Data is everywhere. It’s the reason companies like Amazon and Spotify know precisely what you want when you want it. But before Amazon can—seemingly miraculously—intuit how badly you need a BackScratcher9000, a data analyst needs to take raw data and turn it into usable information.
A data analyst can find work in almost any industry, including:
- Business
- Education
- Finance
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Manufacturing
- Marketing
- Music
- Nonprofit
- Pharmaceuticals
- Retail
- Security
- Technology
- Transportation
In this age of lightning-fast computers and near-limitless data storage, every activity that takes place online generates reams of data. Analysts find useful data—a process called data mining—that can be turned into actionable insights.
Some senior analysts earn over $100,000 per year, but the average income for this profession is much lower. To pull six figures working in data, you may find that you need to bolster your skills, education, and experience to advance to a higher-level position. Good news: people do it all the time.
This article on how much do data analysts make tells you how to get the most out of your career in data. It covers:
- What does a data analyst do?
- Skills for being a data analyst
- How much do data analysts make?
- How does a data analyst salary compare to other careers in tech?
- Education for a data analyst
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What does a data analyst do?
According to the University of California – Berkeley: “Data analysts procure, investigate, and elucidate the meaning of data for businesses and nonprofits, helping them to evaluate the success of past projects and plan for the future.” Their work can be broken down into four broad categories:
- Descriptive: what happened
- Diagnostic: why it happened
- Predictive: what is going to happen
- Prescriptive: how to deal with what happens
Capable data analysts know how to collect, package, and distribute data. As a data analyst, you might find yourself working alongside data architects and database administrators to build and maintain databases and collection systems. Still, the role of data analyst is not typically a highly technical position. The most important part of a data analyst’s job is to gather insights from raw data and turn it into something understandable to laypeople.
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“I’m Interested in Data Science!”
Do You Need a Degree?
Data science professionals can use their knowledge and skills in many ways and in almost every industry. You might specialize in business intelligence or robotics or healthcare informatics. There are almost too many options.
90 percent of data scientists hold master’s degrees, and 47 percent hold doctoral degrees. (source)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics sets median data scientist annual pay at just over $100,000. Top-paying sectors include (source):
- Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing ($148,290)
- Semiconductor and other electronic equipment manufacturing ($142,150)
- Specialized information services ($139,600)
- Data processing, hosting, and related services ($126,160)
- Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, payroll services ($124,440)
Explore These Related Degree Programs
| University and Program Name | Learn More |
| Tufts University: Master of Science in Data Science | |
| Merrimack College: Master of Science in Data Science | |
| Stevens Institute of Technology: Master of Science in Data Science |
Skills for being a data analyst
Data analysts need both soft and hard skills to reach their full potential. While they needn’t be as technically proficient as data architects and systems administrators, they still do need some wonky skills, including an aptitude for:
- Data manipulation: the process of organizing your numbers
- SQL: a language that allows you to query relational databases
- Excel/Google spreadsheets: programs for organizing small data sets
- Programming: typically in R, Python, or one of the other dominant programming languages
- Data visualization: to present your findings
- Apache Hadoop: to manipulate lots of data across multiple sources
Though not always required, understanding machine learning (the process of teaching machines algorithms to identify data patterns and predict the future) can advance your career.
Most data analytics revolves around employing problem-solving skills to collect insights and then report the findings to a group of people who don’t understand data. For this reason, a data analyst must be proficient in critical thinking and communication.
How much do data analysts make?
Data analysts can earn salaries anywhere from $43,000 to $95,000, according to Glassdoor; the average annual income is $82,453. In addition, they can earn another $4,442 in bonuses, commissions, and incentive payments. PayScale reports that data analysts collect an average salary of $67,000 with another potential $10,000 in incentives, and Indeed concurs, pegging data analyst salaries and incentives at $75,000 per year. Robert Half, a well-known consulting and recruiting firm, says that salaries for data analysts can range from $93,000 (for less-experienced employees) to $134,000 (for senior analysts).
Developing an analytics specialty can improve your salary. Marketing analysts, who use data to interpret marketing trends, earn nearly $63,000 per year, which is right in line with projections for general data analysts. But financial analysts, who analyze business data to help investors and companies, earn a median salary over $96,220, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. If your data skills complement another area of expertise, it can be profitable.
Another determining factor for your salary is location. Living in a major city likely leads to a bigger salary—to go along with the higher cost-of-living. According to Indeed, the five highest paying cities for data analysts, and their average salary, are:
- Charlotte, NC ($96,083)
- Washington, D.C. ($88,919)
- New York, NY ($83,835)
- Irvine, CA ($82,139)
- Boston, MA ($81,670)
How does a data analyst salary compare to other careers in tech?
Data analysts are far from the best-paid workers in tech—even among careers that require only a bachelor’s degree for entry. Operations research analysts, who employ more mathematical and statistical analysis to solve business problems, earn a median salary over $85,720.
