How much do business analysts make?

Business Analyst salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Management Analysts (SOC 13-1111) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Business analysts in the US earned a median of $101,860 a year ($48.97 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $77,950 to $133,370.

Median annual pay: $101,860; Mean $113,790
Median hourly pay: $48.97; Mean $54.71
Typical range (10th–90th): $60.6K–$172K; $60,640 to $171,640
US jobs: 898,280; +10.1% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a business analyst: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: Massachusetts

Business Analyst pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$60,640
25th percentile$77,950
Median$101,860
75th percentile$133,370
90th percentile$171,640

Half of all business analysts earned more than $101,860 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $60,640; the top 10% made over $171,640. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $77,950 to $133,370.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$60,640	$29.15	$5,053
25th	$77,950	$37.48	$6,496
Median (50th)	$101,860	$48.97	$8,488
75th	$133,370	$64.12	$11,114
90th	$171,640	$82.52	$14,303
Mean (average)	$113,790	$54.71	$9,483

Business Analyst salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for business analysts by state. Darker tiles pay more.

Highest-paying states

1. Massachusetts $134,720
2. District of Columbia $126,140
3. Maryland $121,680
4. Virginia $117,580
5. New York $112,250

Lowest-paying states

51. Mississippi $69,390
50. Arkansas $72,950
49. Nebraska $75,360
48. Maine $75,530
47. Kansas $81,210

Best after cost of living: Massachusetts. Its median of $134,720 is worth about $127,386 at national-average prices.


Alabama	$108,040	7	$121,635	2	$51.94	4,900	2.32
Alaska	$100,190	20	$97,881	33	$48.17	460	1.41
Arizona	$93,310	38	$92,683	41	$44.86	17,190	5.31
Arkansas	$72,950	50	$83,911	47	$35.07	6,250	4.80
California	$101,460	16	$91,637	43	$48.78	137,280	7.54
Colorado	$104,750	11	$101,648	25	$50.36	14,360	5.00
Connecticut	$104,960	10	$101,303	28	$50.46	8,000	4.71
Delaware	$99,480	23	$99,671	31	$47.83	4,120	8.50
District of Columbia	$126,140	2	$114,776	5	$60.65	19,000	27.06
Florida	$88,610	42	$85,685	45	$42.60	71,060	7.16
Georgia	$99,600	22	$103,434	20	$47.89	38,390	7.85
Hawaii	$101,750	15	$92,541	42	$48.92	2,920	4.64
Idaho	$88,710	41	$92,896	40	$42.65	3,700	4.31
Illinois	$104,270	12	$104,314	18	$50.13	45,820	7.51
Indiana	$95,560	33	$102,390	22	$45.94	11,770	3.68
Iowa	$85,530	43	$97,457	34	$41.12	4,150	2.66
Kansas	$81,210	47	$90,165	44	$39.04	5,280	3.67
Kentucky	$95,630	32	$106,068	14	$45.98	4,550	2.28
Louisiana	$95,540	34	$108,313	9	$45.94	4,760	2.46
Maine	$75,530	48	$77,826	51	$36.31	2,910	4.55
Maryland	$121,680	3	$115,931	4	$58.50	19,170	6.94
Massachusetts	$134,720	1	$127,386	1	$64.77	30,060	8.26
Michigan	$93,640	37	$97,322	36	$45.02	13,010	2.95
Minnesota	$100,790	18	$102,199	23	$48.46	20,700	7.02
Mississippi	$69,390	51	$79,802	50	$33.36	3,160	2.72
Missouri	$97,270	31	$107,105	12	$46.77	10,030	3.42
Montana	$97,470	29	$102,985	21	$46.86	1,590	3.10
Nebraska	$75,360	49	$83,638	48	$36.23	2,740	2.68
Nevada	$81,600	46	$81,617	49	$39.23	4,550	2.93
New Hampshire	$104,270	13	$100,101	30	$50.13	2,670	3.90
New Jersey	$105,820	9	$97,257	37	$50.87	22,080	5.15
New Mexico	$93,180	39	$101,050	29	$44.80	3,910	4.49
New York	$112,250	5	$104,011	19	$53.96	69,150	7.14
North Carolina	$98,560	27	$104,489	16	$47.38	22,200	4.49
North Dakota	$90,220	40	$101,418	27	$43.38	—	—
Ohio	$94,270	35	$101,613	26	$45.32	25,120	4.53
Oklahoma	$99,420	24	$113,179	6	$47.80	5,760	3.37
Oregon	$101,840	14	$98,528	32	$48.96	10,840	5.51
Pennsylvania	$93,830	36	$96,165	38	$45.11	34,420	5.67
Rhode Island	$99,640	21	$97,419	35	$47.91	4,100	8.18
South Carolina	$100,660	19	$107,372	11	$48.40	12,340	5.36
South Dakota	$83,620	44	$94,394	39	$40.20	2,980	6.52
Tennessee	$99,260	25	$108,044	10	$47.72	13,700	4.18
Texas	$101,400	17	$104,475	17	$48.75	50,990	3.62
Utah	$83,530	45	$84,490	46	$40.16	5,670	3.27
Vermont	$107,520	8	$109,761	7	$51.69	730	2.39
Virginia	$117,580	4	$116,296	3	$56.53	59,620	14.51
Washington	$109,170	6	$102,016	24	$52.49	24,760	6.97
West Virginia	$97,470	30	$108,909	8	$46.86	1,740	2.48
Wisconsin	$98,780	26	$104,979	15	$47.49	11,670	3.97
Wyoming	$98,540	28	$106,310	13	$47.37	390	1.39

