Data Scientist skills: what 108 recent job postings ask for

The skills most often requested in 108 US data scientist job postings from the month before October 28, 2026 were Python (83%), SQL (69%) and machine learning (55%). We counted which skills and qualifications each posting asks for; the share next to each skill is the percent of those postings that mention it.

What skills do data scientist job postings ask for most?

  1. Python83%
  2. SQL69%
  3. machine learning55%
  4. Statistics42%
  5. causal inference27%
  6. statistical modeling26%
  7. experimentation25%
  8. Computer Science24%
  9. R23%
  10. dashboards20%
  11. data science20%
  12. Bachelor's degree16%
  13. Forecasting16%
  14. Pandas16%
  15. Economics15%
  16. Operations Research15%
  17. data analysis14%
  18. Master's degree14%
  19. data pipelines13%
  20. Databricks13%

What do these postings pay, and how many are remote?

  • Median advertised pay: $186,000 a year, based on the midpoint of the range in the 71 postings that listed pay in US dollars.
  • 23% of postings were marked remote.

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What does a data scientist do?

Develop and implement a set of techniques or analytics applications to transform raw data into meaningful information using data-oriented programming languages and visualization software. Apply data mining, data modeling, natural language processing, and machine learning to extract and analyze information from large structured and unstructured datasets. Visualize, interpret, and report data findings. May create dynamic data reports.

Typical tasks

  • Analyze, manipulate, or process large sets of data using statistical software.
  • Create graphs, charts, or other visualizations to convey the results of data analysis using specialized software.
  • Test, validate, and reformulate models to ensure accurate prediction of outcomes of interest.
  • Deliver oral or written presentations of the results of mathematical modeling and data analysis to management or other end users.
  • Recommend data-driven solutions to key stakeholders.
  • Education for new hires, as reported to O*NET: 48% said bachelor's degree required; 44% said master's degree required.
  • U.S. median annual wage for Data scientists in May 2025: $120,230. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This occupation-wide figure is not an estimate for a specific job.
  • O*NET lists this occupation as Bright Outlook (projected to grow quickly or have many openings).

Occupation details from O*NET OnLine (Data Scientists, 15-2051.00) by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license.

How is this data collected?

Postings come from a job search data provider and are limited to US listings from the past month whose title matches this role. Each posting is read by the same keyword extractor behind our free resume match score, and a skill counts once per posting. Years-of-experience lines and the job title itself are not counted. The data refreshes about every three weeks.