Some other higher-paying data-related careers include:
- Big data analyst ($84,955)
- Data scientist ($111,036)
- Data architect ($132,214)
- Chief information officer ($174,753)
- Senior data analyst ($88,928)
The good news is that a driven data analyst can land any one of these jobs, especially after completing a graduate degree. Becoming a chief information officer or data architect almost certainly requires going back to school for a Master of Science or MBA, but it is possible to become a senior data analyst through sweat and demonstrable past success.
Data scientists do many of the same things as data analysts, but they also design models and algorithms to disseminate usable information for business partners. Another thing that sets data scientists apart from analysts is their focus on predictive modeling, which can be important to a company trying to determine its next steps. The average data scientist’s salary is so much higher that it might be worth making the jump.
Earning the right certification might be the only thing regular analysts need to become big data analysts, though earning a master’s degree is certainly also a worthwhile option. Certifications and trainings help professionals use familiar skills, such as SQL and Hadoop, on larger number sets. Data scientists are also able to enroll in many of these programs.
Some common big data certifications include:
- Certification of Professional Achievement in Data Sciences
- IBM Data Science Professional Certificate
- Microsoft Certified Azure Data Scientist Associate
- Open Certified Data Scientist
- SAS Certified Data Scientist Using SAS 9
Education for a data analyst
It is common for data analysts to have a degree in:
- Computer science
- Data science
- Mathematics
- Statistics
- Information technology
There are a few undergraduate degrees in data analysis available, though it is not strictly necessary, or even very common, for those entering this field to have one. Schools offering this option include:
- Clarkson University
- Mercy College
- Northeastern University
- Ohio State University – Main Campus
- Southern New Hampshire University
- Washington State University
- Webster University
Hands-on experience is the most important part of your data analytics resume. One way to gain experience without attending college is through a data analytics bootcamp. These programs are almost always cheaper than a four-year degree—and can be taken through well-known schools, such as Columbia University or the University of Arizona. Third-party organizations, such as Springboard, also offer them.
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Will higher education increase my salary?
A master’s is typically the highest level of education for data analysts, though not everybody needs to get a master’s degree to work in data analytics. Heck, you don’t even necessarily need a bachelor’s degree to work as a junior data analyst. Still, you’re unlikely to reach the top of the payroll without the proper education, so maybe go ahead and earn a bachelor’s degree anyway.
If you are looking to advance your career, a master’s degree in data analytics can offer a leg up. These programs are often designed for working data analytics professionals who want to increase their knowledge. A Master of Science will generally help improve your technical skill set. Areas of focus include:
- Programming: In the context of data analysis, a programming course would focus on teaching languages that are particularly useful for handling and analyzing data, such as Python, R, or SQL. This course would cover fundamentals of programming like syntax, control structures (loops, conditionals), data structures (arrays, lists, dictionaries), and more advanced topics like object-oriented programming. Additionally, it would emphasize how to use these programming skills to manipulate data sets, perform statistical analysis, and implement algorithms for data processing and analysis.
- Software Applications: This course would teach about various software tools and applications commonly used in data analysis. This could include instruction on spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel, data visualization tools like Tableau or Power BI, and statistical software like SPSS or SAS. The course would likely cover how to effectively use these tools for data cleaning, analysis, visualization, and reporting. It may also include training on database management software and perhaps an introduction to more advanced tools for big data analytics and machine learning.
- Mathematics: Mathematics courses for data analysts typically focus on areas that are particularly relevant to data analysis. This includes statistics, which is crucial for understanding and performing data analysis, probability theory, which underpins many statistical methods, and perhaps elements of calculus and linear algebra, which are important for understanding machine learning algorithms. Topics in a mathematics course for data analysts might include descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, regression analysis, hypothesis testing, and perhaps an introduction to more advanced topics like multivariate statistics or stochastic processes.
Top schools with master’s programs in data analytics include:
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Columbia University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- University of Chicago
- The University of Texas at Austin
You might also consider earning a Masters of Business Administration (MBA), such as the business analytics MBA offered through the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. An MBA prepares you for a career in management, which can lead to a huge increase in salary—especially if you hope to climb your way into the c-suite as a chief information officer.
Other degrees that might be worth earning—especially if you want to change career fields at some point—include:
- Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA)
- Big Data MBA
- Master of Science in Data Science
Finally, acquiring certifications can be a great way to advance your career; they provide a more definitive way to measure skills and can lead to an increase in salary. Some of the top certification programs are:
- Associated Certified Analytics Professional (aCAP)
- Certified Analytics Professional (CAP)
- CCP Data Engineer
Data analytics may not be the most prosperous career choice at first, but it can lead to some great jobs with a little maneuvering. Being able to make numbers accessible is a valuable skill, even if you don’t spend your entire career as a data analyst.
(Updated on January 8, 2024)
Questions or feedback? Email editor@noodle.com
About the Editor
Tom Meltzer spent over 20 years writing and teaching for The Princeton Review, where he was lead author of the company's popular guide to colleges, before joining Noodle.
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