Operations Analyst Salary

Created by Henry Steele

By Henry Steele - January 8, 2018
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The following article discusses the career path of Operations Analyst. Learn about how to become one, education requirements, job duties, traits and qualities, national salary outlook as well as top national employers of Operations Analysts.

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Job Duties

The role of an operations analyst is to ensure that all business practices are developed and implemented properly. Operations analysts aim to deliver optimal performance. Their exact duties vary tremendously depending on where they work, not in the least because they can be found in any element of the business world. However, it is common for them to be tasked with evaluating and, where necessary, updating operations, practices, and procedures. They often also assist with designing and implementing new product lines, as well as improving existing ones.

These professionals sometimes work alone but, in larger organizations, they are part of a team. They report to mid-level or senior management, production teams, sales teams, and other departments when needed. Sometimes, and particularly if they have a lot of experience, operations analysts also line manage a team.

Other job duties of an operations analyst include:

  • Analyzing available data, finding trends, anomalies, and opportunities to improve operations.
  • Performing an impact analysis on any potential improvement.
  • Driving the development of new systems and improvements of operations.
  • Taking part in any effort to improve technology, processes, and capabilities.

Where We Work

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 114,000 operations research analysts in 2016. The largest employers of these professionals were:

  • Finance and insurance: 28%
  • Professional, scientific, and technical services: 22%
  • Management of companies and enterprises: 9%
  • Manufacturing: 9%
  • Federal government: 5%

How to Become

At the heart of the duties of an operations analyst lies the opportunity to spot procedural, technical, and structural problems, and coming up with solutions to improve on these. They must have an in-depth understanding of dynamic market needs. Most, therefore, have a production or commerce background and have important business skills that enable them to make decisions and recommendations.

Education Requirements

Operations analysts usually have a bachelor’s degree as a minimum, but a master’s degree is strongly preferred. A bachelor’s in operations research is a good starting point, although others focus on different quantitative or technical fields, such as mathematics, analytics, computer science, or engineering.

See 10 Best Online MBA Operations Programs for 2018

Operations analysis is based on quantitative skills. Hence, mathematics should be one of the core subjects studied. This includes linear algebra, calculus, and statistics. Computer science is also very important, as an analyst must use advanced database and statistical software in order to model and analyze data. Other courses, such as economics, engineering, and political science can also be beneficial as operations analysis is multidisciplinary and can be applied to so many different fields.

See 10 Top MBA in Computer Science Degree programs for 2018

Operations analysts must also be committed to continuing education. They must keep their knowledge up to date in relation to software tools, technology, and improved analytical methods. It is quite common for these professionals to have a military background.

Traits & Qualities

The most effective operations analysts have the following traits to some degree or other:

  • Strong analytical skills
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Critical thinking skills
  • Great interpersonal skills
  • Strong mathematical skills
  • Excellent problem solvers
  • Great writing skills

Minimum Education

Bachelor’s Degree

National Salary

The national average salary estimate for Operations Analyst was $60,651. This number is estimated from over 785,224 employees, users past and present job advertisements from Indeed.com. This equates to an hourly salary of $31.59 and monthly of $5,054.

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$15,000

$135,000

Salary Distribution

Salary by State

The following section lists Operations Analyst salaries in each state around the country. The figures are based on the total number of job postings through Indeed.com. For example, Kansas had the largest quoted salary of $73,842 while Iowa had the smallest quoted salary of $32,294.

ArkansasHawaiiMissouriSouth Carolina
ArizonaIowaNorth CarolinaTennessee
CaliforniaIllinoisNew JerseyTexas
ColoradoIndianaNew MexicoUtah
ConnecticutKansasNew YorkVirginia
DCMassachusettsOhioVermont
DelawareMarylandOklahomaWashington
FloridaMichiganOregonWisconsin
GeorgiaMinnesotaPennsylvania
Arkansas – $46,394Rank: 33rd
The average salary ranks 33rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like IBM and Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

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$14,000

$138,000

Salary Distribution
Arizona – $52,248Rank: 22nd
The average salary ranks 22nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like American Express, Bank Of America, Progilisys, and Maricopa County.

