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Job outlook for senior data analysts in the United States
Senior data analyst- job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected senior data analyst- job growth rate is 9% from 2018-2028.
About 56,000 new jobs for senior data analysts are projected over the next decade.
Senior data analyst- salaries have increased 8% for senior data analysts in the last 5 years.
There are over 86,757 senior data analysts currently employed in the United States.
There are 138,316 active senior data analyst- job openings in the US.
The average senior data analyst- salary is $91,585.
Are senior data analyst- jobs in demand?
Senior data analyst- job and salary trends over time
Senior data analyst- jobs over time
Senior data analyst- job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 86,757 | 0.03% |
| 2020 | 85,063 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | 87,399 | 0.03% |
| 2018 | 73,790 | 0.02% |
| 2017 | 71,381 | 0.02% |
Average senior data analyst- salary over time
Senior data analyst- salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $91,585 | $44.03 | +3.4% |
| 2024 | $88,567 | $42.58 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $86,562 | $41.62 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | $86,104 | $41.40 | +1.2% |
| 2021 | $85,079 | $40.90 | +1.7% |
Senior data analyst- jobs by state
Most common states for senior data analysts
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 590 | 85% |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,977 | 29% |
| 3 | Vermont | 623,657 | 162 | 26% |
| 4 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 256 | 24% |
| 5 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,362 | 23% |
| 6 | Alaska | 739,795 | 173 | 23% |
| 7 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,221 | 22% |
| 8 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 785 | 22% |
| 9 | Delaware | 961,939 | 207 | 22% |
| 10 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 128 | 22% |
| 11 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 607 | 20% |
| 12 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 275 | 20% |
| 13 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,610 | 19% |
| 14 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,065 | 19% |
| 15 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 2,298 | 18% |
| 16 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 135 | 18% |
| 17 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 1,766 | 17% |
| 18 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 1,744 | 17% |
| 19 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 1,574 | 17% |
| 20 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 1,207 | 17% |
Most common cities for senior data analysts
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bethesda | 10 | 16% | $92,352 |
| 2 | Atlanta | 55 | 12% | $82,299 |
| 3 | Richmond | 15 | 7% | $87,067 |
| 4 | Boston | 38 | 6% | $91,761 |
| 5 | Washington | 34 | 5% | $88,915 |
| 6 | Minneapolis | 15 | 4% | $85,985 |
| 7 | Baton Rouge | 10 | 4% | $80,487 |
| 8 | San Francisco | 25 | 3% | $121,366 |
| 9 | Seattle | 19 | 3% | $101,500 |
| 10 | Tampa | 12 | 3% | $81,568 |
| 11 | Austin | 16 | 2% | $85,455 |
| 12 | Denver | 15 | 2% | $77,800 |
| 13 | Indianapolis | 15 | 2% | $82,061 |
| 14 | Chicago | 34 | 1% | $80,892 |
| 15 | Los Angeles | 28 | 1% | $108,225 |
| 16 | Phoenix | 23 | 1% | $87,302 |
| 17 | Charlotte | 11 | 1% | $90,178 |
| 18 | Dallas | 11 | 1% | $82,005 |
| 19 | New York | 41 | 0% | $94,962 |
Senior Data Analyst- job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of senior data analyst- experts
UMass Lowell
Merrimack College
University of Washington
Kent State University
Widener University
Mississippi College
University of Southern Maine
Western Kentucky University
Prairie View A & M University
SUNY College at Geneseo
John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York
Michael Ciuchta Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Program Coordinator, Masters of Science in EntrepreneurshipUMass Lowell
Department of Marketing, Entrepreneurship & Innovation
What Senior Data Analyst- skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Michael Ciuchta Ph.D.: Obviously we are seeing a tremendous increase in AI and other digital technologies. These will become a more crucial skill set for many careers going forward. But I wouldn't downplay the role of what are traditionally seen as soft skills like empathy, communications, and judgment. Not only can these distinguish you from robots but from your human competitors as well.
What will help Senior Data Analysts increase their earning potential?
Michael Ciuchta Ph.D.: If all you want is the highest potential starting salary, then you should aim for careers that offer them. But that is a shortsighted way to view things. For example, many careers that have tournament-like pay structures (think entertainment) often have very low starting salaries but the so-called winners enjoy outsized financial gains. If you are thinking about a more traditional career, I think it's important to make sure you are more valuable to your employer than they are to you. This means you have to market yourself, both to your current employer as well as to potential ones. Of course, this approach may not be for everyone and maximizing your salary potential is only one thing you should be considering when assessing job and career opportunities.
