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Data Scientist Salary in the UK (2026 Breakdown)

22 Feb 20265 min read

Data science remains one of the highest-paying tech careers in the UK. Here is a comprehensive salary breakdown for 2026.

National Overview

The average data scientist salary in the UK is approximately £52,000, with a wide range depending on experience and specialisation.

By Experience

  • Junior (0–2 years): £35,000 – £45,000
  • Mid-level (2–5 years): £48,000 – £65,000
  • Senior (5+ years): £65,000 – £90,000+
  • Lead / Principal: £85,000 – £120,000+
  • By Location

  • London: £45,000 – £95,000+
  • Manchester: £38,000 – £65,000
  • Bristol: £40,000 – £60,000
  • Edinburgh: £42,000 – £68,000
  • Highest-Paying Industries

  • Financial Services & FinTech
  • Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare
  • Technology & SaaS
  • Consulting
  • How to Maximise Earnings

  • Specialise in NLP, computer vision, or MLOps
  • Build a public portfolio (GitHub, Kaggle)
  • Contribute to open-source projects
  • Target companies with mature data infrastructure
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