What Data Scientists earn in Middlesex County, NJ
If you are weighing a move or a job offer, start with $135,980: the median annual pay for Data Scientists in Middlesex County, NJ. Spread over a standard 2,080-hour work year, that is $65.38 an hour. Because the wage survey covers the whole New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metropolitan area, the number reflects employers across the region rather than a single town or a single company.
The mean wage is $144,700, which is 6.4% above the median, a sign that a group of high earners lifts the average. The survey counts about 23,160 people working in this occupation across the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. Middlesex County, NJ has roughly 871,290 residents, according to the population figures used by the rent data.
The salary range, from entry level to top earners
Pay for Data Scientists in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $79,870 a year ($38.40 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $216,030 or more ($103.86 an hour). That is a gap of $136,160 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $101,320 at the 25th percentile and $173,160 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 2.7 times what someone at the bottom makes, so experience, certification and employer all matter.
What the hourly rate looks like
Employers quote this occupation by the hour or by the year, so here are both: $65.38 an hour or $135,980 a year at the median for Middlesex County, NJ. Before any deductions, that is $11,332 a month, $5,230 every two weeks and $2,615 each week. After taxes the same job pays $46.83 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
How pay in Middlesex County, NJ compares
Compared with the New Jersey average
A worker in this occupation in Middlesex County, NJ earns $6,156 more than the New Jersey average of $129,824, a premium of 4.7%. Over a year that premium is worth $6,156 before tax and roughly $4,409 after tax. Within New Jersey, Middlesex County, NJ already has the highest median we track for this job.
Compared with the national average
The national employment-weighted average for Data Scientists is $121,644 across the contiguous United States. At $135,980, Middlesex County, NJ pays $14,336 more, which is 11.8% above that benchmark. Keep in mind that a higher salary only helps if living costs do not rise faster, which is why the cost sections below matter as much as the headline number.
Where this job ranks in Middlesex County, NJ
Among the 671 occupations with published wages in Middlesex County, NJ, Data Scientists ranks number 70 by median pay, ahead of about 90% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers at $335,270 a year, which is $199,290 more than the median for Data Scientists.
From gross pay to take-home pay
Three separate tax bills sit between the gross salary and the bank account: federal income tax, FICA, and state income tax. For Data Scientists earning the Middlesex County, NJ median of $135,980, they add up to $38,577. The result is $97,403 of take-home pay a year ($8,117 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $28 goes to taxes and $72 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 28.4%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $120,230. Federal brackets are marginal, so only the slice of income above each threshold is taxed at the higher rate; the last dollars of this salary fall in the 24% bracket. The resulting federal income tax is $21,702, an effective 16.0% of gross pay, well below the 24% marginal rate because the lower brackets are cheaper.
Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
Payroll taxes are a flat percentage of wages. Social Security takes 6.2% up to a wage base of $176,100, which costs $8,431 on this salary. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $1,972. FICA totals $10,402, which is 7.6% of gross pay.
State income tax in New Jersey
New Jersey income tax on this salary is $6,472 a year, or 4.8% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 30% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $539 a month. Local taxes such as county or city income taxes are not included, so a few jurisdictions may withhold slightly more.
A cross-check with IRS data for Middlesex County, NJ
IRS Statistics of Income data for Middlesex County, NJ show an average adjusted gross income of $101,424 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 14.3% across all filers. Filers in the $100,000 to under $200,000 bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 11.7%, compared with the 16.0% estimated here for a single filer taking the standard deduction. Gaps between the two reflect filing status, dependents, credits and other income, none of which a single-person wage estimate includes.
Cost of living in Middlesex County, NJ
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in Middlesex County, NJ: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $97,403 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For Middlesex County, NJ, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $2,103 a month ($25,236 a year), and at $2,623 for two bedrooms. For Data Scientists, a one-bedroom absorbs 25.9% of take-home pay and 18.6% of gross pay.
Food
The USDA Thrifty Food Plan (August 2026) puts the cost of a nutritious home-cooked diet for an adult at about $3,436 a year, which is $286 a month or $66.07 a week. That equals 2.5% of gross pay for Data Scientists in Middlesex County, NJ. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using New Jersey residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $2,044 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $518, for $2,562 in total. Gasoline in New Jersey averages $3.21 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $1,484.
What is left over
Rent, food, energy and gasoline cost $32,717 a year in Middlesex County, NJ. Subtract that from $97,403 of take-home pay and $64,686 remains, which is $5,390 a month of breathing room. That margin equals 47.6% of gross pay, a comfortable cushion by common budgeting rules.
Can Data Scientists afford to live in Middlesex County, NJ?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $135,980 that ceiling is $3,399 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $2,103 is $1,296 under it, so rent fits the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $40.44 an hour; the median for Data Scientists is $65.38, which is 62% above that mark. Another way to see it: at $46.83 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 10.4 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $2,623 a month means $1,312 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $9,498 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $74,184.
How fast you can save
At $5,390 a month of margin, building a $10,000 emergency fund would take about 2 months. Setting aside half of the margin stretches the same goal to about 4 months. These figures ignore interest, raises and any spending beyond the four basics.
Frequently asked questions about Data Scientists pay in Middlesex County, NJ
How much do Data Scientists make per hour in Middlesex County, NJ?
The median is $65.38 per hour, based on $135,980 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $38.40 at the 10th percentile to $103.86 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Data Scientists take home after taxes in Middlesex County, NJ?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $135,980 becomes $97,403 a year. That is $8,117 a month, $3,746 every two weeks or $1,873 a week.
How much tax do Data Scientists pay in Middlesex County, NJ?
Total taxes are $38,577 a year, an effective rate of 28.4%: $21,702 federal income tax, $10,402 FICA and $6,472 New Jersey income tax.
Do Data Scientists earn more in Middlesex County, NJ than elsewhere in New Jersey?
Yes. The local median of $135,980 is +4.7% versus the New Jersey average of $129,824, a difference of $6,156 a year.
Can Data Scientists afford a one-bedroom apartment in Middlesex County, NJ?
A one-bedroom costs $2,103 a month against take-home pay of $8,117, which is 25.9% of take-home pay. That meets the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $3,399 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Data Scientists in Middlesex County, NJ?
About $5,390 a month ($64,686 a year) remains after a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline, which together cost $32,717 a year.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in Middlesex County, NJ at the 30% guideline?
$40.44 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $25,236 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Data Scientists is $65.38.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metropolitan area; hourly-only values are annualized at 2,080 hours. Rents are HUD Fair Market Rents, food costs come from the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, and energy prices come from the Energy Information Administration. County-level tax statistics come from the IRS Statistics of Income.
Taxes use tax-year 2025 federal brackets, FICA rates and the New Jersey rules for a single filer with wage income only. Figures are estimates for planning and comparison, not tax or financial advice, and they exclude local income taxes, benefits, retirement contributions and individual circumstances.