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Coderhouse goes global

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Data Analyst Jobs and Salaries in Philadelphia (May 2025 BLS Data)

Dan Patiño

· AI Strategy & Innovation at Coderhouse

Philadelphia shows up on most lists of US tech markets, but lists do not tell you whether the local market is deep enough to break into. The BLS counts about 6,480 data scientist roles in this metro, paying a median of $109,910, with the bottom decile at $67,950 and a location quotient of 1.32. Everything below comes from the BLS OEWS May 2025 release.

Median salary

$109,910

Entry level (10th pct)

$67,950

Concentration (LQ)

1.32

How big is the data job market in Philadelphia?

Roughly 6,480 people work in this occupation across the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area, placing it 10th among the 25 metros here and accounting for 2.4% of the national total of 275,600. The occupation is projected to grow 35%.

What do data analysts earn in Philadelphia?

Half of data scientists in Philadelphia earn more than $109,910 and half earn less, 9% below the national median. The interquartile range runs $83,010 to $152,700, with the top decile at $181,560. The reported mean, $121,630, is the less useful number here because a handful of very high salaries distort it.

What can you expect to earn starting out in Philadelphia?

BLS does not break wages out by experience, so the closest available proxy for a first job in Philadelphia is the 10th percentile: $67,950, against $67,240 nationally. Anchoring on the median instead sets expectations about $41,960 too high.

Is Philadelphia actually a data hub?

The location quotient for data scientists in Philadelphia is 1.32, meaning the occupation is somewhat more concentrated here than nationally. In practice, the market is healthy without being a specialist cluster. This is the number most salary sites leave out, and it is often more decisive than pay: a metro can post a high median while employing very few people in the role, which means strong salaries and a thin job market.

What about AI engineering roles in Philadelphia?

The BLS has no occupation code for AI engineer. The closest published proxy is Software Developers (15-1252), which in Philadelphia employs about 28,480 people at a median of $133,040, 2% below the national median of $135,980. The 10th percentile is $82,960 and the 90th is $190,180. Read it as the surrounding band for applied AI work rather than as a figure for the role itself, since AI engineers are distributed across several codes.

10th percentile

$67,950

25th percentile

$83,010

Median

$109,910

Mean

$121,630

75th percentile

$152,700

90th percentile

$181,560

vs national median

9% below the national median

Software developers · median

$133,040

Frequently asked questions

How much do data analysts make in Philadelphia?

The median for the closest BLS occupation, data scientists, is $109,910 a year in the Philadelphia metro area as of May 2025. The range runs from $67,950 at the 10th percentile to $181,560 at the 90th.

How many data jobs are there in Philadelphia?

About 6,480 positions under SOC 15-2051, which is 1.32 times the national concentration per worker. That ratio tells you whether the market is deep or just large.

Is Philadelphia a good place to start a data career?

On the data: pay is 9% below the national median and the occupation is somewhat more concentrated here than nationally. The entry reference point is $67,950. Weigh both together, since a high median in a thin market is harder to break into than a moderate median in a dense one.

What is the entry-level data analyst salary in Philadelphia?

BLS does not publish by experience level. The 10th percentile, $67,950, is the best available proxy for early-career pay, against $67,240 nationally.

Do I need to live in Philadelphia to work in data?

Not necessarily, and remote roles widen the market considerably. These figures measure where the job is located rather than where the worker lives, so a remote role at a Philadelphia employer would still appear in this metro's count.

Where these numbers come from

All figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 release, for the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metropolitan Statistical Area. BLS does not publish a 'data analyst' occupation; the figures above use Data Scientists (SOC 15-2051), the closest published match, and Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) as the proxy for AI engineering roles. OEWS estimates are built from six semiannual panels collected over three years, so they are stable but lag fast-moving pay changes. Wages cover base pay and exclude equity and bonuses, which understates total compensation at large technology employers.