Report: Data scientists top recent growth job in Bay Area

In the Bay Area and other areas of California, data scientists and mathematical science occupations have increased dramatically in the last five years, according to a new report from Yardi Kube. 

In the San Francisco metro area (San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont) the tech-heavy labor market remains evident, with 9,480 data scientists growing by 572% between 2019 and 2024, while occupations such as media and communication workers (2,840 employees) and health and safety engineers (570 employees) grew to provide support roles for the Bay Area’s innovation economy, according to the study.

Bay Area job growth 2019-2024:

• Data Scientists and Mathematical Science Occupations: 572%
• Counselors: 178%
• Media and Communication Workers: 163%
• Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers 124%
• Health and Safety Engineers: 111%

Data scientists generally use data to understand and explain business operations and help organizations make better decisions.

Other parts of the state also saw an increase in data scientists. In Los Angeles, the profession grew 945% from 2019 to 2024, reaching a workforce of 10,030 employees, the largest of any occupation in the region. Technical writers also made strong gains, climbing to 8,600 workers with a 360% increase, followed closely by social science research assistants, who now total 2,140 employees. 

In Riverside, data scientists jobs also dominate, rising 1,580% to 840 employees, the fastest growth rate of any metro in the state. Counseling professions have also surged, with counselors reaching 1,080 employees after a 535% increase, reflecting heightened demand for mental health and social services. 

The analysis states the future of office work in America is increasingly being reshaped by technology-driven and knowledge-based occupations. The pandemic accelerated a reconfiguration of work that was already underway, and the five-year snapshot from 2019 to 2024 illustrates how quickly entire sectors can rise or fade in relevance, the report notes.