Our research team dives deep into the latest California data analytics employment and provides a unique analysis of current job opportunities across the state.
Published on January 21st by Jennifer Gaskin. Reviewed by Jen Hood.
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Jobs that require data analytics skills are among the fastest-growing in the country. In fact, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, some occupations that require experience (See our How to Get Experience Guide) in the use of data and statistics are expected to see growth rates that are several times higher than the growth rate the government expects for all jobs.
As instructive as it can be, though, federal data is broad and slow-moving, and we wanted to get an idea of the real-time employment situation for data analytics professionals in California for the remainder of 2020. So we created a sample set of jobs and gathered the following data from Indeed.com for all qualifying jobs posted in California by mid-January 2020 — number of openings, average salary, openings per city, experience level required and openings per company.
Our analysis covered a total of six distinct job titles in data analytics, though there’s no doubt the field is vast and includes virtually limitless titles and industries.
Read on to see our complete analysis of the data analytics employment picture in California for 2020, but here are some of the highlights:
- A total of 12,284 data analytics openings are now posted for California compared to just over 90,000 for the entire U.S.
- 1 in 5 data analytics job openings in California are located in the San Francisco area.
- Almost 1 in 2 California data analytics positions are in either San Francisco or Silicon Valley.
- Los Angeles and San Diego each accounted for about 8% of all job postings.
- Mid-career openings are most common (57.4%), but entry-level job openings (22.3%) are slightly more plentiful than senior positions (20.3%).
- Apple accounts for more than 1 in 10 data analytics jobs posted in California (11.5%), Amazon accounts for nearly as many (9.6%), and Facebook adds another 6.8%.
In This Section
- Average California Salary
- Top California Cities
- Top California Employers
- Data Analytics Jobs Ranking
- Conclusion
- About This Report
- Fair Use Statement
Average California Salary
California data analytics job applicants can expect to earn high wages compared to the average job in California and around the country. In fact, the six jobs we studied have an overall average salary in California of nearly $99,000, and two of the jobs offer average salaries that are in the six figures.
| Job Title | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Data Scientist | $147,179 |
| Analytics Manager | $137,913 |
| Business Intelligence Analyst | $93,075 |
| Business Analyst | $83,847 |
| Data Analyst | $78,108 |
| Intelligence Analyst | $51,991 |
Top California Cities
While data analytics jobs have been posted recently in nearly two dozen major California cities, it’s not hard to see some geographic patterns emerge when it comes to which regions of the state hold the lion’s share of these jobs: the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley. These nearby areas combine to account for almost 1 out of 2 data analyst job openings in the state, and they boast six of the top 10 cities in terms of total openings.
| City Name | Combined Openings |
|---|---|
| San Francisco | 21.7% |
| San Diego | 8.8% |
| Los Angeles | 8.5% |
| Santa Clara | 6.1% |
| San Jose | 5.7% |
| Palo Alto | 4.8% |
| Sunnyvale | 4.3% |
| Irvine | 4.1% |
| Mountain View | 2.5% |
| Redwood City | 1.9% |
Top California Employers
Some of the world’s biggest companies and most popular brands are listed among the companies that have the highest number of openings for data analysts in California. This includes household names like Apple, Facebook and Amazon but also includes major but less well-known names as Deloitte, Kaiser Permanente and Northrop Grumman.
| Employer Name | Job Openings |
|---|---|
| Apple | 11.5% |
| Deloitte | 10.2% |
| Amazon | 9.3% |
| 6.8% | |
| 5.8% | |
| Accenture | 4.8% |
| NVIDIA | 4.2% |
| Amgen | 3.9% |
| Uber | 3.5% |
| Kaiser Permanente | 3.0% |
| First Republic Bank | 2.7% |
| Intuit | 2.0% |
| Northrop Grumman | 1.9% |
| 1.6% | |
| SAIC | 1.6% |
| California State University | 1.5% |
| Cisco | 1.4% |
| General Dynamics Information Technology | 1.2% |
| IBM | 1.1% |
| Providence Health & Services | 1.1% |
Data Analytics Jobs Ranking
The following section details the six jobs used in this analysis ranked by current job openings.
- Business Analyst (2,830 Openings)
- Data Scientist (2,738 Openings)
- Data Analyst (2,701 Openings)
- Intelligence Analyst (2.335 Openings)
- Business Intelligence Analyst (1,189 Openings)
- Analytics Manager (491 Openings)
Data Scientist — $147,179
Total openings: 2,738
Data Scientists have the highest average salary among the six data analyst jobs we studied and boast the second-highest number of job openings in California. A high rate of pay and a relatively high degree of job availability, combined with the broad skill set this job title requires, team up to make Data Scientist the hottest data analytics job in California for 2020.
