Introduction

This project examines the 2023 data job market, with a focus on Data Analyst positions. It highlights key insights into the highest-paying roles, the most sought-after skills, and the best skills to prioritize for career growth.

Shortcut to all the SQL queries used: project_sql folder

Background

As an aspiring data analyst, I wanted to dive deeper into SQL and add another project to my portfolio. Shout out to Luke Barousse and his course "SQL for Data Analytics" for the guidance and inspiration.

The questions I wanted to answer through my SQL queries were:

1. What are the top-paying data analyst jobs?
2. What skills are required for these top-paying jobs?
3. What skills are most in demand for data analysts?
4. Which skills are associated with higher salaries?
5. What are the most optimal skills to learn?
6. What are the top-paying data analyst jobs in Tampa, FL?

Tools I Used

• SQL: Used to query the database and uncover insights.
• PostgreSQL: Database management system used to handle the job posting data.
• Visual Studio Code: Code editor of choice for executing SQL queries and database management.
• Git & GitHub: Used for version control and sharing my project.

The Analysis

For this project, each query was designed to explore specific aspects of the Data Analyst job market. Here's the approach I took for each question:

1. Top Paying Data Analyst Jobs (Remote)

To identify the highest-paying roles, I filtered data analyst positions by average yearly salary and location, focusing on remote jobs. This query highlights the high paying opportunities in the data field.

SELECT
    job_id,
    job_title,
    job_location,
    job_schedule_type,
    salary_year_avg,
    job_posted_date,
    name AS company_name
FROM
    job_postings_fact
LEFT JOIN company_dim
    ON job_postings_fact.company_id = company_dim.company_id
WHERE
    job_title_short = 'Data Analyst' AND
    job_location = 'Anywhere' AND
    salary_year_avg IS NOT NULL
ORDER BY
    salary_year_avg DESC
LIMIT 10;

The top 10 data analyst jobs in 2023 showcase a diverse range of roles with competitive salaries, starting with Mantys offering a Data Analyst position with an extraordinary salary of $650,000, likely reflecting a highly specialized or senior-level role. Meta follows with a Director of Analytics at $336,500, indicating a leadership position in a top tech company. AT&T offers an Associate Director- Data Insights role for $255,829.50, emphasizing data strategy and insights.

Pinterest is hiring a Marketing Data Analyst for $232,423, blending analytics with marketing functions, while Uclahealthcareers has a Hybrid/Remote Data Analyst role at $217,000, offering flexibility. SmartAsset provides multiple positions, including a Principal Data Analyst (Remote) at $205,000, and another at $186,000, indicating high demand for senior analysts.

Other notable roles include Director, Data Analyst (Hybrid) at Inclusively for $189,309, Principal Data Analyst, AV Performance Analysis at Motional for $189,000, and an ERM Data Analyst at Get It Recruit for $184,000. These jobs span industries and reflect the growing importance of data in decision-making and performance analysis.

Bar graph visualizing the highest paying jobs for data analysts. ChatGPT generated this graph from my SQL query results.

2. Skills for Top-Paying Data Analyst Jobs

Building on what I learned in the previous query, I joined the job postings data with the skills data to discover what skills are required for these top-paying jobs. Important note - The two highest paying jobs from the previous query results are not in these results because the associated skills were not provided in the data (i.e. NULL values)

WITH top_paying_jobs AS (
    SELECT
        job_id,
        job_title,
        salary_year_avg,
        name AS company_name
    FROM
        job_postings_fact
    LEFT JOIN company_dim
        ON job_postings_fact.company_id = company_dim.company_id
    WHERE
        job_title_short = 'Data Analyst' AND
        job_location = 'Anywhere' AND
        salary_year_avg IS NOT NULL
    ORDER BY
        salary_year_avg DESC
    LIMIT 10
)

SELECT
    top_paying_jobs.*,
    skills
FROM top_paying_jobs
INNER JOIN skills_job_dim ON top_paying_jobs.job_id = skills_job_dim.job_id
INNER JOIN skills_dim ON skills_job_dim.skill_id = skills_dim.skill_id
ORDER BY    
    salary_year_avg DESC

Bar graph visualizing the skill count for the top ten paying data analyst roles

3. In Demand Skills for Data Analysts

This query identifies the top 5 most frequently requested skills in job postings.

SELECT
    skills,
    COUNT(skills_job_dim.job_id) AS demand_count
FROM job_postings_fact
INNER JOIN skills_job_dim ON job_postings_fact.job_id = skills_job_dim.job_id
INNER JOIN skills_dim ON skills_job_dim.skill_id = skills_dim.skill_id
WHERE
    job_title_short = 'Data Analyst' AND
    job_work_from_home = TRUE
GROUP BY
    skills
ORDER BY
    demand_count DESC
LIMIT 5

SQL is the most in demand skill, followed by Excel, Python, Tableau, and Power BI.

Skill	Demand Count
SQL	7,291
Excel	4,611
Python	4,330
Tableau	3,745
Power BI	2,609

4. Top Skills Based on Salary

This query calculates the average salary for each skill to identify which skills offer the highest pay.

SELECT
    skills,
    ROUND(AVG(salary_year_avg), 0) AS avg_salary
FROM job_postings_fact
INNER JOIN skills_job_dim ON job_postings_fact.job_id = skills_job_dim.job_id
INNER JOIN skills_dim ON skills_job_dim.skill_id = skills_dim.skill_id
WHERE
    job_title_short = 'Data Analyst' AND
    salary_year_avg IS NOT NULL AND
    job_work_from_home = TRUE
GROUP BY
    skills
ORDER BY
    avg_salary DESC
LIMIT 25

Here's a breakdown of the top-paying skills for data analysts:

1. PySpark: $208,172

   • Use: Big data processing and analytics.

