Data scientist · Santa Cruz, CA

Data scientist in Santa Cruz: $2,975/mo left

BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median data scientist wage in Santa Cruz at $130,980 a year. About 80 data scientist jobs are in the metro. The job is a smaller share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 0.51). The 10th percentile is $75,070 and the 90th is $211,050. Pay ranks 20th-highest of 281 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 4.1× a year of one-bedroom rent ($2,638/mo). California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $2,975 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Chico, about 185 miles away, at $4,855 left over a month.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.

Left over each month

$2,975

1 adult, 1 bd

Pay

$130,980

$75,070 to $211,050

Rent (1 bd)

$2,638

$3,141 (2 bd)

Employment

Location quotient 0.51

Pay rank

20th of 281

Metros with a published median

Pay vs rent

4.1×

Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent

Where the money goes

1 adult, 1 bd, data scientist pay of $130,980.

Taxes$3,243
Rent$2,638
Other living costs$2,059
Left over$2,975

Pay and tax, per year

Gross household pay: $130,980
Federal income tax: −$20,682
Social Security and Medicare: −$10,020
State income tax (CA): −$8,208
Take-home pay: $92,070
Effective tax rate: 29.7%

Living costs, per month

Rent, 1br: $2,638
Groceries: $433
Getting around: $489
Healthcare: $487
Utilities and internet: $271
Everything else: $379
Total spending: $4,697

Left over each month

$10,915 gross, minus $3,243 in tax and $4,697 in living costs.

$2,975

Rank every metro for a data scientist

Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Chico, $4,855/mo.

Data scientist leftover by city →Best cities for data scientists to move to →

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Questions

What does a data scientist make in Santa Cruz?

$130,980 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 80 data scientist jobs are in the metro.

What is left after tax and rent for a data scientist in Santa Cruz?

$2,975 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $2,638, and pay covers 4.1× a year of it.

Where nearby would a data scientist keep more?

Chico, about 185 miles away, leaves $4,855 a month, more than Santa Cruz.