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salary report · updated september 2026

How Much Do Data Science Jobs Pay in Washington, DC? (September 2026)

As of September 2026, the median data science salary in Washington, DC is $155,900 a year. Most roles pay between $112,500 and $254,040 (the 10th–90th percentile), drawn from 142 live salaried listings across 44 companies. All figures are converted to annual US dollars so different sources compare like-for-like.

Median salary
$155,900
per year · annual USD
Typical range
$113k – $254k
10th–90th percentile
Range seen
$86k – $525k
lowest to highest
Sample
142
salaried listings · 44 companies
AI Engineer pay

How pay has moved

$121k$150k$178kJun 2026Jul 2026Aug 2026Sep 2026

Median base salary by the month each role was posted, across current live listings. A monthly snapshot builds a firmer long-run trend over time.

Highest-paying employers

  1. #1
    S
    SpaceX
    5 salaried listings in Washington, DC
    $285,000
    median
    Principal AI Engineer, Special Programs$220k – $350k·Washington, DCSr. AI Engineer, Platform Infrastructure, Special Programs$220k – $350k·Washington, DCSr. AI Engineer, Special Programs$220k – $350k·Washington, DCSr. AI Engineer, Special Programs - Top Secret Clearance$220k – $350k·Washington, DCAI Engineer, Special Programs - Top Secret Clearance$125k – $220k·Washington, DC
    All SpaceX roles →
  2. #2
    O
    OpenAI
    2 salaried listings in Washington, DC
    $256,500
    median
    Applied AI Engineer, Cyber, Government$211k – $302k·Washington, DCApplied AI Engineer, Government$211k – $302k·Washington, DC
    All OpenAI roles →
  3. #3
    SA
    Scale AI
    5 salaried listings in Washington, DC
    $254,100
    median
    Staff Machine Learning Engineer, Public Sector$274k – $343k·Denver, COSenior Machine Learning Engineer, Public Sector$235k – $294k·Denver, COSenior Machine Learning Engineer, Public Sector$226k – $282k·Washington, DCSenior Data Analyst, Public Sector$182k – $228k·Washington, DCSenior Data Engineer, Public Sector$150k – $259k·Washington, DC
    All Scale AI roles →
  4. #4
    AI
    Anduril Industries
    3 salaried listings in Washington, DC
    $222,000
    median
    Staff Gen AI Research Scientist $220k – $292k·Costa Mesa, California, United StatesSenior Computer Vision Engineer, Space$191k – $253k·Washington, District of Columbia, United StatesComputer Vision Engineer, Space$166k – $220k·Washington, District of Columbia, United States
    All Anduril Industries roles →
  5. #5
    MM
    Marsh McLennan
    2 salaried listings in Washington, DC
    $215,475
    median
    Oliver Wyman - Senior Lead AI Engineer$195k – $250k·1166 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036-2708, United States of AmericaDirector, Enterprise Data Engineering & Analytics$139k – $278k·1166 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036-2708, United States of America
    All Marsh McLennan roles →

Employers ranked by median advertised base among those with at least two salaried listings in Washington, DC; each one’s best-paying open roles are listed beneath it.

See the open data science roles in Washington, DC →

Data science pay elsewhere

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All salary reports →

Methodology: data science listings in Washington, DC with a published salary, updated daily. Figures come from roles that are open right now. Ranges and single figures are converted to an annual US-dollar midpoint; hourly rates are annualised and out-of-band values dropped. Salary data is self-reported by employers and covers the roles that disclose pay — treat it as a directional guide, not a guarantee.