2. DataRobot: $155,486

   • Use: Automated machine learning platform.

3. Jupyter: $152,777

   • Use: Interactive notebooks for live code and data analysis.

4. Pandas: $151,821

   • Use: Data manipulation and analysis in Python.

5. Databricks: $141,907

   • Use: Unified analytics platform for big data and AI.

6. Scikit-learn: $125,781

   • Use: Machine learning library in Python for predictive data analysis.

7. PostgreSQL: $123,879

   • Use: Advanced relational database management system.

Note: While skills like Bitbucket, Couchbase, and Watson are high-paying, they are less directly related to typical data analyst functions compared to the skills listed above.

Skill	Average Salary
PySpark	$208,172
Bitbucket	$189,155
Couchbase	$160,515
Watson	$160,515
DataRobot	$155,486
GitLab	$154,500
Swift	$153,750
Jupyter	$152,777
Pandas	$151,821
Elasticsearch	$145,000

Table of the top 10 skills based on the average salary

5. Most Optimal Skills for Data Analysts

By analyzing both demand and salary data, this query identifies skills that are highly sought after and offer high salaries, providing a strategic focus for skill development.

SELECT
    skills_dim.skill_id,
    skills_dim.skills,
    COUNT(skills_job_dim.skill_id) AS demand_count,
    ROUND(AVG(job_postings_fact.salary_year_avg), 0) AS avg_salary
FROM
    job_postings_fact
INNER JOIN skills_job_dim ON job_postings_fact.job_id = skills_job_dim.job_id
INNER JOIN skills_dim ON skills_job_dim.skill_id = skills_dim.skill_id
WHERE
    job_title_short = 'Data Analyst'
    AND salary_year_avg IS NOT NULL
    AND job_work_from_home = TRUE
GROUP BY
    skills_dim.skill_id
HAVING
    COUNT(skills_job_dim.job_id) > 10
ORDER BY
    avg_salary DESC,
    demand_count DESC
LIMIT 25;

Skill	Demand Count	Average Salary
Go	27	$115,320
Confluence	11	$114,210
Hadoop	22	$113,193
Snowflake	37	$112,948
Azure	34	$111,225
BigQuery	13	$109,654
AWS	32	$108,317
Java	17	$106,906
SSIS	12	$106,683
Jira	20	$104,918

Table of the most optimal skills for Data Analysts, sorted by salary

The most optimal skills for data analysts include Go, Confluence, Hadoop, Snowflake, Azure, BigQuery, AWS, Java, SSIS, and Jira. These skills have strong demand, with Go leading in both demand and average salary at $115,320. Specialized tools like Snowflake and BigQuery also command high salaries, highlighting the value of cloud and data management expertise in the job market. Proficiency in programming languages like Java and expertise in AWS and Azure are similarly rewarding for data professionals.

6. Top-Paying Data Analyst Jobs in Tampa, FL

This query is like the very first one, but instead of remote positions I wanted to find job postings in Tampa, FL since I live close by 😀

SELECT
    job_id,
    job_title,
    job_location,
    job_schedule_type,
    salary_year_avg,
    job_posted_date,
    name AS company_name
FROM
    job_postings_fact
LEFT JOIN company_dim
    ON job_postings_fact.company_id = company_dim.company_id
WHERE
    job_title_short = 'Data Analyst' AND
    job_location = 'Tampa, FL' AND
    salary_year_avg IS NOT NULL
ORDER BY
    salary_year_avg DESC
LIMIT 10;

Job Title	Average Salary
SVP, Credit Risk Digital Transformation Senior Business/Data Analyst	$188,675
ICM CCR Data Analyst	$150,000
Digital Marketing Data Analyst (Hybrid)	$138,640
Data Analyst. Job in Tampa NBC4i Jobs	$137,610
Data Analyst	$137,610
ICM CCR Data Analyst	$137,610
Data Management Lead Analyst (Hybrid)	$137,610
Data Analyst	$137,610
Data Analyst. Job in Tampa LilyLifestyle Jobs	$137,610
Vice President - Lead AML Data Science Analyst- Hybrid	$132,315

Chart displaying the highest paying Data Analyst jobs in Tampa, FL in 2023

Fun fact: Most of these jobs were offered by Citi

Insights

1. Top-Paying Data Analyst Jobs: The highest-paying jobs for data analysts that allow remote work, the highest at $650,000!
2. Skills for Top-Paying Jobs: High-paying data analyst positions demand advanced proficiency in SQL, indicating that this skill is essential for securing a top salary.
3. Most In Demand Skills: SQL is the most sought-after skill in the data analyst job market, making it crucial for job seekers.
4. Skills with Higher Salaries: Specialized skills like PySpark and Bitbucket are linked to the highest average salaries for data analysts, highlighting the value placed on niche expertise.
5. Optimal Skills for Job Market Value: Go ranks highest in both demand and average salary, making it a highly valuable skill for a Data Analyst to learn. However, SQL remains the most in-demand skill overall and still offers a competitive average salary.
6. Top-Paying Data Analyst Jobs in Tampa, FL: The top 10 highest paying jobs in Tampa, FL had a salary range of $132K to $189K!

What I Learned

While I already knew the basics of SQL thanks to the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate, this course improved my skills immensely. I learned..

• How to use PostgreSQL with Visual Studio Code to create and query my own local databases.
• How to upload a local repository to a remote repository on GitHub using VSC.
• More about subqueries and Common Table Expressions (CTEs) to help organize and simplify complex queries.