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure. State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for business analysts

375 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$136,670	$123,770	9,020
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$135,640	$125,284	26,450
Barnstable Town, MA	$132,140	$134,356	140
Boulder, CO	$131,470	$124,969	980
Lexington Park, MD	$130,020	$129,039	1,300
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$126,830	$116,482	62,360
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL	$126,810	$133,921	70
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$126,730	$109,616	23,560
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$126,340	$113,684	16,930
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC	$126,110	$129,248	1,840

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	67,630	$124,390	$110,507
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	62,360	$126,830	$116,482
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	37,510	$105,090	$101,443
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	37,060	$104,930	$92,396
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	26,870	$101,220	$101,161
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	26,450	$135,640	$125,284
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	25,600	$82,990	$77,801
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	23,560	$126,730	$109,616
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	18,010	$102,860	$99,777
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	16,930	$126,340	$113,684

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves business analyst pay: employers and settings

BLS does not publish a separate figure for the title business analyst; these numbers cover management analysts, the occupation that includes business analysts, management consultants and program analysts. The median was $101,860 in May 2025.

Employer type makes a clear difference. The federal government pays a median of $115,920 and computer systems design firms pay $111,490. Consulting firms, the largest employer at 24.9% of jobs, pay $105,460 and corporate headquarters pay $101,030. Insurance carriers pay $99,520. State government agencies pay notably less, at $77,440.

By state, pay is highest in Massachusetts and in and around the District of Columbia. Massachusetts leads at $134,720, followed by the District of Columbia at $126,140, Maryland at $121,680, Virginia at $117,580, and New York at $112,250. Nebraska at $75,360, Arkansas at $72,950, and Mississippi at $69,390 sit at the bottom. California has by far the most jobs, 137,280.

Earnings at the 10th percentile are $60,640, while the 90th percentile reaches $171,640, about 1.7 times the median. Industry expertise, technical skills such as SQL or systems knowledge, an MBA, certifications, and moving into client-facing consulting or management roles tend to push pay up. About 14% of these workers are self-employed consultants, whose income varies widely.

Where business analysts work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services	24.9%	$105,460
Federal Executive Branch	8.5%	$115,920
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals	7.4%	$77,440
Computer Systems Design and Related Services	6.5%	$111,490
Management of Companies and Enterprises	5.8%	$101,030
Insurance Carriers	4.8%	$99,520

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	703,170	$102,940
Federal government (incl. Postal Service)	76,910	$115,920
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	80,350	$78,630
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	37,850	$100,830

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Business Analyst pay over time

Median annual pay, 2015–2025

$102K $81.3K

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $81,320 in 2015 to $101,860 in 2025, up 25% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $109,928 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay fell 7% over the period.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What business analysts do

Business analysts study how an organization works and recommend changes that make it run better, cheaper or with fewer errors. BLS counts them with management analysts and management consultants, the people a company or agency brings in to fix a slow process, plan a reorganization or decide what a new system needs to do. Program analysts in government do the same kind of work on public programs.

