Median pay for data analysts runs from $57,890 in Upper East Mississippi nonmetropolitan area to $185,080 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara — a 3.2× range across 357 metropolitan areas. The national median of $120,230 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
The top tenth of data analysts earn $199,130 or more; the bottom tenth earn under $67,240. That is a 2.96× gap within the same occupation, in the same year. A spread this wide means the job title is not what determines pay — specialisation, employer type, seniority or book of business is. Expect the early years to sit near the bottom of the band rather than the middle, and treat the $120,230 median as a waypoint, not a destination.
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) leads and Upper East Mississippi nonmetropolitan area () trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $185,080 | $88.98 | 3.16 | 6,060 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $170,110 | $81.79 | 2.61 | 10,460 |
| Idaho Falls ID | $167,840 | $80.69 | 1.68 | 230 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $164,740 | $79.20 | 2.38 | 8,370 |
| Kennewick-Richland WA | $156,830 | $75.40 | 0.68 | 150 |
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota FL | $146,980 | $70.67 | 0.36 | 210 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT | $141,760 | $68.16 | 0.83 | 570 |
| Corvallis OR | $140,190 | $67.40 | 0.91 | 60 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $135,980 | $65.37 | 1.45 | 23,160 |
| Trenton-Princeton NJ | $135,320 | $65.06 | 1.06 | 430 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson MD | $134,320 | $64.58 | 0.48 | 1,090 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard WA | $134,220 | $64.53 | 0.4 | 60 |
| Boulder CO | $134,040 | $64.44 | 1.67 | 540 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia NC-SC | $132,460 | $63.69 | 1.93 | 4,420 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $132,200 | $63.56 | 1.75 | 9,260 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $132,040 | $63.48 | 1.74 | 7,930 |
| Burlington-South Burlington VT | $131,820 | $63.38 | 0.51 | 100 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | $130,990 | $62.98 | 1.09 | 2,830 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA | $130,980 | $62.97 | 0.51 | 80 |
| Winchester VA-WV | $129,990 | $62.50 | 0.55 | 60 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI | $129,780 | $62.39 | 0.99 | 3,250 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $129,740 | $62.38 | 0.93 | 9,850 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro OR-WA | $129,600 | $62.31 | 0.83 | 1,700 |
| Barnstable Town MA | $129,530 | $62.28 | 0.42 | 70 |
| Lexington Park MD | $129,020 | $62.03 | 0.73 | 90 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper East Mississippi nonmetropolitan area | $57,890 | $27.83 | 0.29 | 110 |
| Waterbury-Shelton CT | $59,160 | $28.44 | 0.64 | 170 |
| North Missouri nonmetropolitan area | $65,560 | $31.52 | 0.27 | 50 |
| Bowling Green KY | $65,620 | $31.55 | 0.31 | 40 |
| Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area | $68,580 | $32.97 | 1.13 | 220 |
| Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area | $69,260 | $33.30 | 0.26 | 30 |
| Johnson City TN | $69,330 | $33.33 | 0.24 | 30 |
| Williamsport PA | $70,190 | $33.75 | 0.43 | 40 |
| Daphne-Fairhope-Foley AL | $71,240 | $34.25 | 0.23 | 30 |
| Northeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area | $71,440 | $34.35 | 0.39 | 70 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomington IL | $120,760 | $58.06 | 4 | 590 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $185,080 | $88.98 | 3.16 | 6,060 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $170,110 | $81.79 | 2.61 | 10,460 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $164,740 | $79.20 | 2.38 | 8,370 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill NC | $106,500 | $51.20 | 2.28 | 1,320 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray UT | $114,990 | $55.28 | 2.13 | 2,970 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia NC-SC | $132,460 | $63.69 | 1.93 | 4,420 |
| Oshkosh-Neenah WI | $100,920 | $48.52 | 1.85 | 290 |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines IA | $103,030 | $49.53 | 1.82 | 1,240 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $132,200 | $63.56 | 1.75 | 9,260 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $132,040 | $63.48 | 1.74 | 7,930 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos TX | $127,360 | $61.23 | 1.71 | 3,730 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $135,980 | $65.37 | 1.45 | 23,160 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $170,110 | $81.79 | 2.61 | 10,460 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $127,750 | $61.42 | 1.48 | 10,120 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $129,740 | $62.38 | 0.93 | 9,850 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $132,200 | $63.56 | 1.75 | 9,260 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $164,740 | $79.20 | 2.38 | 8,370 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $107,640 | $51.75 | 1.04 | 7,940 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $132,040 | $63.48 | 1.74 | 7,930 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $108,940 | $52.37 | 1.4 | 6,820 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $109,910 | $52.84 | 1.32 | 6,480 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $185,080 | $88.98 | 3.16 | 6,060 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $112,520 | $54.10 | 1.66 | 4,510 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 15-2051. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates are published for 357 of 528 metropolitan areas; the remaining 171 had too few survey responses for BLS to publish without risking disclosure, so they are absent here rather than estimated. For a specialised role that is normal. Read the methodology.