Entry Level Business Analyst Salary for 2022: A Guide to Know Your Pay
How much does an entry level business analyst make?
Currently, business analysis is one of the highest-paid career options in marketing and management domains.
We will club together specific figures gathered from Payscale
- USD 21.84 - average base hourly rate
- USD 57,158 - average median base salary
- USD 73,000 - highest recorded entry level business analyst base salary
These figures indicate the entry level business analyst salary for a non-specialized role. There are significant specializations and subsets under this profile that will make the difference in the above-mentioned figures.
A few more factors which will bring the difference in your pay are:
- Skill Set
- Qualification
- Location
- Size of the company
Here are some commonly asked questions to explore the key factors of entry level business analyst salary:
- How to Start Your Career as a Business Analyst?
- What Is the Starting Salary for Business Analyst of Different Subsets?
- Which States Offer the Highest Paying Business Analyst Jobs?
- What Is the Job Search Process to Land Entry Level Ba Jobs?
- How to Negotiate an Entry Level Business Analyst Salary?
- Is Business Analyst a Good Career Path to Pursue?
How to Start Your Career as a Business Analyst?
Whether you're starting anew or are planning to switch from another job profile, you should have general skills like critical thinking, excellent communication, and highly creative abilities.
We will state below certain prerequisites to fulfill before stepping into this career path:
Business Fundamentals
For any profile, one must first have a firm grip on the basics. Business Analysis is identifying business needs and problems and finding untapped growth opportunities.
Business analysts engage in four main types of analysis:
- Strategic planning
- Business model analysis
- Process design
- Systems analysis
Acing the basics of these subjects will help you land jobs with higher than average business analyst entry level salaries.
Technical Understanding
Technical understanding for a profile is often confused with dedicated technical skills. To perform business analysis, you do not particularly require a technical background or the ability to write code.
The job is closely related to the IT department but is not entirely technical. You should have a technical understanding of:
- Data analysis
- Software product implementation
- Mapping out business processes
- Designing business cases
Possessing a thorough understanding of these aspects will help make a good impact on your entry level business analyst salary.
Qualification Required
A bachelor's degree in any quantitative field will ideally suit the qualification parameter.
Even if you lack a degree in a relevant field, there are plenty of online certification courses to help you fit the eligibility criteria.
CIO has a list of 10 business analyst certifications that will boost your chances to receive a higher entry level business analyst salary.
Understanding Subsets
It is crucial to realize that the role of a business analyst is not a uniform or standardized one. There are plenty of specializations in it, but the main 4 types are:
- Pure business analysts
- IT business analysts
- System analysts
- Intelligence analysts
Therefore, it is very important to assess your skills and interest to understand which subset suits you the best. Then only you will develop a clear idea about the entry level business analyst salary in your specialization.
Also read: Entry Level Business Analyst Jobs
Entry Level Business Analyst Salary for Different Subsets
We will brief you on the business analyst salary entry level of the three most popular subsets under this profile:
Business Systems Analyst
In the United States, the business systems analyst salary entry level is USD 56,043. Not a bad starting salary, right?
According to the BLS, business systems analysts are projected to grow by 14% by 2028, and this number is set to increase following the demand of these professionals.
Business Intelligence Analyst
There is no latest and accurate data available for business intelligence analyst salary entry level. The Glassdoor business analyst salary also has no current information available.
However, Indeed provides exciting and up-to-date salary information for junior business intelligence analysts as USD 58,634 in the United States.
IT Business Analyst
The IT business analyst salary entry level, with experience less than 1 year, can expect to earn an average total compensation of USD 59,683 which includes tips, bonuses, and overtime pay.
Also read: Business Systems Analyst Salary and Business Intelligence Analyst Salary
Highest Paying Business Analyst Jobs in the United States
Zippia has an elaborated article with salary information of business analysts of varied work experience and hierarchy.
We've narrowed down the information to state the average entry level business analyst salary of 10 of the highest paying states in the following table:
| State | Average Business Analyst Entry Level Salary |
|---|---|
| Virginia | $55,110 |
| Georgia | $43,770 |
| Washington | $53,380 |
| Texas | $48,420 |
| Illinois | $44,450 |
| Michigan | $47,510 |
| North Carolina | $43,420 |
| Alabama | $44,590 |
| Colorado | $48,420 |
| Kansas | $44,120 |
For business analyst entry level salaries, Virginia and Washington host the highest paying jobs.
