At a glance
The nominal median for Data Scientists is $130,990 in San Diego versus $129,740 in Los Angeles, a gap of $1,250 a year.
After the BEA 2024 price adjustment San Diego still leads: $117,073 versus $114,242, a gap of $2,831.
Published medians for the occupation, not an offer, take-home pay or a relocation recommendation.
Sources: BLS wages (May 2025) · BEA price parity (2024) · Census ACS (2020–2024) · metro areas, not city limits · How we calculate
Los Angeles vs. San Diego: key measures
For the BLS Data Scientists classification, this comparison holds the occupation code constant between Los Angeles and San Diego. It pairs reported wage percentiles with regional prices, metro rents and commuting context. The metrics are not job offers, apartment quotes or a complete household budget. The figures describe metropolitan statistical areas, not city limits.
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| Measure | Los Angeles | San Diego |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile annual wage (BLS) | $71,080 | $74,110 |
| 25th percentile annual wage (BLS) | $91,350 | $93,420 |
| Annual occupational median (BLS) | $129,740 | $130,990 |
| 75th percentile annual wage (BLS) | $168,420 | $164,160 |
| 90th percentile annual wage (BLS) | $208,280 | $201,190 |
| Price-adjusted median (site calculation) | $114,242 | $117,073 |
| All-items RPP (BEA) | 113.566 | 111.887 |
| Median gross rent / month (ACS) | $2,063 | $2,246 |
| 45+ minute commute share (ACS) | 20.8% | 13.1% |
The price-adjusted wage equals the BLS May 2025 annual occupational median × 100 ÷ the BEA 2024 all-items regional price parity. Census rent, household income and commuting figures are ACS 2020–2024 five-year estimates. They describe different populations and do not determine take-home pay, employment prospects or individual rent. ACS gross rent includes contract rent plus estimated utility and fuel costs.
What changes when location is considered?
San Diego leads on published nominal annual median pay by $1,250. San Diego leads on the national-price-equivalent median by $2,831. Both measures point to the same higher-paying metro, but the advantage changes in size after adjustment.
These are different lenses: the nominal figures come from BLS, while the adjusted metric uses the 2024 BEA all-items regional price parity (113.6 for Los Angeles versus 111.9 for San Diego). Neither is a prediction of an actual offer.
San Diego has a higher metro-wide ACS monthly median gross rent by $183. The share of workers with one-way trips of at least 45 minutes is 7.7 percentage points higher in Los Angeles.
How Los Angeles and San Diego rank for this occupation
Out of the 73 curated metros with a reported data scientists median, Los Angeles ranks 13th on nominal median pay and 22nd on price-adjusted pay. San Diego ranks 11th nominal and 20th adjusted. The middle adjusted median across all 73 metros is $108,019: Los Angeles’s ($114,242) is 5.8% above that middle value and San Diego’s ($117,073) is 8.4% above it.
Ranks compare published medians for this one occupation. See all 73 metros for data scientists for the full list.
Pay at each percentile and how common the job is
After the BEA price adjustment, Los Angeles is higher at 2 of the 5 published percentile levels and San Diego at 3. The 90th percentile is 2.9× the 10th in Los Angeles and 2.7× in San Diego; the middle half of wages spans 59% of the median in Los Angeles and 54% in San Diego.
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| Percentile | Los Angeles adjusted | San Diego adjusted | Higher after adjustment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $62,589 | $66,236 | San Diego |
| 25th | $80,438 | $83,495 | San Diego |
| 50th (median) | $114,242 | $117,073 | San Diego |
| 75th | $148,301 | $146,719 | Los Angeles |
| 90th | $183,400 | $179,815 | Los Angeles |
Twelve months of median gross rent equals 19% of the data scientists median wage in Los Angeles and 21% in San Diego (a lens, not a budget). BLS estimates 9,850 such workers in Los Angeles and 2,830 in San Diego. Per 10,000 commuting workers that is 19.1 versus 21.3, ranking 29th and 24th of 73 metros (middle value 16.6). These are employment estimates, not open vacancies.
A role-specific offer checklist for this comparison
Match the actual work: Data science spans product analytics, modeling and research. Local medians mix employers and experience levels, so compare like-for-like job requirements as well as locations. Before treating the median difference as a personal salary difference, confirm that both positions share responsibilities, experience requirements and hours, and compare written offers with local rent quotes. The full checklist has the steps.
How reliable are the surrounding housing estimates?
These ACS medians are 2020–2024 five-year metro estimates with published margins of error. Household income covers households, not workers in this occupation.
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| ACS metro context | Los Angeles | San Diego |
|---|---|---|
| Median gross rent (± MOE) | $2,063 ± $6 | $2,246 ± $11 |
| Median household income (± MOE) | $95,958 ± $378 | $106,268 ± $949 |
Neither displayed rent nor income estimate crosses the site’s 30% relative-MOE caution threshold. Sampling uncertainty still applies. The 30% flag is our editorial rule, not a Census certification. See the methodology.
How should I use these figures for a relocation decision?
Start with written offers and real housing quotes, then enter them in the browser-only worksheet. Rent is already part of the price parity, so do not subtract it again from a price-adjusted salary. These comparisons are not placement, tax or financial advice.