The Salary Index
Salary data is based on the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metropolitan area and applied to Pasadena using local cost-of-living adjustments.

Data Scientists Salaries in Pasadena, TX

Average Base Pay

$120,840/yr

10% above national average

Monthly

$10,070

Hourly

$58

Cost Index

81

Data Scientists in Pasadena, TX earn an average of $120,840 per year, with most salaries falling between $96,672 and $145,008 depending on experience, employer, and specialization. At 10% above the national average, Pasadena ranks among the higher-paying markets for this role, in part reflecting a local cost of living index of 81. For professionals evaluating a move or negotiating an offer, the headline salary is only part of the picture—what matters most is how far that income actually goes once taxes, rent, and daily expenses are factored in. The sections below break that down in full for Pasadena.

Salary Range

The chart below shows the full compensation spectrum for this role, from entry-level to senior positions. The highlighted center bars represent the 25th–75th percentile band where most professionals are paid.

$91K
Low
$121K
Median
$151K
High
25th percentile: $103K75th percentile: $139K

About Data Scientists

Data Scientists extract actionable insights from large, complex datasets by applying statistical analysis, machine learning, and domain expertise. They work at the intersection of mathematics, programming, and business strategy, helping organizations make evidence-based decisions. The role begins with data acquisition and cleaning—often the most time-consuming phase—followed by exploratory analysis to identify patterns and anomalies. Data Scientists then formulate hypotheses, select appropriate modeling techniques, and build predictive or descriptive models. These models must be validated rigorously against holdout data and evaluated using relevant metrics before being communicated to stakeholders or deployed into production systems. Effective data scientists are strong communicators who can translate complex findings into clear narratives for non-technical audiences. They use visualization tools to make data compelling and accessible. In applied roles, they deploy models into production, monitor model drift, and retrain as data distributions change. Research-oriented data scientists may publish findings or experiment with cutting-edge techniques from academia. The field requires deep statistical knowledge—probability theory, regression, classification, clustering, time series analysis—alongside engineering skills to handle data pipelines and compute infrastructure. Data Scientists work closely with data engineers, product managers, and business stakeholders, and must balance scientific rigor with practical delivery timelines.

What Data Scientists Do

  • Collect, clean, and preprocess structured and unstructured datasets
  • Perform exploratory data analysis to uncover trends and relationships
  • Build, tune, and validate machine learning and statistical models
  • Communicate findings through reports, dashboards, and presentations
  • Collaborate with engineering teams to deploy models into production
  • Monitor model performance and retrain on updated data as needed
  • Define metrics and KPIs in collaboration with business stakeholders
  • Design and analyze A/B experiments to evaluate product changes

Key Skills & Qualifications

  • Python or R for data analysis and modeling
  • Machine learning frameworks such as scikit-learn, TensorFlow, or PyTorch
  • SQL and experience with large-scale data warehouses
  • Statistical knowledge including regression, classification, and hypothesis testing
  • Data visualization with tools like Tableau, Matplotlib, or Seaborn
  • Experience with cloud platforms and distributed computing (Spark, BigQuery)
  • Strong written and verbal communication for presenting to stakeholders
  • Familiarity with experiment design and causal inference

Career Path

  1. Data Analyst
  2. Data Scientist
  3. Senior Data Scientist
  4. Principal Data Scientist / ML Research Scientist
  5. Director of Data Science

Data Scientists Market in Pasadena, TX

Salary Competitiveness

Pasadena is one of the stronger-paying markets for Data Scientists, with local salaries running approximately 10% above the national median. This premium typically reflects a combination of higher employer competition, concentrated industry presence, and elevated cost expectations built into local compensation norms.

Cost of Living Impact

Pasadena's cost of living runs below the national average, which works in favor of this salary. Essential monthly expenses account for approximately 29% of take-home pay—a ratio that leaves meaningful room for savings, debt reduction, and discretionary spending compared with higher-cost metros.

Effective Purchasing Power

After adjusting for local taxes and cost of living, a Data Scientists earning $120,840 in Pasadena reaches a strong purchasing-power position. The effective standard of living this income supports is materially higher than the gross number alone implies—a useful data point for professionals comparing offers across metro areas.

vs. National Avg

+10%

Cost Pressure

29%

Purchasing Power

Strong

Take-Home Pay Calculator

Enter any gross salary to see how federal and state taxes affect your actual take-home pay, broken down by year, month, and week. Results use an estimated effective tax rate of 27% based on this location and income level.

$
Take-home (73%)Taxes (27%)

Annual Net

$88,213

Monthly

$7,351

Weekly

$1,696

Eff. Tax Rate

27%

A gross salary of $120,840 for a Data Scientists in Pasadena translates to roughly $7,351 in monthly take-home pay after estimated federal and state taxes. Set against monthly living costs of $2,163—covering housing, food, transportation, utilities, and healthcare—that leaves approximately $5,188 per month in disposable income. That margin, not the gross number, is what determines whether you can comfortably cover rent, build savings, and afford discretionary spending in Pasadena's current market.

How far does this salary go in Pasadena?

Cost of Living in Pasadena

Estimated monthly expenses for a single person in Pasadena, benchmarked against US regional price indices for housing, food, transportation, utilities, and healthcare.

Cost Index

81

Below Avg — US average is 100. Based on a single person (1-bed apartment).

🏠Housing / Rent$1,150/mo
🍔Food & Groceries$440/mo
🚗Transportation$120/mo
💡Utilities$175/mo
🏥Healthcare$278/mo
Monthly$2,163
Annual$25,956
Disposable Income$5,188

Financial Reality Check

This section compares estimated monthly take-home pay against typical living costs in Pasadena to show your real disposable income—the amount remaining after essential bills are paid each month.

Monthly Take-Home

$7,351

Living Costs

$2,163

Disposable

$5,188

Cost Index

81

Lifestyle

Comfortable

With a monthly take-home of $7,351, your estimated living costs in Pasadena are $2,163 ($25,956/yr). This leaves $5,188 per month in disposable income, indicating a comfortable standard of living. Pasadena's cost of living is 19% below the national average.

Overall, a Data Scientists earning $120,840 in Pasadena falls into a comfortable lifestyle tier and has meaningful room to save, invest, and absorb unexpected expenses without financial stress. With a cost index of 81, Pasadena is 19% more affordable than the national average, which extends your purchasing power. Regardless of tier, prioritizing retirement contributions, an emergency fund of three to six months' expenses, and incremental debt reduction will yield the greatest long-term financial stability—especially as living costs in Pasadena continue to evolve.

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Data Scientists · Pasadena, TX10% above avg

Gross Salary

$120,840/yr

Take-home

$7,351/mo

Disposable

$5,188/mo

Lifestyle

Comfortable

Source: thesalaryindex.com · BLS data

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Salary estimates are based on BLS metro data and adjusted using cost-of-living indices.