Hanoi
Buenos AiresWhy Data Scientist pay in San Antonio sits 12% below the United States average
San Antonio, TX posts a data scientist median of $106,000, which is 12% under the United States average. The useful question is whether lower prices (COL index 100) and a modeled 1-bedroom near $1,650/month close that gap in real life.
Data scientists turn raw data into insight using statistics, machine learning, and clear communication. In San Antonio, TX the title is noisy: some “data scientist” seats are analyst work paid near $106,000, while production ML seats push toward $106,000. The $106,000 median is the blended market, not a single job family. Employers screening data scientists in San Antonio, TX still list Python, SQL, Statistics, and Machine learning as core. The local band runs from about $68,300 at the 10th percentile to $163,000 at the 90th.
The percentiles on this page are observed metro figures for Data Scientist in San Antonio, TX, not a national median multiplied by a pay index. That matters: you are looking at how this labour market actually priced the role, including local industry mix. They are still estimates of the market — not a promise of what one employer will offer.
Among the 9 United States metros we can compare for this role, San Antonio ranks 9 by median. Washington DC leads this comparison at $174,000 (+64% vs San Antonio), while Houston sits at $107,000. Use those gaps to test a relocation thesis: a 15% cash raise that lands in a much more expensive metro can disappear in rent.
San Antonio’s COL index (100) sits nearer the global baseline, so headline and adjusted pay are not far apart ($106,000 vs $106,000). Rent still matters: the 1-bedroom model is $1,650 / month, about 22% of take-home, with leftover near $4,130.
If you are comparing a San Antonio office offer with a location-flexible one, the United States national median for this role is about $121,000. Local pay is 12% lower — a $15,000 gap. Remote employers often anchor to the national figure; on-site employers in San Antonio are anchoring to this page.
World Bank consumer-price inflation for United States was about 2.9% in 2024; an illustrative model tied to inflation and the occupation’s outlook suggests pay has risen about 28% over the last few years. H-1B / employment-based green card is the usual skilled-hire route (selective for typical hires): Most skilled foreign hires enter via employer-sponsored H-1B (lottery-capped) or specialty routes; permanent residence usually follows an employment-based petition. At 1.2× United States GDP per capita, this median is around a typical national living standard. Unemployment was about 4.2% in 2025. None of that is tax, immigration, or career advice — run the calculators and confirm rules officially.
How to read a data scientist offer in San Antonio
Start with gross cash, not the recruiting headline. If an offer lands near $106,000, you are in the lower half of this metro’s observed distribution; near $106,000 you are already paid like a stronger local hire. Then subtract a realistic tax path (simplified national effective rate here is about 14%, leaving $91,510 a year) and a housing number you would actually accept — not only the $1,650 model.
Because the 90th percentile is about 2.4× the 10th, two data scientist jobs in San Antonio can be different careers that share a title. Ask what sits in the package (bonus, overtime, equity, on-call) before you treat $106,000 as a fair target.
Demand and the data scientist pipeline
Occupation-level employment for data scientists is projected at about +35% over ten years. That is a national sketch of demand, not a forecast that San Antonio will hire at that rate. Local openings still follow San Antonio’s industry mix — hospitals, studios, public employers, or product companies — which is already baked into the observed percentiles more than into the outlook percentage.
India
Philippines
Indonesia
Mexico
Thailand
Brazil
Portugal
Switzerland