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$18,000

$103,000

Salary Distribution
California – $72,452Rank: 2nd
The average salary ranks 2nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Juniper Networks, International Programming & Systems, Mindlance, and TEKsystems.

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$20,000

$155,000

Salary Distribution
Colorado – $51,605Rank: 24th
The average salary ranks 24th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like SRS Acquiom, AppleOne, DISH, and Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

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$17,000

$105,000

Salary Distribution
Connecticut – $65,656Rank: 7th
The average salary ranks 7th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Pro-Partners, Pro-Partners Staffing LLC, Excel Partners, and Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

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$22,000

$131,000

Salary Distribution
DC – $70,204Rank: 3rd
The average salary ranks 3rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Department Of Housing And Urban Development, Interas Labs LLC, and District of Columbia Public Schools.

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$18,000

$155,000

Salary Distribution
Delaware – $56,880Rank: 16th
The average salary ranks 16th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like JPMorgan Chase and Capital One.

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$16,000

$122,000

Salary Distribution
Florida – $49,660Rank: 28th
The average salary ranks 28th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Ramp UP, SCI Direct, Search Solution Group, and Collier County, FL.

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$14,000

$113,000

Salary Distribution
Georgia – $54,222Rank: 20th
The average salary ranks 20th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Symbioun Technologies Inc, U.S. Air Force, Vaco, LLC, and National Security Agency.

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$17,000

$112,000

Salary Distribution
Hawaii – $64,623Rank: 9th
The average salary ranks 9th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like National Security Agency, U.S. Army, and Staffing Solutions of Hawaii.

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$19,000

$137,000

Salary Distribution
Iowa – $32,294Rank: 35th
The average salary ranks 35th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Wells Fargo, Palmer Group, Accountemps, and Aerotek.

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$8.55

$27.35

Salary Distribution
Illinois – $65,293Rank: 8th
The average salary ranks 8th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Parallel Partners, Next Step Systems, Huxley Banking & Financial Services, and Net Advisors.

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$20,000

$136,000

Salary Distribution
Indiana – $51,692Rank: 23rd
The average salary ranks 23rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Momentum LLC, Robert Half Finance & Accounting, State of Indiana, and Celadon Trucking.

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$17,000

$104,000

Salary Distribution
Kansas – $73,842Rank: 1st
The average salary ranks 1st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders.

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$31,000

$134,000

Salary Distribution
Massachusetts – $65,892Rank: 6th
The average salary ranks 6th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Mason Frank, RXADVANCE CORPORATION, Mason Frank International, and Dotcom Team, LLC.

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$21,000

$134,000

Salary Distribution
Maryland – $63,025Rank: 11th
The average salary ranks 11th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Enterprise Information Services, National Security Agency, Johns Hopkins University, and Morgan Stanley.

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$16,000

$140,000

Salary Distribution
Michigan – $57,047Rank: 15th
The average salary ranks 15th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Federal Government Jobs, Trinity Health, Epitec, Inc., and MILL STEEL.

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$20,000

$112,000

Salary Distribution
Minnesota – $37,113Rank: 34th
The average salary ranks 34th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders, U.S. Bank, UnitedHealth Group, and Wells Fargo.

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$8.45

$34.55

Salary Distribution
Missouri – $49,935Rank: 26th
The average salary ranks 26th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Citi and Green Clean Commercial.

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$14,000

$107,000

Salary Distribution
North Carolina – $54,236Rank: 19th
The average salary ranks 19th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Banyan Search, Cisco, First tek, and Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

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$16,000

$114,000

Salary Distribution
New Jersey – $59,539Rank: 12th
The average salary ranks 12th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Mason Frank, Vivos Professional Services, Contemporary Staffing Solutions, and DIVERSANT, LLC.

