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Data scientists in Canada earn about CAD 101,000 a year on average. That number hides a sharp split. In the Toronto region, Job Bank rates hiring prospects for the role as very limited for 2025 to 2027.
Pay varies by city, seniority, and employer. Published figures also differ from one source to the next. Each source draws on its own dataset and method. The figures below are rounded. They come mainly from Indeed Canada salary pages and Job Bank, the Government of Canada's labor market site.
Indeed, Canada bases its average on 544 salaries from job postings over the past 36 months. Reported pay generally ranges from about CAD 68,000 to 150,000. Experience, location, and employer shape where a salary falls in that range.
Job Bank works differently. It reports hourly wages from Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey for 2023 and 2024. The national median is CAD 46.15 an hour. Job Bank does not publish annual figures for this role. The table below annualizes its wages at 2,080 hours a year.
Job Bank's hourly range of CAD 69.74 annualizes to roughly CAD 145,000. That sits close to Indeed's range. Job Bank data covers 2023 and 2024. It may trail current pay.
Indeed, it reports the base salary before tax. Take-home pay will be lower. Salary is only part of the package. Job Bank reports that 94.2 percent of workers in this occupation receive at least one non-wage benefit. Examples include pension plans, health insurance, and leave entitlements.
Indeed's city pages show how location shapes pay.
City averages rest on smaller samples than the national figure. Small gaps between cities are best treated as noise. Calgary is not ranked here. Indeed's estimate for the city rests on only nine salaries.
Those salaries span a very wide range, from about CAD 120k to 270k. That makes the average a weak basis for comparison. Anyone weighing a Calgary offer should check the latest local figure first.
Job Bank’s provincial medians offer a second view. British Columbia is highest at about 100,000 Canadian dollars a year when annualized. Ontario follows at about 99,000. Quebec sits near 96,000. Alberta is lower at about 90,000, below the national median. That gap is another reason to read Calgary’s Indeed average with care. Job Bank publishes no wage figures for Prince Edward Island or the territories.
The chief data scientist salary in Canada averages about CAD 114,000. That figure sits nearer the general average than the lead or director averages. The title may rest on a small sample. The lead, director, and principal figures give a better guide to pay growth.
Local title pages can swing widely. Toronto's lead data scientist average is about CCAD 218,000, well above the national figure. Small samples can produce gaps like this. These are separate job titles with separate samples and update dates. They are not guaranteed steps on one promotion ladder.
A strong salary does not guarantee an easy job search. Job Bank rates the 2025 to 2027 outlook as moderate in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. It rates Ontario and Quebec as Limited. The Toronto region is rated Very limited. Job Bank also recorded a labour surplus there for 2023 to 2025, meaning more workers than openings.
In the Toronto region, about 14,950 people work as data scientists. Most work in professional and technical services or in finance, insurance and real estate. Job Bank counted about 36,600 data scientists nationwide in 2023. Only 16% were 50 or older. That helps explain why retirements open few positions.
Several provinces and territories are rated Undetermined. Nationally, Job Bank expects labour demand and supply to stay broadly in balance from 2024 to 2033. These are projections, not predictions of any one person's job search.
Pairing the two datasets adds useful detail. Burnaby has the highest city average. British Columbia has the highest provincial median and a Moderate outlook. Mississauga and Toronto sit in Ontario, where the provincial outlook is Limited. Pay data alone cannot settle a career move. It works best alongside local hiring trends.
Data science salaries in Canada remain competitive, but job prospects vary by region. British Columbia offers a promising balance of pay and hiring outlook, while Ontario faces tougher conditions, especially in Toronto.
Before accepting an offer or planning a move, compare local salaries with hiring demand, experience requirements, and competition. Monitoring Indeed and Job Bank updates can help identify emerging opportunities.