Intelligence Analysts Salary: $124,368 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 110,790 intelligence analysts nationally earn a mean of $124,368. Employment in the series shown rose about 8% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.2% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Intelligence Analysts: what the data shows
Common questions about intelligence analysts careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a intelligence analysts?
Intelligence Analysts is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 33-3021.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 110,790 workers.
What does a intelligence analysts do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Documenting/Recording Information, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Communicating with People Outside the Organization, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a intelligence analysts make?
BLS national median annual wage: $93,580 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $124,368 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $81,606 |
| 25th percentile | $102,349 |
| Median (50th) | $125,613 |
| 75th percentile | $140,124 |
| 90th percentile | $169,928 |
What education do you need?
For Intelligence Analysts, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Social Perceptiveness, Reading Comprehension, and knowledge areas including Law and Government, Public Safety and Security, English Language, Customer and Personal Service. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is intelligence analysts in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.2% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 11.7%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 24.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 110,790.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do intelligence analystss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 110,790 | 16.7% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 110,670 | 16.6% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 110,020 | 16.5% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 110,020 | 16.5% |
| Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 46,750 | 7.0% |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 46,740 | 7.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Intelligence Analysts in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Airfield Operations Specialists | 16,640 | $56,750 |
| Information Security Analysts | 179,430 | $124,910 |
| Receptionists and Information Clerks | 964,530 | $37,230 |
| Pest Control Workers | 96,110 | $44,730 |
| Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door | 46,920 | $74,690 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Intelligence Analysts workforce.
Employment Over Time
110,790 Workforce in 2023
The Intelligence Analysts workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Intelligence Analysts.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$124,368 Average Wage
In 2023, Intelligence Analysts earned an average of $124,368.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Intelligence Analysts.
Salary distribution for Intelligence Analysts.
Employment Growth Projections
2.2% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
53,046 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 11.7%
59,265 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 24.8%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.2% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Intelligence Analysts.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Intelligence Analysts and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Intelligence Analysts employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Intelligence Analysts.
Wage Trends by Industry
0.6% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Intelligence Analysts.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Intelligence Analysts.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 11,570 employees, $124,722 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Intelligence Analysts.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 2,780 employees, $123,237 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 2,260 employees, $132,897 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 1,540 employees, $114,166 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 1,430 employees, $127,731 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 800 employees, $121,069 avg wage
- El Centro MSA: 730 employees, $118,691 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 390 employees, $115,565 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 360 employees, $138,203 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 310 employees, $140,188 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 260 employees, $145,996 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Intelligence Analysts.
Diversity
Demographic information on Intelligence Analysts in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Intelligence Analysts in 2023 was 110,790 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Intelligence Analysts.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Intelligence Analysts.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Intelligence Analysts.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Intelligence Analysts in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Intelligence Analysts.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Intelligence Analysts workers.
Education level distribution for Intelligence Analysts.
Skills
Intelligence Analysts need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Social Perceptiveness.
Required skills for Intelligence Analysts.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Intelligence Analysts.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Intelligence Analysts include Law and Government, Public Safety and Security, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Psychology.
Knowledge areas required for Intelligence Analysts.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Intelligence Analysts include Oral Comprehension, Inductive Reasoning, Problem Sensitivity, Oral Expression, Deductive Reasoning.
Required abilities for Intelligence Analysts.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Intelligence Analysts.
Daily Activities
Intelligence Analysts spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Documenting/Recording Information, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public.
Most important work activities for Intelligence Analysts.
About
Intelligence Analysts
The average yearly wage for Intelligence Analysts was $124,368 in 2023.
SOC Code
33-3021 - Intelligence Analysts
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Intelligence Analysts reports an average salary of $124,368, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 110,790 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.2%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.