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$47,000 USD is the average annualized salary for a Data Science Intern in Madison, WI, equivalent to roughly $22-$23 per hour based on a standard 40-hour week. This page covers the full compensation range - from university research labs and early-stage startups to large insurers and Fortune 500 firms - and explains who the key employers are and why pay varies so sharply by employer type, degree level, and project scope. Ranges are wide because a funded PhD lab stipend, a corporate summer program at American Family Insurance or Epic, and an unpaid academic credit arrangement can all carry the same job title.
Pay varies sharply by degree level, employer type, and whether the role involves production ML work or exploratory academic research.
$24,000 - $40,000 USD
Entry rotations at regional employers, insurance firms, or university labs typically pay $12-$19/hr with limited autonomy and structured mentorship.
$40,000 - $58,000 USD
Returning interns or second-rotation students at corporate employers can negotiate toward the top of this band by referencing prior deliverables and production impact.
$55,000 - $72,000 USD
MS students with a specialization in ML, biostatistics, or NLP command a noticeable premium at Madison's insurance, biotech, and research-computing employers.
$65,000 - $85,000 USD
Doctoral candidates in funded programs at UW-Madison, Morgridge Institute, or WARF-affiliated labs reach the ceiling of the Madison intern market with advanced research mandates.
Most Madison interns undervalue their coursework and lab contributions - employers pay more when candidates can name specific tools, datasets, and outcomes. A weak or generic resume is the most common reason offers land 20-30% below the market midpoint.
Interns at the top of the Madison range are not always the most technically advanced - they are the best at translating skills into recruiter-readable terms. Optimizing your resume for the exact role can shift your offer by $5,000 to $15,000 per annualized year.
Higher-paying candidates typically show:
The UW-Madison ecosystem anchors the market; corporate employers like Epic, American Family, and QBE are the top payers, while university lab stipends sit at the lower end.
Smaller tech employer base than Madison; ManpowerGroup, Harley-Davidson, and regional healthcare systems are the notable intern hirers, with pay generally 5-10% below Madison corporate rates.
A deeper corporate bench - Target, UnitedHealth Group, 3M, and several fintech firms - pushes the ceiling higher than Madison, making it worth considering for MS and PhD candidates.
The largest Midwest market for data science interns, with financial services, consulting (Deloitte, Accenture), and tech firms driving the top of the range well above Madison levels.
Some UW-Madison lab and research internships are structured as stipends rather than hourly wages, which can obscure the true annualized rate. Always convert to an hourly or annual figure before comparing offers. A $5,000 stipend for a 10-week full-time placement equals roughly $12.50/hr - well below market for technical roles.
Several large Madison employers (Epic, American Family Insurance) and some national firms running summer programs offer housing stipends of $1,000 to $3,000 or relocation assistance. These are not reflected in base pay figures on this page but can materially affect total take-home. Always ask recruiters explicitly.
Many Madison internships are structured as pipelines to full-time roles. A return offer from a top employer is a negotiating asset - it sets a floor for competing offers and can accelerate entry-level salary bands by 6-12 months of seniority upon graduation.
Use this checklist to prepare before you receive an offer and to negotiate confidently once you do.
Get ATS-optimized feedback and role-specific language upgrades that map your experience to salary-driving outcomes: ownership, impact, and delivery at scale.
Answers to the most common questions about Data Science Intern compensation in Madison, WI.
The average annualized salary for a data science intern in Madison, WI is approximately $47,000 USD, or about $22-$23 per hour, based on aggregated job posting data from ZipRecruiter and Indeed (2025-2026). The full range runs from roughly $24,000 for first-year undergrads in lab placements to $85,000 for funded PhD candidates at large corporate employers. Employer type and degree level are the biggest drivers of where you land in that range.
Most Madison data science intern postings advertise $17 to $28 per hour for undergraduates and $28 to $40 per hour for graduate students, based on ZipRecruiter data through early 2026. The median sits around $22-$23/hr for all levels combined. Roles that include ML engineering or production deployment responsibilities tend to land at the top of the hourly range.
Chicago data science intern roles average roughly $23/hr with a higher ceiling driven by financial services and consulting firms, putting it approximately 5-15% above Madison for comparable undergraduate roles. For graduate candidates, the gap widens further because Chicago hosts more large enterprise ML teams. However, Madison's lower cost of living partially offsets the nominal pay difference for interns who prefer to stay in Wisconsin.
Yes, in most cases. UW-Madison research lab stipends and academic placements typically fall in the $24,000 to $45,000 annualized range, while corporate employers like Epic, American Family Insurance, and QBE pay $45,000 to $75,000 or more for equivalent summer durations. The trade-off is that lab placements often offer publication credit, faculty mentorship, and stronger positioning for graduate school admissions.
Python, SQL, and machine learning frameworks (scikit-learn, PyTorch, TensorFlow) are the most cited requirements in Madison job postings and directly correlate with higher pay bands. Domain skills in biostatistics, NLP, or insurance analytics are particularly valued given Madison's employer mix. A prior internship, especially one where you shipped something to production, is the single strongest negotiating lever.
