Data Scientist Salary in Virginia: $115K Median

The average Data Scientist salary in Virginia is $114,501 per year as of April 2026. Salaries range from $71,847 (entry, 25th percentile) up to $195,135 (90th percentile). State income tax applies.

Data Scientists in Virginia earn approximately 6% more than the US national median ($108,020 nationally vs $114,501 in Virginia). Virginia's cost-of-living index of 104 is close to the national average.

Yes — Data Scientist salaries in Virginia grew approximately 520.0% year-over-year, from $18,468 in 2025 to $114,501 in 2026. This reflects the broader Technology sector's wage growth, driven by LLMs and PyTorch demand.

Top-paying Virginia metros for Data Scientists: Virginia Beach ($106K). Click any city for full breakdown including take-home pay.

Data scientist employment is projected to grow 36% through 2034 — one of the fastest-growing occupations. AI/ML adoption across industries is driving unprecedented demand. Virginia's top industries include Government/Defense, Tech (Data Centers), Shipbuilding, and the state's unemployment rate is 3.3% — a tight labor market favoring candidates.

Yes, Virginia has state income tax. This affects take-home pay — at $114,501, expect 4-7% effective state tax depending on filing status. See city pages for detailed take-home calculations.

Hottest 2026 skills: LLMs, PyTorch, MLOps, dbt, Snowflake, GenAI. ATS systems specifically scan for these. Adding them to your resume — naturally and in context — improves your match rate with Virginia employers.

Based on levels.fyi data and what I'm seeing from comparable offers, total compensation for this level is closer to $X base plus equity. Can we close the gap on base or front-load the RSU grant? Beyond base, negotiate: Sign-on bonus ($25K-$100K is standard at Big Tech), RSU refreshers and accelerated vesting cliffs, Remote/hybrid flexibility and home-office stipend, Annual learning budget and conference allowance. Walk-away anchor for Virginia: $99,566.