How Much Do Data Scientists Make in Canada 2026 | Data Science Salaries
Updated
Data science in Canada has evolved from a niche role to a mainstream career path, and the compensation reflects it. The field spans a wide range — from data analysts doing SQL queries and dashboards at $55,000-$75,000, to machine learning engineers building production AI systems at $150,000-$200,000+. The biggest salary drivers are your specific technical skills (ML engineering and MLOps pay more than pure analytics), the industry you work in (tech and finance pay the most), and whether you’re at a Canadian company or a US company with Canadian offices. The latter distinction is key: US-headquartered tech companies routinely pay 30-50% more for the same roles in Toronto or Vancouver.
Data Science Salary by Experience
Level
Data Analyst
Data Scientist
ML Engineer
Junior (0-2 years)
$50,000-$68,000
$65,000-$88,000
$72,000-$95,000
Mid-level (2-5 years)
$65,000-$85,000
$90,000-$130,000
$100,000-$145,000
Senior (5-8 years)
$78,000-$100,000
$120,000-$165,000
$135,000-$180,000
Staff/Principal (8+ years)
$90,000-$120,000
$150,000-$210,000
$160,000-$230,000+
Director/Head of Data
—
$160,000-$250,000
$170,000-$260,000+
Salary by Province
Toronto and Vancouver lead data science pay, driven by concentrations of tech companies, banks, and US-headquartered firms. Montreal has a uniquely strong AI research ecosystem (MILA, Element AI alumni, university labs) that supports mid-range salaries but world-class research opportunities. Calgary and Ottawa are smaller markets but growing.
Province
Mid-Level Data Scientist
Senior Data Scientist
Ontario (Toronto)
$95,000-$135,000
$130,000-$180,000
British Columbia (Vancouver)
$90,000-$130,000
$125,000-$175,000
Quebec (Montreal)
$80,000-$115,000
$110,000-$155,000
Alberta (Calgary)
$85,000-$120,000
$115,000-$160,000
Ontario (Ottawa)
$85,000-$120,000
$115,000-$160,000
Manitoba
$75,000-$100,000
$95,000-$135,000
Saskatchewan
$72,000-$98,000
$95,000-$130,000
Nova Scotia (Halifax)
$70,000-$95,000
$92,000-$130,000
Remote (US company, Canadian employee)
$110,000-$170,000
$155,000-$230,000+
Salary by Industry
Industry
Mid-Level
Senior
Notes
Big tech (Google, Amazon, Meta, etc.)
$120,000-$170,000
$170,000-$260,000+
Includes equity/RSU
Fintech/startup (funded)
$100,000-$145,000
$140,000-$200,000
Often includes equity
Banking/financial services
$90,000-$130,000
$125,000-$175,000
Strong benefits, stable
Consulting (McKinsey, Deloitte, etc.)
$85,000-$125,000
$120,000-$170,000
Bonus-heavy
Telecom (Bell, Rogers, Telus)
$82,000-$115,000
$110,000-$155,000
Stable, good benefits
Insurance
$80,000-$112,000
$105,000-$150,000
Actuarial overlap
E-commerce/retail
$80,000-$115,000
$110,000-$155,000
Product analytics focus
Healthcare/biotech
$78,000-$110,000
$105,000-$150,000
Growing rapidly
Government/public sector
$70,000-$100,000
$95,000-$130,000
Best pension/benefits
Energy/utilities
$80,000-$110,000
$105,000-$145,000
Alberta-heavy
Total Compensation at Tech Companies
At US-headquartered tech companies, base salary is only part of the picture. Total compensation (TC) includes equity (RSUs), bonus, and sometimes signing bonuses. This can add 20-60% on top of base salary.
Level
Base Salary
Equity (RSU/year)
Bonus
Total Comp
Junior (L3/IC1)
$80,000-$100,000
$10,000-$30,000
$5,000-$10,000
$95,000-$140,000
Mid (L4/IC2)
$110,000-$140,000
$25,000-$60,000
$10,000-$20,000
$145,000-$220,000
Senior (L5/IC3)
$140,000-$175,000
$50,000-$100,000
$15,000-$30,000
$205,000-$305,000
Staff (L6/IC4)
$170,000-$210,000
$80,000-$160,000
$20,000-$40,000
$270,000-$410,000
Note: These figures represent US-headquartered companies with Canadian offices (Toronto/Vancouver). Canadian-headquartered companies typically pay 30-50% less in total compensation.
Salary by Role/Title
Role
Salary Range
Primary Skills
Data analyst
$50,000-$85,000
SQL, Excel, Tableau/Power BI, basic Python
Business intelligence analyst
$60,000-$95,000
SQL, dashboarding, ETL, stakeholder reporting
Data scientist
$75,000-$150,000
Python/R, statistics, ML, experimentation
Machine learning engineer
$85,000-$180,000
Python, ML frameworks, MLOps, production systems
AI/ML research scientist
$100,000-$200,000+
Deep learning, NLP, computer vision, publications
Data engineer
$80,000-$150,000
SQL, Spark, Airflow, cloud (AWS/GCP), data pipelines
The data science field is in a period of maturation. The initial hype wave has settled, and employers now have clearer expectations for different levels (data analyst vs. data scientist vs. ML engineer). Entry-level competition is stiff — many candidates have degrees and bootcamp certificates but lack production experience. However, demand for experienced practitioners with ML engineering skills, especially in generative AI and LLMs, has surged. The Canada-specific advantage is the strong AI research ecosystem (MILA in Montreal, Vector Institute in Toronto, Amii in Edmonton) which attracts investment and creates a pipeline of high-quality roles.
Factor
Status
Overall demand
Strong — especially for senior and ML-focused roles
Entry-level competition
High — many candidates, fewer junior openings
Hottest skills (2026)
LLMs, RAG systems, MLOps, real-time ML
Remote work
Common — many roles fully remote
Canada vs US pay gap
30-50% for same role; narrowing slowly
AI research ecosystem
World-class (MILA, Vector, Amii)
Immigration pathway
Strong — data science roles qualify for Global Talent stream