besides the TC and cost of living... is it the breadth or depth of knowledge?
Just moved from the midwest to the west coast, I think it’s the problem you are solving and the data you are looking at. In the Midwest there are not as many companies creating software products, more finance or manufacturing companies, so you are likely looking at finance data building models that is more statistics focused. In Silicon Valley, the data scientists are more focused in making product decisions, they will be looking at the usage data to inform product decisions.
Well, one has to dodge used needles and piles of biohazard on his three hour commute home to his 300sqft shoebox that costs fifty grand a year in rent, and the other has to shovel his driveway occasionally
Also fog
DS in Silicon Valley is often data analyst.. Midwest often actual data scientist (stats background, ML etc)
Not sure this is a generalisation you can make by region, but rather company. TC definitely higher in Silicon Valley though. Cost of living, it really depends. There are nice places in San Jose cheaper than places of equivalent quality in Chicago, but the peninsula and SF are way more expensive than anything in the Midwest.
Both