + Hilton + Marriott corporate analytics, MedStar Washington Hospital Center + Children's National + GW Hospital + Howard University Hospital healthcare analytics, plus Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy + GW Trachtenberg School of Public Policy + American University + Howard University DS pipeline.
Staff / Principal Data Scientist
$185,000–$315,000+ TC
Senior IC at Capital One + Hilton + Marriott + cleared DC contractors
Senior DS (Census / BLS / BEA / Federal Civilian)
$125,000–$192,000+ GS-13/14
Census + BLS + BEA + Federal Reserve · federal civilian DS · GS-13/14
Senior DS (Cleared / IC / Booz Allen / Leidos / SAIC)
$140,000–$222,000+ TC
IC + DOD + Booz + Leidos + SAIC + CACI · TS/SCI + polygraph premium
Senior DS (Capital One / Hilton / Marriott)
$135,000–$210,000+ TC
Capital One + Hilton + Marriott · DC-DMV corporate analytics
Senior DS (RAND / Brookings / AEI / Urban Institute)
$118,000–$182,000+ TC
RAND + Brookings + AEI + Urban Institute · think tank policy research
Senior DS (Health / MedStar / Children's National)
$108,000–$162,000+ bonus
MedStar + Children's National + GW + Howard · healthcare analytics
Senior Economist (Federal Reserve / Treasury / IMF / World Bank)
$135,000–$215,000+ bonus
Federal Reserve research + Treasury + IMF + World Bank · economic research
Senior ML / Decision Scientist
$135,000–$215,000+ TC
Capital One + cleared + Federal Reserve · forecasting + experimentation
Senior DS (Federal GenAI / AI Executive Order)
$140,000–$222,000+ TC
Federal GenAI + AI EO + USDS + GSA + DOD JAIC · cleared GenAI
Mid-Level Data Scientist (3-6 yrs)
$95,000–$138,000
Functional IC at DC major employers · transitioning to senior band
Junior Data Scientist (0-3 yrs)
$72,000–$98,000
Georgetown McCourt + GW Trachtenberg + AU + Howard + UDC · entry
Worth knowing: Federal civilian analytics (Census + BLS + BEA + Federal Reserve + Treasury) + cleared IC + DOD contractor analytics (Booz Allen + Leidos + SAIC) + DC think tank + research (RAND + Brookings + AEI) + Capital One corporate tetra-anchor is one of the country's distinctive concentrated US single-state federal civilian + cleared + policy research + corporate DS cluster and a feature most national DS surveys understate for DC. Federal civilian analytics (US Census Bureau + Bureau of Labor Statistics BLS + Bureau of Economic Analysis BEA + Federal Reserve Board + Treasury + USDS + 18F + GSA TTS + DOD + Intelligence Community IC + the substantial federal civilian DS as one of country's substantial US public sector DS concentrations + the substantial post-2024 federal GenAI + AI executive orders). DC-Northern Virginia cleared contractor analytics (Booz Allen Hamilton + Leidos + SAIC + CACI + ManTech + IBM Federal + Deloitte Federal). DC think tank + research (RAND Corporation Arlington cross-border + Brookings Institution + American Enterprise Institute AEI + Center for American Progress + Urban Institute + Federal Reserve Board research staff economists). Capital One + Hilton + Marriott. MedStar + Children's National + GW + Howard healthcare analytics. Georgetown McCourt + GW Trachtenberg + AU + Howard DS pipeline. DC progressive top 10.75% + DC NLC since 2024 anchor the DC DS proposition.
Sources & Methodology
- →IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 — 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction
- →IRS Notice 2025-67 — 2026 retirement-plan contribution limits
- →IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-19 — 2026 HSA contribution limits
- →Social Security Administration — 2026 Social Security wage base
- →DC Office of Tax and Revenue - 2026 D-40ES booklet, estimated tax worksheet Line 2b standard deduction amounts
- →BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — Data Scientist wage data for District Of Columbia
Salary figures are market estimates for Data Scientists in District Of Columbia and vary by employer, specialty, seniority, and metro. Take-home math assumes a single filer with no dependents, the standard deduction, and District Of Columbia 2026 state rates. Local taxes, insurance premiums, and pre-tax contributions will move your number — run the calculator for your own situation.
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Read the guideTypical Data Scientist Salary by Experience (National)
US-wide ranges, not District Of Columbia figures. Each link shows the District Of Columbia taxes on that salary.
Entry Level (0–3 yrs)
$115,000
/year
Mid Level (3–7 yrs)
$145,000
/year
Senior Level (7+ yrs)
$210,000
/year
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More on District Of Columbia
Salaries by profession, top-paying roles by industry, and an economic breakdown for District Of Columbia in 2026.
Tax brackets, standard deductions, and take-home estimates for District Of Columbia in 2026.
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