Data Scientists are responsible for gathering and analyzing large amounts of information, using skills in mathematics, statistics and programming to generate recommendations related to their jobs. The job description is broad, which is one reason why there are so many of these openings, as basically every company today is looking to harness data.
While Data Scientists enjoy a high average wage, a sizeable proportion of jobs have far lower salaries, and about 1 in 3 Data Scientist openings in California pay between $85,000 and $100,000, which is still far higher than the average job. And more than 20% of California Data Scientist jobs pay in excess of $120,000.
| Job Openings by Salary | Job Openings |
|---|---|
| $85,000+ | 32.4% |
| $100,000+ | 25.5% |
| $110,000+ | 20.2% |
| $120,000+ | 14.9% |
| $135,000+ | 7.0% |
The most common experience level California employers are seeking is mid-career, which for most people means anywhere between 10 and 20 years. Entry-level jobs are slightly more common than senior-level positions, though both are about half as common as mid-level jobs.
| Job Openings by Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Entry level | 25.7% |
| Mid-level | 50.7% |
| Senior level | 23.6% |
Data Scientists in California who want to live in a city other than San Francisco or parts of Silicon Valley may have a harder time finding good jobs. That’s because of the cities included in our research, well over half of all Data Scientist openings are in those regions.
| Top 5 Job Openings by City | Percentage |
|---|---|
| San Francisco | 21.5% |
| Santa Clara | 13.3% |
| Palo Alto | 8.2% |
| San Jose | 5.5% |
| Sunnyvale | 5.2% |
Data Scientist jobs in California are dominated by American tech giants, and Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, and Uber account for nearly 2 in 3 Data Scientist jobs in the state.
| Top 10 Job Openings by Company | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Amazon | 23.3% |
| Apple | 19.4% |
| Deloitte | 13.4% |
| NVIDIA | 10.7% |
| 9.1% | |
| 4.0% | |
| Uber | 3.9% |
| Intuit | 3.3% |
| Splunk | 2.5% |
| Amgen | 2.3% |
Business Analyst — $83,847
Total openings: 2,830
The average salary for Business Analysts is among the bottom half of the six jobs we studied, but the role has the highest number of openings and is among the broadest, with applications in every conceivable industry.
Business Analysts help organizations improve their processes and procedures to ensure profits and efficiency are maximized. In some companies, these roles may reside inside IT departments, while others are in operations, HR or management.
California Business Analysts can expect to earn an average salary of $83,847, the third-lowest of the six jobs we studied, and Business Analysts have among the highest number of jobs that are slotted in the lowest salary range. However, the vast majority of California Business Analyst jobs earn upwards of $80,000.
| Job Openings by Salary | Percentage |
|---|---|
| $70,000+ | 31.2% |
| $80,000+ | 26.1% |
| $90,000+ | 19.0% |
| $95,000+ | 15.2% |
| $105,000+ | 8.4% |
Like all other data analytics jobs we studied, workers are likely to find the most opportunities in jobs when they are in the middle of their careers, and the balance for Business Analysts is almost perfectly balanced between entry-level and senior positions.
| Job Openings by Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Entry Level | 20.3% |
| Mid Level | 58.9% |
| Senior Level | 20.8% |
San Francisco has the highest percentage of openings in Business Analyst roles, and this is true for every job on our list. However, Business Analysts are the data analytics professionals most likely to be able to find work in other regions of the state, with Los Angeles and San Diego each accounting for more than 1 in 10 jobs for Business Analysts.
| Top 5 Job Openings by City | Percentage |
|---|---|
| San Francisco | 27.9% |
| Los Angeles | 12.8% |
| San Diego | 12.1% |
| San Jose | 8.5% |
| Irvine | 7.5% |
The operations focus inherent in most Business Analyst jobs makes it much more likely that professionals will find work in banking, consulting or accounting, though tech companies remain good options in general.
| Top 10 Job Openings by Company | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Accenture | 15.6% |
| Deloitte | 14.6% |
| Amgen | 8.9% |
| 7.4% | |
| Kaiser Permanente | 7.4% |
| Apple | 6.7% |
| 6.7% | |
| Capgemini | 5.0% |
| City National Bank | 4.7% |
| First Republic Bank | 4.5% |
Data Analyst — $78,108
Total openings: 2,701
The second-lowest in the salary rankings but in the top half for total openings are Data Analysts. This is another very broad title that applies to a huge range of industries and job functions, so while the average salary may be on the lower side, the sheer volume of possible applications for this role makes it an attractive one.
