Data scientists
SOC Code: 15-2051
Data scientists carries a 61% AI exposure score (Very High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $112,590 and +33.5% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 245,900 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 61% AI exposure, Data scientists sits 24 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 95% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
69/100
Data scientists, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage A+ $112,590
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth A+ +33.5%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 61% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Data scientists in the Very High band.
Credential × growth standing
Bachelor's bar with above-average BLS growth
Data scientists sits in the Bachelor's entry band (178 of 832 occupations) and the Much faster pace bucket (31 of 832). That pairing is rarer than the HS / some-college + declining cluster that dominates the BLS map - treat the degree bar as the binding gate while the growth line stays supportive.
Where Data scientists sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Data scientists sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
61% Higher than most higher than 95% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Data scientists vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Data scientists is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Data scientists's Very High automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score in the 40–70% range indicates meaningful automation pressure on specific task categories, but the role as a whole still requires human judgment for coordination, exception handling, or client interaction.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 15-2051) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Data scientists be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Data scientists. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Generate standard or custom reports summarizing business, financial, or economic data for review by executives, managers, clients, and other stakeholders.
- 2. Design and validate clinical databases, including designing or testing logic checks.
- 3. Process clinical data, including receipt, entry, verification, or filing of information.
- 4. Maintain or update business intelligence tools, databases, dashboards, systems, or methods.
- 5. Generate data queries, based on validation checks or errors and omissions identified during data entry, to resolve identified problems.
- 6. Develop project-specific data management plans that address areas such as coding, reporting, or transfer of data, database locks, and work flow processes.
- 7. Manage timely flow of business intelligence information to users.
- 8. Monitor work productivity or quality to ensure compliance with standard operating procedures.
- 9. Prepare appropriate formatting to data sets as requested.
- 10. Provide technical support for existing reports, dashboards, or other tools.
Key Skills Required
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Writing
- Active Learning
- Monitoring
- Mathematics
- Complex Problem Solving
- Coordination
Knowledge Areas
- English Language
- Computers and Electronics
- Customer and Personal Service
- Mathematics
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Administration and Management
- Administrative
- Biology
- Education and Training
- Law and Government
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Data scientists?
Data scientists has an AI exposure score of 61%, indicating a very high level of automation risk. Some tasks in this role can be augmented or partially automated by AI, but core responsibilities require human judgment.
What is the job outlook for Data scientists?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Data scientists is projected to grow by 33.5% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 245,900 workers.
What skills are needed for Data scientists?
Key skills for Data scientists include Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, and others. Typical entry-level education is Bachelor's degree.
How much do Data scientists earn?
The median annual wage for Data scientists is $112,590, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Data scientists?
The typical entry-level education for Data scientists is Bachelor's degree. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves None. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Data scientists?
Data scientists roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Very High automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. A majority of tasks in this occupation are susceptible to AI automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Data scientists: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (61% here).
- Forensic science technicians · AI exposure 61%
- Cashiers · AI exposure 61%
- Financial examiners · AI exposure 61%
- Office machine operators, except computer · AI exposure 61%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+33.5% here).
- Information security analysts · growth +28.5%
- Nurse practitioners · growth +40.1%
- Solar photovoltaic installers · growth +42.1%
- Medical and health services managers · growth +23.2%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 49 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Data scientists' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Data scientists side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).