Data Analyst Salary: $84K US Median

The 2026 US national median Data Analyst salary is $84,000 per year. Entry-level (25th percentile) starts at $54,600, while experienced professionals (90th percentile) earn $138,600 or more. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, blended with 2026 market data from Levels.fyi, Glassdoor, and Robert Half.

Yes — Data Analyst salaries grew approximately 520.0% year-over-year, from $13,548 in 2025 to $84,000 in 2026 (+$70,452). This reflects the Technology sector's 2025-2026 wage growth, driven by demand for SQL and Python.

The 5 highest-paying US cities for Data Analysts: San Francisco, CA ($130K); Oakland, CA ($118K); New York, NY ($113K); Seattle, WA ($111K); Washington, DC ($109K). Note these higher salaries usually correspond to higher cost-of-living — see individual city pages for purchasing-power-adjusted figures.

Lowest-paying metros for Data Analysts: Wichita ($71K), El Paso ($71K), Tulsa ($74K). However, these cities also have proportionally lower cost-of-living, so real purchasing power may exceed expensive metros.

Data analyst employment projected to grow 23% through 2034 — much faster than average. Demand driven by data-driven decision-making across every industry. BLS projects 23% employment growth from 2024-2034 — much faster than average compared to all US occupations.

The hottest 2026 skills are: SQL, Python, dbt, Looker/Tableau, Snowflake, GenAI for analytics. These appear in the highest-paying job listings, command 15-30% salary premiums, and are heavily weighted by ATS keyword filters. Adding them to your resume — naturally and in context — significantly improves your match rate.

Bachelor's degree (or strong portfolio with bootcamp). However, the 2026 market increasingly values demonstrable skills, portfolios, and certifications alongside (or in place of) traditional degrees — particularly in Technology. Top recognized credentials: Google Data Analytics, Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst (PL-300), Tableau Desktop Specialist.

Based on levels.fyi data and what I'm seeing from comparable offers, total compensation for this level is closer to $X base plus equity. Can we close the gap on base or front-load the RSU grant? Key leverage points for Technology: Reference levels.fyi total compensation data for your level (L4/L5/etc.) at comparable companies; Quantify recent shipped impact: latency reduced, revenue driven, on-call incidents resolved; Hold a competing offer (or credible interview pipeline) before the salary conversation. Beyond base salary, negotiate: Sign-on bonus ($25K-$100K is standard at Big Tech), RSU refreshers and accelerated vesting cliffs, Remote/hybrid flexibility and home-office stipend, Annual learning budget and conference allowance.

Major US employers hiring Data Analysts include: Amazon, Meta, Google, JPMorgan Chase, Capital One, Deloitte, Accenture, Walmart. Most use ATS software (Workday, Greenhouse, Taleo, iCIMS) to screen resumes — meaning your resume must be ATS-optimized to even reach a human recruiter.

Entry-level (0–1 year) Data Analysts typically earn around $60,278. By year 2–3, salary climbs to $65,520. With 7–10 years of experience, Data Analysts earn $110,880 on average. Senior/lead roles (15+ years) reach $124,740 or more.