Each minute, people around the world send an average of 188 million emails, watch 4.5 million YouTube videos, and exchange 18.1 million texts. In short, we generate 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day, therefore it increases the need for someone to analyze the data for the benefit of the company. So, if you are looking for a career in data analytics in this era, this is the best time to do so. But where do you start, well, you are at the right place. This blog will try to describe
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What is data analytics?
Data analytics is nothing but a science of analyzing raw and uncleaned data to make clear insights and reports. Data analytics is essential since it helps companies to optimize their performance.
Adding the analysis to the existing business models helps companies cut off some expenses and do more efficient business. A company using data analytics is more likely to make better decisions and analyze customer satisfaction and trends, ultimately leading to a better product.
What do data analysts do?
Data Analysts are professionals who translate numbers, statistics, and figures into plain English for everyone to understand. Considering the past and present trends we can say that there’s always an increasing scope for data analysts at the workplace.
If subjects like mathematics, statistics, and computer science excite you and you are willing to work in a field that has a combination of these, then data analysis will be a perfect fit for you. Data mining, Python, and SQL will play a major technological role in the post of a data analyst. The job requires extracting insights from the data sets and making them as reports and visualizations.
Read our blog on Data Analyst Roles and Responsibilities.
Skills to be a data analyst :
Ok, now you know what data analytics is, but what does it take to be one? Here are the top skills required for success in the field.
- SQL
- Spreadsheets
- Critical thinking
- Data visualization
- Problem-solving skills
- Attention to details
- Statistics
- Writing
- Domain knowledge
SQL
SQL or Structured Query Language is used when we handle large sets of data and process information. It is a spreadsheet and computing tool that is much quicker and more efficient than the traditional spreadsheet. Since it was one of the valuable tools, knowing the functionality is key to success in the field.
Spreadsheets
Even though you use SQL, the knowledge and understanding of traditional spreadsheets are necessary. Some companies out there would still prefer working with traditional spreadsheets and they would like their data and insights to be presented there.
Critical Thinking
Most companies in the field often demand data analyst to collect and interpret data for a pretty niche reason. So, knowing what data to collect and processing data in the way that the employer wanted is a critical thinking skill every data analyst would prefer.
Data visualization
The ultimate goal of the data analyst after gathering, analyzing, and compiling the data is to present the final result to the employer. So you will need the skill of creating easy-to-understand data visualizations. Usually, data analysts choose graphs and charts to interpret the data for their colleagues.
Problem-solving skills
While completing their jobs or tasks, data analysts often face technical difficulties. Henceforth finding or establishing effective solutions for the employer through problem-solving is a necessary skill.
Attention to detail
Data analytics is a job that requires precise focus. Analyzing the data and maybe code needs close attention to details to extract the precise information from the data.
Statistics
Oftentimes, data analysts use statistics to provide meaning to bigger data, which helps other people understand and know those bigger datasets.
Writing
The data analyst primarily works with numbers and text, so creating written reports is an important aspect of the data analyst career. Hence the analyst with much better writing skills tends to have more success in the industry.
Domain Knowledge
Domain knowledge refers to the technical knowledge for the domain in which the data analyst works. Knowing the domain can sometimes provide useful insights into the data so that the analyst can easily understand and deconstruct the datasets.
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Data analyst salary in the US
Ultimately, every employee needs and expects some income for the work they did. So now you know what data analytics is and what it takes to be a data analyst, let’s get into the juicy part, the salary of the data analyst in the US.
An average data analyst salary in the US is approximately US$70,684 per annum as per indeed.com and these salaries are also affected by multiple factors including Experience, Industries, Location, Company, Skill.
Data analyst salary in the US by experience
Experience is the most important factor when it comes to salary in every possible field out there in the world. If you are just starting your career as a data analyst, at the entry-level you can expect around US$66,994. A mid-career data analyst with 3-5 years of experience would take around US$74,860. An experienced data analyst with 10+ years of experience would be around US$83,673.
Data analyst salary in the US by companies
Since data analysts are becoming part of every company, there has been a huge potential in earning but salary differs from company to company. So, here’s the list of top companies with better incomes for data analysts in the US. The average Data analyst salary in the US in
- Target — US$ 132,579 / year
- Facebook — US$ 130,137 / year
- Pacific Gas and Electric Company — US$ 129,648 / year
- Citizens — US$ 121,328 / year
- Move Inc — US$ 116,665 / year
- USAA — US$ 111,217 / year
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Data analyst salary in the US by city
Now let’s see how data analysts paid across the country. Across all the 50 states and multiple cities, the average salary of the data analyst in the US was as follows,
- Washington DC — US$ 82,789 / year
- California — US$ 66,774 / year
- New York NY — US$ 73,809 / year
- San Francisco — US$ 103,250 / year
- Seattle — US$ 70,630 / year
- Texas — US$ 68,213 / year
- Los Angeles — US$ 70,289 / year
- Chicago — US$ 69,848 / year
Data analyst salary in the US by skill
To secure a high-salary job, you must possess the skill required to fulfill the job requirements.
- Data analyst with knowledge of Informatica earns 29.33% more than the average salary.
- Statistics say that a data analyst with knowledge of Apple keynote earns 123.64% more than the average salary.
- Data analyst with knowledge of Adobe analytics earns 34.06% more than the average salary.
- Statistics say that data analysts with knowledge of Tableau earn 15.61% more than the average salary.
Refer to our Data Analyst Interview Questions blog to prepare for your next job interview
Conclusion
So to conclude, the demand for the data analyst position is on the rise and they are becoming more inevitable in the company’s growth. The salaries that are provided above are just numbers, the real influencer of your salary is your skill sets. So if you keep on working on your skill sets you will get a better package even in your early career. To pursue a career in this domain and become a successful Data Analyst with a high-paying salary, you must sign up for Intellipaat’s Data Analytics Online Course today. This course will help you start from scratch and become an expert in the domain within a few months.
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