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Utah · Occupational wage benchmark

Data Scientists Salary in Utah

What Data Scientists actually earn in Utah — the published BLS median, what it is worth after local costs, and how it ranks against every other state.

Direct answer
Data Scientists in Utah earn a median of $108,090 per year (-10.1% vs national, #18 of 49 states). Because Utah's price level is 98.9 against a U.S. average of 100, that salary carries roughly the purchasing power of $109,332 nationally. These are BLS occupational wage benchmarks across all workers in the occupation — not MBA-graduate-specific outcomes.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) (May 2024 estimates (published April 2025)), Utah state estimates for SOC 15-2051; cost-of-living adjustment derived from U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (RPP) (2024). Occupational wage benchmarks across all workers, not MBA-specific outcomes.

Median annual wage
$108,090
Data Scientists in Utah
Adjusted for cost of living
$109,332
Utah price level 98.9 (U.S. = 100)
Rank among states
#18 of 49
#22 after cost of living
Workers employed
4,360
in Utah

What Data Scientists earn in Utah, adjusted for what it costs to live there

A headline wage only means something next to local prices. Once local prices are accounted for, Utah drops 4 places — a higher headline wage is partly consumed by a higher cost of living.

StateMedian (nominal)Adjusted for cost of living
Washington$163,350$152,645
California$141,590$127,881
Maryland$136,370$129,927
New Jersey$135,280$124,333
Massachusetts$131,750$124,578
New York$130,460$120,885
Minnesota$128,800$130,601
Vermont$127,070$129,719
District of Columbia$126,490$115,094
Virginia$126,430$125,049
Connecticut$126,340$121,938
Oregon$125,990$121,893
Texas$122,090$125,792
North Carolina$119,090$126,254
Colorado$117,400$113,923
Florida$115,820$111,996
Arkansas$109,390$125,827
Utah$108,090$109,332
Arizona$107,240$106,519
Pennsylvania$106,850$109,509
Wisconsin$106,680$113,375
Illinois$106,560$106,605
Georgia$104,340$108,357
Alabama$103,120$116,096
Ohio$102,630$110,624
Rhode Island$102,440$100,156
Hawaii$102,130$92,887
New Hampshire$100,620$96,597
Michigan$100,590$104,545
Montana$100,490$106,176
Tennessee$100,330$109,209
Nevada$98,540$98,561
Nebraska$98,230$109,020
Kansas$98,130$108,951
Missouri$97,090$106,907
South Dakota$96,150$108,539
New Mexico$95,850$103,945
Iowa$95,830$109,193
South Carolina$91,990$98,124
Kentucky$91,760$101,776
Indiana$91,470$98,008
Maine$90,880$93,642
Idaho$89,380$93,598
Oklahoma$86,310$98,255
West Virginia$85,090$95,076
Alaska$84,110$82,172
North Dakota$81,900$92,065
Louisiana$78,760$89,290
Mississippi$69,490$79,917

Nominal medians: BLS OEWS, May 2024 estimates (published April 2025) — occupational wage benchmarks across all workers, not MBA-specific outcomes. Adjusted column: SalaryMBA estimate, computed as nominal ÷ (state RPP ÷ 100) using BEA RPP 2024 all-items regional price parities. An adjusted figure is a purchasing-power comparison, not a wage anyone is paid.

The national pay range for Data Scientists

BLS publishes the full percentile distribution nationally. It shows the spread within the occupation — the gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is usually far wider than the gap between states.

Percentile (national)Annual wageReading
10th percentile$67,240Entry / early-career end
25th percentile$85,660
Median (50th)$120,230
75th percentile$158,880
90th percentile$199,130Senior / top-market end

Other MBA-relevant roles in Utah

How to read the Utah number

The $108,090 median means half of Data Scientists in Utah earn less and half earn more. It is measured across everyone in the occupation — every level of experience, every industry, and every level of education. It is not the salary of a recent MBA graduate, and it is not a starting salary.

BLS counts roughly 4,360 people in this role in Utah. The national percentile spread above is the more useful planning tool: within a single occupation, the distance between the 10th and 90th percentile typically dwarfs the difference between states. Where you land inside that range is driven far more by industry, function, and seniority than by geography.

What this data can and cannot tell you

This page answers “what does this role pay here.” It cannot answer “what will an MBA pay me here.” The BLS surveys establishments about occupations, not degrees, so no MBA premium can be isolated from it. Any site presenting these figures as MBA salaries is overstating what the source supports.

For MBA-specific figures we rely on cited school employment reports and moderated submissions, published only above our sample-size gates — see our methodology. To model your own economics, the MBA ROI calculator turns a target salary, tuition, and debt into a payback estimate.

Frequently asked questions

How much do Data Scientists make in Utah?

Data Scientists in Utah earn a median of $108,090 per year, according to BLS OEWS May 2024 estimates (published April 2025). That is -10.1% vs national, ranking Utah #18 of 49 states with published data for this role. This is an occupational wage benchmark measured across all workers in the occupation, not an MBA-graduate-specific salary.

Is $108,090 a good salary for Data Scientists in Utah?

It depends on local prices. Utah's overall price level is 98.9 against a U.S. average of 100, so a $108,090 salary there has roughly the purchasing power of $109,332 nationally — about $1,242 more than the headline number implies. Once local prices are accounted for, Utah drops 4 places — a higher headline wage is partly consumed by a higher cost of living.

Do Data Scientists in Utah need an MBA?

These BLS figures cover everyone in the occupation regardless of degree, so they cannot tell you what an MBA specifically adds. Data Scientists is a role MBA graduates commonly target, and an MBA can affect where you land within the range through network, function, and seniority — but any claim of a precise MBA premium for this role in Utah would not be supported by this data. Verified MBA-specific outcomes are collected separately and published only once they clear our sample-size gates.

Why is housing cost relevant to Data Scientists pay in Utah?

Housing is the single largest driver of geographic cost differences. Utah's housing price level is 107.8 against a U.S. average of 100. Overall prices there sit at 98.9.

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Every figure on SalaryMBA is source-labeled. See our methodology for how we source and gate data.