Data scientist · Chicago, United States
Data scientist salary in Chicago — typical band and what it buys
Mid-senior data scientist building production analytics, experimentation systems, or applied ML.
Data signals
What the numbers say
The pay band
A data scientist in Chicago typically earns around 87,500 USD (mid-market), with most offers between 67,500 USD and 115,000 USD.
What it nets and supports
After local tax the mid-market figure nets about 5,494 USD/month — enough to support a balanced lifestyle in Chicago.
Versus the New York benchmark
Pay for this role in Chicago runs about 50% of the New York rate before adjusting for cost of living.
Estimated band
Data scientist gross salary in Chicago
Local-currency band derived from a $87,500 NYC P50 anchor × 0.50 city multiplier × 1.0000 USD/USD.
What $87,500 gross buys you in Chicago
Net after United States's effective payroll deduction, mapped to Mundevo's lifestyle tiers.
Required monthly net at each tier in Chicago
Where the P50 salary lands across Mundevo's four lifestyle tiers.
| Tier | Required net / month | Your P50 net covers it? |
|---|---|---|
| Premium | $7,044 | No |
| Comfortable | $5,648 | No |
| BalancedBest fit | $4,650 | Yes |
| Frugal | $3,653 | Yes |
Real market data
What the market actually pays a data scientist in Chicago
The average advertised data scientist salary in Chicago is $142k across 377 live listings — up 1% over the past year (from $136k).
Market salary data via Adzuna (2026-07-12). Advertised gross pay from live listings — compare with our modelled band above.
Who this band describes
The data scientist band covers mid-to-senior ICs (4-7 years experience). Modern usage of the title spans applied ML, experimentation/causal inference, and production analytics — the bands are similar across these specializations.
Pay is highest at tech companies with mature data platforms and at quant-driven trading/finance firms. Mid-band: enterprise SaaS, large consumer brands building in-house analytics teams, and consultancies. Pure-research data-science roles (without engineering production responsibility) tend to pay 10-15% below the band shown.
Common employer types at this band: Tech product companies, Quant/finance, Enterprise SaaS, Consumer platforms, Consultancies.
Cross-check before negotiation
Mundevo's band is derived, not surveyed. For an offer conversation, anchor on at least one of these.
- Levels.fyi — strong coverage at public tech companies
- Glassdoor — broader market view
- KDnuggets / data-science surveys — annual global snapshots
FAQ
- What is a good data scientist salary in Chicago?
- The typical data scientist band in Chicago runs 67,500 USD–115,000 USD gross per year, with a median around 87,500 USD. At or above the median is a strong offer — the P50 here supports a balanced lifestyle on our cost model.
- How much does a data scientist take home after tax in Chicago?
- On the median 87,500 USD gross, take-home is about 5,494 USD per month (65,931 USD/year) after United States's effective income tax and social security.
- Is 87,500 USD a good data scientist salary in Chicago?
- Yes — it's the local median and covers a balanced lifestyle for a single person, with about 18% headroom over that tier's cost.