Technology · Level D1

Data Analyst

Answers business questions with SQL, BI tools, and applied statistics. As AI automates dashboards and reporting, the role moves up the stack toward decision-support.

Typical total compensation (US)

$102,000median

Range $79,000–$129,000 · base $91,000 · bonus $6,000 · equity $5,000

Indicative, sourced ranges — not a guarantee. BLS Operations Research Analysts (15-2031) nearest OEWS proxy - May 2024 (not yet refreshed to 2025 on O*NET): p25 $66,910 / p50 $91,290 / p75 $124,120; cross-checked Glassdoor 2026 avg $93.4k, Salary.com $97.7k, ZipRecruiter median $76.6k

At a glance

Difficulty

Medium

Hiring demand

Medium

Competition

High

AI task-risk

High

AI & this role: Dashboards, reporting and anomaly-flagging are heavily automated by AI analytics; junior analyst tasks among the most exposed knowledge work. The move is to climb the scope ladder, not to fear the tool.

What differentiates you at this level

foundationsSQL + data modelling
toolingBI/visualisation (Tableau/Looker/Power BI)
foundationsApplied statistics and experiment reading
ai-leverageMove up the stack: decision-support over report-building as AI automates dashboards

Where this leads — your highest-value routes

Ranked by pay ceiling. Progression is driven by scope and level transitions, not tenure.

Director of Productup to $555,000

$102,000 now → $510,000 in 12 yrs

Group Product Managerup to $475,000

$102,000 now → $435,000 in 9 yrs

Senior Product Managerup to $345,000

$102,000 now → $310,000 in 6 yrs

Senior Data Scientistup to $315,000

$102,000 now → $280,000 in 5 yrs

Product Managerup to $250,000

$102,000 now → $220,000 in 3 yrs

Credentials that help

Credentials help entry and specialisation; they don't gate senior or leadership roles — scope does.

CS / related bachelor's degree · $10k-$40k+/yr public in-state to private; highly variable
Coding bootcamp (e.g. Hack Reactor, App Academy, Nucamp) · ~$13,584

See the full Data Analyst pay breakdown by metro →