Data Analysts help bridge the gap between numbers and regular language. Like their Data Scientist counterparts, they must be comfortable with numbers and statistics, but they are more likely to run into requirements relating to things like communicating their findings and getting buy-in for their recommendations from various departments and stakeholders.
Data Analysts have the lowest starting salary, and nearly 1 in 3 jobs for these professionals is in the $65,000-$75,000 range; however, Data Analysts also have a relatively high percentage of positions that pay upwards of $100,000.
| Job Openings by Salary Range | Percentage |
|---|---|
| $65,000+ | 30.8% |
| $75,000+ | 25.9% |
| $85,000+ | 19.2% |
| $90,000+ | 15.7% |
| $100,000+ | 8.5% |
The lower entry-level salary for Data Analysts is largely a factor of the fact that this job has the highest ratio of entry-level openings, with 27.2% of postings requiring no prior experience. Similarly, Data Analysts have the second-lowest proportion of jobs requiring a senior-level professional.
| Job Openings by Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Entry Level | 27.2% |
| Mid Level | 57.3% |
| Senior Level | 15.5% |
Los Angeles is home to more than 12% of Data Analyst job openings, but San Francisco takes first place with more than 1 in 4 positions being located in the Bay Area.
| Top 5 Job Openings by City | Percentage |
|---|---|
| San Francisco | 27.2% |
| Los Angeles | 12.5% |
| San Diego | 12.0% |
| Irvine | 7.9% |
| San Jose | 7.20% |
Banking, insurance, and education are in the top three for Data Analysts, but tech companies aren’t to be left out, with Google, Apple, Facebook, and Uber combining for more than 30% of Data Analyst jobs.
| Top 10 Job Openings by Company | Percentage |
|---|---|
| First Republic Bank | 12.3% |
| Kaiser Permanente | 10.1% |
| California State University | 9.7% |
| 9.1% | |
| Apple | 8.8% |
| 8.8% | |
| Amgen | 6.5% |
| Uber | 4.5% |
| Capital Group | 4.5% |
| Akraya Inc. | 4.5% |
Intelligence Analyst — $51,991
Total openings: 2,335
Intelligence Analyst jobs in California have the lowest average salary of the six jobs we analyzed by a pretty wide margin. But because they are relatively common across the state, these jobs remain attractive for many professionals depending on their skill set and career experience.
Intelligence Analysts gather information from disparate sources and analyze it to support threat assessments based on their area of expertise and their employer. Most Intelligence Analyst jobs will be for employers in the IT sector or for government defense and aerospace contractors, and these jobs often require international relations savvy.
About 1 in 5 Intelligence Analyst jobs in California offer six-figure wages, which is one of the highest ratios of the six jobs we studied.
| Job Openings by Salary Range | Percentage |
|---|---|
| $70,000+ | 31.5% |
| $80,000+ | 26.6% |
| $90,000+ | 20.5% |
| $100,000+ | 14.2% |
| $115,000+ | 7.3% |
Experience is crucial to a successful career as an Intelligence Analyst, and these roles have the second-highest proportion of jobs in which the required experience level is senior. Still, the bulk of Intelligence Analyst jobs are for mid-career professionals.
| Job Openings by Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Entry Level | 18.3% |
| Mid Level | 58.5% |
| Senior Level | 23.1% |
Intelligence Analyst roles have the lowest percentage of roles that are based in California among all the jobs we studied, and San Diego places higher for this job than any other, which should come as no surprise given the city’s military history.
| Top 5 Job Openings by City | Percentage |
|---|---|
| San Francisco | 21.3% |
| San Diego | 13.6% |
| Los Angeles | 8.9% |
| San Jose | 5.5% |
| El Segundo | 4.1% |
Defense, consulting and IT firms and the U.S. military are the biggest employers in California for Intelligence Analysts, with Northrop Grumman, SAIC and General Dynamics, three of the largest government contractors, combine to account for 1 in 4 Intelligence Analyst jobs in the state.
| Top 10 Job Openings by Company | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Accenture | 9.8% |
| Deloitte | 9.0% |
| Northrop Grumman | 9.0% |
| SAIC | 9.0% |
| General Dynamics Information Technology | 7.0% |
| IBM | 6.4% |
| Providence Health & Services | 6.2% |
| 5.6% | |
| U.S. Army | 5.0% |
| Cisco | 4.2% |
Business Intelligence Analyst — $93,075
Total openings: 1,189
Business Intelligence Analysts have the second-lowest number of job openings in California but their average salary is in the top half of the six jobs we analyzed. Put another way: Business Intelligence Analyst jobs tend to be well-paying but may be difficult to find.