Also read: Business Analyst Salary and Senior Business Analyst Salary
Job Search Process to Land Entry Level BA Jobs
Now that we have a clear idea about how promising this profile is, we need to know the way to set foot in this career path. These steps will sort out the process for you.
Redesign Your Resume
A resume is the first piece of document which falls on the table of a hiring manager.
Your resume needs to positively cover certain points such as:
- Contact Information
- Summary
- Internships/Projects
- Work Experience
- Education
- Key Skills/Technical Skills
- Additional Information
A good resume will help you in getting shortlisted for the interviews. Make it count.
Now, let us spill the secret to making a good-looking ATS-compliant resume.
Hiration's Online Resume Builder has 250+ in-built templates combined with its AI-powered features to help you make a resume meeting the highest industry standards.
Find Jobs Through Networking
There are many conventional and unconventional ways to find jobs today. Stating the most effective ones below:
- Talk among your network for referrals
- Reach out to companies directly
- Make use of job searching platforms
- Visit job fairs
- Follow pages that post job updates on social media
- Inquire at staffing agencies
Try out each way, and you sure will find multiple options to choose from and settle for.
Prepare for Interviews
Your flawless resume got you shortlisted for the interview. Are you prepared for it?
We suggest you go through multiple dry runs. A dry run translates into practice sessions. This will help you assess your preparedness.
Sample Entry Level Business Analyst Interview Questions
- What are the best practices to follow while writing a use case?
- What is the difference between exception flow and alternate flow?
- Do you think a business analyst should be involved in testing?
- What are the different types of the gap that a business analyst can encounter during gap analysis?
- What is Benchmarking?
- What are the different types of actors you know in use case diagram?
Now practice sessions would require a specific set of questions based on your specialization and understanding. You'll be burdened with research work, won't you?
Nope. Hiration has successfully introduced an Interview Preparation panel which has in-house industry experts. These experts have a thorough understanding of the industry requirements and can prepare you well for landing the best entry level positions.
Tips to Negotiate an Entry Level Business Analyst Salary
We understand negotiating your first payment can be an uncomfortable task to do, but negotiating is not unprofessional if you practice it the right way. After all, there is nothing wrong with striving for the pay you want.
Here are a few tips that will help you develop the ability to negotiate:
- Ask about the pay range of the position you're applying for. This will help you proceed with an informed salary negotiation process.
- Avoid committing to a low range salary. Understand your scope of work and tally it with the salary being offered.
- Showcase your skills and accomplishments. You have to give good reasons to the interviewer to see your worth, hence making way for a healthy negotiation.
- Consider the compensation factors like reimbursements and flexible schedule before proceeding with the negotiation.
- Do not undersell your accomplishments. Know your worth and believe in what you've achieved. Reflect on it in your resume, CV, and interview.
- Show your capability to be the answer to a business problem. It will elevate the interviewer's interest to select/retain you.
Career Choices For A Business Analyst
- Consultant/SME (Solution Architect Role or Pre-Sales Consultant)
- Product Manager
- Lead Business Analyst (Project Manager or PMO)
- ITIL Operations Process
- Agile/Scrum (team related roles)
- Quality Assurance & Control
Is Business Analyst a Good Career Path to Pursue?
The answer is a big yes. Business analysis has been a continuously developing field in the United States. The demand has been increasing, and the returns are very well in front of you.
While evaluating candidature for junior roles, employers put weightage on foundational skills as compared to the practical knowledge a person possesses.
A critical and analytical approach combined with the ability to negotiate and communicate effectively can help you seize a profitable starting salary for a business analyst.
So, have no second thoughts if you have set your mind to pursue a career in this profile.
Key Takeaways
- The average business analyst entry level salary (Unspecified Type) is USD 57,158.
- The business analyst starting salary depends on - skill set, qualification, location, and size of the company
- To set foot in this career path you need technical understanding, fundamental knowledge of business, and a relevant educational qualification.
- The state of Virginia and Washington have the highest paying entry level business analyst jobs.
- Business analysis is a continuously growing profile and will be a great career choice in the long run.
We have now covered the entry level business analyst salary in the United States and the associated aspects with it.
Feedback and suggestions are something we always cherish. You can drop us a mail at support@hiration.com for the same.
Hiration provides you a complete career service platform with 24/7 chat support for all your professional needs, from cover letter & resume building, CV, interview preparations, LinkedIn review to building a digital portfolio.