Data Analyst Salary [2026 Guide]

Demand for data analysts in Australia continues to climb as organisations become increasingly reliant on digital systems across supply, costs, marketing, and operational efficiency. Australian businesses will offer a higher salary to attract diligent and experienced data analysts – often through recruitment agencies like Ignite.

So, how much can a data analyst expect to be paid? We’ve gathered the numbers across industry reports, job postings, and government statistics for employers and potential employees to understand the benchmarks for a data analyst salary in Australia in 2026.

Average Data Analyst Salary in Australia

The average salary for a data analyst in Australia as of June 2026 is $105,000 per annum, according to Seek.

RealPay places the average data analyst salary at a more conservative $91,438 per annum, calculated across major cities like Sydney, Canberra, and Melbourne.

Glassdoor’s average data analyst salary of $105,700 lines up more closely with the Seek data, placing the earnings range at $84,500 for the 25th percentile, $122,000 for the 75th percentile, and up to $150,000 for top earners.

Average Data Analyst Salary by Years of Experience

Level	Experience	Typical Salary Base (2026)
Entry-level / graduate	<1-4 year	$68,000 – $85,000
Mid-level	3-5 years	$95,000 – $110,000
Senior-level	5-8+ years	$120,000 – $150,000

The above salary figures exclude superannuation, which adds a further 12% on top of base salary (certain industry awards and enterprise agreements may award higher superannuation percentages).

Data analysts can also earn quarterly and annual bonuses based on performance at the organisation’s discretion. PayScale reports that data analysts typically earn annual bonuses ranging from $2,000 to $10,000 per annum.

Data Analyst Career Outlook

A data analyst examines and interprets complex datasets to identify trends, generate actionable insights, and support evidence-based decision-making within an organisation.

As of June 2026, there are over 3,000 data analyst job opportunities on Seek. Seek has also projected a 23.2% growth in career opportunities for data analysts over the next five-years.

Data analysts are in high demand in 2026 across sectors such as finance, healthcare, retail and entertainment, with opportunities across full-time employment and contractual work.

Data Analyst Salary Estimates by Industry

A data analyst’s salary is highly dependent on the industry they work in. Sectors like IT, finance, healthcare, management consulting, and mining, rely on the expertise of data analysts to avoid costly decisions. Other sectors like public service and education tend to offer slightly lower salaries in favour of more repetitive, stable positions.

Industry	Typical salary range (mid – senior)	What drives the pay
Finance, Banking & Fintech	$115,000 – $160,000 at mid – senior level, with ANZ, Commonwealth, Westpac, and Macquarie Bank as active hirers	Risk-mitigation and optimising cost-effective decisions. Compliance in areas like fraud detection and mortgage algorithms are non-negotiable.
Management Consulting	$110,000 – $150,000 at Big 4 and tier-2 firms for analysts with strong client-facing skills	Client-facing and commercial skills are highly favoured.
Technology & AI/ML Platforms	$110,000 – $145,000, with AI-augmented analytics roles attracting premium pay in 2026	ICT hires the vast majority of data analysts – the tech sector runs on data, from product development to user analytics
Mining & Resources (WA/QLD)	$100,000 – $135,000 for operational and predictive-maintenance data analysts	High-value optimisation across operations and supply chain.
Healthcare & Pharma	$90,000 – $120,000 for data analysts with experience interpreting medical and research data	Analysing patient outcomes, streamlining hospital operations, and modelling the spread of diseases.
Retail & eCommerce	$90,000 – $115,000, with large chains like Woolworths and Coles offering solid packages	Understanding customer behaviour, optimising supply chains and personalising marketing
Government & Public Sector	$85,000 – $115,000, plus strong superannuation and job security	Policy analysis, resource allocation and building public-facing services

Data Analyst Salary Estimates by Location

Location is another major factor affecting data analyst salary – capital cities with greater activity offer more job opportunities with higher pay.

The table below showcases the average salary and typical pay ranges across major Australian cities in 2026.

City	Average Salary	Salary Range
Sydney (NSW)	$104,500	$72,000 – $143,000
Canberra (ACT)	$102,600	$70,000 – $140,000
Melbourne (VIC)	$99,750	$68,000 – $137,000
Darwin (NT)	$99,750	$68,000 – $137,000
Perth (WA)	$96,900	$66,000 – $133,000
Brisbane (QLD)	$90,250	$62,000 – $124,000
Gold Coast (QLD)	$87,400	$60,000 – $120,000
Adelaide (SA)	$85,500	$59,000 – $117,000
Wollongong (NSW)	$83,600	$57,000 – $114,000
Newcastle (NSW)	$83,600	$57,000 – $114,000
Geelong (VIC)	$82,650	$57,000 – $113,000
Hobart (TAS)	$80,750	$55,000 – $111,000

Location is undoubtedly a contributing factor for the average data analyst salary, but it’s also important to understand that higher average salaries are offset by a higher cost of living.

Another consideration is that data analyst work is compatible with remote work arrangements – allowing jobseekers to factor in working from home arrangements when working with recruitment agencies.

Data Analyst Skill Premiums

Working in Excel and SQL are considered foundational technical skills for data analysts. Beyond entry-level positions, employers can offer higher salary premiums for data analysts with specific skills that raise the bar for earnings.

Data analysts with the following skills can command up to 20% higher salaries, based on the level of expertise.

Skill	Estimated Salary Premium
Python and R (pandas, NumPy,scikit-learn)	+$10,000 – $20,000 on average; highly valued technical skill
Power BI	+$10,000 – $15,000 for analysts who can architect executive dashboards, not just use the tool
Tableau (with certification)	+15% of base pay; highly demanded in finance and consulting
Cloud Data Stacks (AWS/Azure/GCP,Databricks, Snowflake)	+$5,000 – $10,000

Alongside these skills, AI/ML integration with large and complex datasets is also rapidly emerging as a sought-after skill for data analysts. As AI platforms become increasingly relied on in organisations, employers are likely to favour data analysts who are adept at streamlining data analysis through AI models. This trend is in its early stages as of 2026, so there is limited data on the potential salary premium that AI/ML integration can offer.

Disclaimer: The salary ranges and data presented in this article are based on average values and can vary depending on individual circumstances and market fluctuations.

Data Analyst Salary
[2026 Guide]

Read time: 6 min Author: Vivek Sood Last updated: Jul 13, 2026

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