What a data entry earns, by metro
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.
What the percentile band tells you
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.
Geography barely moves this one
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.
Highest paying metros
| 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 |
Lowest paying metros
| 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 |
Where the role is most concentrated
| 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 |
Largest employers by metro
| 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 |
Current openings
About this data
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.