Pay for data entrys is unusually consistent across the country: $22,390 at the bottom of the range, $54,510 at the top, a spread of only 2.43×. Where you work matters less for this role than it does for most — which usually points to pay being set by structure (scales, licensure, collective agreements) rather than local bidding.
Ten per cent of data entrys earn below $31,200 and ten per cent above $58,790 — a 1.88× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 42%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) leads and Puerto Rico 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 | $54,510 | $26.21 | 0.77 | 720 |
| Albuquerque NM | $53,320 | $25.64 | 0.67 | 220 |
| Bismarck ND | $53,140 | $25.55 | 0.57 | 30 |
| Western Washington nonmetropolitan area | $53,040 | $25.50 | 0.59 | 60 |
| Bloomington IN | $51,760 | $24.88 | 3.87 | 230 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater WA | $51,660 | $24.84 | 1.31 | 140 |
| New Haven CT | $51,340 | $24.68 | 0.62 | 140 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $51,250 | $24.64 | 0.73 | 1,410 |
| Boulder CO | $49,920 | $24.00 | 0.6 | 90 |
| Helena MT | $49,850 | $23.97 | 2.4 | 90 |
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal SC | $49,280 | $23.69 | 0.83 | 60 |
| Napa CA | $48,880 | $23.50 | 0.93 | 60 |
| Portland-South Portland ME | $48,410 | $23.28 | 0.24 | 60 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA | $48,350 | $23.25 | 0.96 | 160 |
| Port St. Lucie FL | $48,020 | $23.09 | 0.72 | 100 |
| Naples-Marco Island FL | $47,800 | $22.98 | 1 | 140 |
| Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area | $47,750 | $22.96 | 0.5 | 40 |
| St. Cloud MN | $47,730 | $22.95 | 0.61 | 50 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $47,640 | $22.90 | 0.66 | 1,460 |
| Urban Honolulu HI | $47,630 | $22.90 | 0.44 | 160 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray UT | $47,560 | $22.86 | 2.33 | 1,580 |
| Bangor ME | $47,530 | $22.85 | 0.52 | 30 |
| Twin Falls ID | $47,170 | $22.68 | 0.97 | 40 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $47,040 | $22.61 | 1.15 | 5,900 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $47,000 | $22.60 | 0.45 | 760 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area | $22,390 | $10.76 | 2.41 | 60 |
| Ponce PR | $22,780 | $10.95 | 2.23 | 120 |
| Aguadilla PR | $23,120 | $11.12 | 2.55 | 100 |
| Mayaguez PR | $23,420 | $11.26 | 3.4 | 140 |
| Arecibo PR | $23,810 | $11.45 | 1.97 | 60 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $24,340 | $11.70 | 2.6 | 1,470 |
| Northwest Nebraska nonmetropolitan area | $28,080 | $13.50 | 2.65 | 80 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen TX | $28,980 | $13.94 | 1.26 | 160 |
| Laredo TX | $30,360 | $14.59 | 4.08 | 360 |
| Central Oregon nonmetropolitan area | $30,620 | $14.72 | 1.27 | 50 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laredo TX | $30,360 | $14.59 | 4.08 | 360 |
| Bloomington IN | $51,760 | $24.88 | 3.87 | 230 |
| Mayaguez PR | $23,420 | $11.26 | 3.4 | 140 |
| Topeka KS | $36,760 | $17.67 | 3.14 | 300 |
| Shreveport-Bossier City LA | $36,920 | $17.75 | 2.95 | 390 |
| Northwest Nebraska nonmetropolitan area | $28,080 | $13.50 | 2.65 | 80 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $24,340 | $11.70 | 2.6 | 1,470 |
| Aguadilla PR | $23,120 | $11.12 | 2.55 | 100 |
| Trenton-Princeton NJ | $40,910 | $19.67 | 2.54 | 500 |
| Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area | $22,390 | $10.76 | 2.41 | 60 |
| Helena MT | $49,850 | $23.97 | 2.4 | 90 |
| South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area | $32,950 | $15.84 | 2.34 | 330 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $45,350 | $21.81 | 1.3 | 10,110 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $47,040 | $22.61 | 1.15 | 5,900 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $43,110 | $20.73 | 1.7 | 5,610 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $39,520 | $19.00 | 1.65 | 4,430 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $44,650 | $21.47 | 1.16 | 4,270 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $44,160 | $21.23 | 1.37 | 2,650 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $41,280 | $19.85 | 0.99 | 2,340 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $40,160 | $19.31 | 0.99 | 2,290 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $43,610 | $20.97 | 0.77 | 1,810 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $42,840 | $20.60 | 0.63 | 1,620 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray UT | $47,560 | $22.86 | 2.33 | 1,580 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $24,340 | $11.70 | 2.6 | 1,470 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 43-9021. 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 395 of 528 metropolitan areas; the remaining 133 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.