Level-Specific Salary Guide

Mid-Level Data Scientist Salary in San Francisco (2026)

Updated July 20266 min readSources: BLS OES 2024, Levels.fyi 2024, JFR job feed

Mid-Level Data Scientists in San Francisco earn a median base salary of $198K per year, based on 5,000 verified data points. This guide covers salary ranges, total comp, and negotiation tactics specific to the mid-level level in 2026.

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Verified — 2026 · Mid-Level Level
Data Scientist · San Francisco
0% YoY
25th Percentile
$155K
Walk-away floor
Median (50th)
$198K
Market midpoint
75th Percentile
$251K
Realistic ceiling
Sources: BLS OES 2024, Levels.fyi 2024, JFR job feed·Sample: 5,000 data points

Data Scientist salary by level in San Francisco

See how mid-level-level pay compares to other seniority bands for the same role and location.

LevelApprox. Median Base
Junior$139K
Mid-LevelThis guide$198K
Senior$268K
Staff$327K
Principal$377K

* Figures are approximate estimates relative to the mid-level-level verified data above.

What does a Mid-Level Data Scientist earn in San Francisco in 2026?

The median base salary for a Mid-Level Data Scientist in San Francisco is $198K per year, with the 25th–75th percentile range spanning $155K$251K. Total annual compensation — including bonuses and equity — typically reaches $239K at the median for mid-level-level engineers.

At the mid-level level, engineers are working independently and delivering end-to-end features. Compensation has moved meaningfully above junior levels, and further progression to senior typically comes within 2–4 years for high performers.

To negotiate effectively, open at $230K — the 65th percentile for this level and location — which gives you room to settle above median while appearing reasonable. Know your walk-away floor: $155K.

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Top-paying companies for Mid-Level Data Scientists in San Francisco

CompanyMedian Base
Netflix$220K
Google$185K
Meta$180K
OpenAI$245K
Anthropic$250K
Palantir$188K
Microsoft Research$195K

Skills that pay more at the mid-level level

LLM / GenAI
+32%
PyTorch / TensorFlow
+20%
Scala / Spark
+18%

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