Side by side
Data Engineer vs Data Scientist
Data Scientist pays more: a median of $153,500 against $140,500. There is 2.4× more demand for Data Engineer. Data Scientist is the more remote-friendly of the two, by 6.9%. Listings for Data Scientist move faster — median age 42 days against 55.
Comparison
Side by side
| Measure | Data Engineer | Data Scientist | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open postings | 28,245 | 11,819 | +16,426 |
| Posted this week | 2,126 | 596 | |
| Median salary | $140,500 | $153,500 | $-13k |
| 25th percentile | $111k | $122k | |
| 75th percentile | $174k | $191k | |
| Salary disclosed | 5.4% | 7.6% | |
| Remote share | 6.8% | 13.7% | -6.9pp |
| Median age of posting | 55d | 42d | |
| Open over 60 days | 49.3% | 40.7% | |
| Visa sponsorship | 24.3% | 4.2% |
Pay
Pay distribution
Data Engineer
$63k$243k
Data Scientist
$69k$266k
Freshness
How old the listings are
Data Engineer
just posted55d median90d+
Data Scientist
just posted42d median90d+
Demand
What each side asks for
Data Engineer — technologies
Data Scientist — technologies
Data Engineer — employers
Data Scientist — employers
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Both sides are counted the same way on the same day, so the gap is comparable even where the
absolute numbers move. Salary figures use only postings that publish a range — the disclosure
rate is in the table because a median over 20% of a cohort is a weaker number than one over 70%.