If you enjoy working with numbers and solving problems, you might be interested in pursuing a job in data analytics. There are many career paths for data analysts, as data analysis is an integral part of industries ranging from finance and business to technology and healthcare. This guide to a career as a data analyst covers what types of jobs you may pursue, what to expect from a data analyst salary and more.

Data analytics jobs and specific responsibilities may look different depending on the industry. For example, here’s how the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) describes what financial analysts do:

For someone with a data analytics career as a mathematician or statistician, the BLS describes typical duties as:

Generally speaking, a professional who’s become a data analyst will use data to identify and solve problems as well as provide projections and appropriate recommendations. Data analytics services can assist both individuals and organizations.

Data analyst job titles may vary depending on the particular role and employer. Data analytics job settings may also vary widely depending on the industry in which the analyst works. Some data analysts may work in contractor roles, providing expertise for smaller organizations that don’t have the capacity for a full-time in-house data analyst. Others might work for large entities alongside a team of engineers, scientists or other professionals. 

Work environments that deal heavily in numbers may rely on data analysis to drive business decisions. These include:

If you’re interested in a specific industry, you may be able to find in-house data analysis positions at large organizations. You may also choose to specialize in a certain industry and work as a contractor, helping a variety of organizations.

The BLS lists a variety of careers for a data analyst. For most careers in data analytics, the data analyst qualifications include at least a bachelor’s degree. The following is a list of analyst careers for professionals who work with data, along with the typical education that’s required for each one.

What if you want to work as a data analyst and have a degree in a different area of study? Depending on your skills, experience and what’s required of the position, you may be able to pursue a data analytics career with the right education and skills. There are online data science courses and data science bootcamps that can help you grow your skill set in specialized areas depending on the job you want.

The world of business is diverse, and so are the types of data analytics jobs available. You may encounter the following types of work functions for various business data analytics positions.

Data analysts may also work in areas like management, where they analyze data like revenue and employment reports to make recommendations to management to improve their businesses. Similarly, data analysts specializing in operations use statistical analysis to help solve business problems.

Some data analysts who work in business work for a single company, while some work as consultants with a variety of businesses.

There are a variety of data analytics roles in government work settings at local, state and national levels. Government operations that are structured similarly to businesses will likely also have a need for data analysts. For example, some government analyst duties might include:

Many areas of government deal with significant amounts of data. Data analysts discern what will help optimize spending and better serve constituents through data-driven decisions.

Healthcare is another area where there’s an abundance of data, and data analysts can transform it into useful recommendations. In healthcare work settings like hospitals and physician practice groups, data analysts may examine data from sources like electronic health records, patient surveys, billing claims and cost reports. Data analysts working in healthcare help organizations provide better patient care and lower costs by making data-driven recommendations.

Data analysts in healthcare may also provide reports based on data and communicate them to healthcare executives. They may make recommendations to management and analyze changes that have been implemented to monitor their progress and resulting improvements.

Healthcare data analysts may also consult with insurers and vendors to make recommendations for population health management and cost containment based on healthcare data analysis. The day-to-day tasks of a data analytics job in such a large, diverse field might vary widely depending on the specific role. 

Other industries that use data to make decisions may employ the services of a data analyst. In research and development, for example, a data analytics pro may analyze consumer data to develop consumer goods pricing and marketing strategies. Working at a college or university, a data analyst may conduct research on a variety of topics and publish their analyses for the public.

There’s no one-size-fits-all average salary for data analysts, because data analyst pay depends on factors like industry, title and location. To get an idea of salaries, here were the 2020 median salaries for various data analyst roles, according to the BLS.

The BLS also states the mean annual wage for all other data scientists and mathematical science occupations was $103,930 in May 2020. According to O*NET, the 2020 median wage for business intelligence analysts was $98,230.

Like most jobs, data analytics salaries will depend on a variety of factors, including:

Earning potential as a data analyst will generally be higher the more education and experience you have. As the BLS reports, in 2020, the median usual weekly earnings for workers with a bachelor’s degree was $1,305. For those with a master’s degree, they were $1,545. For those with a doctoral degree, they were $1,885. Cost of living in a particular area may also factor into salary.

The projected job growth for those working in data analyst positions tends to be strong across industries. According to the BLS, the following is the projected job outlook for various data analyst positions between 2020 and 2030.

Industries that deal with data analytics are expected to have a continued need for these types of professionals.

Not sure if data analytics is right for you? Explore other options that could provide alternative jobs for data analysts and other career opportunities in operations, retail and sports.

As you can see, if you enjoy working with data and want to solve problems, there are numerous career paths you can pursue.

Those who specialize in data analytics have an array of industries and career paths to consider. Wherever data influences decision-making, a data analytics professional may be able to find a full-time in-house position or offer services as a contractor.

Consider your ideal career as you explore data analytics educational programs. You may be able to move into data analysis specialization by adding a bootcamp or short course experience to your resume. You also may be interested in pursuing a longer degree program depending on the role you’re interested in.

This page includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. 

Last updated January 2022