Information specialists analyze and manage an organization's information databases which include filling, record-keeping, or stocktaking systems and information distribution. They identify data sources and collect information using surveying and research. Furthermore, they disseminate information on data processes and procedures to staff, clients, and shareholders. The specialists help optimize the organization's processes, develop and implement data storage methods, and help with the digitization of files. Asides from that, they work with the market research team to determine project needs.
Most information specialists have at least a bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, or a related field. They also have at least two years of experience in a similar role and they have extensive knowledge of data processes and information systems. Likewise, they are familiar with programming languages. Key skills include communication, attention to detail, multitasking, interpersonal, and research skills. Their salary ranges between $33,000 and $105,000 with an average of $58,967 per year.
What is an Information Specialist?
What Does an Information Specialist Do
There are certain skills that many information specialists have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed listening skills, problem-solving skills and speaking skills.
How To Become an Information Specialist
If you're interested in becoming an information specialist, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 59.5% of information specialists have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 9.1% of information specialists have master's degrees. Even though most information specialists have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Information Specialist Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, an information specialist can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as consultant, progress to a title such as project manager and then eventually end up with the title senior project manager.
Average Salary for an Information Specialist
What Am I Worth?
States With The Most Information Specialist Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active information specialist jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where information specialists earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Information Specialist Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 5,618 | $78,215 |
| 2 | Texas | 3,652 | $57,140 |
| 3 | Florida | 2,914 | $50,641 |
| 4 | New York | 2,442 | $92,681 |
| 5 | Illinois | 2,151 | $73,562 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 1,976 | $93,484 |
| 7 | North Carolina | 1,795 | $74,548 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | 1,767 | $91,326 |
| 9 | Georgia | 1,735 | $53,215 |
| 10 | Ohio | 1,647 | $81,084 |
| 11 | Virginia | 1,646 | $91,615 |
| 12 | New Jersey | 1,383 | $98,723 |
| 13 | Washington | 1,353 | $52,221 |
| 14 | Arizona | 1,306 | $58,981 |
| 15 | Minnesota | 1,232 | $51,858 |
| 16 | Michigan | 1,226 | $85,505 |
| 17 | Colorado | 1,099 | $42,032 |
| 18 | Maryland | 1,072 | $92,991 |
| 19 | Indiana | 1,009 | $68,562 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 991 | $65,127 |
| 21 | Tennessee | 950 | $62,652 |
| 22 | Oregon | 945 | $57,351 |
| 23 | Missouri | 935 | $47,313 |
| 24 | Utah | 783 | $45,794 |
| 25 | Iowa | 736 | $49,238 |
| 26 | Alabama | 625 | $65,061 |
| 27 | South Carolina | 613 | $71,747 |
| 28 | Kentucky | 555 | $75,891 |
| 29 | Connecticut | 538 | $84,081 |
| 30 | Nebraska | 534 | $43,417 |
| 31 | Louisiana | 485 | $56,339 |
| 32 | Kansas | 484 | $46,945 |
| 33 | Oklahoma | 460 | $45,821 |
| 34 | Nevada | 414 | $61,383 |
| 35 | Arkansas | 402 | $56,545 |
| 36 | New Mexico | 385 | $56,145 |
| 37 | Idaho | 380 | $45,633 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | 339 | $78,071 |
| 39 | Mississippi | 323 | $51,216 |
| 40 | Maine | 289 | $66,080 |
| 41 | North Dakota | 277 | $48,729 |
| 42 | Montana | 274 | $40,274 |
| 43 | Rhode Island | 269 | $86,311 |
| 44 | West Virginia | 265 | $80,482 |
| 45 | Delaware | 261 | $91,672 |
| 46 | South Dakota | 259 | $44,181 |
| 47 | Hawaii | 235 | $45,016 |
| 48 | Alaska | 211 | $37,035 |
| 49 | Vermont | 191 | $76,050 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 163 | $41,168 |
Top Colleges for Information Specialists
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
4. Maine Maritime Academy
Castine, ME • Private
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
6. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
7. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
8. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
9. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
10. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Top Skills For an Information Specialist
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 17.2% of information specialists listed patients on their resume, but soft skills such as listening skills and problem-solving skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Information Specialist Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Information Specialist templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Information Specialist resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Information Specialist Demographics
Information Specialist Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among information specialists, 66.1% of them are women, while 33.9% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among information specialists is White, which makes up 60.1% of all information specialists.
