Freelance Data Scientist Salary in the United States

How much does a Freelance Data Scientist make in the United States?

As of August 01, 2026, the average salary for a Freelance Data Scientist in the United States is $138,794 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $67.

However, a Freelance Data Scientist's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $169,063
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $124,224 to $154,638
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $110,959
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View as table View as graph 25% $124,224 10% $110,959 90% $169,063 75% $154,638 $138,794 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Freelance Data Scientist Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $154,638 $12,887 $2,974 $74
Average $138,794 $11,566 $2,669 $67
25th Percentile $124,224 $10,352 $2,389 $60
Check out Freelance Data Scientist Job Openings in the United States
Data Scientist

ComResource - Columbus, OH

Lead Data Scientist

Bread Financial Payments - Columbus, OH

Sr Data Scientist Programmatic Algorithms

Impact.com - Columbus, OH

Associate Vice President Internal Communications

Confidential - Columbus, OH

Search More Freelance Data Scientist Jobs in the United States

Key Factors That Influence Freelance Data Scientist Salaries

A Freelance Data Scientist's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Freelance Data Scientist Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Freelance Data Scientist's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here’s how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $156,650
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $110,016
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $141,829
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $165,404
  • Expert (over 8 years): $204,268
Levels Salary
HR Busine... Level Freelance Data Scientist$156,650
HR Busine... Level Freelance Data Scientist$110,016
Freelance... Level Freelance Data Scientist$141,829
HR Busine... Level Freelance Data Scientist$165,404
HR Busine... Level Freelance Data Scientist$204,268
$156,650 0 yr
$110,016 < 2 yrs
$141,829 2-4 yrs
$165,404 5-8 yrs
$204,268 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Freelance Data Scientists

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $175,061
  • San Francisco: $173,144
  • Oakland: $169,495

What Skills Can Increase a Freelance Data Scientist's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Leadership (Mentioned in 6.74% Job Postings): Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
  • Onboarding (Mentioned in 1.45% Job Postings): Onboarding, also known as organizational socialization, is management jargon first created in the 1970's that refers to the mechanism through which new employees acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviors in order to become effective organizational members and insiders. It is the process of integrating a new employee into the organization and its culture. Tactics used in this process include formal meetings, lectures, videos, printed materials, or computer-based orientations to introduce newcomers to their new jobs and organizations. Research has demonstrated that these socialization techniques lead to positive outcomes for new employees such as higher job satisfaction, better job performance, greater organizational commitment, and reduction in occupational stress and intent to quit.. These outcomes are particularly important to an organization looking to retain a competitive advantage in an increasingly mobile and globalized workforce. In the United States, for example, up to 25% of workers are organizational newcomers engaged in an onboarding process. The term induction is used instead in regions such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and parts of Europe. This is known in some parts of the world as training.
  • Procurement (Mentioned in 1.04% Job Postings): Procurement is the process of finding and agreeing to terms, and acquiring goods, services, or works from an external source, often via a tendering or competitive bidding process. Procurement is used to ensure the buyer receives goods, services, or works at the best possible price when aspects such as quality, quantity, time, and location are compared. Corporations and public bodies often define processes intended to promote fair and open competition for their business while minimizing risks such as exposure to fraud and collusion. Almost all purchasing decisions include factors such as delivery and handling, marginal benefit, and price fluctuations. Procurement generally involves making buying decisions under conditions of scarcity. If sound data is available, it is good practice to make use of economic analysis methods such as cost-benefit analysis or cost-utility analysis.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Leadership 6.74%
Onboarding 1.45%
Procurement 1.04%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Freelance Data Scientist's salary.
  • Food Safety: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
  • Salesforce: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
  • Insight: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Food Safety
$148,510
7%
Salesforce
$148,510
7%
Insight
$144,346
4%
Commitment
$144,346
4%
Coordination
$142,958
3%
SQL
$142,958
3%
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Freelance Data Scientist Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Freelance Data Scientist roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 100% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Software & Networking and Aerospace & Defense sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 50% above the average. In contrast, Freelance Data Scientist positions in Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit or Transportation typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Freelance Data Scientist as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industry for a Freelance Data Scientist

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Software & Networking$208,191$100.050%

Freelance Data Scientist Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Freelance Data Scientist's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on August 01, 2026

Salary Trends for Freelance Data Scientist

Salaries for a Freelance Data Scientist can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $112,111 in 2023 to around $111,597 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Freelance Data Scientist salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Freelance Data Scientist Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$112,111
2024
$112,168
2025
$111,597
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $112,111
2024 $112,168
2025 $111,597
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Freelance Data Scientist

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Freelance Data Scientist

Here are companies hiring for Freelance Data Scientist and their salaries, click below for more details.

Find Your Next Freelance Data Scientist Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Freelance Data Scientist job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

United States
  • Confidential

    Columbus, OH

    Confidential | Columbus, OH

    Vice President, Credit Risk Strategy & Data Science. About the Company. High-growth SMB lender building the next generation of credit decisioning. Industry... more

    19 Days Ago

  • KreilKamp Trucking

    Columbus, OH

    KreilKamp Trucking | Columbus, OH

    Regional CDL A Drivers | NEW Grads Welcome | Earn $70,000+ Annually. We're proud to be a 4th generation family truck line, started in 1935, but even proude... more

    19 Days Ago

  • Confidential

    Columbus, OH

    Confidential | Columbus, OH

    Vice President, Payments Engineering. About the Company. Globally-recognized provider of corporate payment solutions. Industry. Financial Services. Type. P... more

    21 Days Ago

  • Confidential

    Columbus, OH

    Confidential | Columbus, OH

    Senior Vice President of Project Delivery. About the Company. A multi-billion-dollar construction organization with collaborative, servant-minded leadershi... more

    21 Days Ago

  • Confidential

    Columbus, OH

    Confidential | Columbus, OH

    Chief of Staff. About the Company. Innovative travel platform for booking & managing work trips. Industry. Computer Software. Type. Privately Held, VC-back... more

    21 Days Ago

  • McDonalds

    Columbus, OH

    McDonalds | Columbus, OH

    McDonald’s is seeking Crew Team Members to assist with daily restaurant operations including customer service, food preparation, and maintaining restaurant... more

    28 Days Ago

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FAQ about Freelance Data Scientist

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Freelance Data Scientist?

The Software & Networking industry offers the highest average compensation for Freelance Data Scientist roles, with salaries approximately 50% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

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