A data scientist at a quant firm answers business questions with data: execution quality, vendor value, capacity analysis, hiring funnels and operational performance. New York total compensation typically runs from about $150,000 at entry level to $400,000 or more at senior level, below signal-research pay because the work is not directly attributable to trading profit.
Live vacancies
0
Employers hiring
0
Market guides
17
Seniority bands
4
How much does a data scientist earn?
A data scientist at a quant firm answers business questions with data: execution quality, vendor value, capacity analysis, hiring funnels and operational performance. New York total compensation typically runs from about $150,000 at entry level to $400,000 or more at senior level, below signal-research pay because the work is not directly attributable to trading profit.
KnowQuant research desk·Updated 1 September 2026·4 seniority bands across 17 hub markets·Method 2026.1
Live demand for this function
We price this function but do not count it as a separate category in the live job book, so there is no vacancy figure to publish here. Search the live roles at tracked firms to see what is genuinely open today; the pay bands below are modelled and dated separately.
Annual median wage across all employers, not just quant firms, for the government occupations closest to a data scientist. Quant-firm pay usually sits well above these medians; use them as a floor and a regional guide, not as a quant benchmark.
New York reference market, US dollars. Base salary and total compensation.
Data Scientist compensation by seniority in New York, September 2026
Level
Experience
Base
Total comp
Analyst
0-2 yrs
$105k – $145k
$150k – $230k
Data Scientist
2-5 yrs
$135k – $185k
$190k – $320k
Senior Data Scientist
5-8 yrs
$165k – $225k
$260k – $450k
Lead / Head of Analytics
8+ yrs
$195k – $275k
$330k – $620k
About the role
Firms separate this seat from research deliberately. At many firms this seat reports into technology, operations or the COO function rather than a trading desk, and the measure of success is a better decision rather than a live signal; check the reporting line in any specific advert. Where the seat sits can move the compensation on offer, although we do not hold a measured breakdown of how much of the gap that explains. Candidates comparing offers should confirm which ladder a role sits on before comparing numbers, because titles are used inconsistently across firms.
Sourced answers to the questions people bring to this page, each with the figure, the date and the caveat.
How much does a data scientist earn?
A data scientist at a quant firm answers business questions with data: execution quality, vendor value, capacity analysis, hiring funnels and operational performance. New York total compensation typically runs from about $150,000 at entry level to $400,000 or more at senior level, below signal-research pay because the work is not directly attributable to trading profit. The New York band runs $150k – $620k in annual total compensation, with a modelled reference estimate of $245k. Figures are base salary plus expected performance bonus, excluding sign-on, deferred equity and carry.
What does a data scientist earn at entry level?
An entry hire (Analyst, 0-2 years) is typically offered $105k to $145k in base salary and $150k to $230k in total compensation in New York. At the senior end (Lead / Head of Analytics, 8+ years) total compensation reaches $620k.
Where is the best-paid market for a data scientist?
New York leads on headline modelled total compensation at $245k, with London at £164k. Both are modelled reference estimates for the role, not observed medians. Bands are shown in each market's local currency across 17 hub markets, so tax treatment and cost of living still change the net picture materially.
What skills do firms hire data scientists for?
The recurring requirements are Python, SQL, Statistics, Experiment design, Visualisation. Typical backgrounds are data science and analytics backgrounds, statistics or economics graduates, consultants moving into industry analytics.
How many data scientists roles are open right now?
No data scientist vacancies are classified as open in the index at this moment. Counts are rebuilt from employer career pages rather than reposted listings, so the figure moves as firms open and close roles.
Can I quote these data scientist figures?
Yes, with attribution and a link. Method 2026.1, last reviewed September 2026. Cite the dated edition rather than the live page if you need the number to stay stable: KnowQuant Quant Compensation Benchmark, Q3 2026 edition, method 2026.1. https://www.know-quant.com/salary/data-scientist
Free to quote and republish with attribution and a link to the source page, under our terms. Method 2026.1, last reviewed 1 September 2026. The methodology sets out how each band is built and what it excludes.
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Methodology
Figures are expressed as annual total compensation (base salary plus expected performance bonus) in the reference market's local currency, converted from a US dollar base. They describe typical market ranges rather than any individual offer, and exclude sign-on payments, deferred equity and carried interest. Portfolio-manager figures reflect formulaic profit-share arrangements and are therefore far more dispersed than any other role.
KnowQuant·Index 2026.1 · Updated September 2026
Modelled bands describe the market, not an individual offer. Where an employer states pay, the stated figure is used and labelled as such.
KnowQuant·Index 2026.1 · Updated September 2026
KnowQuant · Publishes indicative market ranges for information purposes and does not provide financial advice.