Better access to data is pushing more organizations toward data-driven decisions, and BLS notes that demand for data scientists is expected to grow as the volume of available data and its potential uses increase. In analyst-heavy roles, workers often collect and organize information from sources such as databases, analyze it, and communicate findings and recommendations to decision-makers, work that appears in fields including business and healthcare. 

BLS also shows that these careers are spread across major industries; for example, finance and insurance, information, and professional services/consulting are among the largest employers of related analyst occupations. For pay context, BLS reports that in May 2024, median wages were $76,950 for market research analysts and $91,290 for operations research analysts, while data scientists earned a median of $112,590. 

This salary guide uses these BLS benchmarks to explain how industry and career stage can influence earnings, and it highlights practical ways to grow into higher-responsibility analytics work.

The average salary for a data analyst depends on what industry they work in, the number of years of experience, their educational background and whether or not they have in-demand skills. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), advanced degrees usually correlate with higher salaries. A data analyst with a master’s degree or a doctorate could potentially earn a higher salary than a candidate with only a bachelor’s degree. Most positions require at least a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent with relevant work experience. Taking all of these factors into consideration, what is the average salary for a data analyst?

Salaries increase for workers with in-demand skills, those employed in high demand industries, and those who have at least three years of experience. Unsurprisingly, the median salary for data scientists is $112,560, according to May 2024 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics finds that data analyst-related jobs (such as data scientists, management analysts, and operations research analysts) are projected to grow much faster than the national average for all other occupations between 2024 and 2034. 

Data analyst pay can vary widely by industry, largely because analysts are used differently across industries. For example, roles focused on business intelligence, marketing analytics, or pricing may look closer to “market research analyst” work, while more technical analytics roles (forecasting, optimization, modeling) may align more closely with operations research or data science.

Because the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) doesn’t report wages for a single, standardized “data analyst” occupation, a practical way to understand industry-driven pay differences is to look at BLS occupations that commonly overlap with data analyst job titles and compare what those roles earn in the top industries where they work.

For example, BLS data for market research analysts (a common proxy for business-facing analyst work) shows higher median pay in industries such as Information ($100,300) and Management of companies and enterprises ($98,300), with Finance and insurance ($84,990) also above the occupation’s overall median. This job title is projected to see a 7% growth in the next decade. 

For more quantitative “analytics” roles, BLS shows that operations research analysts can earn substantially more in certain industries—such as the Federal government ($136,700) and Manufacturing ($107,360). Operations research analysts are projected to grow 21% over the next decade, which is much faster than the national average.

At the most advanced end of analytics, BLS reports that data scientists often command higher median pay in industries such as Computer systems design and related services ($128,020) and Management of companies and enterprises ($126,940). As one of the fastest growing data analytics occupations, data scientists are projected to see 34% growth over the next decade. 

Finally, if you’re comparing finance-specific analyst roles, BLS reports that financial analysts have a $101,910 median salary overall, with higher median pay in securities and investments ($124,050) compared with other major employing industries. Financial analysts are also projected to grow faster than the average for all other occupations, at 6% over the next decade.

The BLS does not report wages for a single standardized “data analyst” occupation or break down pay by years of experience. A BLS-friendly way to show how earnings tend to rise as careers progress is to use wage percentiles (e.g., the lowest 10%, median, and highest 10%) for closely related analyst occupations.

BLS reports the following pay bands for May 2024:

If you move into management, BLS is more explicit about experience expectations. Computer and Information Systems Managers typically need five years or more of related work experience, and BLS reports a $171,200 median wage (May 2024).

Bottom line: while BLS doesn’t track “years of experience” for data analyst salaries, its wage percentiles show substantial upward earning potential across analyst-heavy career paths, and manager-level roles generally require multiple years of experience and pay significantly more.

Analysts who want to stay in their current industry while increasing their earning potential can benefit from leadership training and stretch projects that demonstrate measurable impact, or they may choose to reskill through a bootcamp or an analytics-focused master’s program. BLS data also suggests that pursuing more technical paths, such as data science, can expand opportunities and that higher levels of education can correlate with higher earnings in the broader workforce.

Instead of relying on older “talent shortage” claims, BLS job outlook data provides a current demand signal: data scientists are projected to grow 34% from 2024–2034. Related analyst-heavy roles are also projected to grow, including operations research analysts (21%) and market research analysts (7%), reflecting the continued expansion of data-driven decision-making across industries.

Information last updated: December 2025