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Data on display
Data occupations with rapid employment growth, projected 2021–31

Ryan Farrell and Maria Hussain | June 2023

Businesses and organizations rely on data to drive and inform many of their decisions. Some occupations that focus on data are projected to have strong employment growth from 2021 to 2031—and they pay well, too.

The chart shows that employment in selected data-related occupations is projected to grow faster than the 5-percent average for all occupations over the 2021–31 decade, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Of those shown, the occupation of data scientists is projected to have the fastest employment growth (36 percent) over the decade. These workers help organizations gather, organize, and analyze large amounts of data and information.

In addition to above-average employment growth, data scientists had a median annual wage of $103,500 in 2022. That was more than double the $46,310 median annual wage for all occupations and third highest among those in the chart, with database architects having the highest ($134,870). In fact, all data-related occupations shown had a median annual wage above the median for all occupations in 2022.

All of these occupations typically require at least a bachelor’s degree to enter, with statisticians typically needing a master’s degree. To learn more about the occupations in this chart, as well as hundreds of others, visit the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH). The OOH describes what workers do, along with their education and training requirements, pay, job outlook, and more.