Tech

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 all 11 roles with notes
See the full tax breakdown
CategoryAmount
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%
Estimates only — not tax advice. · Full disclaimer →

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

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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Typical 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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