How to Become a Business Intelligence Analyst
Turn company data into decisions: build the dashboards, reports, and analyses leaders actually use. It typically requires a bachelor's degree, with a median salary of $120,230 per year and much faster than average projected job growth.
Median pay
$120,230/yr
Middle half
$85,660 to $158,880
Job growth
Much faster than average
Openings / yr
23,400
Majors that lead here
Key skills
- SQL
- Data Visualization
- Dashboard Design
- Data Analysis
- Business Communication
Helpful certifications
- Tableau Desktop Specialist
- Microsoft Power BI (PL-300)
Is this career a fit?
Remote-friendly
54/100
Work-life balance
65/100
Stress level
44/100
Related careers
- Economist$124,720 median
- Operations Research Analyst$88,940 median
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Business Intelligence Analyst make?
The median pay for a Business Intelligence Analyst is $120,230 a year, and the middle half of workers earn between $85,660 and $158,880 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025). That covers everyone in the job, not only people starting out, so newer workers sit toward the lower end.
What degree do you need to become a Business Intelligence Analyst?
The usual entry point is a bachelor's degree. Common majors are Data Science, Management Information Systems, Business Administration, and Statistics.
Is Business Intelligence Analyst a growing field?
Projected job growth for this role from 2024 to 2034 is much faster than average (BLS projections via O*NET), with roughly 23,400 U.S. openings a year.
What skills does a Business Intelligence Analyst use most?
Common skills for this role are SQL, Data Visualization, Dashboard Design, Data Analysis, and Business Communication.
Planning to become a Business Intelligence Analyst?
Save this career to your PlanexAI path and track the majors, courses, and milestones that lead to it.
Not sure this is right for you?
Take our free 2-minute quiz to match your interests to majors and careers.
Take the major quizWhere these pay figures come from
Career pay is the annual wage of everyone working in that occupation, not only recent graduates, so it includes people who have done the job for decades. The middle half is the 25th to the 75th percentile. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).
All figures are national. What you earn depends on where you work, who you work for, and how far you take the degree.
Job-growth figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).