- The most common foreign language among information specialists is Spanish at 58.0%.
Work Experience Programs For Information Specialists
Virtual work experience programs replicate work at top companies and help you gain the skills to be successful when applying and working there. In only a few hours, learn the relevant tools necessary to complete a typical work day at that company. Virtual work experience programs are 100% free, open-access, and self-paced. No experience or application is required!
Company: Ashurst UK
Cost: Free
Duration: 2 hours
Company: Latham & Watkins
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Company: Accenture North America
Cost: Free
Duration: 4 hours
Company: Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Online Courses For Information Specialist That You May Like
In this course you will receive an overview of the health IT ecosystem with a specific focus on the role of electronic health records (EHRs). You’ll be introduced to the factors that contributed to the move from paper records to digitized records and who the most common vendors are. We’ll go over features of EHRs such as computerized provider order entry, clinical decision support, documentation capabilities, and medication reconciliation. Like a physician’s stethoscope, the EHR has become an...
This course is the first of a series that aims to prepare you for a role as an entry-level IT Support Specialist. In this course, you’ll be introduced to the world of Information Technology, or IT. You’ll learn about the different facets of Information Technology, like computer hardware, the Internet, computer software, troubleshooting, and customer service. This course covers a wide variety of topics in IT that are designed to give you an overview of what’s to come in this certificate program...
The course is awarded The Best Free Online Courses of All Time, and Best Online Courses of the Year (2021 Edition) by Class Central (http://www.classcentral.com). --- Information systems (IS) are important assets to business organizations and are ubiquitous in our daily lives. With the latest IS technologies emerging, such as Big Data, FinTech, Virtual Banks, there are more concerns from the public on how organizations maintain systems’ integrity, such as data privacy, information security, the...
Best States For an Information Specialist
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an information specialist. The best states for people in this position are New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New York. Information specialists make the most in New Jersey with an average salary of $98,723. Whereas in Pennsylvania and Maryland, they would average $93,484 and $92,991, respectively. While information specialists would only make an average of $92,681 in New York, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. District of Columbia
$91,772
Avg. Salary
2. Delaware
$91,672
Avg. Salary
3. Massachusetts
$91,326
Avg. Salary
How Do Information Specialist Rate Their Jobs?
Top Information Specialist Employers
We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ information specialists and discovered their number of information specialist opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that DXC Technology was the best, especially with an average salary of $104,538. American Cancer Society follows up with an average salary of $55,070, and then comes C.H. Robinson with an average of $39,342. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as an information specialist. The employers include ICF, Robert Half, and Good Shepherd Services
Most Common Employers For Information Specialist
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aetna | $106,224 | $51.07 | 25 |
| 2 | DXC Technology | $104,538 | $50.26 | 260 |
| 3 | AbbVie | $102,836 | $49.44 | 31 |
| 4 | IBM | $98,644 | $47.42 | 24 |
| 5 | HP | $98,372 | $47.29 | 24 |
| 6 | ZS | $93,809 | $45.10 | 100 |
| 7 | Abbott | $84,765 | $40.75 | 35 |
| 8 | Maimonides Medical Center | $73,689 | $35.43 | 47 |
| 9 | Allsup & Assoc Inc | $71,553 | $34.40 | 52 |
| 10 | Qwest | $70,716 | $34.00 | 34 |
Information Specialist Videos