What general advice would you give to a Senior Data Analyst-?
Yipeng Yang: Logic and critical thinking, mathematical modeling, computer programming, data analytics, and communication.
What Senior Data Analyst- skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Yipeng Yang: Get to know clearly the job duties quickly. Make good connections with colleagues and listen to their advices.
What will help Senior Data Analysts increase their earning potential?
Yipeng Yang: Enhance problem-solving ability. Keep learning and improving new skills in your field.
What Senior Data Analyst- skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Swagata Banerjee PhD: Digital literacy: As technology continues to evolve, proficiency in digital tools and platforms will become increasingly essential. Adaptability: The ability to quickly learn new skills and adapt to changing circumstances will be crucial in a rapidly evolving industry landscape. Data literacy: Understanding and analyzing data will become more important for making informed decisions and optimizing strategies. Interdisciplinary skills: The ability to work across different disciplines and collaborate effectively with diverse teams will be highly valued. Emotional intelligence: Soft skills such as empathy, communication, and teamwork will continue to be in demand as workplaces become more interconnected and dynamic.
What general advice would you give to a Senior Data Analyst-?
Joseph Spivey: I’d start by becoming as knowledgeable as possible about the salaries of people in jobs you are interested in. Compare salaries for open positions; you may be able to use your knowledge as leverage to ask for more money. When you interview, ask not just about starting salary but about how raises and promotions are handled. I wish that I had learned some basic negotiation principles when I started my career. I’d recommend the book Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In.
What Senior Data Analyst- skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Joseph Spivey: I think technology, especially artificial intelligence, provide increasingly important tools. Mathematics graduates will need to understand how to use technology in all kinds of new ways to improve their output and efficiency. Math graduates will need to be able to identify the best technological tools for a given task and critically interpret the output. As with most technological tools, people will be best served by using technology to augment, rather than replace, their efforts.
What will help Senior Data Analysts increase their earning potential?
Joseph Spivey: My first piece of advice is to recognize that you have achieved something hard and worthwhile by completing a mathematics major. There are not many people on this planet who have the knowledge and skills that you have developed! By completing a math major, you have proven that you have excellent critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and these abilities and confidence in your abilities will pay off. I also think it’s worthwhile to identify a mentor early on who can help guide you to be successful.
What Senior Data Analyst- skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Reshad Osmani PhD: To maximize your salary potential when starting your career, consider the following strategies: negotiate your starting salary based on market research, demonstrate your value through accomplishments, seek out opportunities for advancement and growth, continuously improve your skills, consider additional certifications or degrees, and be willing to explore job opportunities that offer competitive compensation packages.
What will help Senior Data Analysts increase their earning potential?
Reshad Osmani PhD: In the next 3-5 years, skills like data analysis, digital literacy, adaptability, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills are likely to become even more important across various fields due to the increasing influence of technology, automation, and remote work trends. Additionally, skills related to cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and sustainability may also gain prominence.
What general advice would you give to a Senior Data Analyst-?
Dr. Michael Zhang: In the coming years, turning data into insights and driving business innovation and success is the new compass.
What Senior Data Analyst- skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Michael Zhang: Don’t worry about your job title. Regardless of what you do, prepare yourself with data and modeling skills and hands-on experience in applying knowledge for developing, evaluating, refining and implementing analytics solutions to your career.
What will help Senior Data Analysts increase their earning potential?
Dr. Michael Zhang: All your study at University is a solid foundation of the bridge between theory and practice. Don’t be afraid of failure, be open-minded, keep learning and adapting to new challenges.
What will help Senior Data Analysts increase their earning potential?
David Hart: This field has become more valuable ever since the supply chain interruption due to Covid. The analyst is challenged every day with supply chain issues and deployment of the right resources to their prospective areas. Every day can be a new challenge so the work is rarely mundane.
Dany Doueiri
ProfessorWhat general advice would you give to a Senior Data Analyst-?
Dany Doueiri: Don't try to start your own business right after you graduate. Keep your dreams, passions, and aspirations alive but get experience from the field through companies, organizations, and institutions. Gain wisdom from those who have more experience than you and those who make mistakes, including your own shortcomings. Then, you can consider branching out. Finally, learning never stops at the end of your college journey. Be humble and keep on learning for life.
What will help Senior Data Analysts increase their earning potential?