A typical project starts with questions: interviewing managers and front-line staff, watching how work actually gets done, and pulling numbers on costs, delays or customer complaints. The analyst maps the current process, finds where it breaks, and writes up options with costs and risks. In technology projects, business analysts translate what users need into requirements and user stories for developers, then help test the result and train staff on the new way of working. About a quarter work for consulting firms, often traveling to client sites; others work inside federal and state agencies, insurers, software companies and corporate headquarters.

A typical day

Interview managers and staff to learn how a process works today and where it fails
Map workflows and pull data from spreadsheets, databases or reports to measure the problem
Write requirements, user stories and acceptance criteria for new systems or changes
Compare options on cost, risk and effort and present recommendations to decision makers
Run workshops to get departments to agree on priorities and scope
Help test new systems and write procedures and training for the people who will use them
Track whether a change delivered the savings or improvements it promised

Also called: management analyst, management consultant, consultant, administrative analyst, business consultant, employment programs analyst, organizational development consultant, performance management analyst.

How to become a business analyst

Full guide

Most business analysts have a bachelor's degree in business, economics, information systems, engineering or a similar field and a few years of experience in a related job. No license is required; some add an MBA or an IIBA certification such as the ECBA or CBAP.

Typical time: 5-8 years; Fastest: About 4 years
Minimum education: Bachelor's degree (business, economics, information systems, engineering or a related field)
License: Not licensed (certification optional)
Typical training cost: $37.5K–$50.3K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a business analyst: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 5-8 years; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $37.5K–$50.3K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $101,860; $50,880 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 37–49%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($50,880 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in less than a year after training ends (5-8 years in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for business analysts

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +10.1%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 1,077,100; 1,186,300 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 94,100; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 14%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects management analyst jobs to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035, from 1,077,100 to 1,186,300, almost three times the 3.5% average for all occupations. Organizations keep hiring analysts and consultants to cut costs and work more efficiently, and BLS expects especially strong growth at smaller consulting firms that specialize in one industry or function, such as IT or human resources. Government agencies are also expected to use more analysts to find savings. With about 94,100 openings a year, this is a large occupation with steady demand, though consulting hiring can dip in recessions.

Related careers and their pay

Project Manager$102,320
Data Scientist$120,230
Computer Occupations, All Other$116,580
Computer Systems Analysts$105,850
Chief Executives$213,990

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Business Analyst salary FAQ

How much do business analysts make an hour?

The median hourly wage for business analysts was $48.97 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $29.15 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $82.52. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays business analysts the most?

Massachusetts has the highest median pay for business analysts, $134,720 a year, followed by District of Columbia ($126,140) and Maryland ($121,680). After adjusting for each state's price level, Massachusetts comes out ahead at about $127,386 in national-average dollars.

Do business analysts make $200,000 a year?

Few do: based on the BLS percentiles, fewer than 10% of business analysts earn more than $200,000 a year. The median is $101,860, and the top 10% earn more than $171,640. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

Is a business analyst the same as a management consultant?

They overlap heavily, and BLS counts both as management analysts. The difference is usually who employs them. Business analysts more often work inside one company, improving its processes or defining requirements for its systems. Management consultants usually work for consulting firms and advise many client organizations, often on strategy or reorganization as well as operations. The core skills of research, analysis and recommendations are the same.

What is the difference between a business analyst and a data analyst?

A data analyst focuses on the data itself: cleaning it, querying it and building reports and dashboards. A business analyst focuses on how the organization works and what should change, using data as one input along with interviews, process maps and requirements. Business analysts spend more time with stakeholders and on documentation; data analysts spend more time writing SQL and building visualizations. Many jobs blend both.

Do business analysts need to know how to code?

Usually not in the software-developer sense. Most business analyst jobs ask for strong Excel skills, and many ask for basic SQL to pull data, plus familiarity with process-mapping and project-tracking tools. IT business analysts need to understand how systems, databases and integrations work so they can write requirements developers can build. Programming in Python or similar languages is a plus but rarely required.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 13-1111
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (13-1111.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Management Analysts: Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP), International Institute of Business Analysis · checked October 28, 2026
Certification of Capability in Business Analysis (CCBA), International Institute of Business Analysis · checked October 28, 2026
Certification Fees, International Institute of Business Analysis · checked October 28, 2026
CMC Certification, Institute of Management Consultants USA · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor) · checked October 28, 2026
ECBA Certification, International Institute of Business Analysis · checked October 28, 2026

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