Madison-based roles offer proximity to UW research networks, strong return-offer pipelines at large local employers, and a low cost of living relative to coastal cities. Remote roles at US-headquartered tech or fintech firms can pay 20-40% more in base but may offer weaker mentorship and fewer local networking opportunities. The right choice depends on whether your goal is a full-time Madison offer, graduate school positioning, or breaking into a high-pay tech market.
Key employers include Epic Systems, American Family Insurance, QBE Insurance (Sun Prairie), Exact Sciences, Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance (WPS), University of Wisconsin-Madison research departments, and Cuna Mutual Group. Smaller startups in the Madison tech corridor and biotech firms connected to the UW research park also run regular intern cohorts, typically at lower pay bands than the large corporates.
Explore internship salaries across tech and business roles to understand how compensation varies by discipline and seniority level.
| Job title | First Internship | Returning Intern | Senior Intern / Co-op | Top-of-Market Intern |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer Intern | $20K - $30K USD | $30K - $42K USD | $42K - $55K USD | $55K - $75K+ USD |
| Cybersecurity Intern | $29,000 - $38,000 USD | $38,000 - $46,000 USD | $46,000 - $55,000 USD | $52,000 - $58,000 USD |
| Mechanical Engineering Intern | $18 - $22 USD/hr | $22 - $27 USD/hr | $27 - $34 USD/hr | — |
| Product Management Intern | $18,500 - $28,000 USD | $28,000 - $40,000 USD | $40,000 - $55,000 USD | — |
| Marketing Intern | $0 (stipend only) | $16 - $19/hr USD | $19 - $22/hr USD | $22 - $25/hr USD |
| UX/UI Design Intern | $28K - $36K CAD | $35K - $45K CAD | $44K - $58K CAD | — |
| Supply Chain Intern | $31,000 - $38,000 USD | $36,000 - $44,000 USD | $42,000 - $55,000 USD | — |
| Investment Banking Summer Analyst | $65K - $80K USD | $80K - $95K USD | $95K - $110K USD | $105K - $120K USD |
Explore guides on negotiating your internship offer, understanding entry-level tech compensation, and building a competitive resume for data science roles.
This guide helps you navigate compensation discussions for internships, which is critical when evaluating the wide range of paid versus unpaid data science intern positions mentioned in this salary page.
Read article →Learn practical salary negotiation strategies to help you secure the higher end of the $47,000 range or push back if your offer falls below market rate for data science interns in Madison.
Read article →This resume guide for data-focused roles teaches you how to highlight technical skills and projects that resonate with Fortune 500 employers and startups hiring data science interns.
Read article →As a recent graduate or current student pursuing a data science internship, this guide covers entry-level job search strategies and how to position yourself competitively across different employer types.
Read article →Salary ranges on this page were compiled by cross-referencing job posting aggregators and self-reported salary databases covering Madison, WI and comparable Midwest markets. Figures were reviewed and reconciled in April 2026; sources with data older than 18 months were excluded or flagged.
Quotes below reflect community discussions on public forums and review platforms from 2024-2025, summarizing real candidate and intern perspectives on pay and employer experience in the Madison market.
“Got $22/hr at a Madison insurance company - felt solid until I saw Chicago offers coming in at $28+”
Reflects the persistent gap between Madison corporate rates and Chicago financial services pay, which is commonly cited by Midwest intern candidates comparing offers.
“The internship pay is competitive for Madison but you really notice the difference if you compare to FAANG summer programs”
Suggests Epic sits at the upper end of the Madison local market while still trailing coastal tech firms, making it a strong local option but not a national top payer.
“Lab stipends here are rough - $15/hr equivalent while my friend at American Family got $25 plus housing”
Highlights the well-documented split between UW research lab placements and Madison corporate programs, which can differ by $8-$12/hr for similar intern titles.
“Structured program, good mentorship, and the pay was fair for Madison - not Bay Area money but solid”
Indicates American Family is viewed positively for intern experience and local-market pay, reinforcing its position as one of the higher-paying Madison employers for data roles.
“If you're at UW and have a research background, definitely look at Minneapolis or Chicago for summer - $5-10k difference is real”
Corroborates data showing Minneapolis-Saint Paul and Chicago offer meaningfully higher ceilings for graduate-level interns, making relocation worthwhile for strong candidates.
Epic Systems · American Family Insurance · QBE Insurance · Exact Sciences · Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance (WPS) · CUNA Mutual Group · University of Wisconsin-Madison · Morgridge Institute for Research · Rentable · West Bend Insurance
ZipRecruiter: Data Science Intern Salary in Madison, WI (November 2025) ZipRecruiter Madison intern salary
Indeed: Data Science Intern Salary in Madison, WI (December 2025) Indeed Madison intern salary
Salary.com: Data Scientist Intern Salary, United States (March 2026) Salary.com intern compensation data
Glassdoor: Data Scientist Intern Salary, United States (March 2026) Glassdoor intern salary data
ZipRecruiter: Data Science Intern Salary in Chicago, IL (February 2025) - used for Midwest city comparison ZipRecruiter Chicago intern salary