Bradley Andrew Ph.D.: Once you have your first job, ask about or determine the 20% of your supervisor’s job that they hate and start doing that for them. They will love you for it and it will quickly get you recognition. You’ll also be well on your way to learning your boss’s job. Continue doing this as you progress in your career (Kudos to Theo Epstein, former GM for the Red Sox, for this recommendation)
No matter the task you’re given, do it to the absolute best of your abilities. In the professional world, you may often be given menial tasks or tasks that you don’t believe are part of your job description. Doing those tasks to the absolute best of your ability leads to increased trust, recognition and responsibility and will put you “above class.” If asked, the coffee you bring should be the best your boss has ever had. You never know who’s watching.
Don’t expect credit and don’t ask for credit when things go right; give the credit to others.
What will help Senior Data Analysts increase their earning potential?
Melissa Zimdars: Recognize that your first career opportunity won't be your last. If the job you land after college does not have opportunities for growth or advancement, it's imperative that you keep an eye out for them elsewhere as you continue to gain experience in your field.
What general advice would you give to a Senior Data Analyst-?
Victor Menaldo: Learn, learn and learn some more. Adopt a growth mindset where you never stop learning. Gain economic literacy and financial literacy and historical literacy and statistical literacy. This will allow you to complement AI: ask it good questions, contextualize and evaluate its answers, and ask good follow up questions.
What Senior Data Analyst- skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Victor Menaldo: Interacting with AI and knowing how to best exploit it to get the most out of it: increase productivity and value added in whatever field one is in.
What will help Senior Data Analysts increase their earning potential?
Victor Menaldo: Develop oral communication skills that allow you to speak in an articulate manner and organize your thoughts to signal your competence, knowledge, work ethic, and willingness to keep learning and improving.
What Senior Data Analyst- skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Vaneet Kaur: There are two sets of skills I will highly encourage graduates to proactively start building. Firstly, business graduates need to develop higher-order skills and capabilities like knowledge-based dynamic capabilities. These will help them to (a) constantly collect knowledge about emerging opportunities (and threats) in the industry, (b) mobilize themselves and their resources to bring identified opportunities into fruition, and (c) constantly renew their skills to effectively respond to the changes in the environment. Developing such knowledge-based dynamic capabilities will automatically prepare them for the different waves of skill set requirements that will keep arising in the job market. Secondly, it is no secret that we are living in the times of artificial intelligence and automation. So, in this day and age, it is extremely important that graduates learn to ride the wave of automation rather than being discouraged by it. Business graduates are set to contribute to the world with their business acumen and expertise, what they can do to complement it is to develop low-code, no-code skills. Such skills will help graduates to automate routine processes so that their time and energies can be strategically channelized towards those activities and processes that can add significant value to their organizations.
Tongyang Yang Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Economics and Business AnalyticsWidener University
Business/Commerce
What general advice would you give to a Senior Data Analyst-?
Tongyang Yang Ph.D.: There are many reasons that people like about being a business analyst, including reasons listed as follows: 1. Analytical Skills and Data Exploration: BAs often analyze data to understand trends and identify areas for improvement. Seeing a successful implementation and its positive impact can be very rewarding. 2. Problem-solving. BAs get to identify inefficiencies and propose solutions that can improve how a business operates. 3. Continuous learning. Business analysts may work on a range of projects and the field of business analysis may be constantly evolving, which required BAs to actively cultivate skills in new businesses. For example, the coming of the AI era requires BAs to master AI fundamentals and data fluency. 4. While some thrive on the problem-solving and communication aspects of a BA role, others may find them less appealing. Carefully consider your personality and preferences to see if this aligns with your career goals.
What Senior Data Analyst- skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Tongyang Yang Ph.D.: The rise of AI has brought many opportunities for the professions like business analysts in terms of AI integration. Businesses will need analysts who can bridge the gap between AI and human needs and focus on more strategic areas like identifying ethical considerations of AI implementation, developing plans to mitigate AI bias, and designing human-AI collaboration workflows. For people who are interested in entering this profession, I would suggest adapting your skillset to include AI understanding, data storytelling, and strategic thinking to be well-positioned in the future.
What general advice would you give to a Senior Data Analyst-?
Taylor Poe Ph.D.: Remember to problem solve creatively just as you did in your coursework. The critical thinking and problem-solving skills you learned will be continually tested in whatever field you go into from your math degree. Also remember the benefits of collaborating with colleagues both in the field and in other disciplines.