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$15.75

$50.50

Salary Distribution
New Mexico – $56,223Rank: 17th
The average salary ranks 17th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Sabio Systems.

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$28,000

$86,000

Salary Distribution
New York – $68,565Rank: 4th
The average salary ranks 4th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Next Step Systems, Mason Frank, WALL STREET OPTIONS, and PepsiCo.

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$20,000

$146,000

Salary Distribution
Ohio – $47,820Rank: 31st
The average salary ranks 31st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders, JPMorgan Chase, Proforma, and Snelling.

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$16,000

$96,000

Salary Distribution
Oklahoma – $49,934Rank: 27th
The average salary ranks 27th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Cipher3.

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$19,000

$95,000

Salary Distribution
Oregon – $58,915Rank: 13th
The average salary ranks 13th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like TriMet and Clifford Sells LLC.

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$17,000

$124,000

Salary Distribution
Pennsylvania – $54,763Rank: 18th
The average salary ranks 18th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like NITYO INFOTECH, The Dubin Group, TE Connectivity, and BNY Mellon.

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$18,000

$110,000

Salary Distribution
South Carolina – $47,677Rank: 32nd
The average salary ranks 32nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Boeing and IT Resource Solutions.

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$15,000

$98,000

Salary Distribution
Tennessee – $48,195Rank: 29th
The average salary ranks 29th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Green Dot Public Schools and StaffingSolutions.

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$15,000

$99,000

Salary Distribution
Texas – $63,600Rank: 10th
The average salary ranks 10th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Mason Frank International, JDS Interests, Nationstar Mortgage, and Ericsson.

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$14,000

$147,000

Salary Distribution
Utah – $48,161Rank: 30th
The average salary ranks 30th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Goldman Sachs, PrincePerelson & Associates, DISYS, and Utah Media Group.

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$14,000

$110,000

Salary Distribution
Virginia – $58,636Rank: 14th
The average salary ranks 14th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Capital One, U.S. Army, General Dynamics Information Technology, and SunTrust.

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$14,000

$150,000

Salary Distribution
Vermont – $53,378Rank: 21st
The average salary ranks 21st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Middlebury College.

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$20,000

$102,000

Salary Distribution
Washington – $66,969Rank: 5th
The average salary ranks 5th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like TEKsystems, Boeing, OSLO SOLUTIONS LLC, and Aerotek.

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$21,000

$137,000

Salary Distribution
Wisconsin – $50,323Rank: 25th
The average salary ranks 25th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Elite Personnel Group, LLC, TEKsystems, and Robert Half Technology.

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$15,000

$107,000

Salary Distribution

Top 20 National Employers

According to Indeed.com, the following states had employers looking to hire a Operations Analyst. The quoted salary figure represents the average salary from all job postings by this employer.

Employer NameLocationAverage Salary
Michael PageCalifornia$122,573
CyberCodersMaryland$116,417
CMC LimitedCalifornia$116,167
Clinical Management ConsultantsCalifornia$114,395
GoogleCalifornia$111,064
Yahoo! Inc.California$110,300
Capital OneDelaware$105,408
Motorola MobilityIllinois$105,059
CiscoCalifornia$104,911
Parallel PartnersNew York$103,395
Ginas Tech JobsNew York$103,395
Select Portfolio Servicing, Inc.Utah$100,706
FusionFindTexas$100,000
Juniper NetworksCalifornia$98,568
Mason Frank InternationalTexas$98,483
Symbioun Technologies IncGeorgia$98,008

Learn More

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Henry Steele
Managing Editor
Henry is Managing Editor of BusinessStudent.com. He is a seasoned business professional who regularly consults with local business's throughout Southern California. Henry pursued his undergrad in Business and Economics at the University of San Diego and gained valuable life changing experience through a unique internship upon graduation.

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