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California / Food and Agriculture / Research Data Specialist I

Job-title file

Research Data Specialist I

Collect and analyze data to inform decisions, produce reports, and identify trends.

6 employees hold this title in Food and Agriculture. Median total compensation for the role is $80,471, above the department median of $63,690.

Employees
6
Total payroll
$448.8K
Role median
$80,471
Agency median
$63,690
Comparison
Above

Compared with the local labor market

Research Data Specialist I pay vs. California

Across all employers in California, the median wage for Database Architectsabout 6,210 people is $170,160. Food and Agriculture pays a median base salary of $99,907 for this role, 41% below that figurebelow the 10th percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where Food and Agriculture sits in the local pay range

10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
$101,200
$132,880
$170,160
$203,130
$227,900
Food and Agriculture median · $99,907

The bar is the range of annual wages for Database Architects across every employer in California, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Food and Agriculture’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.

And across the country

Nationwide, the median wage for Database Architectsabout 67,140 people is $139,500. Food and Agriculture’s median base salary is 28% below that national figure, about the 19th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.

10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
$86,240
$109,370
$139,500
$169,290
$204,000
Food and Agriculture median · $99,907

Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the California range relative to the national one.

Computed over the 15 of 17 people in this role paid at least $25,000 in base salary. The rest are part-year or part-time records, whose actual pay isn’t comparable to a full-time annual wage.

Median total compensation for this role at Food and Agriculture is $99,269, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.

Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.

Compare departments

This role across California

Research Data Specialist I is held in 67 California departments. In Food and Agriculture, the median of $80,471 ranks #53 of 67.

Highest-paying departments for this role

Median total compensation for the Research Data Specialist I role in other Californiadepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.

Record list

Employees with this title

Page 1

Hang 'Kc' Nguyen

Research Data Specialist I/Food and Agriculture

2025 total comp
$103,183
Base pay
$101,388
Overtime
$1,195
Other pay
$600
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$103,183
Employment type
Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit
R01
Work county
Sacramento

Source-specific fields

Base Pay
$8,706
Cs/csu
Cs
Position Number
0141185742001
Salary Total
$8,445
Total Pay
$103,183

At Food and Agriculture, Hang 'Kc' Nguyen serves as a Research Data Specialist I. They work full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $103,183. Their bargaining unit is R01.

Allyson Rathkamp

Research Data Specialist I/Food and Agriculture

2025 total comp
$101,988
Base pay
$101,388
Overtime
$0
Other pay
$600
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$101,988
Employment type
Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit
R01
Work county
Sacramento
Middle name
J

Source-specific fields

Base Pay
$8,706
Cs/csu
Cs
Position Number
0141185742002
Salary Total
$8,445
Total Pay
$101,988

Allyson Rathkamp works as a Research Data Specialist I for Food and Agriculture. Their status is full-time. Allyson earned $101,988 in 2025. Union affiliation: R01.

Saliem Haile

Research Data Specialist I/Food and Agriculture

2025 total comp
$84,544
Base pay
$83,360
Overtime
$584
Other pay
$600
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$84,544
Employment type
Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit
R01
Work county
Sacramento
Middle name
T

Source-specific fields

Base Pay
$7,303
Cs/csu
Cs
Position Number
0141035742001
Salary Total
$7,084
Total Pay
$84,544

Saliem Haile works as a Research Data Specialist I for Food and Agriculture. Their status is full-time. Saliem earned $84,544 in 2025. Their bargaining unit is R01.

Danielle Peters

Research Data Specialist I/Food and Agriculture

2023 total comp
$76,398
Base pay
$74,578
Overtime
$0
Other pay
$1,820
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$76,398
Employment type
Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit
R01
Work county
Sacramento
Middle name
N

Source-specific fields

Base Pay
$6,555
Cs/csu
Cs
Position Number
0143625742001
Salary Total
$6,555
Total Pay
$76,398

At Food and Agriculture, Danielle Peters serves as a Research Data Specialist I. They work full-time. Their 2023 pay totaled $76,398. They are represented by R01.

Prashant Sharma

Research Data Specialist I/Food and Agriculture

2025 total comp
$42,219
Base pay
$37,750
Overtime
$0
Other pay
$4,469
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$42,219
Employment type
Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit
R01
Work county
Sacramento

Source-specific fields

Base Pay
$6,752
Cs/csu
Cs
Position Number
0143625742001
Salary Total
$6,752
Total Pay
$42,219

At Food and Agriculture, Prashant Sharma serves as a Research Data Specialist I. They work full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $42,219. Their bargaining unit is R01.

Shashi Kuninti

Research Data Specialist I/Food and Agriculture

2025 total comp
$40,484
Base pay
$40,484
Overtime
$0
Other pay
$0
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$40,484
Employment type
Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit
R01
Work county
Sacramento
Middle name
K

Source-specific fields

Base Pay
$6,955
Cs/csu
Cs
Position Number
0181035742001
Salary Total
$6,746
Total Pay
$40,484

Shashi Kuninti is a Research Data Specialist I at Food and Agriculture. They work full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $40,484. Their bargaining unit is R01.