What Senior Data Analyst- skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Taylor Poe Ph.D.: Data analysis is certainly a growing field, and we cannot deny the benefits of having some programming skills. The ability to communicate and work with others will open doors to bigger projects.
What will help Senior Data Analysts increase their earning potential?
Taylor Poe Ph.D.: Sell the strengths that set you apart and be willing to continue learning new skills and areas.
Tove Rasmussen
LecturerUniversity of Southern Maine
Specialized Sales, Merchandising And Marketing Operations
What general advice would you give to a Senior Data Analyst-?
Tove Rasmussen: Tove Rasmussen advises graduates beginning their career in the field to...
What Senior Data Analyst- skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Tove Rasmussen: Tove Rasmussen believes that the skills that will become more important and prevalent in the field in the next 3-5 years are...
Tim Scales
Director of Center for Entrepreneurship – Director Center for Economic Education and Senior Lecturer in Business and EconomicsWhat general advice would you give to a Senior Data Analyst-?
Tim Scales: I would advise a graduate beginning their career in the field to focus on building a strong network, continuously learning and adapting to new technologies and trends, and seeking mentorship from experienced professionals in the industry.
What Senior Data Analyst- skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Tim Scales: To maximize salary potential when starting a career in the field, it's important to negotiate effectively, demonstrate value through performance, seek out opportunities for advancement and additional responsibilities, and continuously invest in improving skills and knowledge relevant to the industry.
What will help Senior Data Analysts increase their earning potential?
Tim Scales: In the next 3-5 years, I believe skills such as data analysis, digital marketing, and adaptability to changing market conditions will become increasingly important and prevalent in the field.
What Senior Data Analyst- skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Timothy Rich PhD: Think about the types of jobs that interest you and the skills necessary for those jobs early. So many students start thinking about post-graduation life spring their senior year, when it should be an incremental process much earlier. Another pieces of advice would be to talk to faculty and alum about your interests, find internship or research opportunities when possible, and try to figure out early your strengths and weaknesses. It's easy for students, especially high performing ones, to not fully consider what their weaknesses are. I encourage students to jot down what they see as their skills too and to share them with others. It helps them to identify what's a common skill versus something that might make them stick out.
What will help Senior Data Analysts increase their earning potential?
Terésa Dowell-Vest Ph.D., M.F.A.: First, I would celebrate them getting to that point. Everything after is going to be challenging and, in some cases…in most cases, difficult to navigate, so boosting their confidence and morale are key to ensuring they see themselves as worthy of success. Second, network! For young people beginning their careers, it is vital to meet other people with similar passions and pursuits. Find your tribe and climb together. Finally, craft a plan. A dream is not a plan. You need to create a BUSINESS PLAN for your life. Establish what your goals are, pare them down to one or two SMART goals, determine who will likely be supporters of your goal, create a brand for yourself (social media, business cards, a personal motto) and determine the resources you’ll need to achieve your goal.
Jasmine Tang
SUNY College at Geneseo
Bilingual, Multilingual, And Multicultural Education
What Senior Data Analyst- skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jasmine Tang: Be confident of their major/minor or the subject they like and do best of the field they like for themselves not for money or please their parents or fulfill the dream of others.
What will help Senior Data Analysts increase their earning potential?
Jasmine Tang: I always advise the students to apply any job that accept their degree or go for the one they really like.
Professor Shonna Trinch Ph.D.
ProfessorJohn Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, And Group Studies
What general advice would you give to a Senior Data Analyst-?
Professor Shonna Trinch Ph.D.: Being able to negotiate a salary is also a skill that students need to learn and one that is rarely taught in college. Students need to be able to ask for more than they are offered, but also take jobs at entry levels, prove themselves and then ask for an increase in pay six months into the job after they have shown that they are doing the work and achieving their goals.
What will help Senior Data Analysts increase their earning potential?
Professor Shonna Trinch Ph.D.: My advice to anyone graduating in any field is to think about the skills they have acquired in college and to represent them well on their resume. If students have been trained in quantitative or qualitative research methods, they should be able to talk cogently about the types of analysis they can do for businesses, policymakers and the like. They should also be open to any field when they are first starting out. Today, businesses are interested in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and because many of these programs are not perfect, well-trained students in Ethnic, Gender And Minority Studies--as well as related fields like Cultural Anthropology-- are well positioned to take entry level jobs and critically analyze programs and implement them in justice-oriented ways.