Data Scientist Jobs in Washington DC

What Does a Data Scientist Do?

Data scientists analyze complex datasets to extract insights and build predictive models that drive business decisions. They combine statistics, programming, and domain knowledge to solve business problems through data-driven approaches.

Data Scientist Salary in Washington DC

The median salary for a Data Scientist in Washington DC is $131,784 per year. The range is $100K - $173K (P10: $74,432, P90: $225,175). (BLS OEWS 2025) Typical US salary range: $100K - $170K. In Europe: €70K - €110K. Cost of living in Washington DC is very high compared to other cities.

Most In-Demand Skills

The Washington DC Job Market

Government tech and consulting powerhouse with 350K+ defense, consulting, and software roles. DC's defense contracting and consulting sector offer stable, high-paying tech roles despite competition from Silicon Valley.

Top industries: Government & Defense Contracting, Management Consulting, Software, Healthcare.

WMATA Metro provides extensive public transit; federal contracting culture supports remote work arrangements.

Career Path & 2026 Trends

Data scientists advance to senior data scientist, ML engineer, or analytics director roles, with leadership paths typically requiring 6-8 years of experience. Data science roles are evolving in 2026 toward specialization in generative AI, LLM applications, and causal inference.

Interview Tip

Walk through a complete project lifecycle from problem definition to model deployment—interviewers want to see you understand business impact, not just technical accuracy.

How to Find a Data Scientist Job in Washington DC?

jobko.ai aggregates listings from 40+ sources (Indeed, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and more) and uses AI to analyze each posting against your profile. With 0 current Data Scientist listings in Washington DC, you get honest match scores, red flag detection, and personalized CV advice — all for free.