The state of Arizona produced a total economic value of nearly $350 billion in 2018 alone. This figure represents a post-recession recovery of more than 40%, and Arizona’s gross domestic product has climbed every year since 2009.
Sponsored School(s)
More than 140,000 employer firms are operational across the state, employing nearly 3 million workers in a variety of industries. Trade, transportation and utilities account for nearly 1 in 5 Arizona jobs with education and health services adding another 16% and professional and business services contributing nearly 15%.
Arizona is home to 20 companies listed on the Fortune 1,000, and the state drew nearly $50 million in startup investment during the third quarter of 2019 alone. The Arizona economy is one that’s built on a traditional foundation but has a strong outlook for the future.
SEE ALSO: Arizona Masters in Business Analytics Degrees
That’s one reason why it’s such an attractive destination for people in the business analytics field. The broad array of established industries and rapid startup investment both bode well for the future of business analytics employment in Arizona, particularly considering that pretty much every business needs individuals who can harness the power of data to make better decisions.
What can business analytics professionals expect to earn in Arizona, how does that compare with other states, what educational opportunities exist here, and what are some real-life examples of employers hiring in the business analytics space?
Business Analytics Salaries in Arizona
Before we can dive into the numbers on business analytics wages in Arizona, it’s helpful first to get a better understanding of some potential job titles. Of course, there’s the obvious one, Business Analyst, but the truth is that business analytics encompasses a wide range of jobs, from the highly technical to the strictly managerial.
SEE ALSO: 10 Reasons to Choose a Business Analytics Degree
Here’s a look at some actual business analytics job titles that exist in Arizona:
- Decision Engineer
- Market Research Analyst
- Business Intelligence Specialist
- Data Scientist
- Management Consultant
- Financial Analyst
- Budget Analyst
- Insights Analyst
- Research Executive
- Marketing Engagement Analyst
- Quantitative Modeler
- Operations Research Analyst
So how much do business analytics jobs pay here in Arizona, and how readily available are they? To understand that, we’ll dig into data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which regularly publishes wage and employment information for states and cities across thousands of sectors and job titles. We limited our analysis to five common business analytics job titles, Budget Analyst, Financial Analyst, Management Analyst, Market Research Analyst and Operations Research Analyst, though it’s important to note that especially for people with advanced training, such as a Master of Business Analytics degree, titles that apply may not align 100% with what we’ve listed. Still, these numbers should provide a solid idea of what to expect in Arizona.
In the case of all five jobs we looked at, the median annual wage in Arizona was lower than the overall median annual wage for that job in the country as a whole. However, it’s important to note that all five jobs also offer far higher salaries than the average Arizona job; that’s because the median full-time annual wage in the state is just over $37,000.
Median annual wage, Arizona vs. U.S.
| Job Title | Arizona | U.S. |
| Budget Analyst | $68,390 | $76,220 |
| Financial Analyst | $74,200 | $85,660 |
| Management Analyst | $74,840 | $83,610 |
| Market Research Analyst | $57,910 | $63,120 |
| Operations Research Analyst | $72,840 | $83,390 |
It’s true that Arizona does not rank among the highest wages for most business analytics jobs when all 50 states and the District of Columbia are included, but the state is quite competitive with regional neighbors, including the usually high-wage states of California and Washington. For instance, Arizona Market Research Analysts can expect to earn salaries in the top half regionally.
Median annual wage, Market Research Analyst, Western states
| Washington | $70,890 |
| California | $68,770 |
| Colorado | $65,400 |
| Alaska | $64,480 |
| Oregon | $62,950 |
| Arizona | $57,910 |
| Nevada | $57,170 |
| Hawaii | $55,910 |
| Montana | $53,920 |
| New Mexico | $53,360 |
| Wyoming | $50,400 |
| Utah | $50,000 |
| Idaho | $47,770 |
In addition to wages that are competitive regionally, job growth is expected to be strong in Arizona over the next several years. In fact, the state is expected to have the second-highest growth rate in Financial Analyst job demand through 2026.
Financial Analyst long-term job opening growth rate, top 10
| Utah | 27.3% |
| Arizona | 23.9% |
| Tennessee | 23.4% |
| Colorado | 22.9% |
| Washington | 21.6% |
| Nevada | 21.5% |
| Delaware | 21.3% |
| North Dakota | 20.7% |
| Idaho | 19.5% |
| Florida | 18.9% |
Adding to its second-place growth rate for Financial Analyst job openings, Arizona is expected to produce increased demand for all five business analytics jobs we studied, both in the short term and over a longer period.
Arizona job opening growth rate, short- and long-term
| Job Title | Short-term | Long-term |
| Budget Analyst | 3.7% | 12.8% |
| Financial Analyst | 7.3% | 23.9% |
| Management Analyst | 6.6% | 21.0% |
| Market Research Analyst | 9.2% | 34.1% |
| Operations Research Analyst | 11.8% | 47.1% |
Note: Short-term 2016-2020; long-term 2016-2026
Wages vary depending on the area of the state in question with major Arizona cities generally offering higher wages for most of the jobs we studied.
Median annual wage, Arizona vs. select cities
| Job Title | Arizona | Phoenix | Tucson |
| Budget Analyst | $68,390 | $67,490 | $64,520 |
| Financial Analyst | $74,200 | $74,240 | $76,330 |
| Management Analyst | $74,840 | $74,680 | $78,340 |
| Market Research Analyst | $57,910 | $58,480 | $52,490 |
| Operations Research Analyst | $72,840 | $72,030 | $80,950 |
Arizona Business Analytics Degree Programs
Arizona is home to some of the best-regarded higher education programs, and the same is true for programs focused on business analytics. Whether they want to attend a private or public school, Arizona students should have many options when the time comes.
SEE ALSO: List of Arizona Masters in Business Analytics
Here’s a look at some of the colleges and universities in Arizona that offer degrees in business analytics or a related area:
Business Analytics Degree Jobs in Arizona
The federal data on business analytics jobs in Arizona is interesting, but government-level statistics don’t exactly have their fingers on the pulse.
SEE ALSO: Masters in Business Analytics Salary Outlook
To get a better idea of the state of business analytics jobs in Arizona right now, let’s take a look at some actual companies, nonprofits, government agencies and more who were hiring for business analytics professionals in late 2019:
- Yelp
- Republic Services
- University of Arizona
- Santander Bank
- Northern Trust
- Maricopa County Judicial Branch
- StateServ Medical
- RDH Health
- State of Arizona
- Wells Fargo Bank
- Verra Mobility
- DriveTime Automotive Group
- CopperPoint Insurance Cos.
- Conduent
- McKesson
- City of Mesa
- S. Navy
- S. Department of Justice
- Electronic Payment Providers
- Bank of the West
Conclusion
For people with training and experience in business analytics, the increasing reliance on data in all facets of day-to-day life should mean ample career opportunities for the foreseeable future. It’s no different here in Arizona, with wages among the best in the region and robust job growth projected for the next several years.
References
- Note: Information on recent job openings was gathered from Indeed.com and Glassdoor.com in late 2019.
- U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economy at a Glance, Arizona. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.az.htm
- PWC/CB Insights, MoneyTree Report, Q3 2019. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.pwc.com/us/en/moneytree-report/assets/moneytree-report-q3-2019.pdf
- U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics Query System, Custom Tables. (Undated). Accessed from https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/home
- Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Total Gross Domestic Product for Arizona. (2019). Retrieved from https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/AZNGSP
- U.S. Census Bureau, Quick Facts, Arizona. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/AZ/PST045218