Business Intelligence Analysts perform functions similar to other jobs on this list, but their focus is generally in placing their employer or client in the best possible position within the market, and these jobs often involve researching the business practices and outcomes of competitors.
While about 1 in 3 Business Intelligence Analyst jobs pay in the $70,000 range, this role has the second-highest percentage of jobs that are over $100,000.
| Job Openings by Salary | Percentage |
|---|---|
| $70,000+ | 31.7% |
| $80,000+ | 26.1% |
| $90,000+ | 19.4% |
| $95,000+ | 15.4% |
| $110,000+ | 7.5% |
Most Business Intelligence Analyst jobs are available for those who are mid-career, as this role has the second-highest percentage of positions that require that experience level.
| Job Openings by Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Entry Level | 18.4% |
| Mid Level | 63.5% |
| Senior Level | 18.0% |
While more than 1 in 5 Business Intelligence Analyst jobs are in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego combine to account for almost as many.
| Top 5 Job Openings by City | Percentage |
|---|---|
| San Francisco | 27.9% |
| Los Angeles | 12.8% |
| San Diego | 12.1% |
| Sunnyvale | 8.5% |
| Irvine | 7.5% |
Business Intelligence Analyst roles have one of the most diverse company lineups with tech giants like Google and Apple placing high, but the U.S. Army coming in second place, and healthcare jobs being quite prevalent as well.
| Top 10 Job Openings by Company | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 13.2% | |
| U.S. Army | 10.3% |
| Uber | 8.1% |
| Apple | 8.1% |
| Stanford Health Care/Stanford University | 6.6% |
| Capital Group | 6.6% |
| UCSF Medical Center | 5.9% |
| Kharon | 5.1% |
| MachineZone | 5.1% |
| Dexcom | 5.1% |
Analytics Manager — $137,913
Total openings: 491
Analytics Manager jobs are by far the least common of the six jobs we analyzed, but they offer the second-highest average salary, with the typical Analytics Manager job paying more than $135,000 per year. But these jobs are the hardest to get, as they are much fewer in number.
Analytics Managers are responsible for overseeing practices, procedures and strategies across an organization or a single department with regard to data collection and analysis. These are often senior-level positions with wide organizational responsibilities that could cross across a variety of departments.
Nearly half of all Analytics Manager postings offer salaries in excess of $100,000, the largest proportion of the six jobs we examined.
| Job Openings by Salary | Percentage |
|---|---|
| $80,000+ | 32.0% |
| $95,000+ | 25.3% |
| $100,000+ | 21.2% |
| $110,000+ | 13.4% |
| $125,000+ | 8.1% |
Recent college graduates are likely to have a very tough time finding Analytics Manager jobs, with only 3.5% of openings requiring no experience, and Analytics Manager jobs have the highest proportion of mid-career positions.
| Job Openings by Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Entry Level | 3.5% |
| Mid Level | 82.0% |
| Senior Level | 14.5% |
Analytics Managers have one of the most diverse rosters when it comes to cities where jobs are located, and more Analytics Manager jobs are in Los Angeles than any other position we studied.
| Job Openings by Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Entry Level | 3.5% |
| Mid Level | 82.0% |
| Senior Level | 14.5% |
While the small sample size does skew data for Analytics Managers, these jobs will naturally be more likely at large companies, though the applicable industries are quite diverse.
| Job Openings by Company | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Deloitte | 34.5% |
| Northrop Grumman | 24.1% |
| 17.2% | |
| Amgen | 13.8% |
| Wells Fargo | 10.3% |
* All openings for job title were among these five companies
Conclusion
With more than 12,000 openings posted recently, data analytics jobs aren’t difficult to find in California, though as our analysis shows, some openings may take a little more digging. But for people with a mind for analytics, a little digging is second nature.
About This Report
As we mentioned above, this analysis was conducted using data from Indeed.com. We gathered the following data for a total of six job openings in mid-January 2020:
- Total openings
- City
- Company
- Salary range
- Average salary
- Experience required
The six jobs for which we gathered data were:
- Analytics Manager
- Business Analyst
- Business Intelligence Analyst
- Data Analyst
- Data Scientist
- Intelligence Analyst
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Published on January 21st by Jennifer Gaskin. Reviewed by Jen Hood.