Average Salaries ($K)
Paris 2020-2024
Data Salary review
Paris
2020 - 2024
- 17% Average Cost Of Living Rise
- #17/23 Cheapest City To Live
- 20% Average Salary Rise
- #15/23 Salary Growth - All Roles
- #14/23 Salary Growth For Heads Of Data
- #9/23 Salary Growth For Data Engineers
- #13/23 Salary Growth For Data Analyst
- #18/23 Salary Growth For Data Scientists
Overview
Paris has quietly emerged as a hub for data roles, driven by its robust industries, a mix of established companies, and a growing startup ecosystem. Paris offers diverse opportunities with employers; from finance and insurance, home to giants like BNP Paribas, Société Générale, and AXA. The luxury and fashion sectors, think LVMH, Kering, and Chanel. E-commerce and logistics with companies like Cdiscount and La Poste. This being said, Paris is not as saturated with large-scale tech firms as other cities but is trying to attract more with government initiatives such as the “AI for Humanity” strategy.
Salaries, while competitive by French standards, often fall short of what you would earn in London, Zurich, or even Amsterdam for equivalent roles. And workplace culture in Paris can also be a hurdle. French organisations often have hierarchical structures which for international professionals, can be frustrating, particularly if they are used to a more agile culture.
The talent pool in Paris remains fiercely competitive, with high barriers to entry for non-French speakers and a tendency for companies to favour graduates from France’s elite “Grandes Écoles.” As such Paris can feel a little bit of a bubble in its own right and may struggle to expand.
Heads Of Data
If you are comfortable with a more traditional, structured environment and are prepared for a competitive market, Paris can be a great place to grow as a Head of Data. The city offers stability and prestige but may lack the dynamism and flexibility of other tech hubs. Many Parisian employers still prefer in-office work, citing cultural norms or collaboration concerns. Companies in Paris typically have more of a top-down approach and so heads of Data are expected to lead teams, collaborate with business stakeholders, and contribute to long-term data strategies. We have typically seen people entering into these leadership roles much later in their careers when compared to other hubs, but in recent years a great startup ecosystem is emerging thanks to initiatives like Station F.
The most noticeable trend here is the dip in average wages in 2022 (16%) which is in contrast to all other roles which saw demand surge. We see this as a late reaction to the pandemic with Parisian companies prioritising operational roles that had direct and immediate value. Heads of Data, while important, are generally seen as more long-term roles, and in this period the focus at this level seemed to be retention of talent rather than growth. Whilst Paris may rank #14/23 for wage growth over the past five years – we still see a healthy picture overall with expert-level leaders seeing wage growth of 16.66% over the last five years.
Average Salaries ($K) By Experience
Data Engineers
Paris offers a wealth of opportunities for data engineers, but it is not the easiest market to navigate. A significant portion of Paris’ data engineering roles, particularly in finance and healthcare, involves working with outdated or legacy systems and may lean more towards a dev-ops remit. For those looking to build new infrastructure and innovate, startups can offer more exciting opportunities, but make sure you do your due diligence. Look at funding rounds, employee reviews, and leadership to gauge stability and growth potential.
The most noticeable trend below was the talent grab at the beginner level in 2022, where salaries rose an impressive 66%. Companies across industries, particularly in finance, luxury, and healthcare, accelerated their digital transformation efforts post-pandemic but tight budgets following economic uncertainty made hiring senior engineers less feasible. Instead, companies leaned on junior talent to build and maintain pipelines, manage cloud infrastructure, and handle ETL processes under the guidance of more experienced team members. This was a particularly tricky environment for intermediate- level employees who would have seen new starters with less experience on similar salaries to themselves.With most of the budget eaten up in 2022, wages went down in 2023 last year but the market corrected last year. Paris ranked #9/23 for wage growth in our review.
Average Salaries ($K) By Experience
Data Analysts
In Paris, many data analyst roles are tied to traditional sectors such as luxury goods, finance, and healthcare, which are slower to adopt cutting-edge technologies but still require strong analytical skills for reporting, forecasting, and decision-making. Analysts in Paris are often expected to navigate siloed data and legacy systems, making their work more focused on cleaning and structuring data rather than advanced modelling or AI. Additionally, the hierarchical corporate culture in Parisian companies places a strong emphasis on formal processes and stakeholder communication, meaning analysts must excel at presenting insights to decision-makers in structured and persuasive ways.
Salaries have been somewhat stagnant since 2022 showing only a 4% growth at expert level, but one positive aspect of the more structured nature of Parisian companies is that there is a nice gap in between experience levels – which we find typically collates to more rigid responsibilities and less likelihood of expectations above pay grade.
Average Salaries ($K) By Experience
Data Scientists
While Paris does have a budding AI ecosystem, many roles lean towards applied analytics and optimisation rather than cutting-edge innovation in deep learning or generative AI. Paris also differs in terms of career paths and collaboration. Data scientists in Parisian organisations may find themselves working in more siloed environments compared to the cross-functional teams commonly seen in London or Amsterdam. There is often a slower pace of innovation, with larger corporations being cautious in adopting experimental solutions. While Paris offers exposure to globally recognised brands, it can feel more traditional and rigid in terms of expectations and career growth. Whilst we see peaks in our chart at 2020 and 2023, overall wage growth is flat. This is reflected in our rankings where Paris was #18/23.
Average Salaries ($K) By Experience
Hiring Data Roles For Parisian Companies
Paris boasts one of Europe’s most mature and competitive data talent markets, with a strong pipeline of professionals graduating from top institutions such as École Polytechnique, HEC Paris, and ENS. The city’s workforce includes highly skilled data scientists, engineers, and analysts, but employer competition is fierce, particularly in finance, AI-driven startups, and multinational tech firms. Wage growth has been significant, especially for specialists in cloud computing, AI, and big data engineering, driving up hiring costs for employers. Retention is also a challenge, as many top professionals are drawn to international opportunities or well-funded startups offering equity and flexible work arrangements.
For Paris-based companies looking to scale quickly or implement complex data solutions, partnering with a data agency like 173tech can be a smart move. The city’s competitive market means that securing in-demand talent can take months, slowing down growth initiatives. A data agency provides immediate access to senior-level expertise in areas such as building data pipelines, modelling data and predictive analytics, enabling businesses to execute data-driven projects without long recruitment cycles. This approach is particularly valuable for startups and scaling businesses that need to build robust data capabilities quickly but lack the time or resources to assemble a full in-house team.
173tech Direct Comparison
- Head Of Data (5+ yrs) $245k
- Data Engineer (5+ yrs) $115k
- Data Engineer (0-3 yrs) $70k
- Data Analyst (3-5 yrs) $74k
- $504k per yr + Tax + Pension + Holidays
- Candice (15+ yrs) Ruben (8+ yrs) Oliver (10+ yrs)
- Adrian (15+ yrs)
- Oscar (2+ yrs)
- Emeric (3+ yrs) Mai (4+ yrs) Noel (2+ yrs) Amy (2+ yrs)
- $240k
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