Salaries/Software Engineer vs Data Scientist

Software Engineer vs Data Scientist Salary

Side-by-side 2026 salary comparison across entry-level, mid-level, and senior pay for Software Engineer and Data Scientist roles in the US.

Bottom line (mid-level, US median)

Software Engineers earn $5,000 (4% more) than Data Scientists on average.

Software Engineer vs Data Scientist by City

LocationSoftware Engineer (Mid)Data Scientist (Mid)Difference
New York$179K$173K+$6K
Los Angeles$161K$155K+$6K
Chicago$147K$142K+$5K
Dallas$140K$135K+$5K
Houston$139K$134K+$5K
Washington D.C.$168K$162K+$6K
Philadelphia$143K$138K+$5K
Atlanta$140K$135K+$5K

Engineering

Software Engineer

Design, build, and maintain software systems across the full stack.

See Software Engineer salaries in all cities →

Data & AI

Data Scientist

Analyze complex datasets, build ML models, and derive business insights.

See Data Scientist salaries in all cities →
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